More information to be posted. Here is the website for G. W. Carver Elementary School. The Kiwanis Club of Richmond is committed to helping this school and its hardworking women and men who are trying so hard to improve the education of the students. Join us by getting involved or making a donation towards a literacy specialist. You can find the donation button on our Home page, under the Philanthropy tab.

https://gwces.rvaschools.net/about-us/about-school-name.

Jake received his B.S. in Economics from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.  With 10 years of economic & community development experience at the local government level and prior work in construction,

Jake guides the business and development community through permitting processes to ensure project completion in adequate timeframes.  He has worked with many companies opening or expanding in Chesterfield both small and large.

For more information about Chesterfield’s Economic Development go to their website here.

A Richmond, Virginia native with a master’s degree in journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University, Linwood Norman served as the city’s director of communications during Wilder’a “Strong Mayor”; administration. As Mayor Wilder’s press secretary, Norman obtained an insider’s view on what compelled Wilder to take actions that were deemed courageous by some and abominable by others.

Linwood Norman’s career has spanned the public, corporate and nonprofit sectors and includes posts as senior communications advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; communications manager for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; and communications director for ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer. Earlier in his career, Norman was a reporter for the Newport News Daily Press; the Petersburg Progress-Index, where he received a Virginia Press Association First-Place Award for Investigative Journalism, and a contributing writer for Richmond Magazine and Virginia Town & City Magazine.

Now retired, Norman divides his time between Washington, D.C. and Fort Lauderdale, Florida as he ponders the topic of his next book.

As a CPA, Tom worked with several of the Big 4 CPA firms in the audit and tax areas. He served as President of the Virginia Society of CPAs, which currently has over 13,000 member CPAs. He also served four years on the Governing Council of the American Institute of CPAs.

Tom left public accounting to found Don Richard Associates of Richmond, a staffing firm specializing in placing Accounting & Financial Professionals. After 25 years, he merged his firm with ACSYS, a publicly traded firm.

He continued his career, founding an executive search firm, conducting retained searches for members on Boards of Directors.

Tom completed his working career, serving for 5 years as the Finance Manager of First Baptist Church.

He has authored three articles that were published in several statewide CPA society publications. These analyzed the US Government Financial Statements. Tom has made numerous presentations on the topic.

“James S. Gilmore III was appointed by President Donald Trump to be Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria in 2019. He was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. As ambassador, he headed a mission devoted to the security issues of the 57 member countries, involving matters of geopolitics, arms control, economics, and human rights.

Ambassador Gilmore was elected the 68th Governor of Virginia in 1997.  Governor Gilmore traveled extensively on behalf of business development  for Virginia, visiting sixteen countries on three continents.”*

“He grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and in 1971, he enlisted as a volunteer in the U.S. Army after college and worked as a counter-intelligence agent in then-West Germany after intensive language training in German, in which he became fluent. In 1974, Gilmore was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for Service to NATO. After serving his country and receiving his law degree, Gilmore was elected as chief prosecutor for Henrico County and, then, Attorney General of Virginia in 1993. In 2003, Gilmore served as chairman of the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors. He was the chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2001 to 2002. Gilmore graduated from the University of Virginia (UVA) and earned a B.A. degree in International Relations, Russian Area Studies. He then earned his law degree at the UVA School of Law.”**

*https://americasrt.com/featured-guests/f/amb-jim-gilmore-%7C-us-national-security-%7C-russia-ukraine-war; **https://www.justsecurity.org/author/gilmorejames/

Enjoy the Holiday!

While a Technology Chief Financial Officer (CFO), he influenced business and technology executives to transform the business. As an Enterprise Finance Strategist, he works with enterprise executives around the globe to share financial management experiences and strategies for how the cloud can help them increase speed and agility while devoting more of their resources to their customers. He has led the planning and execution of a cloud-enabled business transformation at Capital One. 

Looking beyond the numbers is essential for any successful CFO and Chris does just that. Chris spent over 20 years as a leader in Capital One. He not only led a major cloud transformation as a Technology CFO but was a driving force in transforming the Finance function. Chris believes that to be trusted and to impact the business, CFOs must embed themselves into the business rather than boxing themselves into a single role. 

A frequent topic of conversation with AWS customers is how to develop the business case for cloud and how the cloud’s payback is delivered. Chris highly encourages organizations not to get trapped into assuming nothing will change along the journey and to continuously revisit their assumptions. He also advises them that cultural transformation within their organization is just as critical as technology transformation. Success comes from painting a clear picture of the enterprise’s cloud strategy to build consensus and ensuring that employees impacted by the cloud have the time and resources to reskill. 

In addition to a B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech, Chris has an International M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He chose a career in technology and finance for its constant innovation and his desire to see the big picture and to make an impact. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife, three children, and two dogs, and enjoys outdoor activities and taking chances. 

Not surprisingly, West Point, New York, is the oldest Army Museum, but there are more than forty others, holding some 600,000 historical artifacts--one museum in Germany, one in the Republic of Korea, and the rest at military posts in the United States, including three in Virginia as well as the National Museum of the U.S. Army. The Army Museum Enterprise (AME) is the subject of a talk by Dr. James C. Kelly, who recently retired as Chief of Museum Programs for the Army Museum Enterprise.

Dr. Kelly, a native of Philadelphia, received the M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Vanderbilt University. He was formerly Executive Director of the Tennessee American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, Chief Curator of the Tennessee State Museum, and Assistant Director for Museums at the Virginia Historical Society (now Virginia Museum of History and Culture) from 1990 to 2010, when he assumed the Army position. Just retired, he is living again in Richmond.

COL CHRISTOPHER P. COSTA, USA, (Ret) 

Mr. Costa was appointed as the Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the White House, 2017-18.  Costa’s 35-year U.S. government career included 25-years in counterintelligence, human intelligence and with special operations forces (SOF) in the United States Army, in Central America, Europe, and throughout the Middle East.  He ran a wide range of intelligence and sensitive operations in Panama, Bosnia, the first and second Iraq wars, and Afghanistan.  Colonel Costa earned two Bronze stars for sensitive human intelligence work in Afghanistan. In 2013, Costa was inducted into the United States Special Operation’s Commando Hall of Honor for lifetime service to US Special Operations.  

Costa has been a Senior Adjunct Instructor with Norwich University's Bachelor of Science in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis Program.  In addition, he has taught terrorism-related courses at Eckerd College, ECPI University and Schenectady Community College.  He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor for the Georgetown University Security Studies Program – Walsh School of Foreign Studies, since 2021.  He has published articles in, Terrorism and Political Violence, and terrorism-related opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Defense One, The Hill and the Washington Examiner.  He has been interviewed as a subject matter expert on terrorism and intelligence by CNN, BBC, ABC and Fox News.  He holds an M.A. in Strategic Intelligence from American Military University, and an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.  He earned a B.A. from Norwich University.  

Costa has been the executive director of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, since 2018. 

Enjoy the Holiday!

Thomas S. Gayner has served as CEO of Markel Group since the start of 2023 and was co-CEO from 2016 through 2022. Markel is a holding company with operations in insurance, services and industrial operations.

Gayner joined Markel in 1990 to form Markel Gayner Asset Management, which provided equity investment counsel for Markel as well as outside clients. Prior to Markel, Gayner held roles with Davenport & Co. and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Gayner currently serves as chairman of the board of the Davis Series Mutual Funds and on the boards of Coca Cola, Graham Holdings and Markel. He previously served on the boards of Cable One and Colfax Corp. He is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Virginia Retirement System.

Gayner earned a bachelor of science degree in commerce from the University of Virginia.

Jamie Bosket, President and CEO of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) will preview the museum’s engaging programs planned in observance of the 250 th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. One of those initiatives, “Civics Connects,” is designed to address America’s high rate of illiteracy about the fundamentals of our government and the nation’s important early founding history. “Civics Connects” is a signature project of the VMHC’s John Marshall Center and will be outlined by Joni Albrecht, Director of the Center.

Enjoy the Holidays!

Enjoy the Holidays!

Rodney Willett

County of Henrico (part), District 58th

David Owen

Counties of Goochland (part) and Henrico (part), District 57

Newly minted Majors Samuel and Christine Kim are in their 15th year of service with The Salvation Army. Though they were commissioned in 2008 as part of the God's Fellow Workers session, they were no strangers to the Army and "Doing The Most Good." Both hold degrees from the Korea Baptist Theological University -- he a Master of Divinity and she a Bachelor in Social Welfare -- and began Doing The Most Good as a Youth Director and Sunday School volunteer respectively in 2003 at the Landmark Corps in Alexandria, VA. Their first three appointments were in Florida as Corps Officers / Pastors, beginning with Hernando County, then Venice, and ending with Martin County. Following Florida, they served as Divisional Youth Secretaries for the Potomac Division before serving as Corps Officers in Spartanburg, SC. On June 19, 2023, they began their appointment as Area Commanders in Richmond, VA.

In addition to The Salvation Army School for Officers Training and their degrees from Korea Baptist Theological University, Major Christine pursued and received her Master in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University in 2015. Major Samuel obtained his Doctor of Ministry from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2020. 

They have two adult children: Joseph graduated from the University of South Florida nursing program in May 2023 and currently works as an RN at Tampa General Hospital. Sarah attends Virginia Commonwealth University and is expected to graduate in May 2024 from their art program.

Major Samuel owns a few hand saws; however, they are for honing his musical talents, not woodworking skills. this unique and beautiful sound comes from the musical saw -- nicknamed the Singing Saw -- and Major Samuel always has his musical saw in tow and plays it wherever he goes to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Brenda B Davis, CDP, has extensive experience in community outreach, event coordination, and education. Currently serving as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Lakewood at Home since May 2019, Brenda manages special events and represents the program at various networking opportunities. Previous roles include Assistant Activities Coordinator in Assisted Living, and Area Representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where Brenda engaged coaches and athletes at multiple educational levels. Brenda's background also encompasses claims examination and customer service roles at Allianz Global Assistance, marketing direction for Chick-fil-A, and teaching in various capacities, including home schooling. Brenda holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Radford University, further demonstrating a commitment to education and community service.

Rev. Courtney Allen Crump serves as senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church, a unique community of God’s people practicing authentic welcome in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to being called in July 2015 to serve as Grace’s 21st pastor and second female senior pastor in the church’s 190-plus year history, Courtney served as Minister of Community Ministry and Missions at First Baptist Church of Dalton, Georgia. She’s a native Mississippian, and she’s been shaped by serving in the Mississippi Delta and as Katrina Rebuilding Coordinator for several years after Hurricane Katrina. Her experiences in the aftermath of Katrina helped her articulate a call to ministry, which then led her to the Wake Forest University School of Divinity where she received a Master of Divinity. Courtney is passionate about connecting the gifts of God’s people to the assets of the surrounding community for the sake of God’s good in the world. She’s a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received a Doctor of Ministry in congregational development focusing on vital practices for recognizing abundance and cultivating generosity in the 21st century church. Courtney is married to Josh, a city planner, and they have a toddler, Kennedy.

Emily has been with Cedarfield since August 2022 and enthusiastically shares what makes the community the "Cadillac" of Richmond senior living. Before her time at Cedarfield, Emily worked in marketing for nonprofits in the creative arts, most notably Signature Theatre, a Tony Award-winning theater company in Washington, DC. Emily lives in Richmond with her husband, their dog Lolly and the seven chickens that came with their house.

Enjoy Veterans Day!

A native of a small historic courthouse town outside of Cleveland, Ohio, Julie Langan fell in love with Virginia while pursuing an MA degree in Architectural History at UVA. At the time of her graduation, preservation jobs were scarce, so she launched her career in Arkansas. As the only architectural historian in the state historic preservation office (SHPO), she was exposed to the full range of the state and federal preservation programs and was named Acting SHPO by then Governor Bill Clinton. After five years, an opportunity at the Department of Historic Resources (DHR) was too enticing to pass up and she returned to Virginia.

Julie’s 26 years at DHR was interrupted by a 10-year stint in Cleveland where she held leadership positions with a regional nonprofit and founded and directed a local organization. She returned to DHR in 2007 with the intent to finish out her career in Virginia. First appointed Director in 2014,  Julie has served four Governors.  She is passionate about historic architecture and the impact of preservation on the economy and a community’s sense of place.

Our Annual Fundraiser. This year we are raising funds for ChildSavers and Henrico CASA and join our Kiwanis members of the Tuckahoe Club.

Tom Barkin is the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He has held this position since 2018.

Tom serves as a voting member on the Fed’s chief monetary policy body, the Federal Open Market Committee, and is also responsible for the Richmond Fed’s bank supervision and the Federal Reserve’s technology organization. He is “on the ground” continually in the Fed’s Fifth District, which covers South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, D.C., West Virginia and Maryland. His engagement in the region has brought real attention to areas facing economic challenges.

 Prior to joining the Richmond Fed, Tom was a senior partner and CFO at McKinsey & Company, a worldwide management consulting firm, where he also oversaw McKinsey’s offices in the southern United States.

Tom earned his bachelor’s, MBA and law degrees from Harvard University.

Jeff E. Schapiro, politics columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has covered campaigns and government in Virginia for nearly 45 years.

He was the State Capitol reporter for United Press International and Virginia Business magazine before joining the Times-Dispatch in 1987.

His column appears in the Times-Dispatch and many of its sibling newspapers across the state twice a week. Schapiro’s video column is posted Tuesdays on the Times-Dispatch website, timesdispatch.com. He can be followed on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook.

A native of New York City – and the husband of Clare Osdene Schapiro, food columnist for the Times-Dispatch lifestyles magazine, En Forme  – Schapiro has been honored by the Virginia Press Association for his coverage of politics and policy.

 Schapiro, who was graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in history, is also an inductee of the Virginia Commonwealth University Mass Communications Hall of Fame and the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association Hall of Fame.

Jason Kamras currently serves as the Superintendent of Richmond Public Schools (RPS). Mr. Kamras views public education as a means of promoting equity and justice for all children in the United States. In his various roles, he has advocated for policies to eliminate the “opportunity gap” that disadvantages many low-income children and children of color, and he has led efforts to dismantle institutionalized racism in public schools. 

Before coming to RPS in 2018, Mr. Kamras served in numerous senior leadership roles at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In these roles, he led the design and implementation of a number of key initiatives focused on ensuring excellent instruction in every classroom across the district.

Mr. Kamras began his career in education in 1996 as a mathematics teacher at John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington DC. In 2005, he was named the United States National Teacher of the Year.

Mr. Kamras earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and his master's in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

His wife Miwa also works in the field of public education, and he has two sons, both of whom attend RPS.

Dr. John O’Bannon is a lifelong Virginian who has dedicated himself to caring for others. As a child growing up on a farm in Rappahannock County, John helped his family by selling apples at the family fruit stand near Skyline Drive. John O’Bannon’s leadership abilities became apparent during his schooling.  A graduate of Hargrave Military Academy and the University of Richmond, John attended medical school at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), where he was elected President of the Student Body.  Later, as a resident at MCV, he was elected President of the Housestaff Council, served as Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, and was named Chief Resident in Neurology.

A well-regarded physician, John O’Bannon is a partner in Neurological Associates, a leading Richmond medical practice.  He has served as Chief of Staff of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and has served on the Board of Trustees. He has also served 2 terms on the VCU Health System Authority Board, where he chaired the Quality Committee.  His peers have named him one of the “Outstanding Physicians of the Year” in Richmond Magazine’s annual poll.

John O’Bannon is a national leader in improving the medical profession.  A leader in the American Medical Association (AMA), John served on the AMA Delegation from the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and served as a member of the AMA’s Council for Ethical and Judicial Affairs from 1997 through 2004.  Here in Virginia, John is a past Chairman of the Board of the Richmond Academy of Medicine.  He also served as Chairman of the MSV’s Legislative Committee, where he helped pass the Virginia Patients’ Bill of Rights.

John O’Bannon is a leader in our community.  He is a member of the West Richmond Rotary Club and has served on the Boards of several organizations including The Virginia Home, Virginia War Memorial Foundation, VPAP, Tuckahoe YMCA, Hargrave Military Academy, The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and the Advisory board at the Science Museum of Virginia.   A member of the Henrico County Republican Committee, John has been active in numerous federal, state, and local campaigns.

John served in the House of Delegates of the General Assembly of Virginia for 17 years, serving on JLARC and other commissions. He served on the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, Appropriations Committee and Privileges and Elections Committee. He is currently Chairman of the State Board of Elections.

John and Pat O’Bannon have been married for 51 years and reside in Western Henrico.  Pat O’Bannon is a former public school teacher who served as Henrico County Supervisor for the Tuckahoe District for 28 years, retiring in 2023. The O’Bannon family attends River Road Church, Baptist.  John and Pat have three children, John, Virginia, and Andy, all of whom are graduates of Henrico County Public Schools. They have 5 grandchildren.

September 17 is national Constitution Day, marking 237 years since the Constitution was finalized and sent to the states for ratification. It is little known that America’s founding document could have floundered right here in Richmond, Virginia, during its ratification rounds among the 13 states. “Anti- Rats” and “Pro-Rats” descended on the state capital in June of 1788 for a raucous debate, led by chief “Anti-Rat” Patrick Henry.

Our speaker, Kiwanis member Suzanne Munson Jernigan, has written about the Virginia Ratifying Convention in two of her books--the George Wythe biography, “Jefferson’s Godfather,” and her new book, “First in Law, First in Leadership.”

How “up” are you on the Constitution and American history? Check your recall by taking the test required of all new naturalized citizens via the link below. Bring your score to the meeting on September 16.

Let’s see how well you do. Take one or more practice tests here.

John Reid is the acclaimed host of the morning-drive news talk show on NewsRadio WRVA in Richmond. He is engaged in national politics as a conservative political communications consultant. John has had the privilege of working alongside notable conservative leaders. His roles have included serving as an intern and communications staff assistant in President Reagan's Los Angeles office, communications director for U.S. Senator George Allen, editorial communications chief at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and partner and director of international development at Qorvis Communications.

Enjoy Labor Day!

Claiborne brings over 30 years of experience in business management to Virginia Home for Boys and Girls and has extensive experience as a marketing consultant to for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

She has served on a number of local nonprofit boards including The Children’s Museum of Richmond, The Powell Foundation for Economic Literacy, and Gateway Homes and served as interim CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.

Claiborne currently serves on the board of Hanover County’s Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT). She is a member of the Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Council and the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF).

She is Vice President of the Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations (VCOPPA) whose mission is to serve as the unified voice for private providers to advocate for a quality system of services for children and families with special needs and challenges. She holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College.