2022 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy Recipients Honored
Sandra McKenzie is pictured with VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois, President Towuanna Porter Brannon and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Cyndie Callaway, who is also executive director of the College's Educational Foundation.
Richmond - Ms. Sandra McKenzie of Hampton received the 16th Annual Chancellor's Award for Leadership in Philanthropy. She was nominated for the award by Thomas Nelson (becoming Virginia Peninsula Community College).
More than two dozen individuals, families, and businesses from around Virginia have earned the 2022 Chancellor's Award for Leadership in Philanthropy. The awards were presented on April 21 at a luncheon ceremony in Richmond.
The annual event, presented by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE), honors leading philanthropists from each of Virginia's 23 community colleges as well as the statewide foundation. Recipients are nominated for their outstanding commitment to the growth and development of Virginia's community colleges and their respective foundations.
This year's class of distinguished philanthropy leaders has collectively contributed $10 million dollars to Virginia's Community Colleges (VCCS).
Ms. McKenzie (pictured with President Towuanna Porter Brannon) has donated more than $38,000 to an endowed scholarship at Thomas Nelson, according to the College's Educational Foundation. In 2016, she created the McKenzie/Messick/Bayliss Endowed Scholarship which aids deserving students seeking to enter an HVAC or an electrician training program. The scholarship has been awarded to five students in the past five years. The recipients have all gone on to work for local companies such as Bay Electric and Newport News Shipbuilding.
"One of the College's most staunch champions, Ms. McKenzie continues to support the scholarship financially, recruit students to enroll in its funded training programs, and mentor beneficiaries of the scholarship," said Cyndie Callaway, executive director of Thomas Nelson Educational Foundation. "We are extremely thankful for her generosity which helps further the College's mission to 'change lives and transform our community …' The impact on our students' lives is immeasurable."
Among the numerous dignitaries on-hand for the luncheon were VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, Anne Holton, former Virginia Secretary of Education, and professor of Education Policy at George Mason University, and Dr. Stewart Roberson, past VFCCE chair. The event's keynote speaker was Dr. Bill Hazel, Jr., former secretary of Health and Human Resources.
About Virginia's Community Colleges: Since 1966, Virginia's Community Colleges have given everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened. By making higher education and workforce training available in every part of Virginia, we elevate all of Virginia. Together, Virginia's Community Colleges serve more than 252,000 students each year. For more information, please visit www.vccs.edu.
About the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education: Working hand in hand with Virginia's 23 community colleges, the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education seeks to guarantee financial assistance to all students who dream of attending college. The foundation is building an endowment that is already generating interest to provide full scholarships to selected community college students; helping more Virginia foster youth pursue and complete higher education through the Great Expectations program; and leading a partnership to improve rural Virginia's education pipeline through the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative. Learn how the Virginia Foundation for Community College is building the future of Virginia. Visit VFCCE.org.