LEAD VIRGINIA Alumni Travel to the Capitol

LEAD VIRGINIA alumni joined with colleagues in January for Chamber Day at the Capitol, an annual gathering hosted by the state Chamber and a chance to hear from Virginia's top elected leadership and meet with local Delegates and Senators. The topic of the day was the state budget shortfall: how deep would it ultimately be and how to fashion a shrinking state budget while holding strategic priorities harmless. Presenters included Speaker of the House Bill Howell, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Attorney General Bob McDonnell, and Governor Tim Kaine. The audience consisted of business leaders from across Virginia. The venues were the State Library of Virginia and General Assembly Building. Roger Sherman, MWV, Heidi Abbott, '08 with Hunton Williams and Ned Massee, '07 with MWV. Anglea Blackwell, '07 with Lead Hampton Roads and Bishop Jackson, '08 with Exodus Faith Ministries with other fellow Lead Hampton Roads members.

Alumni to Welcome Class of 2009 in Williamsburg

You are cordially invited to join your LEAD VIRGINIA alumni and class colleagues to welcome the newly minted members of the Class of 2009 at the Williamsburg Lodge in beautiful Colonial Williamsburg on Thursday, April 16 for a luncheon that begins at High Noon. Following the luncheon, Alumni Chair Mike Drzal '07 will convene a meeting of all alumni to share what the alumni committee has underway for 2009. Plan to attend and learn about regional alumni events and the 2009 Alumni Conference in Virginia's Northern Neck (June 4-6). Registration information and details to follow. LEAD VIRGINIA needs 20 volunteers to serve as Alumni Greeters and Table Hosts at the April 16th luncheon. To lend your talents as a volunteer, contact Amanda Keller at akeller@leadva.org.

Good Information to Know

Stimulus Spending Governor Timothy M. Kaine launched Stimulus.Virginia.Gov, a unique web portal to gather project ideas for potential funding from the federal stimulus package. Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will allow localities and citizens to contribute to the decision- making process for the distribution of any federal funds that Virginia receives. "While we wait to learn what conditions will be placed on the federal stimulus monies received by the states, we want to start collecting ideas from all over the Commonwealth to ensure the money is spent in a timely and effective manner," Governor Kaine said. "Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will give everyone in the Commonwealth a forum to submit and exchange project ideas. Every locality and citizen has a stake in our economic recovery and should have a voice in deciding how this money is spent." Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will be the central portal and repository for citizens, groups and localities to submit proposals. Citizens will be able to view proposals in a web table updated daily. After the package becomes law, projects from Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will be identified that may qualify for funding. Projects will be evaluated and selected through a process similar to the way Virginia develops its biennial budget. In some cases, the information will be sent to localities and other appropriate governmental entities because they will be responsible for prioritizing projects. The Commonwealth will be accepting proposals submitted through the web site with an end date to be determined and announced when conditions and stipulations of the final economic stimulus package are known. Danville Offers Summer College Internships The Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) will offer up to ten (10) paid summer internship opportunities for currently enrolled college students from the Foundation's region or those who are interested in the region during Summer 2009. The DRF is a private foundation that seeks to develop, promote, and support activities, programs, and organizations that improve the health, welfare, and education of the residents of Caswell County, NC, Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville, VA. Interns will spend 10 weeks with the Foundation beginning May 26, 2009 through July 31, 2009 and will work in focus areas of economic development, education, health and wellness, and community engagement. A Full Program Description and Application is available online at www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org Faculty Members Wanted The Phoenix Project is seeking Clinical Faculty Members for its 2009 Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program which creates and empowers a statewide network of talented and committed students who share an ambition to work for positive and sustainable change. Faculty will supervise student teams addressing challenges of nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies in the community of Petersburg, Virginia. The Phoenix Project seeks to prepare the next generation of highly effective social entrepreneurs to bridge the emerging and serious leadership gap in the nonprofit sector, to expose leaders to the challenges of communities in distress and to infuse those communities with able hands and minds to assist their revitalization efforts. The 2009 program will be held in Petersburg, Virginia (25 miles south of Richmond) June 14 - July 25, 2009. Download the full position announcement for more details: http://www.phoenixproject.org/resources/clinical_faculty_members.pdf.

Alumni Buzz

Gina Burgin '05, President, Meridian Legal Advisors, PLLC has been appointed by Governor Tim Kaine to the Manufactured Housing Board. Craig Dixon '08, Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Smithfield Foods, Inc. has been named to the board of The Norfolk State University Foundation, Inc. Our thoughts, prayers and sincere condolences go out to Kent Hill '08 on the loss of his father, Lucy Beauchamp '08 on the passing of her husband Dr. David Beauchamp, and to LEAD VIRGINIA Curriculum Chair John Thomas on the passing of his wife Dr. Barbara Nolan.

Keep us informed about YOU; email your updates to Amanda Keller at akeller@leadva.org.