Virginia Community Action Partnership (VACAP) on behalf of the VACAP Board of Directors presented Annette Lewis, CEO for Total Action for Progress (TAP) with the Mark Grigsby Selfless Leader Award during the VACAP 2024 Legislative Conference on January 23, 2024. This award was established by VACAP in 2013 to honor the memory of Mark Grigsby, long-time Director of the Office of Community Services at the Virginia Department of Social Services who embodied selfless leadership by serving people and communities most in need in Virginia for most of his career.
The Grigsby Award is the only award that VACAP presents each year. It is considered a Lifetime Achievement Award, but the words “selfless leadership” in the title have real meaning. Selfless leaders empower their people; they share the credit; they initiate the conversation; and importantly they create the culture.
Mr. Kevin Otey, VACAP Board Chair, Ms. Ann Fisher, VACAP Governance Chair and Commissioner Danny Avula of the Virginia Department of Social Services presented the award to Ms. Lewis in front of VACAP membership and Ms. Lewis’s family. Ms. Lewis’ family in attendance for the surprise presentation included her husband and children.
Annette’s contributions to TAP and her region are beyond comprehension,” says Mr. Otey. “As the agency was a national leader during Annette’s tenure of finding more and more ways to be innovative in serving. She also constantly built relationships with national and state leaders to raise the voice for so many without a voice. In Virginia, she led VACAP strongly as board chair and will most be remembered by her fellow leaders as someone who always took the extra effort to text, call or email us at the moments we most needed encouragement and mentorship.”
Ms. Lewis announced her retirement for March 1, 2024 after 35 years of service to Total Action for Progress (TAP). She started as a temporary employee and rose through the ranks to be CEO in May of 2015 where she has continued the legacy of being a leader in the Community Action network and making a difference in countless number of low-income Virginians lives.
Commissioner Danny Avula stated, “Anette Lewis represents the best of community action as she has lived out the promise of community action. Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”
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The Grigsby Award is the only award that VACAP presents each year. It is considered a Lifetime Achievement Award, but the words “selfless leadership” in the title have real meaning. Selfless leaders empower their people; they share the credit; they initiate the conversation; and importantly they create the culture.
Mr. Kevin Otey, VACAP Board Chair, Ms. Ann Fisher, VACAP Governance Chair and Commissioner Danny Avula of the Virginia Department of Social Services presented the award to Ms. Lewis in front of VACAP membership and Ms. Lewis’s family. Ms. Lewis’ family in attendance for the surprise presentation included her husband and children.
Annette’s contributions to TAP and her region are beyond comprehension,” says Mr. Otey. “As the agency was a national leader during Annette’s tenure of finding more and more ways to be innovative in serving. She also constantly built relationships with national and state leaders to raise the voice for so many without a voice. In Virginia, she led VACAP strongly as board chair and will most be remembered by her fellow leaders as someone who always took the extra effort to text, call or email us at the moments we most needed encouragement and mentorship.”
Ms. Lewis announced her retirement for March 1, 2024 after 35 years of service to Total Action for Progress (TAP). She started as a temporary employee and rose through the ranks to be CEO in May of 2015 where she has continued the legacy of being a leader in the Community Action network and making a difference in countless number of low-income Virginians lives.
Commissioner Danny Avula stated, “Anette Lewis represents the best of community action as she has lived out the promise of community action. Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”
MORE