NEWS

Vienna, VA, February 13, 2023 – Leadership Fairfax is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Northern Virginia Leadership Awards who will be celebrated on Thursday, February 23, 2023 hosted at Reston Community Center,  2310 Colts Neck Rd, Reston, VA. The event will be presented in a hybrid format, with the in person event beginning at 11:30 am, and the program starting at 12 noon with an option for attendees to tune in virtually.  

The NVLAs are bestowed annually to talented community leaders and organizations that have made a significant impact on Northern Virginia through volunteerism, philanthropy, and community leadership in the following categories: Regional Leadership; Non-Profit Leadership; Corporate Leadership and Educational Leadership. The 2023honorees represent a diverse cross section of the community from corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations working to build thriving and sustainable communities.  

The awards are made possible by sponsors Leidos, Reston Community Center, Apple Federal Credit Union, Boston Properties, Cornerstones and FedWriters. Tickets can be purchased online at leadershipfairfax.org/events.  

MEET THE 2023 HONOREES:  

Nonprofit Leadership Organization: Good Shepherd Housing 

Good Shepherd Housing (GSH) has been a provider of affordable housing along the Richmond Highway corridor for almost fifty years. Established in 1974, GSH has pursued a scattered-site approach to acquiring and managing affordable rental housing units. Rather than pursuing a single-site, multifamily residential development GSH has purchased units incrementally in a dozen communities along 15 miles of Richmond Highway, blending communities and neighborhoods. GSH understands that affordable and stable housing is a vehicle for changing a family’s lifelong outcomes. GSH gives struggling households breathing space to work on education, employment, and savings. 

Corporate Leadership: Springfield Town Center 

Springfield Town Center is honored with the Corporate Leadership Award to recognize its outstanding contributions as a public-private partner during the COVID-19 pandemic. Springfield Town Center provided leased space at no cost to Fairfax County for 11 months during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to establish a vital vaccine equity clinic for residents with limited health care access in the Springfield area. Springfield Town Center operated 140 vaccine equity clinics providing nearly 10,000 vaccine doses. The Springfield Town Center clinic became known as a trusted location in the community where residents with no health insurance, English language and digital access barriers could obtain important COVID-19 vaccine to sustain their health and vitality. 

Nonprofit Leadership Individual: Dr. Nardos King 

Dr. Nardos E. King is an outstanding community leader. She serves as the President of the Donna M. Saunders Foundation, the DC Metro HBCU Alliance and the National Alliance of Black School Educators. Dr. Nardos King is a visionary leader with a clear idea of how she envisions the future and with the ability to strategize on how to get there. Through Dr. King's leadership, our community is impacted in a positive way. Her work with the Donna M Saunders Foundation has provided both financial assistance to breast cancer patients who need assistance with rent, food, car payments, health co-payments and other needs. The HBCU community day and 5K run brings 1300 plus members of our community together to learn about health issues and HBCUs. The day also raises funds and donations for scholarships. 

Regional Leadership: Chris Atwood Foundation 

In less than a decade, the Chris Atwood Foundation has shined a light on the opioid crisis and substance addiction as a community health issue; they have changed the terminology used, and the connotations surrounding substance addiction. They participated on the White House Task Force in 2017-2018, educated law makers in the Virginia statehouse, changed six state laws, and partnered with Fairfax County to bring treatment to those incarcerated and to provide safe housing when they are released. CAF has served over 11,000 people with naloxone training, housing, aid, peer support and more. Over 700 lives have been saved by reversal of opioid overdose using Naloxone CAF provided. Over 500 people recovering from substance abuse disorder CAF has placed in substance free safe house to help them continue their road to recovery. 

Educational Leadership: Shannon Matheny, Assistant Principal – West Springfield High School 

Shannon Matheny has created a school within the school, with a student-centered environment that helps students find their own path and achieve more than they knew they were capable of achieving. Thanks to Matheny's vision, West Springfield High School has helped ensure all students can find a pathway to success. She has served as senior administrator for four years at West Springfield High School and helped more than 2,500 students reach their graduation goals. 

 

The awards ceremony to recognize the 2023 winners will take place in a hybrid format on Thursday, February 23, 2023 with options for in person or virtual attendance, with the ceremony starting at 12 noon. Virtual tickets are $25 for nonmembers and general public, in-person tickets are $50 and include networking and catered lunch. Tickets can purchased online: leadershipfairfax.org/events.  

Leadership Fairfax develops, connects and inspires leaders of diverse backgrounds and experiences to engage in building a better community and is currently accepting applications for all of their leadership development programs. Programs are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion or any other basis protected by law. Leadership Fairfax headquarters are located at 8230 Old Courthouse Rd., Ste 100, Vienna, VA 22182. To learn more, visit leadershipfairfax.org. 

Arlington, VA – The Leadership Center for Excellence and Leadership Fairfax are pleased to announce the 2023 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 honorees. These individuals demonstrate exceptional and impactful leadership in their professional and personal spheres. The 2023 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 honorees will be celebrated during a virtual event on Friday, March 24, 2023, from 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., and later that evening at an in-person reception for honorees only.   

“The Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 event serves as both a celebration and an annual reminder of the need for leaders who work daily to effect change, collaborate with others, and create a positive impact within their community,” said Lisa Fikes, President and CEO of the Leadership Center for Excellence.  

CEO and President of Leadership Fairfax, Karen Cleveland, stated, “We are beyond thrilled to recognize these amazing and inspiring leaders, and I am in awe of what they have accomplished at such a young age. Please join us to celebrate our honorees and prepare to be inspired.” 

2023 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 Honorees  

Elena Agaragimova, Horizon Industries Ltd/Elena Agar LLC 

Kathleen Ambroso, The Journey 

Alyssa Batchelor, Office of Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Virginia House of Delegates 

Lauren Bealore, Prosperity Now 

Shayna Bergman, Shayna Bergman Coaching, LLC 

Adrian Chadwell, Carahsoft Technology 

Michael Chiappa, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) 

LeVar Crooms, M&T Bank 

Paul Davis, Office of Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, Fairfax County Government 

LaMarcus Davis, Phenom Surgical 

Chelsi Dildine, Edward Jones Investments 

Erika Dyer, Curley Company 

Marilyn Dyess, Blake Willson Group 

Jamie Ergas, Carpenter's Shelter 

David Farajollahi, Dominion Energy 

Mandi Fisher, Northern Virginia Family Service 

Michael Forehand, Inova 

Myja Gary, Zoom Video Communications  

Mahwish Hamlani, Accenture 

Mike Hemminger, NAACP Arlington 

Stephanie Hopkins, Department of Human Services, Arlington County Government 

Cara Howard, Department of Emergency Management and Security, Fairfax County Government 

ArbenIstrefi, CYDEO 

Claradith Landry, Educators and Cultural Consultants LLC. 

Jake Mages, Guernsey Inc. 

Diego Mariscal, 2Gether-International 

Eric Miller, Inova  

Natalie Monkou, Town of Vienna 

Jessica Peters, Insight Memory Care Center 

Anika Rahman, Office of Delegate Michelle Maldonado, Virginia House of Delegates 

David Schneider, Holland & Knight LLP 

Genaro Stewart, Department of Defense 

Jennifer Toussaint, Animal Welfare League of Arlington  

Alejandra Underwood, Columbia Pike Partnership 

MawuliVodi, Financially Present dba Growve Solutions LLC 

Phyllis Weech, Inova 

Kimberly Whipkey, White Ribbon Alliance 

Chelsie White, Deloitte & Touche  

Spencer Wood, Fairfax Economic Development Authority 

Shane Ziegler, USI Insurance Services 

To learn more about and register for the 2023 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 virtual event honoring these leaders, please visit leadercenter.org/40-under-40/. 

About Leadership Center for Excellence and Leadership Fairfax 

The mission of the Leadership Center for Excellence is to connect, develop, and inspire leaders for personal growth, civic engagement, and community impact. For more information, visit leadercenter.org or call (703) 528-2522.  

Leadership Fairfax develops, connects and inspires leaders of diverse backgrounds and experiences to engage in building a better community. To learn more, call (703) 752-7555 and visit leadershipfairfax.org. 

Vienna, VA – Leadership Fairfax is proud to present the 2-day Youth Leadership Network Conference on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12, 2022, at Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Center, free for all Fairfax County youth ages 12 – 22. The conference will provide opportunities for Fairfax youth to connect with other young leaders, learn about new topics and expand their knowledge of leadership skills they can use in school, at clubs and on councils. Register here: https://bit.ly/22YLN

The conference theme of Meta Leadership aims to support students to increase their self-awareness, learn how to work better with others and explore topics important to them. The first day will feature diverse sessions about Mentorship, Difficult Conversations, Generational Differences, Identifying Values and Strengths and Improv Activities to Build Teamwork. The second day will be fully immersive and emergent as participants engage in Open Space Technology.

Sessions will be facilitated by expert trainers and coaches in partnership with Leadership Fairfax. Breakfast and Lunch are included both days.

The Youth Leadership Network is a collaboration between Fairfax County and Leadership Fairfax to create a collective umbrella under which youth councils in the county can network, engage in volunteer opportunities and expand their leadership skills through educational courses that address leadership topics important to youth. Registration for the conference is now open for free online: https://bit.ly/22YLN.

Leadership Fairfax develops, connects and inspires leaders of diverse backgrounds and experiences to engage in building a better community. It is a diverse community of 2,100+ alumni where public and private sector leaders collaborate to develop and implement solutions to community issues. Programs are open to all, regardless of age, color, ability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, or any other basis protected by law. Leadership Fairfax headquarters is located at 8230 Old Courthouse Rd., Ste 100, Vienna, VA 22182. To learn more, call 703.752.7555 and visit leadershipfairfax.org.

Not long after D’Ivonne Holman became director of development for Northern Virginia family services nonprofit Britepaths in 2018, she signed up to participate in Leadership Fairfax, a leadership development organization focused on local and regional challenges in Fairfax County. Her boss, a Leadership Fairfax alum, encouraged her to apply.

She was accepted into Leadership Fairfax’s class of 2019 and joined a cohort of 50 classmates over the next 10 months for a series of discussions, workshops, field trips and trainings.

Read full article here. 

The term “pivot” used to annoy Karen Cleveland, president and CEO of Leadership Fairfax.

Then the pandemic struck. Pivoting became the modus operandi for most businesses, organizations and governmental agencies, which bobbed and weaved to accomplish their missions using remote work and other creative arrangements. Read the coverage in the Sun Gazette.

Watch the full video of the Regional Community Partnership Forum here.

Leadership Fairfax held a joint commencement ceremony for the Leadership Fairfax Institute Signature Program and the Emerging Leaders Institute Classes of 2022 on Wednesday, June 9 at Window Plaza at Reston Town Center, recognizing over 50 talented and accomplished leaders from across the region. Check out the full list of grads below and pictures of the event can be found here, courtesy of East 27 Creative. A huge thank you to Boston Properties, our board members, team advisors, faculty and volunteers that made the event possible.

LFI Class of 2022 Graduates:  John Alexa  Ayse Alexander  Debra Allen  Andrea Crossett  Kenneth Dobbs, Jr.  Emily Fary  Jeanine Finch  Rosemarie Floyd  Mahwish Hamlani  Jenny Heflin  Mercedes Kirkland-Doyle  Long Lai  Pamela Leary  Stephanie Ludington  Jake Mages  Selina March  Kylie McCleaf  Carolyn Mullen  Heather O'Malley  Rex Pagerie  Doug Povich  Kate Reen  Nathan Robertson  Justin Ruble  Deborah Severson  Susan Sims  Katrina Smith  Grelia Steele   Harmonie Taddeo  Tessema Tefferi  Robin Wilson  Spencer Wood

ELI Class of 2022 Graduates:  Levon Ananyan  Felicia Barnes  Emily Burton  Beth Czupil  Si Mohamed Ghiwane  Brandon Horst  Katie Knight  Andrew Lampropoulos  Tuyen Le  Shuang Ma  Kelly Mai  Ryan Malkes  Kelly McNerney   Dan Robles  Yoselin Peñas  Cheryle Thorne-Harris  Tabitha Toema  Veva Wallace  Arrika Watkins  Jameel Yusuf

Read the full June 2022 Enews Here

We were excited to host our inaugural Real Talk. Teen Leadership Workshop over the weekend of January 22 and 23 bringing together 18 high school juniors and seniors from 10 high schools across the County to learn about presentation skills, behavioral styles, building résumés that win, and nailing interview skills. High Schools represented included Chantilly, John Lewis, Lake Braddock, Langley, Madison, South Lakes and Thomas Jefferson. Student reviews gave the program 5 stars and one Real Talk graduate shared, "Amazing workshop and would recommend for others to attend!" Read the full January 2022 Enews here.

VIENNA, VA - Leadership Fairfax is excited to announce the launch of their Youth Leadership Network in collaboration with Fairfax County. This new initiative provides a collective umbrella under which over 100 youth councils in the county can network, engage in volunteer opportunities and expand their leadership skills through educational courses that address leadership topics important to youth. The leadership network will also provide training opportunities for advisors and mentors working with youth councils. There is no cost to join the network and all training and educational classes will be provided for free to members. Leadership Fairfax and Fairfax County believe it is imperative that all interested youth in the community have access to high quality facilitators and educators to increase their knowledge and build skills necessary for success. Members of youth councils can sign up by going leadershipfairfax.org/YLN.

The Youth Leadership Network is an important part of Leadership Fairfax’s community focused Serve Fairfax initiative. Serve Fairfax provides community volunteers with board training and education to improve service on commissions, boards, committees and advisory councils in the region. Serve Fairfax connects interested volunteers with organizations seeking volunteer assistance. It is additionally the repository for Leadership Fairfax’s community conversations which include all research on community topics through an equity lens conducted annually by Leadership Fairfax fellows.

“The Youth Leadership Network will provide important training and support to youth councils in Fairfax County, while connecting youth voices with organizations seeking to diversify and expand their approach to policy and procedure with a perspective towards the future,” stated CEO Karen Cleveland. The Youth Leadership Network will kick off official events in 2022 with four educational round tables, networking experiences and more.

“Life, innovation, and progress continue to advance at a dizzying pace and the challenge to keep up with change only grows. That is why it is imperative that we engage our future leaders, early in their development in the process, as they learn the methods and practices needed to find solutions, bring communities together, and shape a path towards common benefit and a brighter tomorrow for all. Leadership Fairfax is uniquely positioned to provide the tutelage, training and empowerment needed to guide them on that leadership journey and we could not be prouder to answer the call,” stated Chairman of the Board, Danny Vargas.

Leadership Fairfax is seeking youth councils in Fairfax County to join the youth leadership network at leadershipfairfax.org/YLN. Membership is open to all youth councils supporting businesses, county organizations or nonprofits.

Do you know a leader who embodies the ideals of selfless service, strategic vision and community collaboration. Now is the time to nominate them for our annual Northern Virginia Leadership Awards (NVLAs)! Awards will be presented at a virtual event on Friday, December 3, 2021

The awards recognize the dedicated and passionate service of leaders in Northern Virginia, and will be bestowed in the following categories:

• Covid-19 Hero Award
• Educational Leadership Award
• Nonprofit Individual Leadership Award
• Nonprofit Organization Award
• Corporate Leadership Award
• Regional Leadership Award
• Trustee Leadership Award

Nominations can be submitted here: 2021 Nomination Form

Deadline for submissions: Friday, November 5, 2021 by COB!

Coverage of the Equity Council - Connection Newspapers