The winners of the 2023 Northern Virginia Leadership Awards will be celebrated on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 hosted at Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Rd, Reston, said Leadership Fairfax. The event will be presented in a hybrid format, with the in person event beginning at 11:30 am, and the program starting at 12 noon with an option for attendees to tune in virtually. Tickets: leadershipfairfax.org/events
The NVLAs are bestowed annually to talented community leaders and organizations that have made a significant impact on Northern Virginia through volunteerism, philanthropy, and community leadership in the following categories: Regional Leadership; Non-Profit Leadership; Corporate Leadership and Educational Leadership.
Sponsors include Leidos, Reston Community Center, Apple Federal Credit Union, Boston Properties, Cornerstones and FedWriters.
2023 HONOREES:
Nonprofit Leadership Organization: Good Shepherd Housing
Good Shepherd Housing has been a provider of affordable housing along the Richmond Highway corridor for almost fifty years. Established in 1974, GSH has pursued a scattered-site approach to acquiring and managing affordable rental housing units. Rather than pursuing a single-site, multifamily residential development Good Shepherd Housing has purchased units incrementally in a dozen communities along 15 miles of Richmond Highway, blending communities and neighborhoods. Good Shepherd Housing understands that affordable and stable housing is a vehicle for changing a family’s lifelong outcomes, giving struggling households breathing space to work on education, employment, and savings.
Corporate Leadership: Springfield Town Center
Springfield Town Center is honored with the Corporate Leadership Award to recognize its contributions as a public-private partner during the COVID-19 pandemic. Springfield Town Center provided leased space at no cost to Fairfax County for 11 months during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to establish a vital vaccine equity clinic for residents with limited health care access in the Springfield area. Springfield Town Center operated 140 vaccine equity clinics providing nearly 10,000 vaccine doses. The Springfield Town Center clinic became known as a trusted location in the community where residents with no health insurance, English language and digital access barriers could obtain important COVID-19 vaccine.
Nonprofit Leadership Individual: Dr. Nardos King
Dr. Nardos E. King is an outstanding community leader. She serves as the President of the Donna M. Saunders Foundation, the DC Metro HBCU Alliance and the National Alliance of Black School Educators. Dr. Nardos King is a visionary leader with a clear idea of how she envisions the future and with the ability to strategize on how to get there. King's work with the Donna M Saunders Foundation has provided financial assistance to breast cancer patients to help with rent, food, car payments, health co-payments and other needs. The HBCU community day and 5K run brings 1300 plus members of the community together to learn about health issues and HBCUs. The day also raises funds and donations for scholarships.
Regional Leadership: Chris Atwood Foundation
In less than a decade, the Chris Atwood Foundation has shined a light on the opioid crisis and substance addiction as a community health issue; they have changed the terminology used, and the connotations surrounding substance addiction. They participated on the White House Task Force in 2017-2018, educated law makers in the Virginia statehouse, changed six state laws, and partnered with Fairfax County to bring treatment to those incarcerated and to provide safe housing when they are released. Chris Atwood Foundation has served over 11,000 people with naloxone training, housing, peer support and more. Over 700 lives have been saved by reversal of opioid overdose using Naloxone Chris Atwood Foundation provided. Over 500 people recovering from substance abuse disorder Chris Atwood Foundation has placed in substance-free safe houses to help them continue their road to recovery.
Educational Leadership: Shannon Matheny, Assistant Principal – West Springfield High School
Shannon Matheny has created a school within the school, with a student-centered environment that helps students find their own path and achieve more than they knew they were capable of achieving. Thanks to Matheny's vision, West Springfield High School has helped ensure all students can find a pathway to success. She has served as senior administrator for four years at West Springfield High School and helped more than 2,500 students reach their graduation goals.
The awards ceremony to recognize the 2023 winners will take place in a hybrid format on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 with options for in person or virtual attendance, with the ceremony starting at noon. Virtual tickets are $25 for nonmembers and general public, in-person tickets are $50 and include networking and catered lunch. Tickets: leadershipfairfax.org/events.