During the September meeting of Rappahannock Community College’s Educational Foundation, six new members were introduced and welcomed to the Board of Directors.

Board members may serve for two consecutive three year terms. The board consists of a diverse group of people spanning the 12 counties serviced by RCC who oversee and contribute to the foundation’s assets, goals and mission.
Among these new board members are Amy Dubois and Dr. Melissa Mason, both of Mathews, and Mike Jenkins of Gloucester.

Dubois is chairman of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors. She is a professional project and contracts manager who has worked for government contractors of all sizes for over 30 years. Dubois has helped small businesses win and manage government contracts in many industries. Currently, she is the director of the contractor management office for a small disabled veteran-owned business who largely provides services to the Veterans Administration.

Mason holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Virginia Union University; she also earned an MBA from Averett. She is a 2016 Princeton Black Theology Leadership Institute Fellow and a 2015 Emerge graduate. She is employed as a Program Analyst with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development, and is an associate minister at Emmaus Baptist Church.

A native of Mathews, Mason served as chair of the Mathews County School Board. In 2019, she was elected to the Mathews County Board of Supervisors. She also serves on the Mathews County Social Services Board and the Middle Peninsula Planning Commission board, and is a member of the Virginia Northern Neck Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Jenkins is a Middle Peninsula native. He was a member of RCC’s first graduating class in 1973 and transferred to James Madison University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He enjoyed a career in workforce development for more than 40 years and retired as Executive Director for the Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board, Inc. Jenkins also served on the Gloucester County School Board for 12 years and currently serves on the Gloucester County Public Schools Education Foundation and the Gloucester County Telecommunications Committee.

The EFI champions RCC’s mission to strengthen community, transform lives and inspire excellence through programs that develop students’ skills, confidence and employability. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the foundation awarded over $500,000 in scholarships to RCC students.

Other initiatives supported by the foundation are professional development and program funds for faculty and staff, the Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning courses, and financial and partnership resources to help the RCC community meet strategic plan goals. In addition, financial support subsidizes RCC’s food pantry and free rides for students on Bay Transit.

To meet the financial goals and needs of the foundation and RCC, money is raised through donations throughout the year and the annual Preakness Party fundraiser held in May. For more information visit www.rappahannock.edu/foundation or contact Sarah Pope, VP of College Advancement at spope@rappahannock.edu.