<lst>The Tysons Club of Civitans sponsored eight local high-school students at its "Leadership in Freedom" conference, which convened at Camp Easter Seal in Milford, Va. The long weekend consisted of workshops and presentations emphasizing the tenets of citizenship necessary to perpetuate a free society. The students were encouraged to explore the foundations of American democracy and the elements of a free enterprise system. Through discussions and debates they examined major national and international issues and their responsibilities as good citizens.
The mission of Civitan International, a nonprofit organization, is to build good citizenship by providing a volunteer organization of clubs dedicated to serving individual and community needs with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities.
McLean resident Julia Galeota, a senior at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, has been named a National Merit Finalist in the 2005 National Merit Scholarship Program. She is an AP Scholar with Distinction and a member of Holton's chapter of Cum Laude. She also won first prize (for 17 and under) and $1,000 in the 2004 national Humanist magazine essay contest for her article "Cultural Imperialism: An American Tradition," published in the May/June 2004 issue of The Humanist (www.thehumanist.org/humanist/articles/essay3mayjune04.pdf). Her essay has also been published in a textbook by McGraw-Hill and is slated for publication in another of their textbooks.
Michael William Studeman, U.S. Navy commander and Great Falls resident, is one of 108 men and women from across the country selected as regional finalists for the White House Fellows Program. This nonpartisan program offers exceptional men and women firsthand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally. Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement early in one's career, evidence of leadership skills, a strong commitment to public service and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the federal government.
At the opening session of Office Depot's Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference, Patricia Parker, a business entrepreneur in McLean, was honored with Office Depot's 2005 "Businesswoman of the Year" award, which was presented to only nine women nationwide. Parker was the only woman honored in the state of Virginia. The three-day conference was held in Boca Raton, Fla., and began on Sunday evening, Feb. 27. Parker is president and CEO of Native American Management Services, a company that provides a variety of professional services to federal clients and Native American organizations headquartered in McLean.
Sharon Heffley, a Great Falls corporate speech-language pathologist, was elected as secretary of Corspan, an international nonprofit organization that promotes workplace communication training to the public and supports speech language pathologists in developing this practice. Heffley is the owner of the Accent Modification Center. She has provided accent modification, presentation skills improvement and voice enhancement for 16 years, working with many corporations and government agencies in the metro D.C. area.
Founded in Chicago as the world's first service organization, Rotary celebrated its 100th birthday on Feb. 23. Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs located in 166 countries.
The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious and open to all cultures, races and creeds. The main object of Rotary is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. The Rotary motto is "Service above Self."
The Rotary Club of McLean was founded in 1965, and, among its many civic and humanitarian endeavors, it supports local high-school ethics seminars, Rotary Interact Clubs, an adopt-a-family program, literacy projects, McLean Day, Share, Salvation Army bell ringers, youth service awards, ambassadorial scholarship programs and international projects such as Polio Plus, launched in 1985 with the goal of eliminating polio from the face of the earth by 2005 or soon thereafter.
McLean Rotary meets Tuesdays at noon at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 1545 Chain Bridge Road, McLean. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary is welcome to attend a club meeting. If interested, contact McLean Rotary Club president Pamela Danner at 703-734-2793.
Terrence D. Jones, president and CEO of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, has been awarded the Fan Taylor Distinguished Service Award for Exemplary Service to the Field of Professional Presenting. The Association of Performing Arts Presenters presented the award at their 48th Annual Member Conference on Jan. 10, in New York, N.Y. The award honors an individual whose outstanding service, creative thinking and leadership have had a significant impact on the profession of arts presenting.
Terrence D. Jones has served as president and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts since 1996. During that time, he has positioned the organization as an international leader in the integration of performing arts, education, technology and community. Under Jones’ leadership, Wolf Trap has reached several milestones, including completing the national Center for Education at Wolf Trap; reaching its five highest-grossing seasons in the history of the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts; commissioning more than 30 new works; and expanding Wolf Trap’s innovative, arts-based education programs. Jones’ career in theater and the performing arts, as well as his artistic vision and commitment to the commissioning of new works, have advanced Wolf Trap’s leadership role in the national and international communities.
Prior to joining Wolf Trap, Jones served as the chief executive officer and artistic director at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois, and while serving as the general manager of Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis.
The Association of Performing Arts Presenters is a national service and advocacy organization with more than 1,700 members worldwide dedicated to bringing artists and audiences together through presenting and touring.