Our Leadership

Board of Directors

Catherine Cotrupi

President
Assistant Dean for Student Services & Strategic Partnerships
Virginia Tech Graduate School

Emily Gibson

Vice President
Director of Local Government & Community Relations
Virginia Tech

David Riggan

Treasurer
Retired Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Eric Chapman

Secretary
General Counsel
Community Housing Partners

Nancy E. Artis

Retired Owner
Enterprise Systems Services

Michael Ehrat

Chief Executive Officer
LewisGale Hospital Montgomery

Rob Graham

Superintendent
Pulaski County Public Schools

James Harder

Portfolio Manager
Cardinal Holdings, LLC

Angela Joyner

Vice President for Economic Development & Corporate Education
Radford University

Jamie McReynolds

Retired Fiscal, Human Resource,
& Grants Technician
Moss Arts Center
Virginia Tech

Linda Millsaps

Owner & Sole Proprietor
Mountain Resources

Lara Ramsey

President & CEO
National Bank of Blacksburg

Roger Slusher

Owner & Partner
Fields Edge, LLC

Whitney Stokes

Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Sarah Tolbert-Hurysz

Dean of Arts & Sciences
New River Community College

Jill E. Williams

Executive Director
Calfee Center

Staff

Jessica Wirgau

Chief Executive Officer
Contact Jessica

About Jessica

Jessica Wirgau, Chief Executive Officer, joined the Community Foundation of the New River Valley in 2005 as a Community Advisor, volunteering her time to read grant applications as part of the Distribution Committee. In 2006, she joined the Board of Directors and during her tenure served as chair of both the Scholarship and Distribution Committees. Jess joined the staff in 2009 as Assistant Executive Director, and in 2011 became the Executive Director (now CEO) when Andy Morikawa retired after 13 years in the role.

Jess earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duke University and the University of Virginia, respectively. She went on to earn her doctorate in Public Administration and Public Affairs from Virginia Tech in 2014. Prior to working for the CFNRV, she worked for the Town of Blacksburg on the restoration of the Alexander Black House, and later for Virginia Tech on the development of the Moss Arts Center.

Jess currently serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Renaissance Music Academy Board and the Human Services Advisory Committee for New River Community College. She lives in Blacksburg with her husband Joe and two sons, Russell and Michael.

Lindsey Gleason-Reed

Assistant Director
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About Lindsey

Lindsey Gleason-Reed, Assistant Director, joined the Community Foundation of the New River Valley in April 2022. Her projects include communications, the GiveLocalNRV Giving Day, fundraising, and coordinating workshops for local nonprofit leaders and community members.

Prior to joining CFNRV, Lindsey worked at Virginia Tech for more than eight years, focusing on communications and fundraising work for Student Affairs Advancement and VT Engage: The Center for Leadership and Service Learning. She began her career in the nonprofit world at Accion, a global microfinance nonprofit based in Boston.

Originally from Vermont, Lindsey graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in Boston with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and a minor in linguistics. During her time in college, she studied abroad in Accra, Ghana for a semester. Lindsey enjoys traveling, reading, baseball, and spending time with loved ones.

Laura Pynn

Administration and Programs Manager
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About Laura

Laura Pynn serves as the Administration and Programs Manager of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley. Since joining the staff in 2007, Laura has managed the grant and the scholarship programs as well as the general administrative duties of the foundation. This is a position she very much enjoys as she is a process-oriented thinker and enjoys every aspect of the foundation. She has watched the foundation grow from a $5 million foundation to an $26 million foundation and revels in the fact that it is still growing!

Prior to joining the Community Foundation, Laura served as the assistant executive director of a nonprofit organization serving the needs of recovering alcoholics. She worked there for 10 years before leaving there to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Radford University. She graduated from Radford University summa cum laude in 2007.

Laura moved to the New River Valley in 1989 where she raised her four children as a single mother. In addition to raising a family, she volunteered and served two terms on the Advisory Council of the RSVP Program of New River Community Action. Laura currently serves as the President of the Floyd Rotary.

Laura lives on her 80-acre goat farm in Floyd County where she hikes, gardens, and makes goat cheeses in her spare time. She enjoys seeing her grown children excel in their careers and especially enjoys her three grandchildren.

Margaret Hurst

First Steps Program Coordinator
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About Margaret

Margaret Hurst, First Steps Program Coordinator, joined The Community Foundation in April 2023. In this role, she provides leadership and administrative support for First Steps: the NRV’s Early Childhood Education and Development Network, including managing a four-year project funded with a $1.15 million grant from the Town of Blacksburg to stabilize and expand the early childhood education and development workforce in the NRV.
Margaret brings extensive experience to this role, serving in various roles in the early care and education field.

Margaret’s passion for caring for and learning about young children flourished during her time working as Education Team Lead at Little Saint Child Development Center. In 2018, she worked with New River Community College as an Early Childhood Navigator for the Davenport Institute, to upskill and uplift the local early childhood workforce. In her most recent role with Child Care Aware of VA, she served as Western Regional Manager, providing services to families and educators to improve accessibility, affordability, and quality of childcare. Margaret earned her bachelor’s degree in human services, family and child development from Virginia Tech.

As lifelong residents of the NRV, Margaret and high school sweetheart, Rob, love to float the New River, fish, create things with their hands, and enjoy life on the farm. They enjoy traveling with and learning from their two adult daughters, Blair and Grace.

Therese Root

Healthy Roots Intern
Contact Therese

About Therese

Therese Root joined the Community Foundation of the New River Valley as an intern in March 2026. In this role, she supports the development of Healthy Roots NRV, an online platform designed to connect regional partners, share resources, and strengthen collaboration around community health and well-being.

Therese is pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Sociology at Radford University and anticipates graduating in Spring 2028. She is also the lead research assistant for Radford’s Center for Social and Cultural Research and serves as a peer instructor for the Highlander Research Rookies program.

Originally from Northern Virginia, Therese now lives in Radford. Outside of work and school, she enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling.

Community Advisors

Community Advisors are an essential part of the Community Foundation’s leadership who enhance our work by bringing additional skills, connections, and community knowledge to the standing committees they serve on. They participate in CFNRV events and serve as ambassadors for our work.

Jay Abbott
Aliya Chapman
Annie Heyns
John Hillison
Marilyn Hutchins
Abhay Kaushik
Dave Marone

Terry Nicholson
Emily Perkins
Richard Shepherd
Terrie Sternberg
Laura Walters
Anne Wheeler

Directors Emeriti

Individuals who have completed their service to the Board of Directors may be invited to serve as a Director Emeritus. In this role, they actively participate in CFRNV events and serve on committees. These individuals provide valuable experience and institutional knowledge.

Paula Alston
C. Barry Anderson
Marilyn Buhyoff
Jackie Crenshaw
Brad Denardo
Peggy Eaton
Terri Fisher
Ginny Gardner
Steve Gerus
Courtney Grohs
Gary Hancock
Pat Hyer
Pat Huber
Hugh Jenkins
Reed Kennedy

Dwayne Kittle
Ed Lawhorn
Hing-Har Lo
Barbara Michelsen
Robert K. Miller
John Muffo
Robert Nicholson, III
Beth Obenshain
Bob Piscura
Ellen Ryan
Doug Smartt
Chris Thompson
Andrew Warren
Joel Williams