Did you know there are over seven hundred nonprofit organizations in the the greater Charlottesville area? Despite their key position in the economy of our region, until now nonprofits reaching for excellence have had to rely on a grab bag of training programs for their board members. Recently, we spoke with Christine Nardi, Executive Director of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, about a new program that promises to take nonprofit leadership to a higher level: The Board Development Academy.
On Wednesday July 15th Col. Keith Gibson, the V.M.I. Director of Museum Operations, delivered a presentation on the Battle of Cedar Mountain. Fought on August 9th, 1862, Cedar Mountain — the first major acttion of the Second Manassas Campaign — pitted Confederate Gen. T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson with a large portion of his Corps (almost 20,000 men), against Union Gen. Nathaniel Banks with 8,000. During this large meeting engagement, Banks attacked furiously — and was actually driving back Jackson’s initial force — when Confederate reinforcements arrived and turned the tide.
On Wednesday, July 22nd, Rick Britton will conduct a tour of the Cedar Mountain Battlefield. After lunch the group will take a Civil War walking tour of the historic downtown area presented by Virginia Morton, the well-known author of Marching Through Culpeper! Bus tour departs from the Charlottesville Senior Center at 9:00 AM. There is a fee for the tour. Call 974-6538 for more info.
This is part four of a seven part series. The event is held every third Wednesday at the Charlottesville Senior Center.
In April 2005, the Charlottesville Municipal Band debuted the Daily Progress March. That meant that the Daily Progress finally had something in common with papers such as the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. Nellysford composer Paul T. Richards scored a rousing march for the Media General-owned newspaper which was first performed in front of a crowded house at Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Dickinson Theatre. We were there to bring you this report.
Special thanks to Tom Allebrandi for providing us with the audio of the song
On Wednesday, June 17th, Scott Harris, Director of the New Market Battlefield Park, delivered a presentation on the Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, (which took place just south of Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley). Fought on March 23rd, 1862, this battle pitted Jackson with 4,000 men against Union Col. Nathan Kimball in command of approximately 9,000. Although Jackson was defeated, the battle led the Lincoln administration to make strategic errors that greatly benefited the Confederacy.
This is part three of a seven part series. The event is held every third Wednesday at the Charlottesville Senior Center.
When we started the Charlottesville Podcasting Network back in 2005, one of the ideas was to do as many interviews as we could to support bands that were coming into town. Sadly, we’ve only been able to do that on a… very limited fashion. However, last week I was contacted by the members of Jodienda to see if I could help promote their gig at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. I said I wanted to use them as guinea pigs for a new generation of interviews, and so on Sunday morning we spoke via Skype for this brief interview.
Panelists Donna Goings, Robert Graham and David Shreve examined the problems with today’s health care system, their origins and how they would be addressed by a proposed national health insurance program. The panel included the perspectives of a consumer/patient, a medical professional and an economist. They spoke at the June 10, 2009 meeting of the Senior Statemen of Virginia held at the Charlottesville Senior Center.
Donna Goings is a local real estate agent with 23 years of experience, a member of the National Association of Realtors, a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), and a graduate of the Realtor’s Institute (GRI). Donna served four years on the Board of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors including two years as treasurer. Donna received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Wake Forest University in 1968. A former teacher of math in the Charlottesville Public School System Donna has served as president of the Charlottesville Education Association and chairperson of the Charlottesville Political Action Committee for Education. Donna has also been active in her community by serving on the Charlottesville Rail Board, on the CHART citizens’ advisory committee on transportation and as an organizer of her Westwood Road area Neighborhood Watch. Donna’s current concern is health care reform.
Robert Graham has, for 10 years, served as director of patient billing for the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia. During this time, Robert has served on a number of committees at the University of Virginia Health Center dealing with billing issues for both physician and hospital charges. Robert received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Indiana University in 1980 and his Masters Degree from Indiana in 1981. As a trombonist, Robert has performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony, Richmond Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Lynchburg Symphony and Charlottesville Symphony orchestras. Robert was the adjunct instructor of trombone at the University of Virginia from 1985 through 2001. He has also performed professionally with the Broadway touring production of Annie and with the Cab Calloway orchestra.
David Shreve is a former professor of economic history at the University of Virginia, where he held a joint appointment at the Miller Center of Public Affairs and the Department of History. He was a candidate for the United States Congress in 2008. A specialist in national, state, and local economic policy and 20th century U.S. political history, David also served as a budget analyst for the Louisiana legislature, where he was the legislative analyst responsible for the state Medicaid program, its indigent care hospital system, and all of the Bayou State’s health care departments and agencies. In that capacity, he was also a member of the governor’s health care estimating conference and the legislative representative to the Kellogg-Robert Wood Johnson task force on public health reform. He is the vice president of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, a member of the Virginia Organizing Project Tax Reform Committee, the editor and associate editor of seven volumes in W.W. Norton’s Presidential Recordings series, and the author of numerous essays and articles on American political economy and of the forthcoming book, American Promise: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and the Forging of the Modern Economy.
Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. Today’s program was moderated by SSV member Bob McAdams.
On Wednesday, May 20th, Rick Britton himself gave a presentation on the June 11–12, 1864, Battle of Trevilian Station fought in Louisa County, Virginia. Often called the Civil War’s "largest all-cavalry battle," Trevilians pitted Union Gen. Philip Sheridan—that "bandy-legged Irishman"—and his 9,300 cavalrymen against Confederate Gen. Wade Hampton, perhaps the South’s wealthiest plantation owner, in command of about 6,700. The Southern victory saved Charlottesville from "Little Phil’s" raiders and made quite a name for Hampton.
This is part two of a seven part series. The event is held every third Wednesday at the Charlottesville Senior Center.
Paddy Keenan and John Walsh were Thursday’s guests on Acoustic Sunrise with Anne Williams. Keenan and Walsh were promoting tonight’s show at Rapunzel’s in Lovingston as well as performing songs from their past albums. Videos will soon be available at youtube.com/wnrnradio.
Tyler Mechem of Crowfield was Anne Williams’ guest this morning on Acoustic Sunrise. He played a few songs from their album “Goodbye, Goodnight, So Long Midwestern”. Tyler is on a tour of radio stations without any proper gigs for the next few weeks. WNRN was lucky enough to be picked as a destination. Videos will be up soon at youtube.com/WNRNradio.
Virginia House of Delegates members Rob Bell and David Toscano provided their perspectives on the issues that came before the 2009 legislature at the May 13, 2009 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia held at the Charlottesville Senior Center.
An honors graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia Law School, Rob Bell served as a state prosecutor for five years. He prosecuted over 2,400 cases, working with the police and crime victims to bring criminals to justice.
Representing the 58th House District (County of Greene and parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Orange Counties), Rob has written laws that crack down on drunk driving. He was named the 2005 Outstanding Legislator by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)-Virginia. He is also interested in school safety. In recent years, he has written laws to ban criminal sex offenders from school property during school hours and to require additional background checks on school personnel. In 2008, Rob helped overhaul Virginia’s mental health laws in light of the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
An Eagle Scout, Rob was an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts and with the public schools prior to his election in 2001. Rob’s wife, Jessica, is a schoolteacher. She is currently staying home to raise their children, Robbie and Evelyn. The Bells live in Albemarle County and are members of Aldersgate United Methodist Church
David Toscano was elected to his first term in the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2005 representing the 57th House District (City of Charlottesville and part of Albemarle County). David was born in Syracuse, New York in 1950, the first of five children. He was educated in the public schools, received a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in 1972, a Ph.D. from Boston College in 1979, and a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1986. He has taught at various colleges and universities, including Boston College, the University of Maryland (European Division), Piedmont Virginia Community College, the University of Virginia, and James Madison University. He is an attorney with Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd., specializing in family law and real estate.
David served on the Charlottesville City Council from 1990 to 2002 and as Mayor from 1994 to 1996.
David is a resident of the City of Charlottesville, where he lives with his wife of 30 years, Nancy A. Tramontin, and their son, Matthew.
David serves on the Courts of Justice, Transportation, and Science and Technology Committees in the House of Delegates. He is also a member of the Disability Commission, the Joint Commission to Study Math, Science and Technology Education in the Commonwealth, and the Joint Subcommittee to Study Land Use Tools in the Commonwealth. He is also a member of the United Way Board and the Chamber of Commerce.
The program was moderated by SSV board member Jim Perkins. Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience.
The Piedmont Council of the Arts (PCA) continued its Creative Conversation Series on April 21, 2009 with a discussion between artists, art professionals and local officials about how expand the reach of the arts across all of Charlottesville’s many populations. The goal of the program is to bring artists, organizations, educators, and business and community leaders together to develop strategies for strengthening arts and cultural life in the Charlottesville area.
On April 15th, 2009 journalist and historian Marc Leepson—author of Desperate Engagement: How a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed American History—spoke on the July 9th, 1864, Battle of Monocacy, which took place just south of historic Frederick, Maryland. If Union Gen. Lew Wallace (who later penned Ben Hur), had not thrown together a 6,000-man scratch force and fought the delaying action, Confederate Gen. Jubal Early’s 15,000-man veteran corps may well have marched into the Federal capital, seized the U.S. Treasury along with millions of dollars-worth of military supplies, and forced the Lincoln administration to flee.
This is part one of a seven part series. The event is held every third Wednesday at the Charlottesville Senior Center.