Board of Directors

 

Elizabeth H. Sutton,
President and Chair, Scholarship Selection Committee 2023-2024

Elizabeth H. Sutton is a retired educator, author and free-lance journalist living in Albemarle County, Virginia. She moved to Virginia from Louisville, Kentucky to attend the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia when they first accepted women in 1970, and holds B.A and M.A. degrees in French. She has taught English at the University of Oran, Algeria, French at U.VA., Sweetbriar College and Tandem School, special education tutoring and riding at Little Keswick School. She has spent many years in volunteer service to a variety of non-profits, including the Misty of Chincotague Foundation, Inc. which she established with Marguerite Henry in 1989 and served as executive director for twelve years. She served on the University Virginia 2020 College of Arts and Sciences committee as community representative, as well as the UVA arts Council. Her photographs and articles have been published in Albemarle magazine, The Chronicle of the Horse, Virginia Living, Virginia Sportsman, 64 Magazine, Foxhunting Life and Virginia Wildlife. She is the author of A Pony for Keeps, and two other books for children and youth. 

African American Professional Horsemen of Keswick, by Elizabeth H. Sutton

  • She and her husband David moved to Keswick after their marriage in 1977 and raised their three children David Gordon Sutton, Jr., Elizabeth Sutton Longwell and F. Taylor Sutton on a small farm on Black Cat Road where, with the special friendship with local area African American neighbors, their family established lifetime roots. Along with her family, she is dedicated to public service and education. Most recently she has served on the vestry of the Grace Episcopal Church studying the 275 years of its history, and the volunteering in the Outreach Ministry committee. The original Keswick Heritage Fund was created at Grace in 2020 to continue the commitment to re-exploring local history and supporting education. Together members of Grace and St. John, a committee was formed to research the African American history of the community of Keswick and to create an online resource through the Grace Episcopal Church website.  Local oral history, summaries of additional historical records and publications as well as recordings of Grace Church presentations and Zoom webinars are all available by visiting here.

 

Pastor Kelvin R. Hawkins, Treasurer

Pastor Hawkins was installed as the Pastor of St. John on January 12th, 2008. Prior to his installation he served as Interim Pastor for 3 1/2 years. Pastor Hawkins holds a degree from Virginia Union University in Business Administration and a Certificate in General Insurance from the American Institute of Insurance.

Lady Hawkins works closely with the youth in the ministry and faithfully leads the woman in the "Sister' Ministry." Lady Hawkins is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Virginia Union University with a B.S. degree in Accounting and holds a MBA from Averett University. She encourages the saints to models the words as recorded in James 1:22, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only..."

They are the proud parents of three children the late Kelvin Ricardo Hawkins II, Aisha Pene and Tia Pene Hawkins. They are a blessing to the St. John Church Family as they encourage the saints to walk in Kingdom advancement and blessings.

 

Margaret Wachenfeld, Secretary

Margaret moved to Virginia in 1999 following her retirement from a career in education.  She was the Director and teacher at a nonprofit preschool dedicated to preparing children from a low-income area to succeed as they entered public school.  She also was involved in parenting classes and problem solving for the residents of the area.  After moving to Virginia, Margaret worked at Stone-Robinson Elementary School for over eight years.

Margaret is an active member of Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick.  She is on the Vestry, the Intercessors prayer group, Women’s Study Group, and the Outreach Committee.

 

Dr. Rickey E. White, Director

I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia to the late Turner and Evelyn White. I am happily married to the former Natalie Jackson White of Richmond, Virginia, and we have three children: Candace Tinsley (Michael), Courtney Bryan (Robert), and Cameron White; and four grandchildren; Mia and Jonathan Tinsley and Robert, III and Evelyn Bryan. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Virginia, a Master of Divinity Degree, Cum Laude from the Samuel D. Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, and an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from the Virginia University of Lynchburg. My wife and I reside in Lake Monticello, VA.

In 1984 and 1988, I was selected as an Outstanding Young Man of America. I was an elementary and middle school teacher in Greene County, Fluvanna County, and Albemarle County public school systems from 1983 through 1999 and 2003 through 2004. I was selected as an Outstanding American Educator, elected Albemarle County Public School Teacher of the Year, and twice honored as Who’s Who Among American Educators. I was chosen to give the opening prayer for the Virginia General Assembly at the Virginia State Capitol in 1999. In 2011 I received the 100 Black Men of Central Virginia’s Mentor of the Year Award. 

  • I was licensed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 1979 and was ordained in 1983. I served as the pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Stanardsville, Virginia, and Zion Baptist Church in Dillwyn, Virginia. I have served as the Senior Pastor of Union Run Baptist Church, Keswick, Virginia since 1989. 

    I am a board member of the Keswick Heritage Fund and serve as the chairman of its scholarship selection committee. I am the past Moderator of the Piedmont District Baptist Association, a member of the Charlottesville and Vicinity Ministerial Conference, African American Pastors’ Council, the 100 Black Men of Central Virginia, and a former board member of IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together). I am the president of N2fruition, INC., a think tank that specializes in creative innovations. I am the education committee chairman for the One Hundred Black Men of Central Virginia. I serve on the Albemarle County Police Community Advisory Team for Eastern Albemarle.

    I love to read and write. I have penned several children’s books and one adolescent book that was read by the seventh and eighth graders of the 2012 M-Cubed Algebra Enrichment Camp sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Central Virginia. I am a mentor to several elementary, middle, and high school students. You can often find me working with these students in the various schools and communities (virtually now) sharing nuggets of knowledge and wisdom to help them become more successful.  

 

Reverend G. Miles Smith, Director

The Very Rev. G. Miles Smith Miles Smith has been the Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick since 2013 and was recently appointed the Dean of the Charlottesville Region (the “Very” title). Until being called to Grace, he spent the entirety of his ministry serving Methodist and Episcopal churches in North Carolina. He is a graduate of Duke University (A.B. 1978 and M.Div 1981). His wife is Jennifer who works as the Special Assistant to the Chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics at UVA. Miles has a son in western NC and Jennifer has three sons and two daughters. There is also a dog and a cat in the mix.

 

Carolyn Mitchell Dillard, Director

Carolyn Mitchell Dillard is the University-Community Liaison in the Division for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and her office is located  in the Center for Community Partnerships at UVA.

She joined the UVA family in 2003 and has served in the office of Media Relations & Community Relations.  She currently serves on the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers (MEL) Community Engagement Committee and is responsible for MEL Programming.  She also serves as a member of the President’s Commission on the University in the Age of Segregation (PCUAS) as the co-chair of its community engagement committee and is on the board of the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA (DEC-UVA). She also served on the President’s Commission on Slavery (PCSU) Community Engagement Committee.

Carolyn is the first female pastor of this historic Zion Hill Baptist Church in Keswick, VA (established 1870), and serves on the Board of the African-American Pastors’ Council of Charlottesville & Vicinity. She has a B.S. from George Mason University, an MBA from National Louis University, a M.Div. from the Virginia Union University School of Theology, and is a current Doctoral Candidate in the Virginia Union University School of Theology. She joined Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1984 and is a proud member of the Charlottesville Alumnae Chapter, and is Dare to Lead Trained.

 

Hattie Douglas, the eldest of 12 children and grandmother of 10, was born and raised in Keswick, Virginia. She attended Keswick Elementary, Rose Hill Elementary and graduated from Jackson P Burley High School. Hattie completed classes at ECPI for data processing, and later went on to work for Northrop Grumman, where she retired after 43 years.

She attends Union Grove Baptist Church, where she is a trustee, member of the finance committee and the hospitality committee.

Hattie L. Douglas, Director