State and Regional Boards

State Board member Paul Harris was quoted in a recent edition of the Los Angeles Times.

Delegate Jennifer McClellan of Richmond is in the midst of planning her wedding with Dave Mills. The two were engaged earlier this year while vacationing in Puerto Rico, and will be married on November 15 at The Homestead in Hot Springs.

Jennifer is a member of Sorensen's State Advisory Board and a graduate of both the Political Leaders Program Class of 2001 and the Candidate Training Program Class of 2005.

Dave serves as the State Finance Director for Delegate and gubernatorial candidate Brian Moran.

State Board member Stewart Gamage, Vice President of Public Affairs at the College of William and Mary, will be leaving her current post this summer to join the University of Virginia.

According to a recent press release: Stewart Gamage, who has served the past 15 years as William and Mary’s vice president of public affairs, will leave the College this summer to take on a newly created position at the University of Virginia Foundation. Gamage, who currently oversees all of William and Mary's public affairs departments - public relations, publications, government relations and economic development - will become director of U.Va.’s Morven Project where she will oversee the development of a comprehensive plan to create an academic center at Morven in which scholars, students, artists, and international leaders in their fields can come together to advance scholarship and learning.

Click here to read the full story.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

The following is a message from Barbara Fried, Chairman of the Sorensen Institute's State Advisory Board.

This announcement was shared today with the members of Sorensen's State and Regional Boards as well as with our 1,000-plus alumni.

Dear Board members and Alumni,

It is my pleasure to inform you that the Search Committee has selected Bob Gibson of Charlottesville as the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership's new Executive Director. We are thrilled about this decision and are looking forward to Bob joining our team in late April.

Bob is familiar to many Virginians as the veteran political writer at the Charlottesville Daily Progress and as the long-time host of WVTF Public Radio's Evening Edition. Bob grew up in Arlington County and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1972 where he studied government and foreign affairs.

Bob is well-known at the University, in Richmond, and in political circles across Virginia. He has been a frequent guest speaker to Sorensen classes over the years, bringing with him a deep appreciation for the issues on which our programs focus. Throughout his professional career Bob has always stood for those principles which are at the heart of the Sorensen mission. As a reporter and political analyst, he has earned a strong reputation for fairness and thoughtful commentary. The members of the Search Committee unanimously agreed that the Sorensen Institute will be tremendously well served with Bob Gibson as its Director. I look forward to introducing you to Bob at our 2008 Gala on April 25.

The members of the Search Committee were impressed with and inspired by the diverse pool of candidates we had to consider for this position. Our highest expectations were surpassed. The quality of the applicants says a great deal about the work of the Sorensen Institute and about the positive influence our alumni continue to have in the Commonwealth. Each of you, in your own way, manifests that Sorensen spirit as you serve your community and Virginia. I speak for the entire board when I say, we are very proud of you.

I want to express my thanks to the members of the Search Committee who graciously volunteered their time. I sincerely appreciate their efforts, their valuable input, and their continued commitment to Sorensen.

I also want to extend my thanks to John Thomas, Director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at UVA, for his leadership and contributions during this transition. John has indeed been a loyal friend to the Sorensen Institute, and we are in his debt.

This year we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Sorensen Institute. The vision shared by co-founders Leigh Middleditch and Michael Bills continues to be a vibrant and influential legacy. We can all be proud that Sorensen has become the national model of successful bipartisan leadership training.

Please join me in congratulating Bob Gibson and welcoming him to the Sorensen family.

With thanks and best wishes,

Barbara Fried

Chairman,
State Advisory Board
The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership

Former Virginia Delegate Paul Harris, a member of the State Advisory Board, is the author of a letter that was recently published in Financial Times.

Two of our graduates—Anthony Dale, Candidate Training Program Class of 2008, and Julia Torres Barden, Political Leaders Program Class of 2003— as well as a member of our State Advisory Board, Michel Zajur,  participated in a round-table discussion on the candidacy of Senator John McCain. The results are published in today's edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here for the story.