VCU news

By Mike Porter

Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs will honor individuals and organizations in six categories for distinctive contributions to the practice of government and dedication to the well-being of Virginia’s communities.

The awards will be presented during the Seventh Annual Excellence in Virginia Government Awards ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Grand Ballroom A at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

The following awards will be presented for significant contributions to Virginia through public service:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Susan Clarke Schaar, clerk of the Senate of Virginia, is nationally recognized for her state government experience and leadership ability. Since 1990, Schaar has been responsible for the parliamentary process, management and operation of the Virginia Senate. She has been appointed to six state commissions by governors in both parties and became the first Virginian selected as staff chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures in 2006.

Public Private Partnership Award: Virginia’s Region 2000 Partnership and Bryan David, executive director of the Economic Development Council, are being honored for creating a network of organizations to provide regional economic and community development leadership to a 2,000-square-mile area around Lynchburg. The goal of this public-private partnership is to create and support jobs by providing a single point of contact for economic development.

Innovation in Government Award: Virginia Community College System’s Virginia Education Wizard is being recognized for serving as a one-stop online resource to help students launch, track and complete meaningful college experiences and find high-pay, high-demand careers. Launched in March 2009, the Wizard has been visited more than 1 million times, more than 300,000 accounts have been created and 10 million pages exist on the site. 

Community Enhancement Award: Better Housing Coalition – Lincoln Mews and T. K. Somanath, president and CEO of the Better Housing Coalition, are being honored for efforts to purchase, renovate and redesign a 300-unit apartment community, formerly known as Lincoln Manor, in Richmond’s northside. The resulting Lincoln Mews development is a transformed and revitalized community with high efficiency appliances and state-of-the-art playground equipment.

Unsung Heroes Award: Tedd Povar, associate director of the Virginia Institute of Government, is being recognized for his ability to strengthen the efficiency of Virginia’s local governments. One example is his management of the nationally recognized Electronic Broadcast Information Service online tool, which has allowed Povar to help city managers solicit, review and catalog “best practices” from their counterparts across Virginia.

Hill-Robinson Expansion of Freedom Award: The Hon. Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., the first African- American Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, is being honored posthumously for championing a justice system in which all Virginians are treated fairly, with dignity, equality and respect. Hassell’s service on the Court spanned from 1989 to 2011. During his tenure as Virginia’s 24^th Chief Justice, he was passionate about improving the quality of indigent defense and advocating for those with mental illness.