VCU’S Wilder School to Present Excellence in Virginia Government Awards

By Mike Porter

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

The awards will be presented during the Fourth Annual Excellence in Virginia Government Awards ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

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

• The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Susan Aheron Magill, former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. John Warner. Magill served as Warner’s chief of staff for 20 years, headed the Washington Office of Virginia Gov. John Dalton and worked for former Congressmen Caldwell Butler and William Wampler. She has served twice on the board of visitors at the College of William and Mary, was appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine to the State Council on Higher Education and joined The Pew Charitable Trusts as managing director of donor and government relations in 2006.

• The Innovation in Government Award will be presented to Todd Christensen, deputy director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, for “The Crooked Road” project. Based on the rural, winding roads connecting communities in southwest Virginia, “The Crooked Road,” a 265-mile driving trail, celebrates the region’s heritage and serves as an economic development tool. In 2003, after meeting with local leaders to discuss how the department could promote economic revitalization, Christensen convened a conference of community leaders and music heritage venues to create “The Crooked Road.” Tourism revenue has increased 30 percent in the region as a result.

• The Public-Private Partnership Award will be presented to the Virginia Council on Economic Education and its executive director, Sarah Hopkins Finley. For nearly 40 years, the nonprofit council has provided Virginia’s K-12 students with economic knowledge and financial skills. The council partners with the Virginia Department of Education and local school districts to provide resources and professional development opportunities for teachers and to promote economic and personal finance instruction as a key component of learning.

• The Community Enhancement Award will be presented to The Hispanic Committee of Virginia and its executive director, Jesus Moreno.  The Hispanic Committee of Virginia was established in 1967 to enable Hispanic immigrants in Northern Virginia to more fully participate in and contribute to American society. It is Northern Virginia’s oldest and largest Hispanic nonprofit organization and promotes economic self-sufficiency and civic participation through programs to teach financial literacy, homeownership counseling, adult education, youth mentorship and tutoring, and immigration consultation.   
  

•  The Hill-Robinson Expansion of Freedom Award will be presented to Gov. A. Linwood Holton, Jr., who served as governor from 1970 to 1974 and was Virginia’s first Republican governor of the 20th Century. Among his greatest political legacies is his commitment to civil rights, most notably for championing school integration and busing. As a newly elected governor, Holton received national attention when he escorted his children into an integrated Richmond public school in 1970. He fulfilled a campaign pledge of appointing more African Americans and women to positions in state government.
  

•  The Unsung Hero Award will be presented to Brenda Edwards, senior research assistant, Division of Legislative Services. Edwards is a 33-year veteran of the Division of Legislative Services in the Virginia General Assembly. As one of the division’s most senior employees, she provides legislative expertise to five standing committees. Edwards has also served as the lead staff member to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission since its inception in 1992 and has been an active participant on the statewide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Broad vs. Board of Education decision and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration.