GRASP BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kenneth M. Dye
Chair, GRASP Board of Directors
Retired Sr. Director, Government & Community Affairs, Comcast Metro Richmond
Ken Dye recently retired as the Director of Government and Community Affairs for Comcast Metro Richmond. In this role, he was responsible for fostering a favorable political climate for Comcast among the appointed and elected officials and community leaders in 20 franchise areas. Previously, Dye had been the director of marketing for the local cable company (first as Continental Cablevision of Richmond, later as MediaOne), with responsibility for consumer marketing and sales, programming, internal and external communications, and advertising sales.
Ken is a graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in Communications Studies. He is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond and Comcast’s Executive Leadership Forum. Ken is the founding president of the VA chapter of CTAM, and he has garnered awards for his leadership and contributions to the VA cable industry. In 2007, he was inducted into the Virginia Cable Telecommunications Hall of Fame.
Ken’s community service has included: vice-chairman, Virginia Holocaust Museum; treasurer, the Phoenix Project; trustee, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; board member, Richmond YMCA; president, Virginia Voice for the Print Handicapped; founding member, Friends of African and African-American Art; executive committee, Richmond Region 2007; board member, GROW Capital Jobs Foundation; and director, The Richmond Forum. Ken was elected Chairman of the GRASP Board of Directors in April of 2018.
Paula Fisher Robinson, MPA
Vice-Chair, GRASP Board of Directors
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
Paula Robinson has been administering grants to drive societal change for over twenty-five years. Her current role as the Associate Director of Equity and Engagement at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) provides her with the opportunity to couple her professional grants management experience with her personal belief that education can be a “great equalizer.” She works to shape policy and develop programs and initiatives that advance equity within higher education and post-secondary access for all Virginians. Her role also supports organizational culture development, inclusion and people relations.
Paula was raised in the beautiful Northern Neck of Virginia, is a graduate of James Madison University and received her Master’s in Public Administration from George Mason University. She currently resides in Newport News, Virginia with her adored husband, Micheal, and lively pup, Louie.
Gary R. Thomson, CPA
Treasurer, GRASP Board of Directors
Thomson Consulting
Gary began his career in 1985 with an international “Big 8” firm in Atlanta, GA. In 1988 Gary returned home to Richmond, VA and started his own CPA firm. Through mergers Gary became part of Dixon Hughes Goodman (“DHG”), a Top 20 CPA and Consulting Firm. Pursuing a passion to impact the future of the public accounting profession, Gary launched Thomson Consulting in 2019. Utilizing his range of public accounting knowledge and experience, Gary works with CPA Firms, CEOs/Managing Partners, and Leadership Teams to develop strategies required for CPA Firm success. He recently completed his term as Chairman of the Virginia Society of CPAs and currently serves as a member of AICPA Council.
Gary has served his industry, the business community and his local community on numerous boards, commissions, and task forces. He recently served as Chairman of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as Chairman of Virginia’s School Readiness Committee and the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges. He is a thought leader on public policy issues including recent leadership in the areas of tax reform, Medicaid expansion, Early Childhood education, tort reform, economic development, ethics in government and public-private partnership efforts. His other board leadership involvement has included VCU Health Systems Authority, Virginia Business-Education Partnership Program, American Heart Association, Virginia Council on Economic Education, Virginia State University Board of Visitors, Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education, Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership, Virginia FREE, and others.
Richard D. Adams, ChFC
Financial Advisor, LPL Financial
Investment Advisory Representative, Colonial River Investments, LLC
Richard Adams has worked as a financial services professional in the Richmond area for the past forty-four years, most recently with LPL Financial and Colonial River Wealth Management since 2017. Prior to joining LPL Financial, Richard worked as an independent advisor with Investors Security Company in Suffolk, VA for 25 years and from 2013-2017 with Securities America. Richard was a Vice President at James River Financial Group from 1985-1997, and worked with Wheat First Securities from 1978-1984, as Vice President of the firm from 1981-1984.
Richard has been married to Nancy Morrissette Adams, of Midlothian, VA since November 1975, and they have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. Richard has served as President of the Midlothian Jaycees, Co-Chairman of the Chesterfield Ducks Unlimited Chapter, a Director of the Midlothian Rotary Club, and Chairman of the Board at Covenant Woods in Mechanicsville, VA. Richard also served as Chair of the Council on Ministries at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church and Senior Warden at The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Midlothian, where he and his wife have been active members for the past twenty-four years. In his spare time, Richard enjoys playing tennis, fishing, and hunting waterfowl and upland birds.
The Honorable Randolph A. Beales
Judge Randolph A. Beales has been a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia since 2006. Prior to his service on the Court of Appeals, Judge Beales was a partner in the 90-year-old law firm of Christian & Barton, LLP. Prior to practicing law there, he served as the 41st Attorney General of Virginia. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then-Attorney General Beales was named by the Governor of Virginia to the Commonwealth’s Security and Preparedness (Counter-terrorism) Task Force, where he was Chairman of the Committee that dealt with protection of state and university facilities and with planning for the smooth continuity of government in the event of such an attack in the future. He had also served as Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia from 1998 to 2001. In addition to his public service in Virginia, he also served in Washington – first in the General Counsel's Office and Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education and then at the White House as Deputy Associate Director of Policy Development.
Judge Beales graduated with high honors in government from the College of William and Mary, where he served as President of the student body and as an Aide to the President of William and Mary. He received his juris doctor degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He is from Boydton in Southside Virginia and attended Mecklenburg County Public Schools, graduating as salutatorian of his high school class. Judge Beales and his wife Julie, a physician, are the parents of five children. He is active in his church and has served on the boards of numerous charitable organizations from the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond to the Board of the Virginia Mentoring Partnership and the Board of the College of William & Mary Endowment Association.
Kristin Carleton, AAMS
Vice President, James River Wealth Advisors
Photo and bio coming soon.
Charles R. Duvall, Jr.
President and Founding Principal, Lindl Corporation
Chuck Duvall was born just outside of Winchester, Virginia in Brucetown. After graduating from Randolph Macon College in Ashland, he taught school and was an assistant principal. Chuck is the principal of Lindl Corporation, which has provided governmental affairs expertise (lobbying) to a diverse client base since the 1970s. Chuck has been an active Rotarian since 1981, serving in every capacity there is, most recently as President of The Rotary Club of Richmond.
Chuck is married to Linda Duvall, and together they have 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
Juan Espinoza
Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Virginia Tech
Photo and bio coming soon.
Julian S. Hillery, III, CFA
Davenport & Company
Julian Hillery is Vice President with Davenport Asset Management. Prior to joining Davenport in 2014, Julian was the portfolio manager for a $4 billion endowment-style portfolio. In this role, he was directly responsible for over 100 external manager relationships as well as $2 billion of directly managed investment strategies. Julian started his career at Davenport in Richmond, VA and later worked with a family business serving the international maritime industry from Houston, TX.
Julian graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.S. in Business Administration and concentration in Accounting. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and member of the CFA Institute.
Lorraine Justice, Ph.D.
Director of Student Support Services, Rappahannock Community College
Photo and bio coming soon.
Ebony A. Lambert, Ph.D.
Senior Analyst, Bellwether Education Partners
Dr. Ebony Lambert is a Senior Analyst at Bellwether Education Partners, where her work integrates education, psychology, and health into research, evaluation, and capacity-building. Prior to Bellwether, Dr. Lambert was a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she focused on a range of projects designed to foster a culture of health advocacy in educational institutions. At its core, her research focuses on broadening the education-health link.
Dr. Lambert holds a doctorate in health psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Africana studies from the College of William & Mary.
Sue Ann “SAM” Messmer
Chief of Staff to the President and Vice President for University Relations, Virginia Commonwealth University (Retired)
Photo and bio coming soon.
Delegate J. William Morefield
Virginia House of Delegates, 3rd District
Photo and bio coming soon.
Kelli Parker
Executive Director, Tri-Cities Habitat for Humanity
Photo and bio coming soon.
Sarah Huggins Scarbrough, Ph.D.
Founder and Director, REAL LIFE
Dr. Sarah Scarbrough is the founder and director of the REAL LIFE, a non-profit birthed from her program in the Richmond City Justice Center (jail) after continually seeing the obstacles and hurdles those exiting incarceration continued to face. Her vision was to more comprehensively serve those in adverse situations, and through REAL LIFE and the corresponding Community Center and recovery house, she and her staff are able to do just that.
Prior to REAL LIFE, Dr. Scarbrough worked at the Richmond jail for 10 years, for the latter five as Program Director. She has received several awards and recognitions for the impact her work has had on the community, including Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen’s “Hometown Hero,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s People of the Year, VCU’s Edward Peoples Award for Social Justice, and Style Weekly’s Top 40 under 40 in Richmond, VA. Dr. Scarbrough received her Ph.D. and master’s from Virginia Commonwealth University and bachelor’s degree from UVA Wise. When not working, she stays busy with her three young children and husband!
Mayor Levar M. Stoney
City of Richmond
The Honorable Levar M. Stoney was sworn in as Mayor of the City of Richmond on December 31, 2016. Previously, he was the first African-American to hold the position of Secretary of the Commonwealth and was the youngest member of Governor McAuliffe’s Cabinet. Prior to serving as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Mayor Stoney served as the Deputy Director of the McAuliffe Gubernatorial Transition. During his career, he has worked in various public and private sector capacities, including for Virginia State Senator R. Creigh Deeds and former Delegate C. Richard Cranwell.
The Mayor remains engaged in civic and community service by serving on a number of boards and committees. He received his undergraduate degree from James Madison University in 2004. In 2006, he completed the Virginia Commonwealth University Minority Political Leadership Institute's leadership development program. He is a native of Yorktown and is a product of the York County public schools.
Senator Walter A. Stosch, MBA, CPA
Virginia Senate 1992-2016
Co-Founder, GRASP
Senator Stosch is a co-founder of GRASP and retired from the Senate of Virginia in 2016. He first served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1992. He had a contemporaneous distinguished and successful professional career as a CPA retiring as a partner of Stosch, Dacey and George as well as Deloitte and Touche. Throughout his career as a CPA as well as a legislator in the Virginia General Assembly, he was a strong advocate for K-12 and higher education as well as a champion of economic development and jobs creation. His legislation over the years has created thousands of jobs and made college more accessible and affordable. He currently serves on the State Board of the Virginia529 College Savings Plan, previously as a member of the Board of the Virginia Community College System, as well as a professor of accounting at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University. Senator Stosch has a special interest in ensuring that all young people have pathway to success regardless of their financial circumstances.
Van C. Wilson, Ed.D.
Interim Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Workforce Programs, Virginia Community College System
Dr. Van C. Wilson has over 38 years of experience in post-secondary education. He joined the VCCS Academic Services & Research staff in January of 2013. In addition to his student support services background, he currently serves as the chief academic and workforce development administrator for the 23 community colleges across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Prior to joining the VCCS, Dr. Wilson was the Associate Vice President for Student Learning and Success for the North Carolina Community College System. He also served as Vice President for Student Services at Forsyth County Community College located in Winston-Salem North Carolina and held leadership positions at Winston-Salem State University and Western Carolina University. Dr. Wilson has deep roots in Virginia. Both of his parents grew up very near to his Richmond Office. His father was a former peanut farmer in Stoney Creek and his mother was raised in McKenny. Van and his wife Anne enjoy international travel and currently live in Glen Allen.
Cheryl Burke
Photo and bio coming soon.
Sabena Moretz, M.Ed.
Director of Government Relations and Member Services for the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV)
Sabena has served at CICV, the association of Virginia’s 28 private, nonprofit, fully accredited institutions, since January 2019. She is proud to represent the private college sector before Virginia’s executive and legislative officials and staffers, advocating for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant and other matters of interest to private colleges.
The daughter of a college professor and middle school science teacher, Sabena has worked in higher education for 35 years, first in Undergraduate Admission at the University of Richmond where she developed a passion for issues related to financial aid and college access, then in State Government Relations at George Mason University where she began learning the ropes of policy-making and politics. For several years, she volunteered at ECMC’s The College Place: Richmond, a center that provides pro bono college selection and financial aid advising to students from throughout the metro RVA community. Sabena values her ongoing relationships with many students and families she has assisted with the high school to college transition regardless of their ultimate college choice.
Sabena earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and her M.Ed. in higher education administration from the College of William & Mary. She and her husband John Van Namen (also a former admissions professional) live in Mechanicsville. They are the parents of two young adult children, one a recent Virginia Tech alumnus and the other a current student at Emory & Henry University, and a fluffy golden retriever who didn’t advance very far in school but has many other very special, albeit non-scholastic, qualities!
GRASP Emeritus Board
Raymond Gargiulo, Ed.D.
Co-Founder, GRASP
Ray Gargiulo is a resident of Richmond’s Carillon area, and is a member of the Carillon Civic Association. He is a retired Richmond Public School employee with 32 years of service. Ray was the principal of both E.S.H. Greene and Broad Rock Elementary Schools and later an instructional specialist. He created and directed both the highly successful Lunch Buddies Program and the Teacher Resource and Development Center. He has also taught school in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio, in addition to schools in Liberia, Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer and at the American Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. He has his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Ohio University, and his doctorate degree in education from the University of New Mexico.
Presently, Ray is an adjunct faculty member of Virginia State University School of Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach. His service in the community includes being a patrol officer with the Richmond City’s Police Department and Neighborhood Assistant Officer’s Program. He also holds the rank of Sergeant 1st Class in the Virginia National Guard’s Defense Force.
Robert D. Holsworth, Ph.D.
Managing Principal, DecideSmart
Dr. Robert Holsworth is the Managing Principal of DecideSmart. His observations on national and Virginia politics have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the New York Times, and numerous other papers and news magazines. Bob has also appeared on almost all the major American television networks, the BBC and ITN in Great Britain, and Fuji Television in Japan.
Bob has served on a number of commissions and advisory boards. He was Executive Director of Governor Mark Warner’s Commission on Efficiency and Effectiveness. He also served as Co-Staff Director of the Commission on the Future of Virginia’s Urban Areas. He currently sits on the Charter Review Commission of the City of Richmond, on the Regional Leadership Council for Success by Six, and on the Emeritus Board of GReat Aspirations Scholarship Program, Inc. (GRASP), where he served as Chairman from 2012 to 2018. He also serves on the advisory board for the Virginia Center on Aging, the Virginia Literacy Institute, the Virginia Public Access Project, and the Board of Visitors for Virginia Commonwealth University.
Bob was the founding Director of the Center for Public Policy and the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has received VCU’s Outstanding Teacher Award and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award. In 2008, the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals honored him for his contribution to public education in the Commonwealth.
