VCU news

By David Slipher and Paula Otto
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University has named seven honorees who will be recognized at the 15th Excellence in Virginia Government Awards. The awards, a signature program of the Wilder School, recognizes individuals and organizations that have made noteworthy contributions to the practice of government and the betterment of the state. Recipients will be honored at a luncheon on Tuesday, April 26, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Richmond Marriott, 500 E. Broad St. A 30-minute television program about this year’s recipients will air on WTVR in Richmond on April 27 at 7:30 p.m.  

Additional information about the 2022 honorees, luncheon registration and scholarship support information can be found at https://bit.ly/evga2022.  

This year’s honorees include:

Lifetime Achievement Award – Florence Neal Cooper Smith, for her unrelenting efforts to educate and find a cure for sickle cell anemia.

Sickle cell is an inherited disease that affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States, 90% of whom are African American. In Virginia, Cooper Smith has been a tireless leader, increasing awareness of sickle cell disease and raising tens of thousands of dollars to improve treatments and develop a cure. Cooper Smith’s devotion to finding a cure includes years of community-based education and legislative work in Virginia as well as national networking through the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About the award: This award recognizes an individual whose career represents the highest values of public service and citizenship and who has made a substantial contribution to the good of the commonwealth. The recipient must be an individual whose personal or professional contributions span a minimum of 20 years and be a Virginia resident.

Community Enhancement Award – Sacred Heart Center for its lifesaving efforts to educate and vaccinate the community against COVID-19. Executive Director Tanya Gonzalez led the organization’s efforts.

When it became apparent early in the pandemic that Latinos had low vaccination rates and were disproportionately being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19, the Sacred Heart Center, with the support of several foundations, stepped in to educate and help vaccinate the region’s Latino community. This lifesaving work has helped the Latino vaccination rate grow above 80%, the highest in the Richmond region. The Sacred Heart Center is Richmond’s premier Latino community center, providing education and support programs across the region, including a food bank, educational classes for adults and youth, and a wide variety of human and social service programs.  

About the award: The Community Enhancement Award recognizes outstanding commitment to improving the quality of community life in Virginia. An individual, group or government entity may be nominated for this award.

Unsung Heroes Award – Betty Mattice, a 51-year employee of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, whose dedication to the agency is unsurpassed.  

As DMV’s information technology manager, Mattice oversees software system and business requirements, as well as managing a help desk staff that provides assistance to field employees and DMV partners. Her dedication to the agency runs so deep that she has a cot in her office to ensure she is present in the event of bad weather or to work nights and weekends.

About the award: The Unsung Heroes Award recognizes an individual who has provided exceptional service as a career employee with local or state government. The recipient must have significant longevity of public service to the commonwealth and be a Virginia resident.

Hill-Robinson Expansion of Freedom Award – The Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville for its ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and serve future generations as an education center and policy center for the study of civil rights in education.

Farmville's former Russa Moton High School, now a National Historical Landmark and museum, preserves and constructively interprets the history of civil rights in education, specifically as it relates to Prince Edward County and the role its residents played in America’s transition from segregation toward integration. The Moton Museum strives to promote dialogue and advance positions that ensure empowerment within a constitutional democracy through community events, educational outreach and providing resources for K-12 students and teachers.  

About the award: Named for two champions of civil rights, attorney Oliver Hill Sr. and Judge Spottswood Robinson III, this award recognizes a sustained commitment to securing equal rights and justice for all people by empowering residents. An individual may be nominated for this award.

Innovation in Government Award – Danville Police Chief Scott Booth for his community policing work including the Community Leadership and Immersion Program for new officers and Pass the Perspective program for residents.

When Booth arrived at the Danville Police Department in 2018, he made his top two priorities the reduction of violent crime and community engagement. Crime has decreased and the relationships and trust have grown in the community. Booth introduced the Community Leadership and Immersion Program as part of new officer training and the Pass the Perspective program for residents to learn more about policing. Both have had a profound impact on the Danville community’s relationship with police.   

About the award: This award recognizes the recipient’s innovative work that has resulted in increased efficiency, effectiveness or other improvements that affect how a government entity performs in supporting and delivering services to its constituents. An individual, organization or government entity may be nominated for this award.

Public-Private Partnership Award – Grayson County with Appalachian Power and GigaBeam Networks for their work to bring high-speed internet to the county through innovative partnerships. 

A lack of fast and reliable internet was causing Grayson County to lose residents, limiting its economic development potential and restricting health care options. That changed in 2019 after a law went into effect permitting Virginia's two largest electric utilities to provide broadband capacity to nongovernmental internet service providers in underserved areas. Appalachian Power selected Grayson County for its pilot program, and in partnership with GigaBeam Networks has installed nearly 150 miles of fiber in the rural county, with a total of 250 miles planned. 

About the award: This award recognizes the recipient’s inventive creation or maintenance of a successful public-private partnership that has delivered a measurable improvement in public service resulting in lower cost, improved quality or greater efficiency for residents. An individual, business, local or state government agency or other entity may be nominated.

Grace E. Harris Leadership Award – All Saints Catholic School of Richmond for its work to prepare students for success in high school, college and throughout their lives as highly engaged leaders in a diverse, democratic society.

All Saints Catholic School serves about 200 pre-K to eighth-grade students, fostering a culturally, socio-economically and ethnically diverse student body. All Saints prides itself in developing students’ leadership skills, confidence and integrity. The school’s seniors boast a 100% high school graduation rate, with a large majority of alumni continuing on to college. 

About the award: Named after the late Grace E. Harris, Ph.D., a trailblazer who broke down many barriers as an African American woman and whose vision and leadership had tremendous impact at VCU, in the community and beyond. This award recognizes an individual who has made a discernible, sustainable positive impact on the quality of life in Virginia through public service.