Young Alumni Award

Jonathan Mallek ’13

Care for creation is something woven into the fabric of both farming and Catholic Social Teaching — and, as it happens, the fabric of Jon Mallek’s life. Jon’s roots on a rural Wisconsin farm imbued in him a deep appreciation for agriculture, and his time at St. Norbert cemented his passion for civic engagement on a global scale.

An Honors Program student who graduated summa cum laude with majors in political science, international studies and French, Jon began his career of service almost from the moment he crossed the Commencement stage. In September of 2013, he joined the Peace Corps as a rural agriculture volunteer in Senegal.

With his service cut short months later due to a medical evacuation, Jon returned to the SNC campus, where he assisted in the rollout of the college’s innovative Gap Experience, an alternative fall semester for first-year students focused on adventure, service and self-reflection.

He next joined AmeriCorps as a restoration and trail crew member in Nevada, then entered government service — first as a trade policy researcher at the White House while pursuing his master’s in international economic relations at American University, next as a consultant for the World Bank Group, and then as an international economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service. During this time, proving that you can’t take the farm out of the boy, Jon volunteered at the Common Good City Farm in the nation’s capital.

Today, Jon works as a policy advisor for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. An enthusiastic adviser to SNC students and graduates who have an interest in government, politics and other public-service careers, Jon has been particularly encouraging of LGBTQ+ graduates, historically underrepresented in those fields.

Jon is an avid runner, closing in on his eighth straight 1,000-mile year, and he runs annual marathons or half- marathons with a group of friends. He and his partner, Jason, have hopes of starting a family in the future.

Jon acknowledges that involvement in public service does not bring money or fame, but simply the deep satisfaction of serving others. For that mindset and commitment, he is a worthy recipient of the Young Alumni Award.