Former CEO of Leadership Fairfax takes over Lead Virginia program

by Heather B. Hayes and Jessica Sabbath
for Virginia Business
May 2007

Lead Virginia is under new leadership. The Richmond-based, statewide educational program is now headed by Susan Horne, who spent 15 years as president and CEO of Leadership Fairfax Inc.

The goal of Lead Virginia is to identify emerging leaders throughout the state and immerse them in the important issues of each region.
Horne has firsthand experience in this area. Not only did she direct a local leadership training program, but she also serves as the vice mayor of Leesburg.

She replaces Susan Timmons, who founded Lead Virginia three years ago. She has become alumna vice president of Mary Baldwin College’s Office of Institutional Advancement.

Lead Virginia holds monthly classes for representatives from academic, business, civic and government organizations across the state. Participants travel to different regions of the state to get a close look at local issues. They, for example, will have a chance to get a firsthand look at cutting-edge technologies. They also will meet with leaders of communities that have lost traditional manufacturing industries and are trying to transition to more diverse economies. The 2007 program has 46 participants, and there is already a waiting list of about 30 for the 2008 class.

“Our focus is really on helping people see the big picture of what’s going on in our state and then take that knowledge and that network of professional colleagues that they have gained through this experience and become agents of change,” says Horne, who is a graduate of the 2006 Lead Virginia class.

John Knapp, director of government affairs at Verizon in Richmond and a member of the Lead Virginia first class, says the biggest value of the program is getting to know people from all parts of the state and gaining a fresh perspective on ongoing issues. “I learned more about Virginia during my time in this program than in a lifetime of living here.” he says. “You really gain an appreciation for the diversity that exists here.”