Political Leaders Program
Dec 21 2011 - 8:00am
The Sorensen Institute is delighted to announce the names of those Virginians who have been accepted to the Political Leaders Program Class of 2012. The 2012 PLP class will enjoy its first session together March 15-17 in Williamsburg. Each of these Virginians has been recognized as emerging community and statewide leaders. Congratulations to them all!
Rich Anderson, Woodbridge
Jenni Aulgur, Harrisonburg
Rick Batten, Williamsburg
Demas Boudreaux, Richmond
Julie Brown, Danville
Anjan Chimaladinne, Chantilly
Heather Cordasco, Williamsburg
Ryan Dunn, Goochland
Hunter Fairchild, Palmyra
Evan Feinman, Richmond
Todd Gathje, Mechanicsville
Clay Gravely, Martinsville
Phil Griffin, Winchester
Ann Harbour, Manakin Sabot
Lani Hay, Vienna
Mark Keam, Vienna
Charles Kelley, Richmond
Tammi Lambert, Woodbridge
Jamie Lockhart, Arlington
Brent McKenzie, Virginia Beach
Jeremy McPike, Woodbridge
Willa Neale, Charlottesville
Doug Palmore, Richmond
Jeffrey Pennington, Portsmouth
Tony Pham, Henrico
Cass Rasnick, Richmond
Cornelia Robinson, Alexandria
Amelia Ross-Hammond, Virginia Beach
James Schroll, Arlington
Stewart Schwartz, Richmond
Gerrie Smith, McLean
Catherine Tobin Mika, Glen Allen
Joe Topham, King William
James Toscano, Norfolk
Mick Vollmer, Chesapeake
Chris West, Alexandria
Jun 1 2011 - 5:31pm
The PLP Class of 2011 met for the third time on May 20 when they paid a visit to Southside Virginia.
After tours of the Green Rock Correctional Facility and the Martinsville Speedway, the class headed to Ward Armstrong's house for a BBQ picnic and some Q&A with the House Minority Leader.
Saturday's session at Martinsville's Virginia Museum of Natural History focused on industry and workforce development, as well as Southside regional issues.
The class will reconvene on June 10 for the PLP's first-ever Lynchburg weekend.
You can view larger versions of these photos by choosing the fullscreen icon in the bottom right, or by clicking the Flickr logo to view the set on Flickr.
Apr 11 2011 - 9:40am
The Sorensen Institute would like to welcome the Political Leaders Program Class of 2011 to the Sorensen family! We recently updated our website to include their class under the Political Leaders Program Alumni section. On the PLP 2011 class page, you'll find detailed biographies for each of our 34 participants. The class has already met in Williamsburg and Richmond. They will next meet in Martinsville this May.
Apr 11 2011 - 9:28am
Political Leaders Program Class of 2009 alumnus Art Major currently serves as President of GearClean, Inc. This past week, GearClean was recognized by Governor Bob McDonnell as a recipient of one of the 2011 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards. GearClean, headquartered in Winchester, was recognized in the Environmental Project Small Business category for their work in the Deepwater Horizon response. GearClean introduced a revolutionary decontamination process to help clean contaminated vessels. During the project, GearClean was able to remove contaminates from vessels without the use of solvents and cleaners and without producing secondary waste.
The Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards recognize significant contributions of environmental and conservation leaders in three categories: environmental projects, environmental programs and land conservation. They can be awarded to businesses and industrial facilities, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies and individuals. Additional information on the Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards is available here. Sorensen congratulates Art and GearClean!
Jan 21 2011 - 12:10pm
Joe Walton, a member of the Political Leaders Program Class of 2008, has been elected Chairman of the Powhatan Board of Supervisors by his colleagues on the board. Walton was nominated to the position by Supervisor Robert Cosby and was elected in a 3-1 vote and abstained from voting on his own nomination. Walton has served as the board's Vice Chairman during 2010 and will succeed Cosby; who served as Board Chairman for 30 years.
For more information, please read the article posted on Powhatan Today.
Jan 20 2011 - 4:39pm
Chris Fairchild (PLP 2008), Chairman of the Sorensen Institute's Charlottesville Regional Alumni Chapter, has been named to the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors to fill the vacant Rivanna District seat. Elected unanimously, Fairchild will serve out the remainder of the term until December 2011.
Fairchild was nominated by Supervisor Joe Chesser. When asked why he wanted the postition, he stated, “I’m here because I care a great deal about our county.” In December 2010, the Rivanna Disctict seat was left vacant by Gene Ott. The Board of Supervisors voted yesterday, 5-0, to seat him. His first meeting will be Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Congratulations Chris!
Dec 21 2010 - 7:03pm
The Sorensen Institute is delighted to announce the names of those Virginians who have been accepted to the Political Leaders Program Class of 2011. The PLP Class of 2011 will enjoy its first session together March 10-12 in Williamsburg. Each of these Virginians have been recognized as emerging community and statewide leaders. Congratulations to them all!
Mary Alex, Lynchburg
Jonathan Baliles, Richmond
Matt Calkins, Great Falls
Saundra Cherry, Newport News
Anjan Chimaladinne, South Riding
Jeri Fairchild Martin, Lynchburg
Bishop Garrison, Alexandria
Daniel Gecker, Richmond
Jonathan Hannah, Fishersville
Dak Hardwick, Alexandria
Deborah Harvey, Lovingston
Marcy Hernick, Blacksburg
Paul Holland, Arlington
Bryant Hood, Danville
Robert Jackson, Madison
Garrett Jackson, Abingdon
Amanda Johnston, Toano
Mary Pauline Jones, Vienna
Tiffany Joslyn, Arlington
Aubrey Layne, Virginia Beach
Rosemary Mahan, Hague
Brad Martin, Virginia Beach
Robert Mayfield, Glen Allen
Michael McEvoy, Roanoke
Michael Menefee Jr., Richmond
John Newby II, Richmond
Sara Okos, Richmond
Stephen Parker, Prospect
William Stacia, Vienna
Julie Strandlie, Alexandria
Anne Ferrell Tata, Virginia Beach
Leonard Tengco, Virginia Beach
Terri Thompson, Chesapeake
Cara Townsend, Arlington
Lisa Turner, Virginia Beach
John Hardy Willson, Mechanicsville
Dec 16 2010 - 10:55am
This past weekend, the Sorensen Institute celebrated the culmination of ten months of hard work, debate and bi-partisan cooperation with the graduation of our Political Leaders Program Class of 2010. The weekend began with a cocktail reception and formal dinner at The Boar's Head Inn, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The class enjoyed talks from Executive Director Bob Gibson, Chairman John Hager and keynote speaker Harry Harding, Dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
After dinner, the Class of 2010 presented the Sorensen Institute with check for nearly $21,700. Their generosity will ensure that the Sorensen Institute's mission to restore Trust, Civility and Respect in Politics will continue.
On Saturday the class heard from their last speaker, Marc Johnson. Mr. Johnson, who formerly served as the Assistant Director and Director of Programs for the Sorensen Institute, is the Associate Director of the Tayloe Murphy Center at the Darden School of Business at U.Va. He facilitated a discussion about political and personal ethics.
Later, the class joined friends, family and Sorensen staff in the Rotunda for their graduation ceremony. Each member of the class spoke about their time with Sorensen after receiving their diploma and alumni pin.
Congratulations to the Political Leaders Program Class of 2010!
Dec 2 2010 - 10:13am
David Butler (PLP 2010), has announced his run for a House of Delegates seat in 2011. A member of the Leesburg Town Council, Butler said it was the "the failure for Richmond to come up with any realistic transportation solution" that ultimately made him decide to throw his hat in the ring for the General Assembly. He plans on seeking the Democratic nomination.
As boundary lines are currently drawn, Butler will most likely challenge Republican Joe T. May (R-33), who has served as Leesburg's legislative representative for almost 17 years. However, with legislative redistricting approaching, this may change. Whoever his opponent is, Butler is gearing up to win over local voters. "I don't care who I'm running against," he said. "I want to serve Leesburg in the House of Delegates and I think I can do that better than anyone else."
Butler is planning a formal campaign kick-off for sometime in January. Good luck Dave! For more go here.
Nov 3 2010 - 9:57am
Last night, for the first time, Sorensen alumni were elected to serve in the United States House of Representatives. The Sorensen Institute would like to congratulate both Scott Rigell (VA-02) and Robert Hurt (VA-05) on their successful campaigns. For more information, you can visit Congressman-elect Rigell's website and Congressman-elect Hurt's website.
In addition to this historic election, five other Sorensen Alumni won their local campaigns yesterday. The Sorensen Institute sends its congratulations to:
Linda Richardson, Greensville County Treasurer
James Byrd, Harrisonburg City Council
Angelia Williams, Norfolk City Council
James Wood, Virginia Beach City Council
Art Major, Winchester City Council
These candidates join more than one hundred of their fellow Sorensen Alumni who serve in elected office across the Commonwealth. They are a testament to the Sorensen idea that politics can be about the heated clash of ideas, but that our differences do not have to divide us.
