Alice Tousignant| Board Chair
Executive Director of Virginia Supportive Housing, Richmond
Alice Tousignant is the Executive Director of Virginia Supportive Housing. She holds a Masters degree in Social Work Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Rhode Island. Alice has over 30 years of experience in the fields of housing, homelessness and social services. Alice currently serves on the Board of Area Congregations Together in Service (ACTS) and is the Board Chair of the Virginia Collation to End Homelessness.
Courtney Gardner| Board Vice Chair
President of C.E. Gardner Consulting, LLC, Newport News
Courtney Gardner is President of C.E. Gardner Consulting, LLC. She works with many nonprofit organizations on a variety of management issues. Through her community work she has developed a strong background in fundraising, nonprofit management, and strategic planning. Gardner serves on the board of VCEH along with the Housing Development Corporation of Hampton Roads. She takes part in many youth activities including Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula Fine Arts Center, and the Junior League of Hampton Roads.
Michael Wong| Board Treasurer
Executive Director of Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Harrisonburg
Carol Tuning| Board Secretary
Human Services Coordinator of City of Roanoke, Roanoke
A native of Franklin County, Carol Tuning serves as the Human Services Coordinator and is a 26 year veteran employee of the City of Roanoke. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a minor in Business Administration from Ferrum College and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Leadership Development at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. In her role, she provides grant administration and oversight for a number of grants totaling in excess of $1.2 million including Office on Violence Against Women Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange program, Juvenile Accountability Block Grants, Family Unification Program, and the Virginia Department of Housing and Urban Development Homeless programs.
Sue Capers| Honorary
Founder of Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, Alexandria
Sue Capers' involvement with the issues of homelessness began more than 30 years ago. Her work began with direct services and assisting in expanding shelter spaces eventually leading to founding and coordinating the Coalition. Sue has been advocating for people experiencing homelessness at state agencies and the Virginia General Assembly to increase their awareness in order to address the crisis of homelessness.
John Boylan|
Homeless Policy & Resource Coordinator, City of Virginia Beach
John Boylan is the Homeless Policy and Resource Coordinator at the City of Virginia Beach. He studied at the Clarion University of Pennsylvania where he earned a degree in special education and habilitative sciences. Mr. Boylan is a member of Friends of Virginia Supportive Housing as well as the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
John Dearie|
Executive Vice President, Financial Services Forum (Washington, DC), McLean
John Dearie is Executive Vice President for Policy at the Financial Services Forum. Prior to joining the Forum in 2001, Mr. Dearie was Managing Director of the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC), a not-for-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to help build sound banking and financial systems in developing countries by structuring technical assistance and training missions staffed by financial sector professionals who serve as unpaid volunteers. Mr. Dearie was educated at the University of Notre Dame and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
SarahPaige Fuller|
Director at Office to End Homelessness, City of Norfolk
Sarah Paige Fuller has been working in the areas of homelessness, housing, and mental health for 23 years. Her career in homelessness began at the Daily Planet in Richmond, Virginia in 1988. She worked in local mental health agencies in Petersburg, Fredericksburg, and Norfolk - shifting her emphasis to primarily homelessness in 1994 as the Norfolk outreach worker for the Projects to End Homelessness to End Homelessness (PATH) and an active member of the Norfolk Homeless Consortium in Norfolk. After 10 years of street outreach, she left to work for the Virginia Department of Mental Health as the state PATH coordinator and later to run the National PATH Technical Assistance Center for the Center for Social Innovation in Boston, MA. In 2009, she returned to work for the City of Norfolk as the Director of the Office to End Homelessness.
Claudia Gooch|
Vice President for Community Planning and Development, The Planning Council, Norfolk
Claudia Gooch is the Vice President of Community Planning and Development at the Planning Council in Norfolk, Virginia. Claudia's interest and commitment to social indicators led to the publication of Visions and Indicators: An Investment in Priorities for South Hampton Roads, a work that has had significant and measurable impacts on the community. In 2010 she was awarded the Judith Rothbaum Award to honor her passion for community service and leadership in the social indicator movement.
Delegate Charniele Herring|
Member of Virginia House of Delegates, Alexandria
Delegate Charniele L. Herring has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since January of 2009. She operates within the 8th Congressional District. She graduated from George Mason University in 1993 where she received a bachelor's degree in economics. She continued her education at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1997.
Kelly King Horne|
Executive Director of Homeward, Richmond
Kelly King Horne is Homeward's Executive Director. Her professional background is in organizational development, board governance, nonprofit management and affordable housing. Kelly serves as Homeward's representative on the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness board. She received her M.A. in Religious Studies from Stanford University in 1993 and her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the American University in Washington, D.C. In 2007, Kelly was named one of the Richmond region's "Top 40 Under 40" by Style Weekly.
Al Smuzynski|
Virginia Community Capital; Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, Fairfax
Al Smuzynski is a retired bank regulator and affordable housing developer. Mr. Smuzynski has been an affordable housing expert and advocate for over thirty years. He earned a degree from Elon University in North Carolina. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Chairs the Audit Committees of Virginia Community Capital, Inc. a Community Development Financial Institution, and of Community Capital Bank, Christiansburg, VA, an FDIC insured bank which specializes in affordable housing, economic development, and small business lending in Virginia. Mr. Smuzynski is also an affordable housing advocate in Northern Virginia.
