2023 Infinite Mile Award Recipients

Depending on the day, event management might include logistics, customer service, collaboration, problem solving—or all of the above. It also includes moments of sheer panic, when someone remembers a critical task and asks, “Did that get done?” Your colleagues tell us that the best possible and very frequent answer is: “Malcolm’s on it.” From dignitary visits to community celebrations, you’re dedicated to getting things right, giving your full attention to every detail, large or small.

Working across campus with teams from DAPER to Facilities, Academic Advising to MVP, you elevate the quality of every project you take on. Colleagues describe you as swiftly efficient, but also friendly and warm. And when things don’t go as planned, you take it in stride, exuding confidence, positivity and calm.

You’re also generous in sharing your knowledge. One colleague says, “When I think of the definition of a team player, I think of someone like Malcolm Jones.” Another calls you “a team player who retains his individuality.” And a third says, quite simply, “Everybody loves Malcolm.” We’re delighted to be among your many devoted fans.

Your admiring colleagues have come up with a multitude of titles that pay tribute to your awesome powers: you’re a stalwart navigator; a triage manager; a bodyguard; and even a matchmaker, working patiently with unwilling partners.

In all of these roles, you bring the story of MIT into focus for our community and for the world, making sure to adjust the lighting to capture our best angles. You constantly seek, and find, new opportunities to highlight and celebrate MIT faculty and research. You juggle a huge number of incoming requests, but you’re always willing to help others brainstorm stories and pitches.

When faculty, staff or students are approached by an unfamiliar media outlet, they often call you first, trusting your guidance on whether to speak freely – or decline politely. Journalists trust you, too, knowing you won’t steer them wrong.

Across MIT and beyond, you’re known as an “honest broker,” displaying a rare combination of astute judgment and decisiveness with generosity, charm and an embracing, collegial smile. As we trek across the uneven media landscape, you keep us from stumbling or straying off the path. We’re lucky to have you as our guide and happy to follow your lead.

Your first days in the Office of General Counsel coincided with the week that staff began working remotely due to Covid, so you had to learn the ropes from a distance. But it didn’t take you long to develop a deep understanding of the complex ecosystem that is MIT.

Every day, you deftly handle issues that many people might find alarming: Litigation! Dispute resolution! Subpoenas! No matter what you turn your hand to, your colleagues admire your consistently exceptional efforts to ensure the OGC meets the legal needs of our community. You go far beyond expectations, anticipating what colleagues and clients will need before they need it. You elevate the practice of the attorneys you support, and your thorough, intensive research makes it possible for MIT’s Gift Acceptance Committee to make informed, responsible decisions consistent with the Institute’s values.

Colleagues describe you as thoughtful, insightful, creative and—when required—tenacious. In a word, you’re irreplaceable.

The mandate to select a new president for MIT set in motion a daunting calendar of meetings, interviews, listening sessions and focus groups with faculty and staff, students and alumni, higher-ed thought leaders and an abundance of candidates. Fortunately, the two of you stepped up to orchestrate this performance—and it’s no accident you’re receiving an award together.

With grace and good humor, you helped guide the search from prelude to finale without a single sour note. As the Chair’s Office dream team, you’ve been described as resourceful, respectful, unflappable, and generous. And you took on a monumental, high-pressure assignment with a spirit of joy.

Your energy and enthusiasm were equaled by your diplomacy and discretion, and you ensured that 5,500 members of the MIT community were able to share their input. You helped bring a multitude of voices into brilliant harmony to select MIT’s 18th president. And with everything said and done, there’s no arguing with the results!

We all owe you a standing ovation. But we promise not to call for an Encore – at least not yet.