BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RIF of NOVA's board members are former or current teachers and librarians, small-business owners and authors, parents and grandparents. They bring a wide variety of experience to the job of getting books into the hands of children in Northern Virginia.
The Board of Directors and its Executive Committee meet five times a year: September, November, January, and March. An annual luncheon meeting is held in May or June to recognize board and community members who have made a significant difference in NOVA RIF's operations. (Note: All meetings during the pandemic were held via Zoom.)
Please contact us if you're interested in becoming a volunteer board member. New ideas and creativity are so welcome, even if you can devote only a smidge of time! Click here to find our volunteer form.
The Board of Directors and its Executive Committee meet five times a year: September, November, January, and March. An annual luncheon meeting is held in May or June to recognize board and community members who have made a significant difference in NOVA RIF's operations. (Note: All meetings during the pandemic were held via Zoom.)
Please contact us if you're interested in becoming a volunteer board member. New ideas and creativity are so welcome, even if you can devote only a smidge of time! Click here to find our volunteer form.
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JUSTINA JOHNSON, President JAMES ABRAMS, Vice-President ELIZABETH PROMEN, Recording Secretary MELISSA HINKSON, Corresponding Secretary JO ANN ABRAMS, Treasurer SHERYL LEEDS, Financial Secretary SHEILA JONAS, Sunshine Secretary |
BOOK ORDERING CHAIRS Paula B. Powell Elaine Liebesman COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR Lisa Keathley FUTURE OF RIF; CONTRACTS CHAIR Nancy King |
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AREA CHAIRS Alexandria Glenna Orr Arlington Ann Godfrey Fairfax East Chris Bury/Liz Promen Fairfax West Chris McLaughlin Prince William Barbara Foelber |
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS Jeuli Bartenstein Dora Sue Black Carylee Carrington Sheila Adams Gardner Hazeline Harris Nadine James Gloria Johnson Gayle Kelley Maureen McLaughlin Julie McKinney Melba Smith-Dudley Lois Toomer Bradley Vineyard |
Remembering Board Member Emma Akens Williams
Emma Williams (r) and Melba Smith-Dudley (m) presented the 2019 Prince William County Area Award to NOVA RIF liaisons Cari Hammel (l) and Carrie Roop (not pictured) for their exceptional work to promote reading at Bel Air Elementary School
RIF of NOVA board member Emma Akens Williams passed away in late September after a courageous 19-year battle with breast cancer. Emma will be remembered so fondly by the NOVA RIF board not only because of her many years of service to our organization but also because of the kind and wonderful person she was. Here is just a sampling of comments:
“She always encouraged me. She brightened a room. So positive. She is a special angel now.” (Dora Sue Black) “Emma was a dedicated librarian and teacher who loved to open young minds to the joy of reading.” (Chris McLaughlin) |
“Emma fought breast cancer for 19 years, and for many of those years she served on the board of RIF of NOVA. Not once did I hear hear a single word of self-pity nor a single word of complaint. Rather, her words were directed at children, books and reading, and always, always about the children we served through (NOVA) RIF. Emma had the kindest, most gentle soul. I have missed her for a long time and now will miss her forever.” (Sheila Jonas)
"Oh sweet Emma! I will surely miss her. She was always kind to me." (Melissa Hinkson) From the time she was a young girl, Emma loved children and books. The daughter of a coal miner and homemaker, she knew she would become a teacher one day. After graduating high school as valedictorian of her class, she continued her education at William and Mary College, completing her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. After moving to Northern Virginia in 1966, she started teaching at Fred M. Lynn School in Prince William County. After Emma and husband Ben had children, Emma stayed home with them to “jumpstart their education,” and furthered her own education at the same time. She completed her master’s degree in elementary education and later earned a master’s degree in library science. She served at several elementary schools in Prince William County, including Saunders, Kilby, and Neabsco, along with Woodbridge and Rippon middle schools. She concluded her 41 years in Prince William County Schools at River Oaks Elementary as the school’s first librarian when the building opened in 1990. In her retirement, Emma continued to be active in her educational society, Delta Kappa Gamma, Reading is Fundamental of Northern Virginia, PWCS Retired Teachers Association, Prince William Education Association (PWEA), and the Stafford Historical Society. In her lifetime of work, Emma Williams left a legacy with hundreds of children who grew to love reading because of her inspiration and guidance. |
2019-2021 Reading is Fundamental of NOVA Awards
RIF of NOVA gives annual awards to those who have contributed in significant ways to the organization's operations and successes. Note: because of Covid-19, awards were combined for the 2019-2021 school years.
McNamara Award: The highest honor is the Margaret McNamara Award, named in honor of Reading is Fundamental's founder, Margaret McNamara. Learn more about her history here. This award is given to one individual or organization annually.
Jerry Shelton Award: The Jerry Shelton Award for Longevity of Service is given to a long-time board member who has been actively and continuously involved with NOVA RIF, serving in a variety of ways and continuing to advance the goals of the organization. This award is given to one board member annually.
Special Commendation Award for Outstanding Support to NOVA RIF: This award is made to individuals, groups, or organizations for outstanding support of NOVA RIF. The recognized support can be for a particular program, an event, or for some other activity supporting our mission. There is no limit on the number of Special Commendation Awards given in a specific year.
McNamara Award: The highest honor is the Margaret McNamara Award, named in honor of Reading is Fundamental's founder, Margaret McNamara. Learn more about her history here. This award is given to one individual or organization annually.
Jerry Shelton Award: The Jerry Shelton Award for Longevity of Service is given to a long-time board member who has been actively and continuously involved with NOVA RIF, serving in a variety of ways and continuing to advance the goals of the organization. This award is given to one board member annually.
Special Commendation Award for Outstanding Support to NOVA RIF: This award is made to individuals, groups, or organizations for outstanding support of NOVA RIF. The recognized support can be for a particular program, an event, or for some other activity supporting our mission. There is no limit on the number of Special Commendation Awards given in a specific year.
The 2019-2021 McNamara Award was given to communications chair Lisa Keathley for her work as co-chair of the 2019 Book It For Books 5K/One-Mile Run, as co-chair of the 2020 Votes for Women -- Votes for Books Appeal, for creating and launching the NOVA RIF website, and for writing and editing the monthly RIF RAP newsletter and all social media content.
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The Jerry Shelton Award, named for long-time supporter Jerry Shelton, was given to RIF of NOVA treasurer JoAnn Abrams. JoAnn joined the board in 1993, after many years as a reading teacher at Cheney Elementary School at Ft. Belvoir and at Mt. Eagle ES in Alexandria. She has served the board in many capacities -- as president, vice president, corresponding secretary, and as treasurer "for so long I can't even remember!"
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Five new board members joined NOVA RIF in 2020-2021:
Shon Lyublanovits, Sheila Adams Gardner, Barbara Foelber, Maureen McLaughlin, and Julie McKinney!
Shon Lyublanovits joined the RIF of NOVA board in April. In her professional career, Shon is a subject matter expert in the federal government in the areas of Cybersecurity, Risk Management and Governance, and Supply Chain Risk Management.
Shon is also the President & CEO of VerKallos Media Group, a media publishing company focused on advancing literacy and promoting creativity through media content and programs. Shon's fifth-grade daughter Madison chronicled her mom's cancer story in April's New Book...with a NOVA Connection feature, found here. |
Attorney, mediator, and author Sheila Adams Gardner joined the NOVA RIF board in February. In her work, Sheila coaches parents struggling to co-parent in two-household families, guiding clients toward mutually acceptable resolutions that reflect their highest family priorities.
When Sheila couldn't find relevant children's books on the topic, she decided to write two of them: Two Houses One Family and Made of Love, both of which celebrate successful co-parenting families. They were featured books in our New Books...with a NOVA Connection series. Check them out here! Sheila is mom to three grown children and delighted to join the board! |
Barbara Foelber says her most important role has been as a mother for three daughters. "The joy of watching them growing into the young women and mothers they have become is such a joy." She has five grandsons and one granddaughter and sees them as often as she possibly can!
Barbara's thirty-five year career as a communications professional included work in public relations, consulting, and media relations for AARP and the DOD. For the past eight years, Barbara has served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer for Alexandria and Arlington courts and as a patient companion at Virginia Hospital Center. She also volunteers at Bailey's Shelter and Supportive Housing and with Just Neighbors, an organization that provides legal immigration services to low income community members. |
Maureen McLaughlin is delighted to join the RIF of NOVA board by way of her mother, Chris McLaughlin, who has served on the board for many years. Maureen is in her 11th year as a counselor at Gonzaga College High School, so educating and working with young people is a central tenet of her life.
She and her husband live in Annandale with their son Jonathan. The trio became a foursome in mid-January 2021 when they welcomed a new baby girl, Isabelle "Izzy" Grace Taylor. (Congratulations!!!) In her spare time, Maureen enjoys running, hiking, baking, traveling, and of course, reading for pleasure! |
Two years ago, Julie McKinney moved to Alexandria from her long-time home in Indianapolis, Indiana. After a career as a stay-at-home mom, she taught second grade and high ability/gifted children for 20 years. She and her husband Ted are parents of three grown children, and all are graduates of Purdue University – Boiler Up!! She is "Gigi" to six grandchildren.
Julie volunteers at Mount Vernon and serves as a reading tutor with the Alexandria City Public Schools. Her favorite things to do include painting (watercolor, acrylics, pen, and wash), traveling, and exploring her new home in the nation's capital area. Julie understands the extreme importance of reading and placing books into the hands of all children. She is honored and delighted to serve on the board of RIF of NOVA. |
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Board Member Spotlight:
Melissa Hinkson Melissa Hinkson received a Teacher Tuesday shout-out from Arlington schools as part of an effort to highlight teachers who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Melissa is a fifth-grade teacher at Hoffman-Boston Elementary School in Arlington. She did her undergraduate work at Daemen College and is "a proud graduate alumna of Howard University," where she earned her masters degree in education with a specialization in reading. While at Howard, Melissa says, "I was proud to look around and see people who looked like me, who believed in me, and who encouraged me to be the absolute best I could be. My full circle moment was when I became a faculty member in the School of Education," where she taught children's literature and other methods classes for seven years. In addition to being on the NOVA RIF board, Melissa is a member of the Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Both her sons attended Hoffman-Boston, and she volunteered and subbed there for many years. When her younger son went to college, she decided to take a position teaching at her "favorite" school! In her words, "Teaching is not what I do, it's who I am." |
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Board Member Spotlight:
Carylee Carrington Carylee Carrington joined the RIF of NOVA board in 2019. A longtime writer and storyteller, she became an "accidental author" of a children's book when her older son started kindergarten and was told by a child on the playground that he should be playing with kids of his own "complexion." Carylee responded by writing Everyone, Just Like Me, a picture book about a boy who needs glasses, which encourages kids to embrace their individual differences. She published another children's book, Pretty Hair, in 2019. Carylee's books are featured on our New Books...with a NOVA Connection page. Carylee is host and executive producer of a children's literary program, "The Read with Carylee Show," on YouTube. She also authors a blog called "Get Caryed Away." Learn more about Carylee Carrington on her website: www.caryleecarrington.com. |
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Board Member Spotlight:
Dora Sue Black Dora Sue Black was named a Teacher of the Year at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School in Arlington in 2019. As a librarian, Dora Sue nurtures the love of reading among students who might otherwise visit the school library only once a week. She has been with APS for more than 30 years. When she was reading specialist at Arlington's Barcroft Elementary School, she also served as a RIF of NOVA liaison, staging book distributions for children at that school who have few to no books at home. During her entire career, Dora Sue has positively influenced the lives of countless students by making education an adventure. Listen to her video to hear her passion about teaching! |
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Board Member Spotlight: Glenna Orr
Author and RIF of NOVA board member Glenna Orr recently celebrated her sixth children's book — Remembering With the Heart, Stories by America's Finest — at a dinner and book signing at St. Rita's Church in Arlington. The book features conversations with veterans who reside at the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in Washington, DC. During more than 20 years of involvement at AFRH, Glenna has grown to know and love the residents and their stories. With her nonprofit organization, The Kind Kids, she brought veterans and children together with the goal of fostering inter-generational contact and communication. In the resulting book, the veterans tell children about their experiences in the armed forces and bring to life the histories of their lives. |
EMERITUS COUNCIL
Rita Blodgett
Pam Jackson
Audrey June
Mia Mason
Maxine McLeod Miller
Ruby Osia
Lynda Johnson Robb
Ramunda Young
Rita Blodgett
Pam Jackson
Audrey June
Mia Mason
Maxine McLeod Miller
Ruby Osia
Lynda Johnson Robb
Ramunda Young
