About Orchard House
2008-2009 Board of Trustees
Mr. Richard Deutsch, President
Mr. Deutsch is a CPA and a Principal in CT Financial Advisors. He is the firm’s national practice leader in executive compensation and benefits consulting. The Deutsch family regularly serves as a foster family for children from Medical Care for Children and Fresh Air Fund.
Dr. Pamela Royal Jenkins, Vice President
Dr. Jenkins holds an undergraduate degree from Hampton University and a M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Since 1990, she has served as President of Royal Dermatology and Aesthetic Skin Care, Inc., in Richmond. Dr. Jenkins is a member of the Boards of the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation, Voices of Virginia's Children, Valentine Richmond History Center, and Richmond Eye and Ear Healthcare Alliance.
Ms. Gayle Williams, Secretary
Ms. Williams worked in the computer services industry providing business applications to government and private industry in Washington, D.C. and California before returning to Richmond. She is active in the volunteer guide program with the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
John Felico, Treasurer
Mr. Felico has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of FoodNet Holding, LLC, since its incorporation. He has also overseen the founding, commencement, and expansion of the food service business of Dominic's of New York since 1994.
Ms. Carole Conner
Ms. Conner holds a B.S. in Physical Education from Old Dominion University. She is a former physical education teacher at the middle and lower school levels in both Norfolk and Henrico County. Ms. Conner worked in her late husband’s estate planning legal practice for many years as an assistant and bookkeeper. She serves on the Boards of the Monument Avenue Preservation Society (MAPS) and the Historic Monument Avenue and Fan District Foundation (HMFDF).
Ms. Sarah Driggs
Ms. Driggs holds a B.A. in Art History and American Studies from Tulane University and received her Masters’ degree in Architectural History from the University of Virginia. With extensive experience working with museums and preservation organizations, Ms. Driggs has published several books of local and state interest. She has also served on the Junior Board at the Children's Museum of Richmond, the board of the Ginter Park Residents Association and the Urban Design Committee and the Public Arts Commission for the City of Richmond.
Dr. Mark Emblidge
Dr. Mark Emblidge joined Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004 where he currently serves as an affiliate professor at the School of Education and as Director of the Literacy Institute at VCU. His research focuses on adult and family literacy, high school reform, and at-risk children. Dr. Emblidge serves as the founding director of both the Virginia Literacy Foundation and Communities in School of Virginia. In 2006, Governor Tim Kaine reappointed him to the State Board of Education where he currently serves as its president. Dr. Emblidge received his Ph.D. and his M.Ed. from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. He is married to the former Robbie Banning and they have two children, Catherine and Caroline.
Mr. Rob Farmer
Mr. Farmer is the Managing Director of the Richmond branch of Morgan Keegan Company, an investment firm headquartered in Memphis. Mr. Farmer serves as the incoming Chairman of the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Richmond, having served on that Board for 15 years. He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Virginia and is a former Board member of the Alumnae Association of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
Ms. Benita Felmus
Ms. Felmus is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Engineering. She has worked for General Electric, GTE, and Pitney Bowes as a product manager, product creator and product development manager for over 20 years. Her volunteer efforts have been with Short Pump Elementary School, Deep Run High School, and Temple Beth El, where Ms. Felmus serves as the chair of the Finance Committee, the co-chair of the Endowment Committee, and treasurer for the Sisterhood. An Orchard House parent, Ms. Felmus has been room parent, co chair of the 2008 Global Girl Symposium and Vice President of Connect.
Ms. Paige Goodpasture
Ms. Goodpasture earned a B.A., an M.Ed. in mental health counseling, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. After law school, she clerked for a federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, then practiced law at Hunton and Williams in the labor and employment section. In addition to serving on the Board of Orchard House School, she currently serves on the Board of the PTA of William Fox Elementary and co-chaired the Fox art auction for two years. She has also served on the Boards of the YWCA and the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. She is married to Philip Goodpasture and they have three children, Eliza, John, and Rose.
Ms. Valerie Harrison
A native of New York City, Mrs. Harrison began her career as a systems consultant for Digital Equipment Corporation. She has over fifteen years of professional experience as a trainer and educator, having designed training programs and provided consulting services for non-profit agencies, law firms, corporations, and government agencies. Ms. Harrison's most rewarding experiences come from teaching G.E.D. preparation classes to adults who are just beginning to understand the importance of lifelong learning. She has been an adult literacy volunteer through the READ Center since 1989, serving as Literacy Ministry Director at Zion Baptist Church. She holds a B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University and an M.B.A. from New York University. She is currently working towards a doctorate in Instructional Technology/Adult Education from Nova Southeastern University.
Dr. Anne H. Charity Hudley
Dr. Charity Hudley is Assistant Professor of English and Linguistics and Director of the Linguistics Laboratory at the College of William and Mary. She is a Ford Fellow and a National Science Foundation Minority Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research concerns regional variation in English and the relationship between language variation and educational practices and policies. Dr. Charity Hudley holds both a B.A. and M.A. in Linguistics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Hutch Mauck
Mr. Mauck is a Vice President with Scott Insurance, a leading edge company which provides commercial casualty insurance solutions and risk consulting. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1987 with a B.A. in Economics.
Mr. Henry R. (Speaker) Pollard
Mr. Pollard, a Richmond native, holds a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, where he served as a Member of the Law Review. Additionally, Mr. Pollard holds an M.B.A from the University of Richmond and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Hampden-Sydney College, where he graduated cum laude. Mr. Pollard combines his science and business education background to the practice of environmental and water supply law. He assists governmental, business, development, nonprofit, and individual clients with issues such as water quality, wastewater, sewage, storm water management, wetlands, water rights, solid and hazardous waste, Superfund, petroleum and chemical storage, air pollution, cultural resources, and species protection at federal, state, and local levels. Mr. Pollard is also a member of the Board of Directors of Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition, where he serves as their secretary. He is a member of Third Presbyterian Church. He serves as a Youth Soccer Coach for Strikers Soccer League.
Ms. Nancy W. Davies, Executive Director
Nancy Davies is a native of Richmond, Virginia. She founded Orchard House School in 1998. Ms. Davies has an undergraduate degree in English and a Master's Degree in Education. Prior to founding Orchard House, she taught in public and independent schools at the elementary, middle and secondary levels, including fifteen years as a fifth grade teacher at St. Catherine's School in Richmond.
In 1994, Ms. Davies received a grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Foundation, allowing her to research the development of middle school girls and the most effective strategies for educating them. As a result of her research and experience, Ms. Davies has emerged as a national expert in developing curricula and learning environments where girls thrive.
