Burton Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society 
(Photo courtesy of Franklin Templeton)
With his most recent corporate-matched gift to the Mitchell Institute, Jarrod Burton, the 2005 Mitchell Scholar from Freeport High School and an equity research analyst with Putnam Investments in Boston, became the 20th and newest member of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society.
The Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society recognizes Mitchell Scholar alumni who have followed the philanthropic example of the late Truc Huynh, a remarkably gifted and altruistic Scholar alumnus who passed away at the age of 40 in mid-June 2022. As part of his legacy of paying it forward, Truc made financial contributions to the Mitchell Institute at a level that matched and eventually surpassed the entire amount of the Scholarship award that he received in support of his education at Bowdoin College.
Burton, whose financial support of the Mitchell Institute has been made through monthly gifts and corporate matching contributions from Franklin Templeton, which acquired Putnam in 2024, says choosing to make the Mitchell Institute his “home” for charitable giving was an easy decision.
“Over the past 15 or 20 years, I have realized a lot of value from the education I received,” said Burton, who graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. in Government and Economics. “So, when I had the ability and capacity to give back, I knew that being able to have those dollars go to the next generation of Mitchell Scholars, to support their educational goals, was the right thing to do.”
Burton says part of the value he has realized has come from the investments the Mitchell Institute has made in him, during and after his college years. Beyond the Mitchell Scholarship, Burton applied for and received two fellowships — one to help cover expenses during an unpaid summer internship with a financial advising firm in Portland and, years later, another to help pay for test preparation materials when he applied to earn an M.B.A. through Boston College’s Carroll School of Management in 2016.
“I was the first in my family to earn a four-year degree,” he said. “I worked construction jobs during summers to pay for books and save for expenses, so the Mitchell Scholarship dollars mattered a great deal when I was in college. Through the fellowship program, the Mitchell Institute has continued to support me at some important junctures in my educational and career development. When corporate matching of my giving came along, I made sure to max out the opportunity.”
Jared Cash, President and CEO of the Mitchell Institute, thanked Burton for his contributions to the Mitchell Institute over the years and for leveraging the full potential of Franklin Templeton’s corporate gift-matching program.
“We are deeply grateful to Jarrod for choosing to make the Mitchell Institute his philanthropic home and for making the success of current and future Mitchell Scholars a priority,” Cash said. “Truc Huynh would have been especially pleased by Jarrod’s efforts to leverage corporate matching in support of the Mitchell Institute. Truc always served as a bridge between the companies he worked for and the Mitchell Institute and found ways to connect them to us. Jarrod’s decision to take advantage of the matching program reflects that same spirit of advocacy and generosity.”
At Putnam Investments, Burton is responsible for fundamental analysis of companies for Putnam’s U.S. Small Cap Growth Equity strategies. He conducts deep sector research, assesses company earnings and stock valuations, and identifies investment opportunities expected to deliver above-average returns for clients. Prior to joining Putnam in 2022, he was an investment analyst at LMCG Investments, a U.S. equities portfolio analyst at Standard Life Investments, and a portfolio analyst at Natixis Investment Managers. After graduating from Hamilton College in 2009, he joined a real estate development firm in Boston, working on low-income housing and mixed-use property development projects.
“I was a liberal arts graduate who happened to enter the job market in the throes of a horrific financial recession,” Burton recalled. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know what my degree would allow me to do. It took me some time to figure that out, but I got to learn a lot about how the world works and how companies operate. I now spend most of my time reading, writing, and talking to people in the process of choosing stocks that our mutual fund invests in on behalf of our clients. Finding investments that will generate the best returns for our clients is fascinating to me and a job we take very seriously.”
Burton said networking with Mitchell Institute staff was a critical part of the figuring-out process early on in his career, which is why he makes another vital contribution to Mitchell Scholars’ success: making himself available to consult with any who are interested in exploring the world of investment research.
“When I think back on all of the experiences I had with the Mitchell Institute and the support I received, I realize the importance of helping in any way I can,” he said.
Membership in the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society can happen through a multi-year pledge, steady giving over many years, or a single gift to the Mitchell Institute. New and founding members of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society are invited to attend receptions to celebrate their philanthropic commitment to supporting the Mitchell Institute. If you are interested in learning more about the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society, please contact Mitchell Institute Director of Development Jeff Candura. Learn more about the program and see all members of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society.