Focus on Membership. We will have our election of officers and focus on our members and the future of our Club.
Josh grew up in rural Loudoun County VA, pursuing simultaneous fascinations with the outside world of rivers, streams, and woods and the inside world of amplifiers and drum sets. In 2000, he began his career in education with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), moving into the world of formal education in 2012 (after a 6 year hiatus as a touring bluegrass musician), teaching middle school science for Richmond Public Schools (RPS). Josh moved to the VDOE as a Science Curriculum Specialist in 2018, returning to RPS in 2019 as the K-12 Science Curriculum and Instructional Specialist, helping to systemize a constructivist approach to science education.
Josh holds a Bachelors in Geology from Brown University, a M.Sc from the VA Institute of Marine Science, and a M.Ed from VCU. Josh plays music on a regular basis, and lives and frolics near the river in Richmond with his partner who designs and builds custom upholstered furniture and a precocious daughter who is obsessed with spiders and ukuleles.
Read about Sean Miller in the WTVR Local News Article dated February 24, 2023 here.
Dr. Teresa K. Anderson has devoted her career to enhancing student achievement, especially in urban areas. She has worked alongside teachers, parents, students, and district leaders to improve student outcomes in rural and urban school systems. She was raised in a small agricultural town in North Carolina by a parent who was an educator. Her educational philosophy emphasizes offering opportunities that inspire students to pursue academic and professional goals beyond high school and their local communities.
Dr. Anderson has served as a Principal in North Carolina (Hoke County, Alamance-Burlington, and Bertie County), Chicago Public Schools, Waukegan Public Schools, and Richmond Public Schools. She has also worked as an Assistant Principal in North Carolina and Minnesota. From 2021-2023, Dr. Anderson was the Director of Employee Relations for Richmond Public Schools, where she supervised a team that conducted investigations into employee claims and built consultative relationships across the district's 44 schools and 5,000 employees. She rewrote 20 outdated administrative procedures and facilitated successful policy implementation.
Most recently, Dr. Anderson has been the Principal at George Washington Carver Elementary School in Richmond, Virginia, since July 2023. In this role, she has led initiatives such as partnering with community organizations to provide literacy tutoring, strategically allocating budgets, and leading professional development to improve teaching practices. Under her guidance, the school has witnessed a 10% increase in student performance on district assessments.
Dr. Anderson has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, a Master of Education from Barat College at DePaul University, a Master of School Administration from East Carolina University, and a Doctor of Educational Leadership from Fayetteville State University. She holds superintendent and principal licensure in multiple states.
Join us as we celebrate with our Key Club Scholarship Recipients!
Sylvia Buffington-Lester, a native of Richmond, Va., is a forensic scientist section supervisor at the Central Laboratory of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science in Richmond, Va. She has been employed there for nearly 30 years in the discipline of friction skin analysis. Prior to tenure of 16.5 years as a fingerprint examiner for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C., where she received her initial training, she majored in vocal education at Virginia State College (now University) in Petersburg, Va.
In addition to her current career as a forensic scientist, Buffington-Lester is an affiliate adjunct faculty member of Virginia Commonwealth University, where she has served for more than 10 years. In 2015, she received the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences Distinguished Adjunct Award.
Throughout her career, Buffington-Lester has been interviewed by and appeared in several news media, including Discovery Channel and the Associated Press and in an article on forensic science in the July 2016 issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Buffington-Lester is a member of the International Association for Identification; she serves on the editorial board of its publication, Journal of Forensic Identification and the Chesapeake Bay Division, a regional division where she has held several leadership positions. In 2005, she was elected as its first Black president and served in 2006 as chairman of the Board of Directors.
Read more about her here.
Claiborne brings over 30 years of experience in business management to Virginia Home for Boys and Girls and has extensive experience as a marketing consultant to for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
She has served on a number of local nonprofit boards including The Children’s Museum of Richmond, The Powell Foundation for Economic Literacy, and Gateway Homes and served as interim CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.
Claiborne currently serves on the board of Hanover County’s Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT). She is a member of the Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Council and the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF).
She is Vice President of the Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations (VCOPPA) whose mission is to serve as the unified voice for private providers to advocate for a quality system of services for children and families with special needs and challenges. She holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College.
Shelly is a graduate of Meredith College (Raleigh, NC) and Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond, VA). She was drawn to Capital Trees because of her own love of getting outside to walk, to reflect, and to connect with neighbors and nature. For Shelly, green spaces build and sustain communities, teach us about our responsibility to be careful stewards of the natural world, and provide space for renewal and wellbeing.
Dr. John O’Bannon is a lifelong Virginian who has dedicated himself to caring for others. As a child growing up on a farm in Rappahannock County, John helped his family by selling apples at the family fruit stand near Skyline Drive. John O’Bannon’s leadership abilities became apparent during his schooling. A graduate of Hargrave Military Academy and the University of Richmond, John attended medical school at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), where he was elected President of the Student Body. Later, as a resident at MCV, he was elected President of the Housestaff Council, served as Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, and was named Chief Resident in Neurology.
A well-regarded physician, John O’Bannon is a partner in Neurological Associates, a leading Richmond medical practice. He has served as Chief of Staff of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and has served on the Board of Trustees. He has also served 2 terms on the VCU Health System Authority Board, where he chaired the Quality Committee. His peers have named him one of the “Outstanding Physicians of the Year” in Richmond Magazine’s annual poll.
John O’Bannon is a national leader in improving the medical profession. A leader in the American Medical Association (AMA), John served on the AMA Delegation from the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and served as a member of the AMA’s Council for Ethical and Judicial Affairs from 1997 through 2004. Here in Virginia, John is a past Chairman of the Board of the Richmond Academy of Medicine. He also served as Chairman of the MSV’s Legislative Committee, where he helped pass the Virginia Patients’ Bill of Rights.
John O’Bannon is a leader in our community. He is a member of the West Richmond Rotary Club and has served on the Boards of several organizations including The Virginia Home, Virginia War Memorial Foundation, VPAP, Tuckahoe YMCA, Hargrave Military Academy, The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and the Advisory board at the Science Museum of Virginia. A member of the Henrico County Republican Committee, John has been active in numerous federal, state, and local campaigns.
John served in the House of Delegates of the General Assembly of Virginia for 17 years, serving on JLARC and other commissions. He served on the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, Appropriations Committee and Privileges and Elections Committee. He is currently Chairman of the State Board of Elections.
John and Pat O’Bannon have been married for 51 years and reside in Western Henrico. Pat O’Bannon is a former public school teacher who served as Henrico County Supervisor for the Tuckahoe District for 28 years, retiring in 2023. The O’Bannon family attends River Road Church, Baptist. John and Pat have three children, John, Virginia, and Andy, all of whom are graduates of Henrico County Public Schools. They have 5 grandchildren.
Speaking on "Virginia in an Age of Dinosaurs: New Discoveries from Hanover County and Beyond."
Adam Pritchard is the Assistant Curator of Paleontology for the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville. He researches the early history of reptiles and dinosaurs, working primarily on fossil sites in Virginia.
Dr. Pritchard received a Ph.D. at Stony Brook University in Anatomical Sciences before working as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University and the Smithsonian. He is passionate about science and science education, and regularly presents about the fossil history of Virginia.
Experience - George McGovern became the Scout Executive for the Heart of Virginia Council on September 1, 2018. Prior to that, he served as the Deputy Regional Director for the Southern Region, Boy Scouts of America from October 2015 – September 2018, Scout Executive/Executive Director of the Gulf Ridge Council in Tampa, FL from October 2008 – October 2015, and as the Scout Executive of the Flint River Council in Griffin, GA from June 2002 – October 2008. He started his career in the Scouting profession in the Middle Tennessee Council based in Nashville, TN. He served as a District Executive, District Director, Field Director in 2 service areas, the Development Director and as the Director of Field Service/COO from 1985 to 2002.
Background - He was born in Philadelphia, PA, but grew up in Raleigh, NC. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Randolph Macon College in Ashland, VA then he went on to receive his Master of Science Degree from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN.
While at Randolph Macon he worked on two studies in the area of Herpetology (The Study of Reptiles and Amphibians) both of which were published. One study, done in Arizona, was published in the Journal of Herpetology. The other was published in a Virginia Journal for work he did locally. George played Division II Basketball for four years, served as a Resident Assistant for three years and as a lab assistant for three years.
While at Tennessee Tech University he served as a Teaching Assistant for 2 years and upon graduation he began working for the Boy Scouts of America and has remained in that profession for 39 years. George has taught Sunday school, been on the church finance committee, and helped as a leader in the AWANA Games program for 2 years. He had also been an active Scout leader for his sons in both Cub Scout and Boy Scouts. George is an Eagle Scout, OA Vigil Honor, St George Emblem recipient, a Paul Harris Fellow and has been a member of various Rotary Clubs throughout his career.
He is married to Karen, and they have 4 boys, Wesley, Blake, Garrett and Landon, all Eagle Scouts.
Hobbies include cycling, golf, swimming and shooting sports.
Known for being a results-driven arts executive with a focus on authentic audience engagement and community-focused programming, Richmond Symphony Executive Director Lacey Huszcza has more than 20 years of success in business development, organizational growth, strategic planning, and digital innovation.
Lacey moved to Richmond in 2020 to lead the Symphony’s administrative team. Named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of 2018, Lacey is celebrated for her commitment to expanding the diversity efforts of American orchestras as well as her ability to tailor an organization to respond to the ever-increasing need to build relationships and community presence.
As Executive Director, Lacey oversees the Symphony’s administrative operations; providing vision, leadership and direction for all fundraising, marketing, and human capital needs; and works with the Board of Directors and Music Director Valentina Peleggi to chart the Richmond Symphony’s growth both artistically and financially.
“Elk Hill enables children and families to transform overwhelming challenges into successful futures. Through specialized education, community-based services and residential treatment programs, children and families can discover the academic, vocational, behavioral, and relationship skills they need to be successful.”
Ron Spears has been with Elk Hill since 1984. He has served as a Team Leader, Admissions and Aftercare Coordinator, Director of Community Services, Director of Programs, and Chief Operations Officer. He knows every Elk Hill program from the ground up and has helped them evolve as the needs of our young men and women change. Mr. Spears has served as President of the Virginia Association of Specialized Educational Facilities (VAISEF) and served on their Board for over 25 years. He is currently on the Board of the Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations (VCOPPA), and has been recognized by the Central Virginia Partnership on Youth as the 2012 Outstanding Private Partner of the Year for actively demonstrating community collaboration and service to youth and families.
Ron has also served as an adjunct professor at John Tyler Community College since 2012. He holds a bachelor's degree from Wilberforce University in Ohio and a master’s in Youth and Child Care Administration from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Ron resides in rural Powhatan County, where he serves on the board of the Free Clinic and spends his free time playing 50 and over basketball locally and nationally. He is married to his best friend, Linda; and they have two adult children, and four grandchildren.
“The James River in Richmond—Your New Guide to Enjoying America’s Best Urban Waterway”
John Bryan’s writings have been featured in a variety of publications including Sports Illustrated, Delta SKY, Arts Link and others. His books have addressed subjects ranging from religion to art to fly-fishing and have had introductions written by such notables as The New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines, The Conference Board CEO Jonathan Spector, and President Jimmy Carter. John’s career includes 20+ years at VCU and 6 years at CultureWorks. He has degrees from Davidson, Vanderbilt and City College of New York.
Learn more about John Bryan’s new book here.
“Ideas That Animate the Passover Seder & Their Ritual Embodiments”
Passover is rooted in the Israelite redemption from Egypt and its observance is commanded in the Book of Exodus. The seder, the meal with its attendant rituals and its book, the Haggadah (The Telling) evolved over time and continues to do so. Its text and rituals enunciate central ideas and values of Judaism that resonate throughout the ages.
Rabbi Gary S. Creditor was installed as the senior Rabbi of Temple Beth-El, Richmond, Virginia on October 3, 1993 and retired as Rabbi Emeritus in June, 2014, concluding a forty-year career in the pulpit Rabbinate. He instituted many programs in Adult Education such as a weekly Talmud class and, a weekly class in Basic Judaism. He was instrumental in returning post B’nai Mitzvah to participate in services and Torah reading. Under his direction the Mollie Brown and Sylvia Janus Mikvah was built at Temple Beth-El that serves the entire central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley Jewish communities.
Rabbi Creditor served on the Board of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond and its committees in many capacities. He was a member of the Richmond Rabbinic Association and served as its chairman. Rabbi Creditor is a long-time member of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, serving on its Board of Directors and is chair of the Living Wage Certification Program. He has spoken to a wide and diverse spectrum of institutions in Richmond: the Kiwanis Club, the Governor’s School for Governmental and International Studies, and at the Jewish Women’s Room and Jewish Women’s Club at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center. Rabbi Creditor participated with Governor Tom Kaine in the memorial program for students and faculty who died at Virginia Tech, and many interreligious programs held around Richmond following the tragedy of September 11th, 2001.
Rabbi Creditor is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, of the Washington Board of Rabbi, the Washington-Baltimore region of the Rabbinical Assembly, and the New York Board of Rabbis. He served congregations in New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut and Long Island, New York before ascending to position in Richmond.
Rabbi Creditor was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York in 1976, where he received his MA in Talmud (1974) and Bachelor of Hebrew Literature (1971). He graduated from Columbia University G. S. with a B.A. in Far Eastern Religions (1971). As part of these programs he studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1968-1969, 1973-1974). In 2003 he received his Doctor of Divinity (Hon.) from J.T.S. recognizing more than twenty-five years of Rabbinic service.
We are thankful that Rabbi Creditor is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Richmond and are grateful he will be speaking to our club on the Passover.
A visionary and community-minded leader, Brian Trader, Ph.D., brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden where he has served as President and CEO since early 2021. Brian’s background includes leadership management at premier public gardens, horticultural expertise, and a commitment to the community. Brian believes in the healing power of gardens — as a place people can come to be nurtured and restored — and is passionate about connecting people and plants to improve the community.
Previously, Brian served as Deputy Executive Director and Director of Horticulture at the Delaware Botanic Gardens where he managed one of America’s newest public gardens. During his time there, he expanded two garden areas, secured competitive grants, and built a programming calendar to engage diverse communities. Previously, he served as Director of Domestic and International Studies at Longwood Gardens, one of the preeminent gardens in the United States and internationally. During his tenure at Longwood, Brian mentored and supervised over 700 emerging public horticultural professionals from around the world and collaborated with public garden leaders throughout the world to facilitate research, student and staff exchange, and outreach.
Read more about Dr. Trader here
Dale Fickett, Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Richmond, is a man on a mission. Through his vision and superb networking skills, he is creating an eco-system in Metro Richmond that fosters success for this area’s disadvantaged entrepreneurs and business owners. Mr. Fickett is President and Investment Advisor of RVA Works, CEO and Co-Founder of Open Trellises, and member and author of the Forbes Business Council.
Open Trellises is an initiative of RVA Works Enterprise Support, a public charity that provides community content and capital to support social impact startups and entrepreneurs in Virginia. Its objective is to change the economy and cultivate social impact through inclusion and innovation.
Read more about Mr. Fickett here.
He will be speaking on, "21st Century Richmond: Politics, Policy, and Governance"
Dr. Thad Williamson is a sought-after professor and civic activist. His research focuses on the intersection of theories of social justice and public policy, particularly as applied to urban politics and economic policy. He writes regularly on current issues for a wide variety of popular and scholarly publications.
He is currently engaged in two research projects. The first focuses on community wealth building as a national policy paradigm capable of developing practical solutions to long-standing, racialized inequalities of wealth and power that have undermined democracy in the United States. The first major publication from this project, Community Wealth Building and the Reconstruction of American Democracy: Can We Make American Democracy Work?, which Williamson co-edited with Melody C. Barnes and Corey D. B. Walker, was published by Edward Elgar in October 2020.
Read more about Dr. Williamson here.
Elias Neujahr joined Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU in 2017 with a focus on expanding and improving care for children and families in Virginia. Under his leadership, CHoR has been listed among the nation’s top children’s hospitals in U.S. News & World Report, signifying the outstanding quality, safety, research and other important components of providing the best care for kids.
Neujahr was a key leader in solidifying plans for CHoR’s long-awaited dedicated full-service and comprehensive Children's Tower that opened in spring 2023. The tower is CHoR's home for inpatient, emergency care and Level 1 pediatric trauma care and completes an entire city block dedicated to caring for kids. The tower complements CHoR's mental health facility at Virginia Treatment Center, Transitional Care Unit at the Brook Road Pavilion, NICU on the main VCU Medical Center Campus and more than a dozen outpatient centers across Central and Northern Virginia.
In an effort to ensure that children can acquire critical medications, Mr. Neujahr was integral in CHoR being included among 11 of the country’s leading children’s hospitals as an inaugural member of the Children’s Hospital Coalition. The coalition aims to provide certainty in access to medicines and address supply chain issues that disproportionately impact children’s hospitals.
A tireless advocate for children’s health, he also shares his passion and expertise as an active Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals board member.
Neujahr holds master’s degrees in both health care and business administration from the University of Colorado. He has committed his 20+ year career to pediatric health care, with an extensive background in operations and leadership that includes previous roles at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio in Texas, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and Physicians in Michigan, Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode Island and Colorado Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado.
Kelly Till is the first woman president and publisher to lead the Richmond Times-Dispatch in its 173-year history. Kelly, a 28-year veteran of the media industry, also serves as regional vice president of sales for all Lee Enterprises Inc. Virginia markets. Till became vice president of sales for The Times-Dispatch and Lee’s Virginia markets in November 2020 after serving as vice president of advertising at The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press.
The Times-Dispatch has been a top performer across the 77 markets served by Lee Enterprises and has acted as a corporate laboratory for new opportunities to address the region’s large local audience. President Till is credited with pioneering several new programs for Lee, including the launch of Virginia Video Network, a full-service video studio and news network, the continued expansion of the Amplified Digital advertising program across the region, and the creation of En Forme, a statewide lifestyle magazine.
Till has earned numerous honors, including the 2023 Women in Leadership Award by Virginia Business and the Old Dominion University 2022 Distinguished Alumni award. She serves on several boards across Virginia, including the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg, American Heart Association, Virginia Arts Festival, Chamber RVA, the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, and An Achievable Dream. She also is a member of the Women’s Initiative Network and mentors first generation female students at ODU. She earned her BSBA, Marketing from ODU in 1994. Till and her husband, Keith, live in Richmond and have five children blended.
After a 25-year career in Virginia journalism, James A. Bacon founded Bacon’s Rebellion in 2002 as a website and electronic newsletter. He added the blog as a companion piece in 2005, and with financial support from the Piedmont Environmental Council published a series of investigative and in-depth articles about transportation, land use, the environment and energy in Virginia.
Read more about James Bacon here.
Michael Schwartz joined BizSense in 2010 after five years as a reporter at Inside Business in Hampton Roads, Va.
Schwartz is a graduate of Old Dominion University, where he studied journalism. He covers banking, finance, lawsuits and small businesses.
Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of St. John’s Church
Stephen Wilson is Executive Director for the St. John’s Church Foundation, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization established in 1938 whose mission is to spark a global appreciation for understanding the role that Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech had in setting America on its path to liberty for all, and to ignite the public’s interest in preserving the historic site where it happened.
He has been with St. John’s Church Foundation since 2019. He served for two years as the organization’s first Director of Development, and was named Executive Director in 2021.
His nonprofit board experience includes Peter Paul RVA, the Richard Bland College Foundation, the Petersburg Area Art League, and Crater Community Hospice.
He has earned degrees from the University of Mary Washington and Richard Bland College of William and Mary, and he holds a certificate in SustainableUrban Agriculture from Virginia State University.
In his spare time he enjoys hiking and maintaining an urban fig orchard. He lives in Westover Hills in the City of Richmond.
Father James Arsenault, pastor of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Highland Park, will be our Christmas program speaker on December 18. His predominantly African American congregation has welcomed African immigrants, especially a large Sudanese community. They will gather as a church family to celebrate Christmas this year.
Father Arsenault’s friend, Christy Jenkins, suggested him as our Christmas speaker and was particularly enthusiastic about the church’s robust tutoring program for children of all ages, which she says that by itself is quite an amazing story.
He has served St. Elizabeth’s congregation for ten years. Ordained in 1989, he has also served St. Bridget’s in Richmond and churches in Newport News, West Point, Glen Allen, and Blacksburg, where he helped to build the New Parish Church. He was the Catholic priest on the notification team for the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007.
He attended Sacred Heart Seminary College in Detroit, where he earned an undergraduate degree in history. After that, he received a Master of Divinity degree from St. John’s Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. He also attended Catholic University of America.
Read more about Rev. Arsenault and the history of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church here.
The History and Development of Barboursville Vineyards will be the subject of his talk.
Learn more about Luca Paschina and Barboursville Vineyards here.
Speaking on the Story of Hardywood
Patrick Murtaugh is the Co-Founder and COO of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery located in Richmond, VA. Originally from New York City, Patrick is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where he received a BS in Hospitality Management. Following in the footsteps of his Great Grandfather and Great Uncle, Patrick studied brewing science at The Siebel Institute in Chicago as part of the World Brewing Academy’s Master Brewer Program that culminated with practical brewing training at The Doemen’s Academy in Munich, Germany. Patrick’s career in the beer industry includes several years in sales and management roles at a craft beer wholesaler in New York City followed by apprenticeships at various breweries including Brauerei Heller-Trum in Bamburg, Germany and Defiant Brewing Co. in Pearl River, NY.
In October, 2011 he founded Hardywood Park Craft Brewery with childhood friend, Eric McKay. Since opening, Hardywood has garnered many awards for both its beers and its business practices. These include the 2013 business expansion award from the city of Richmond, the 2014 Business of the Year Award and the 2015 Impact Award from The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, The Best Brewery in VA award from ratebeer.com and the 2016 Green Brewery of the Year Award from VA Green Travel. Hardywood beers have achieved international recognition including a gold medal for their Raspberry Stout at the Great American Beer Festival and a Bronze medal for both their Gingerbread Stout and Ruse at The World Beer Cup. Hardywood purchases all of it’s electricity from renewable sources and supports many non-profits including the James River Association, the Capital Trail foundation and Feedmore.
M. Kirkland “Kirk” Cox, serves as the president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC), a nonpartisan group focused on aligning the needs of business with higher education. He previously represented the 66th House of Delegates District from 1990 until his retirement in 2022, and was unanimously elected Speaker in 2018 serving for one term. He was the first public school teacher to serve as Speaker and the first Speaker from the City of Colonial Heights.
Cox served on the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources; Appropriations; General Laws; Labor and Commerce; Privileges and Elections; and Rules committees. He was chairman of the ACNR Committee (2002 – 2007) and Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee (2010 – 2013).
Cox was elected by the Republican Caucus as House Majority Whip in 2007 and then House Majority Leader in 2010.
Cox’s time in the House focused on K-12 education, higher education, economic development, and veterans. Cox introduced over 120 pieces of legislation for the military, veterans, and their families, more than 20 percent of his total introduced while serving in the House. On the Appropriations Committee, Cox championed investments in education spending and behavioral health waivers.
Cox’s speakership coincided with the 400th anniversary of the House of Burgesses in 1619, and he served as chairman of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and co-chair of the 2019 Commemoration, a nationwide tribute to the First Representative Legislative Assembly in the New World and other concomitant anniversaries.
Raised in Colonial Heights, Cox graduated from Colonial Heights High School. He received his B.A. in Political Science and General Social Science from James Madison University. After graduation, Cox taught at Peabody Middle School in Petersburg, Providence Middle School in Chesterfield, and JEJ Moore Middle School in Prince George before moving to Manchester High School in Chesterfield, where he taught government for 26 years.
Virginia Thanksgiving Festival at Berkeley Plantation
This annual tradition dates back to December 4, 1619 when Captain John Woodlief and his crew of 35 men landed on the shores of the James River at what was to become Berkeley Plantation.
In 1958, the annual celebration of Thanksgiving was reborn thanks to the efforts of Virginia Senator John Wicker. In that year, the Jamieson Family, owners of Berkeley, invited members of the Woodlief family to the plantation to observe the annual event. That was the beginning of the Virginia Thanksgiving Festival, as we know it today. It continues and in 1960 the festival was incorporated and in 1961 became a non-profit organization.
On the first Sunday in November every year a group of volunteers work toward keeping that promise made almost 400 years ago. There are re-enactors, who stroll the grounds, re-create the landing and read the proclamation. Thereby, keeping the request of the Virginia Company alive.
Dr. Clay Mountcastle was appointed Director of the Virginia War Memorial in June 2016.
A retired U.S. Army officer, his military service took him to Germany, South Korea and Iraq on assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army 5th Corps and U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
He is a 1994 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and holds a Masters and PhD in History from Duke University. Most recently, he served as Professor of Military History at the University of Washington in Seattle and as an Assistant Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Lee, Virginia.
He is the author of Punitive War: Confederate Guerillas and Union Reprisals and numerous articles published in Civil War Monitor and other military history publications.
Since 2011 until the present, as Administrator of the Virginia Asian Foundation and Executive Director of the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce My Lan Tran expanded the then local area “Asian American Business Center” to today being the Mid Atlantic’s Asian American economic development agency, known as the Official Voice of more than 137,000 Asian American owned enterprises, in Virginia alone, in addition to network members from DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, engaging in global businesses in 4 regions: The Americas, Asia, The Middle East, and Africa.
For seven years Ms Tran directed the City of Richmond Office of Minority Business Development where, in partnership with local, regional, state, national, and global partners, she successfully designed and implemented a national pilot program offering more than 5,000 small-diverse businesses with the critical business technical services they need to succeed.
Ms Tran was International Trade Marketing Manager then Investment Policy Manager at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) where she directed global trade counseling, marketing, and investment policy. During her tenure at VEDP, she directly assisted thousands of Virginia exporters to enter the global markets and helped Virginia lure hundreds of major Fortune and Forbes global companies to invest in the Commonwealth.
Ms. Tran spent 15 years in the workforce development system design and administration for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She obtained leaderships positions in prestigious organizations such as the Export Import Club, Virginia International Business Alliance, National Association for Business Economics in Richmond, International Sister Cities Commission, and the Virginia Human Rights Commission; The Hispanic project Colaborando Juntos, Institute of Supply Management, the White House’s Asian American Pacific Initiatives, and national think tanks such as The Democracy Collaborative & Next Street.
From 2012 to 2017, Ms. Tran taught classes in Contemporary Asian Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University School of World Studies where she was also Advisor to the Asian Students majoring in Business and Finances. She is also fluent in 4 languages in: Spanish, English, Vietnamese, and French. She traveled to 8 countries and worked in France within the aerospace and building materials trade show sectors.
In 1981, Ms Tran obtained a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies and advanced studies in Asian Affairs from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California, and she completed post graduate business education from Thunderbird School of International Management, in Arizona, and advanced linguistics from the Université de Caen, France. In 2003, My Lan is certified as International Trade Specialist (CITS) from N.A.S.D.A (National Association of State Development Agencies), the U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration and as an Economic Development Specialist (CED) from the Virginia Economic Development Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia. She earned certifications in Supply Chain Management, Black Belt/Six Sigma from the Institute of Supply Management, and Dupont. She completed advanced research at the University of California in Berkeley, CA, the Post Naval Graduate School in Monterey, CA, and the U.S. Veterans Training Institute at the University of Denver, CO where she obtained a Certification as a U.S Veteran Services Specialist (CVET) by the University of Colorado.
Ms. Tran is Cabinet Advisors to more than a dozen regional and state institutions in the energy, transportation, housing, municipality governing, higher education, wellness, and regional economic development sectors.
Ms. Tran won a dozen of local, regional, state,and national business awards for service excellence for her work in transforming Massachusetts Workforce Training, the U. S Veterans Affairs, and the SBA “Champion of Small & Minority Business” for Virginia and SBA Region III Region III in 6 U.S states. She won the Metropolitan Business League’s Vision of Excellence Award, and the “Person Making a Difference of the year “ by the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper and American Red Cross award for leadership in advancing Virginia’s Asian and Hispanic immigrant population.
The Gloucester Institute, training and nurturing students that are emerging leaders across the country
Kay Coles James served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from January 2022 to August 2023, and as the Director for the United States Office of Personnel Management under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. Previous to the OPM appointment, she served as Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources under then-Governor George Allen and was the Dean of Regent University's Government School. She is the President and Founder of the Gloucester Institute, a leadership training center for young African Americans.
Learn more about The Honorable Kay Cole James here.
“The James River in Richmond—Your New Guide to Enjoying America’s Best Urban Waterway”
John Bryan’s writings have been featured in a variety of publications including Sports Illustrated, Delta SKY, Arts Link and others. His books have addressed subjects ranging from religion to art to fly-fishing and have had introductions written by such notables as The New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines, The Conference Board CEO Jonathan Spector, and President Jimmy Carter. John’s career includes 20+ years at VCU and 6 years at CultureWorks. He has degrees from Davidson, Vanderbilt and City College of New York.
Learn more about John Bryan’s new book here.
Casino-based gambling revenues will contribute to social inequity.
Michael J. Schewel, will present an argument in opposition to the casino and resort project City of Richmond voters will see on their election ballots this November.
Michael currently serves on several non-profit boards and builds affordable housing He practiced law at McGuireWoods for 35 years where, at various times, he led or co-led the firm’s corporate and energy practices. He served as Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade from 2002-2006 under then Governor Mark Warner. He served as chief executive of Recast Energy, a renewable energy company, and as Sr. Vice President and General Counsel of Tredegar Corporation, a publicly traded industrial company. He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards, including as president of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and as chairman of the board of Better Housing Corporation.
