March 19, 2018

Yolanda Jones is a citizen of Petersburg. She  is a 30 yr teacher of Petersburg City Public Schools.  She is a Virginia State University alumni . Yolanda is a member of Kiwanis Petersburg Breakfast Club where she serves the youth of the community.  She is also a member of the Petersburg Pregnancy Prevention Coalition. Yolanda has a passion for educating and advancing youth.  She is the proud Mom of 5 and grandmother of 13.

February 23, 2018

Tamara Brown has more than 30 years of service in human services with local and state government and nonprofit management. She graduated from Indiana University Purdue, Lilly School of Philanthropy for Fundraising Management and Philanthropy Studies.  Tamara served as the Director of Fund Development and Director of Donor Services for the Girl Scouts for nearly 20 years, raising money and advocating for  girls 5 to 17; as the Executive Director of the Victim Witness program in the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, she advocated for the rights of victims in the City of Richmond; served as Staff Assistant of Governor Wilder and Governor Allen’s administration, and is currently employed with the City of Petersburg working with the Deputy City Manager of Community Affairs for the City of Petersburg as her Executive Assistant. She is married to Keith Brown and they have one daughter Tanesha Allen and one granddaughter Taylor Caroline Allen.

February 23, 2018

Terri Morse Ceaser is a Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate (DAVA) with Fort Lee Army Community Services (ACS) Family Advocacy Program (FAP). She provides advocacy assistance to military service members and/or their family, she is the Chair of the Colonial Heights Juvenile and Domestic Violence Task Force as well a member of the Petersburg Task Force.  Terri is also a Credential Advocate Subject Matter Expert through the National Advocate Credentialing Program.  Active member of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Petersburg, VA, proud mother of 3 adult children and proud Nana to 9 grandchildren.

February 23, 2018

Jessica Jones is a native Petersburg resident. She is currently employed as an educational paraprofessional and Walnut Hill elementary school for the exceptional education department. Jessica is a passionate education and community resource, bringing students' learning gaps together through hands-on experience to bridge the gaps .  As a community volunteer, Jessica uses her innovative ideas and compassionate ways to assist those with learning difficulties.  She is always ready for a new opportunity to educate! Jessica has completed the requirements for an associate degree in Science at John Tyler community college, she is an alumni of Norfolk State University and is currently matriculating a  BA degree in special education.  She is a member of the PEA.  She is the proud parent of one son.

February 23, 2018

Yolanda Jones...

January 26, 2018

Raja Zakeeyah is currently a Logistics Analyst for the QM Force Development Directorate contracted through LMI where she has been employed for 8 years. Raja is also an Army Logistics Captain for 80th Training Command The Army School System with 21 years of dedicated military service. She obtained her Bachelors of Science from Morgan State University and her Masters of Education from University of Maryland University College. She is an active member of the National Society of Pershing Angels, Inc., The ROCKS, Inc., Soldier’s Angels and Pershing Rifle Group. Raja is actively involved with her church, Village of Faith located in Sandston, VA. She is also a member of the Youth Services Commission of Hopewell City. Her passion is to reveal God's gift in young people and holistically educate them on their gifts and how to use them productively. As a business owner of Precious CreationZ, LLC, she caters to all food needs and uses her profits to serve the homeless community and youth activities. She is a divorced mother of two teenage children Michael, 17 and Rachelle, 14. Her mom, Marcia LB Barron is her biggest supporter and inspires her to just "BE"!

February 17, 2018

Cheryl Simmers is currently the principal of Rowanty Technical Center.  Prior to becoming the Rowanty principal, she worked at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS)9 in Petersburg teaching a number of high school engineering and math courses at ARGS for over 15 years. Prior to that, she taught math at Sussex Central High School, her alma mater, in Sussex, Virginia. She holds a BS in industrial engineering and operations research and an MS in industrial and systems engineering, with a concentration in management systems engineering, from Virginia Tech. Cheryl has spent a considerable amount of time working on high school engineering curricula both at ARGS and through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has participated in varied panels and workshops discussing the need to bring engineering into K-12 education. Cheryl was a curator of high school engineering design resources for the National Science Teachers Association. In addition, she has been an online master teacher for the Virginia Space Grant for its Virginia Space Coast Scholars Program.  More recently, Cheryl has been a featured author and co-author for three high school engineering textbooks.  She is also very active in community service efforts in and around Petersburg.

January 30, 2018

Maureen Smith-Scott has over 30 years of experience in the financial and mortgage industry. She is excited to be putting that knowledge to work for her clients as a Direct Endorsement Mortgage Underwriter with the Union Mortgage Group where she currently works.  She has worked with hundreds of homeowners, and has an in-depth knowledge of FHA, conventional, VA and Virginia Housing loans. Maureen enjoys giving back to the community and loves supporting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk by serving as the SunTrust Bank Captain. She also loves working with the children at Blackwell Elementary through their mentoring program. She is a life member of Mount Olivet Baptist Church located in Petersburg, VA.  Her outlook on the future is to cultivate our beautiful children to provide the tools and opportunities to motivate them to their greatness.  Maureen’s motto is from the African Proverb “It takes a village to raise our children" as she believes it takes strong community support to nurture and prepare our children for greatness.

January 26, 2018

La Kishah White is currently the Director of Talent Management Operations (Human Resources) with Bon Secours Health System where she has been employed for 16 years.  She obtained her Bachelor of Art’s from Old Dominion University, and her Masters of Business Administration from Strayer University.  She is an active member of Living Word Ministries located in Colonial Heights, VA.  Her passion is to uplift and educate the youth on the types of skills, knowledge and competencies to help them think critically, independently and as effective communicators – which are key for success in our diverse and competitive world.  Kishah would like to extend her thanks to her husband of 15 years, Clarence White, and her two children Tyler White, age 14, and Tarryn White, age 11, for their ongoing support and encouragement, as well as her parents, church family and close friends who have been an inspiration and support system  in her life.   

January 29, 2018

Cheryl Jean Wilson served as the Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney for seventeen years before being appointed to serve as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Petersburg by the Circuit Court Judge. Cheryl was subsequently elected by the voters in November 2017 to serve as Commonwealth’s Attorney. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Virginia Union University and graduated from T.C. Williams School of Law with a Juris Doctor Degree. She is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Petersburg Democratic Committee, the Southside Area Democratic Women and Associates Club, and is a member of the Breakfast Kiwanis Club in Petersburg, serving our youth here in the City of Petersburg. Cheryl has given lectures in the community on topics such as gangs and criminal law and procedure, and has participated in Law Day and other activities with the Petersburg School System.  She is on the Board of Directors of the Peabody Academic Learning & Development Center, and regularly volunteers in the Wills for Seniors program through the Petersburg Bar Association. She also volunteers with the Petersburg Public Schools.   

January 29, 2018

Celeste L. Wynn is originally from Blackstone, Virginia, but has been a resident of Petersburg, Virginia for 7 years.  She is a former educator, earning her degree from Saint Paul’s College.  She has worked at Virginia State University for 11 years, where she is currently working on her Master of Science in Sport Management.  Ms. Wynn enjoys working with the youth and communities in the City of Petersburg, as well as surrounding localities.  She is a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Petersburg Communities Inc. and the Architectural Review Board for the City of Petersburg.