By Nate Delesline III
nate.delesline@insidebiz.com
Leadership starts with teamwork, Maurice Jones - Virginia's secretary of commerce and trade - said after taking the stage to publicly receive the First Citizen of Hampton Roads award from Lead Hampton Roads.
"When I think about this region, and when I think about the leadership challenge that we have in this region, what I see is a place that has wonderful assets, wonderful people, lots of folks who care about the challenges that we have and an opportunity for us if we're a great team," Jones said.
Appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe in January 2014, Jones is a former publisher of The Virginian-Pilot and president of Pilot Media. The award honors the importance of collaboration and action across traditional boundaries.
Jones said events such as the honors presented by Lead Hampton Roads are an invitation, opportunity and reminder to work hard on relationships, "and then trust your teammate to work with you to get the job done. If we can do that, we'll be all right."
Created in 1988 by the then-recently merged Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, the first Lead Hampton Roads class graduated in 1989, according to the organization's website.
Today, the program has nearly 1,300 graduates, Executive Director Angela Blackwell-Carter told honorees and supporters, who gathered at the Marriott Waterside Norfolk. Jones was one of three leaders honored last week at the organization's annual Bravo! event.
Charity Volman, president of SunTrust South Hampton Roads, received the organization's Julian Hirst Alumni Leadership Award, which honors a Lead member for excellence in community, civic and professional leadership.
"As most of you know, those of us who are passionate about giving and serving in the community, we don't do it for the recognition," Volman said. "We each do it for very different and very personal reasons, and I'd suspect we'd all agree we get a whole lot more than what we give."
As a transplant to the area, Volman said, she thought community involvement would be a great way to learn about the region and make connections. It was, she said, and a whole lot more.
"I've gotten so much out of being involved in this community," Volman said. "I've adopted Hampton Roads as my home, and in fact, Hampton Roads has equally adopted me. I've had the privilege to work with so many amazing organizations, and I'm so proud of each and every one of them."
Many were represented at the event.
"Their work is noble and inspiring, and I can only hope that my involvement has helped to make a difference," Volman said.
Lead presented its 2015 Visionary Award to James Koch, president emeritus of Old Dominion University.
"I've been lucky in lots of different ways," said Koch, who added that the adage that doing something you love doesn't feel like work has been true for him.
U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach, a Lead program graduate himself, delivered graduation remarks to the nearly 50-member class of 2015. He urged the graduates to hold onto their list of classmates and to stay engaged and involved in the community through public service.
"You're already rejecting apathy, graduates, by virtue of the fact that you participated in this program," Rigell said. "I don't think it's because the boss told you to, I think it's because you wanted to do it."