Local leader recognized for his passion and dedication to young people
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 18, 2026 – Jerrell Morton, director at Job Point’s YouthBuild in Columbia, Missouri, was awarded the 2026 Director of the Year at the YouthBuild Directors Association (YBDA) meeting in Washington, D.C., in May.
Each year, YouthBuild Global’s Directors Awards celebrate program leaders across the YouthBuild movement who demonstrate clear impact at their local program, support their students in achieving their goals and ambitions, and provide leadership for the entire YouthBuild network. Morton and six program leaders in other categories were honored before a crowd of nearly 150 of their peers.
The Director of the Year award recognizes Morton for creating a strong program, building a positive program culture, and developing approaches that expand opportunities for young people. His leadership has made Job Point’s YouthBuild a model of excellence within the network.
Jerrell Morton has two Bachelor’s degrees: Accounting and Business Administration. He is a certified Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) Instructor and has been working with youth since 2006. He has been employed with Job Point since 2011. He is Chair of YouthBuild Global’s Membership Committee, a member of the National YB Director’s Council and Network Reaffiliation Subcommittee, a YB USA Director’s Leadership Fellows, and 2024 winner of the Service and Solidarity Award. He is a member of the Central Missouri Region Workforce Development Board and the Juvenile Detention Alternative Sentencing Initiative. In 2022, he was selected as the Most Impactful Staff Member and honored with a 20 Under 40 Award by local CoMo Magazine in 2023. As a U.S. Army veteran, he served as Automated Logistics Specialist with the Missouri National Guard.
“I am thankful and honored to receive this award, but this is not just about me,” Morton said. “This is a Job Point Award. This award truly speaks to the truth of that adage, you are the average of the people you surround yourself with. Without my YouthBuild family in Columbia, Mo, this would not be possible at all. I am proud to be a part of this village that shows up every day under the shared goal of spreading hope to those who come through our front doors. Thank you all for your support, love and for continuing to stand together as a family through sacrifice and determination. WE ROCK!!”
The YBDA comprises one program leader serving as a voting member from each affiliated YouthBuild program. The body meets each year to elect committee representatives, engage in peer-led workshops, share best practices, plan legislative and advocacy work, and provide support for programs. The YBDA carries out much of its work through the YouthBuild Leadership Council in partnership with staff of YouthBuild Global, including its president and CEO.
Job Point’s YouthBuild is one of more than 340 local programs around the world that partner with opportunity youth — young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor employed — to build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood and leadership. In YouthBuild programs, opportunity youth reclaim their education, gain job skills and credentials, and become leaders in their communities, building brighter futures for themselves and their neighborhoods. Responding to the urgent need for knowledge, training, and opportunity, YouthBuild primarily serves young people who lack a high school diploma and financial resources. These young people are in greatest need of tools to succeed, and they are our greatest source of untapped potential to bolster economic mobility and transform the world.
Job Point’s YouthBuild will host its Spring Graduation on May 21st at Columbia College. The organization hosts two ceremonies annually aimed at giving graduates the celebration they deserve for reclaiming their high school education while honoring their unique situations and goals. Students in this cohort have earned their HISET while also attaining credentials in the areas of Carpentry, Highway Maintenance Repair or Warehousing and Logistics. Students have also had opportunities to serve their community through unique partnerships with other organizations and were pushed out of their comfort zone to develop better leadership and communication skills. Job Point’s YouthBuild program prepares graduates for taking the next steps toward a fulfilling career and engaged life.
“Every young person who walks through the doors of a YouthBuild program does so because a dedicated leader made that program worth walking into,” said John Valverde, president and CEO of YouthBuild Global. “The directors we honor today are the reason young people reconnect to education, earn credentials, and step into lifelong leadership. Their work is the foundation of everything this network and movement builds.”
About Job Point’s YouthBuild
Job Point is Missouri’s premier employment center and Community Development Corporation. Since 1965, we have been linking people and jobs by providing career planning and job placement assistance. We specialize in preparing individuals to enter the workforce, while meeting a critical need of the business community. The organization is headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, with services historically extending to Moberly, Boonville and the surrounding communities. Job Point provides employment services, vocational training, community development and educational opportunities to central and western Missouri, helping people overcome the barriers in their lives to achieve long-term economic stability. Since 2003, Job Point’s YouthBuild program has helped over 1,100 youth and young adults reclaim their education and build the skills they need for life-long learning, leadership and personal and professional success.
About YouthBuild
With love and respect, YouthBuild partners with opportunity youth to build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood, and leadership. At more than 340 YouthBuild programs around the world, young people who are out of school and out of work reclaim their education, gain job skills and credentials, and become leaders in their communities. To date, YouthBuild has partnered with more than 220,000 young people to dedicate over 52.5 million hours of service benefitting rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities. YouthBuild Global — the headquarters for the YouthBuild movement — unifies and partners with this expansive network of YouthBuild programs. From training, technical assistance, capacity building, and innovative program enhancements to leadership development, financial stability, and narrative change and public policy, YouthBuild Global serves as a convener, collaborator, and catalyst for the entire YouthBuild movement. YouthBuild strives to create a world where all young people are seen for their potential and power to transform themselves and their communities. For more information about YouthBuild Global and the YouthBuild movement, visit YouthBuild.org.
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