Boydton is a town in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States. The population was 431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, and it is near Kerr Lake.
Bethany College is a private liberal arts college in Bethany, West Virginia. Founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell of the Restoration Movement, who gained support by the Virginia legislature, Bethany College was the first institution of higher education in what is now West Virginia.
Lauro Fred Cavazos Jr. is an American educator and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Education, and was the first Hispanic to serve in the United States Cabinet.
The University of Virginia's College at Wise is a public liberal arts college in Wise, Virginia. It is part of the University of Virginia and was established in 1954 as Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia.
Ako Abdul-Samad is the Iowa State Representative from the 35th District. He has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007. Previously, he was a member of the Des Moines school board. Abdul-Samad was born, raised, and resides in Des Moines.
Anne Bright Holton is an American lawyer and judge who served as the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 to 2016. She is married to United States Senator and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, the vice presidential running mate of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
John Henry Hager was an American politician who served as the 37th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002. He was the first person with a disability to be elected to that office. He proceeded to act as an assistant secretary within the United States Department of Education from 2004 to 2007. He also served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from August 2007 until May 2008.
Donna Howard is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 48th District since her election in 2006. She currently serves as vice chair of the House Administration Committee and also serves on the Appropriations Committee, the Higher Education Committee, and the Appropriations Sub-Committees on Article III and on Budget Transparency and Reform.
Gerard Robinson is a former Secretary of Education in Virginia and Florida Education Commissioner. He is a school choice proponent and former president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. He was selected to be Virginia Secretary of Education for Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell in 2010.
Kelly Teal Thomasson Mercer is an American Democratic politician, who has served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia since April 2016. Initially appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe, she has continued as Secretary under the administration of Governor Ralph Northam. Prior to holding her current position, Thomasson served as Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth under Governor McAuliffe.
Maurice Antonia Jones is the CEO of OneTen, a coalition of companies dedicated to creating one million jobs for African Americans by the end of the 2020s. Previously, he was president and CEO of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a national community development financial institution. Previously, he served as the Deputy Secretary of HUD in the Obama administration, and then as the Virginia Secretary of Commerce in the cabinet of Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Nancy Rodrigues is the Deputy Director of the 2019 Commemoration and former Virginia Secretary of Administration under Governor Terry McAuliffe. She was appointed to this position by Governor McAuliffe in December 2013, after nearly 30 years in public service and government.
Dr.Basil Ivanhoe Gooden is an American governmental executive whose career has advanced equitable food systems, agriculture policy, public health, and community economic development in rural America. Dr. Gooden served as the 3rd Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the cabinet of Governor Terry McAuliffe. He became the first Black American to serve in this position and during his tenure from September 2016 until January 2018, he was the only Black American Secretary of Agriculture in any state in the United States. In his capacity as Secretary, he provided strategic vision and leadership to two of Virginia's largest private industries, Agriculture and Forestry, with an annual economic impact of $91 billion on the Commonwealth.
Dietra Yvette Trent had served as the Virginia Secretary of Education under Governor Terry McAuliffe. She previously served as Deputy Secretary of Education from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2016 and was elevated after Anne Holton's resignation to campaign for her husband, Tim Kaine's vice presidential bid in 2016.
William Andrew Hazel, Jr. is the current Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources. He was first appointed in 2010 by Governor Bob McDonnell and was reappointed in 2014 by Governor Terry McAuliffe. He served previously as assistant orthopedic surgeon for the Washington Redskins and as team physician for D.C. United soccer club; he was also a member of the American Medical Association's Board of Trustees.
James Su-ting Cheng is an American businessman who served as Secretary of Commerce and Trade under Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. Cheng was born in Taipei, Taiwan and emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of three. He attended Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Javaid Edward Siddiqi is an American educator who served as Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Secretary of Education from November 2013 to January 2014. After attending Chesterfield County Public Schools from kindergarten until his graduation from Matoaca High School, he served for a number of years as a science teacher and school administrator in the district. In 2011, he was appointed as Deputy Secretary of Education and in 2013 was made Secretary. He served on the Chesterfield County school board, representing the Midlothian district until January 2020.
Patrick Owen "Pat" Gottschalk is an American attorney. A partner at Williams Mullen, he previously served as Virginia Secretary of Commerce under Governor Tim Kaine.
Jewel Hairston Bronaugh is an American government official serving as the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture since May 17, 2021. She previously served as the 16th commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from 2018 to 2021. Bronaugh is the first African-American to be Deputy Secretary of agriculture.
