Two Trinity College alumni who are strongly engaged with the Hartford community are included on Connecticut Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list for 2020. Social entrepreneur Jeffrey Devereux ’12 and film advocate and college sports coach John Michael Mason ’12, M’14 are each featured in the magazine’s annual compilation of the most influential up-and-comers in Connecticut under the age of 40.
Devereux is a co-founder of Breakfast Lunch & Dinner (BL&D), a company that brings the Hartford community together through a variety of events and programs, including the monthly street food event, the Know Good Market. Connecticut Magazine adds, “In addition, BL&D started a summer concert series called Wadsworth, Alive! at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art’s inner courtyard, helped Blue Earth Compost run a successful crowdfunding campaign to buy a compost dump truck, formed a new DJ Collective called Cafeteria Radio to support local music and DJs, and took over event coordination of First Night Hartford, the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Devereux is also co-founder of the nonprofit Active City, which supports and raises funds for organizations working to improve and grow youth sports and recreation in Hartford.” Follow Devereux on Twitter @jdevereux.
Mason is the head men’s and women’s track & field coach and an instructor of film studies at Trinity. He also serves as board chairman for Cinestudio, the nonprofit independent film theater on Trinity’s campus. Connecticut Magazine says, “Under Mason’s leadership, the theater has navigated a difficult landscape of decreased attendance nationwide. According to Mason, Cinestudio ‘remains a must-see destination for audiences interested in experiencing cinematic productions at the highest technical standard in a beautiful 1930s-style film house.’ Mason is also the director of the Trinity Film Festival, an international short film competition that invites some of the most talented undergraduate filmmakers in the world to Hartford each May. The ninth annual Trinity Film Festival on May 2 will also be a celebration of Cinestudio’s 50th anniversary. Another project of Mason’s is Small State Great Beer, an all-Connecticut craft beer festival in downtown Hartford. The fifth annual festival will take place Sept. 19 at Constitution Plaza.” Follow Mason on Instagram @smallstategreatbeer.
According to Connecticut Magazine, the “40 Under 40” list includes “attorneys, social change agents, educators, fitness gurus, culinary champions, television personalities, filmmakers, performing artists, business leaders, and many more … as in past years, these high-achievers were nominated by friends, family, coworkers, admirers, and Connecticut Magazine staff.”
Read the entire “40 Under 40: The Class of 2020” list here.
