RECENT NEWS RELEASES
MEDIA RELEASE
March 6, 2009
CONTACT: Judi Luffman
(757) 397-5424
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PORTSMOUTH FOUNDATION ELECTION AND APPOINTMENTS
UNDERSCORE TRADITION OF INTERGENERATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Portsmouth, VA -- The Portsmouth Community Foundation, at its recent annual meeting, elected Thomas E. Wood as vice president and J. Howard Rodman Jr. as treasurer, and appointed five new board members: Hedy Hekler, Susan G. Robertson, William H. Oast III, Paige D. Cherry, and Richard E.H. Wentz. Gloria M. Creecy is serving the second year of a two-year term as President.
The leaders include the grandson of a former First Citizen of Portsmouth and the son of another.
"This is a valued tradition in Portsmouth, the passing of community leadership from one generation to another," said Judi Luffman, the foundation's executive director. "It's one of the strengths of our city and also of The Portsmouth Community Foundation."
The annual meeting was held Wednesday, February 25, 2009.
"I am so excited to be serving my hometown that means so much to my family," said Rodman. The Portsmouth native is the son of Juddy Rodman, owner of the popular Rodman's Barbecue, and grandson of the late J. Roy Rodman, the restaurant’s founder and Portsmouth First Citizen of 1954. The younger Rodman served on the foundation's investment committee in 2008 and is the vice president for wealth management at SmithBarney in Virginia Beach.
Wentz, executive director of Portsmouth YMCA, is the son of the 1980 Portsmouth First Citizen, the late Robert William Wentz Jr. The late Wentz was president of Virginia Federal Savings and Loan, served on Portsmouth City Council, and served as Vice Mayor of Portsmouth in the mid-1970’s. He also served on the Foundation’s board in its early years. The younger Wentz is a Portsmouth native and a former teacher.
The Portsmouth Community Foundation, established in 1965, also is known for tapping the ranks of the city's emerging generations of leaders.
• Wood is a Portsmouth native, resident of Virginia Beach, and vice president at Landmark Communications. Wood’s father, Richard F. Wood, served on the Foundation board of directors in its early years.
• Hekler is a Chesapeake resident and active philanthropist. A native of North Carolina, Ms. Hekler has resided in Chesapeake since the early ‘80s. Through the Hekler Family Fund, she hopes to continue her parents’ legacy of giving back and to instill the need for charitable acts with her sons, Max and Jacob Siegel. Having interviewed numerous community foundations, she chose Portsmouth Community Foundation for its “personal touch and strong sense of community”.
• Cherry, a management analyst for the deputy chief of staff for resource management at Fort Monroe, has served Portsmouth in several capacities, including as chairman of the Planning Commission, member of the Craney Island Study Commission, member of Municipal Finance Commission, and board member of Greater Truxton Foundation.
• Robertson, a retired elementary school teacher and lifelong community volunteer, served on the foundation's grants committee for three years.
• Oast is a Portsmouth attorney specializing in elder law, a 25-year Rotarian, and an active leader in his Portsmouth community. The Oast family is well known for community volunteerism.
ABOUT The Portsmouth Community Foundation -- Founded in 1965, the foundation works to grow philanthropy for Portsmouth and has awarded nearly $9,000,000 in grants to charitable organizations in Hampton Roads. Assets now total nearly $8,000,000. Our vision is to serve as the philanthropic adviser for the people and organizations in our community. We consider it a privilege to serve so many.
The foundation is located at 360 Crawford St., Portsmouth, VA, 23704. To learn more, please visit our Web site at www.thepcf.org or call us at (757) 397.5424 or e-mail us at office@thepcf.org.
J. Howard Rodman, Jr.
Paige D. Cherry
William H. Oast, III
