Dwala Ferrell is the founder and executive director of Pathways, an organization in Petersburg that instills leadership skills, serves as a watchdog for lead poisoning and coordinates community gardens. Pathways also built 63 houses in the gulf region after Hurricane Katrina.
Percy Strickland and his wife, Angie, found their Chimborazo Boulevard home was a magnet for neighborhood kids — and that grew into Church Hill Activities & Tutoring. Out of CHAT came the Church Hill Academy, started in 2007 by teachers and 10th-graders.
Mary Lou Decossaux is co-executive director and founder of Fulton Hill Neighborhood Resource Center. The East End center started as a tiny grass-roots effort and now offers a Montessori preschool, GED assistance and an array of arts classes for kids and adults.
Sue Watson is serving her ninth term on the Hanover County School Board and is involved in most of Ashland's civic events — including its 150th anniversary celebration in 2008, which she chaired. One might say she's at the center of Ashland's universe.
Wayne Dementi serves as president of the Goochland Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Goochland Fellowship and Family Services, which funds a free clinic. You also may know his name from the book he co-authored, Facts and Legends of the Hills of Richmond.
Quenton Lee is chairman of the Midlothian Day Parade, an event that combines the homespun with the high-profile — from the village's own Noah's Ark to local Olympian Queen Harrison as grand marshal. Lee is a Midlothian-based electrician.
Grace LeRose is president of the Forest Hill Neighborhood Association, a group that focuses on everything from reducing community crime to promoting cultural events, including the 43rd Street Festival and the Forest Hill House Tour. She's also chief chemist for the city.
Henry Nelson has been a leader in preserving eastern Henrico County history by helping save Cedar Hill, a 19th-century farmhouse, from destruction. He's also part of the Varina Beautification Committee, a group that's not so much anti-growth as pro-smart growth, particularly on Route 5.
