About Orchard House
2007-2008 Board of Trustees
Mr. David Clarke, President
Mr. Clarke has a legislative, regulatory and general business legal practice with the Richmond firm of LeClair Ryan, A Professional Corporation. Formerly, Mr. Clarke served as the Managing Director of the firm McCandlish Holton. Virginia Business Magazine has recognized Mr. Clarke as one of Virginia’s “Legal Elite” in each of its annual publications. Mr. Clarke is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, Vice President of the Friends of Bandy Field and active in Third Presbyterian Church. He is a former Chairman of the Richmond Business Council of the Metro Richmond Chamber of Commerce.
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.
Mr. Greg Forman, Treasurer
Mr. Forman is the tax partner at Mitchell, Wiggins & Company, LLP and oversees all of the tax functions at the firm, including individual and corporate tax planning, tax compliance, estate planning, valuations, and representation before the Internal Revenue Service. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Richmond Public Library and a Board member of the Estate Planning Council of Richmond.
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.
Dr. Anne H. Charity
Dr. Charity 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 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. Richard Deutsch
Mr. Deutsch is a CPA and a Principal in CapTrust 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.
Ms. Jill Hanken Dimitri
Ms. Hanken Dimitri is an attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center where she specializes in health law. She provides training and technical assistance to other legal advocates and represents the interests of low income Virginians in the legislature, administrative agencies and courts.
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 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 Master’s Degree in Education 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.
John Felico
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. Valerie Harrison
A native of New York City, Mrs. Harrison began her career as a systems consultant for Digital Equipment Corporation. She has over 15 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 has developed and conducted Train the Trainer workshops, and business writing workshops for several local organizations. She has authored training manuals and reference guides as well as providing courseware development and software documentation. In addition, Ms. Harrison has worked as a program coordinator for adult and family literacy programs in Richmond. 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. Ms. Harrison is married to Heywood Harrison, an architect/planner for the City of Richmond. They are the proud parents of two daughters.
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.
Ms. Kathey Stone
Ms. Stone is an Engineer Consultant for the Department of Information Technology. She holds a B.S. degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and has provided information technology expertise to major corporations in Virginia and California. Ms. Stone also serves as CEO of The Stone Development Group and The Stone Foundation.
Ms. Jill Misage Webb
Ms. Webb is a partner in the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP. She received her B.A. in Government and English from The College of William and Mary in 1991 and her Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1994.
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.
