James W. “Jimmy” Hazel, JD ’84, has led a life of service to the Commonwealth of Virginia—and to George Mason University. In July 2024, as his term on the university’s Board of Visitors concluded, Hazel added to his considerable legacy with a gift of $1 million for the Smithsonian–Mason School of Conservation (SMSC).

The gift, reflecting Hazel’s wishes to advance the important work of the school, creates two funds. The first will provide support for graduate or undergraduate students enrolled at SMSC, and the second will support the operations of the school’s programs.

“This gift represents my personal passion for conservation and my hope is that it will allow George Mason to draw in a diverse group of new PhD students to the program,” Hazel said.

Hazel is a cochair on the Advisory Board for SMSC, a research and academic facility in Front Royal, Virginia, that operates under a partnership between the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and George Mason. The facility covers more than 3,000 acres of forest, grassland, and pasture, and houses a range of endangered mammals, birds, and amphibians.

SMSC conducts research and offers proactive methodologies of conservation biology education and training, providing hands-on interdisciplinary programs to undergraduates, graduate students, professionals, and high school students. It draws from the educational innovation of George Mason faculty and the established work of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to create a transdisciplinary approach to conservation leadership that is research-based, forward-looking, and ethical.

Cody Edwards, SMSC executive director and interim dean, College of Science, understands the immediate impact of Hazel’s generosity.

“With this gift, he opens doors for students passionate about conservation and sustainability,” Edwards said. “Jimmy’s continued support helps ensure SMSC can continue to bring together internationally renowned experts who can offer those students an educational experience that will enhance their futures and ultimately, help preserve the world’s biodiversity.”

SMSC’s graduate programs include practical training in the tools necessary to conduct and report research, and allow students to work directly with experts and practitioners from all over the world. Students become part of a community of conservation scientists and leaders, developing relationships with these mentors and with each other, forming networks to help them launch into a wide variety of careers.

“My family has, and will always have, deep ties to George Mason and the Fairfax Campus,” Hazel said, “but I think one of the best university programs sits in Front Royal at the Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation. With the groundbreaking research being conducted at the facility, we have the potential to put this initiative on the map in a big way. I would like to think that this gift will help increase that momentum.” 

“Jimmy’s impact on SMSC and its students goes well beyond this single thoughtful gift,” added Edwards. “His continued support has helped transform this program and placed it on a trajectory not envisioned when it was originally conceived.”

Hazel has been a dedicated, engaged member of the George Mason community. He served twice on the Board of Visitors: from 1994 to 2002, and his most recent appointment, from 2016 to 2024, included chairmanship of the Development Committee, a term as vice rector, and service as rector from 2020-22. He is a past president of the George Mason University Alumni Association and the Law Alumni Association, and he served for 18 years on the George Mason University Foundation Board of Trustees. 

Hazel chaired George Mason’s successful Faster Farther Campaign, which closed at nearly $700 million—$200 million more than its original goal. He cochaired the presidential search committee that brought George Mason’s president Gregory Washington to campus in 2020.  In recognition of his more than three decades of service to the university, Hazel was awarded the George Mason Medal in 2017.

Hazel, a lifelong outdoorsman who has served on the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (chairing the agency for three years), and on the boards of the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia and George Mason’s Potomac Science Center, is determined to make a lasting difference through SMSC.