A message from our president and CEO…

VHBG exists to ensure that youth in crisis are given every opportunity to thrive. As the leader of this organization for the last seven years, I view my role as a great privilege, but also one that requires the highest level of commitment. After all, we’re talking about the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

To effectively lead, I must answer to several internal stakeholder groups.

First: the youth. Quality of care is the number one priority in our strategic plan. That can look like the genuine care we provide youth who have just been removed from the only home they have known – regardless of how unsafe or unhealthy the circumstances. It can be the teacher who goes above and beyond to see a student succeed. It can be the therapist who works overtime just to make sure a youth knows that they are surrounded by caring adults across our campus. It can be strict observance of regulations to maintain good standing in the eyes of licensing agencies because this is all about maintaining the safest place for youth to live and learn.

Second: our staff. Working day to day with troubled youth takes its toll on caregivers. We must provide a workplace that supports our employees while also holding them accountable. This can include everything from encouraging self-care, to ensuring that we pay fair wages and create opportunities for growth, to policy and procedure that provide structure, discipline and high expectations for performance. I believe one of the keys to success here is communication. I created an expanded senior leadership team that meets weekly to review and discuss issues of importance. We always start with mission moments so that we stay grounded. And the standing agenda includes culture/morale check-ins, updates on quality/compliance, and program news, among other topics. This keeps us unified and on point at the top of the organization so that the rest of our employees see consistent actions and hear consistent messages from leadership.

Lastly: our Board of Governors. I see my role as attracting and retaining highly engaged board members who drive the mission forward. And importantly, demonstrating appreciation for all they do.

My job is to support a culture that creates a sense of ownership among all our staff and board members, ensuring we give the youth in our care a chance to learn to heal, and a fighting chance in life beyond our campus. Culture starts at the top and I live by the core values of our organization and surround myself with the right talent and the right people. I feel really blessed with the talent and the people that we have at VHBG. We couldn’t do anything we do without them.  -Claiborne M. Warner, President & CEO

Claiborne brings over 30 years of experience in business management to Virginia Home for Boys and Girls and has extensive experience as a marketing consultant to for-profit and nonprofit organizations. She has served on a number of local nonprofit boards including The Children’s Museum of Richmond, The Powell Foundation for Economic Literacy, and Gateway Homes and served as interim CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg. Claiborne currently serves on the board of Hanover County’s Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT). She is a member of the Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Council and the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF). She is Vice President of the Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations (VCOPPA) whose mission is to serve as the unified voice for private providers to advocate for a quality system of services for children and families with special needs and challenges. She holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College.

Chief Financial Officer
Sandra McKinney, CPA

After graduating from college, Sandra became a CPA and worked in audit and tax preparation before moving on to corporate and nonprofit accounting where she has held the positions of Controller and/or Chief Financial Officer in several organizations. After working for four years as Controller for Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, Sandra was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. She holds a B.A. in History and a B.S.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Richmond.

Vice President of Programs
Cory Richardson Lauve
Cory has worked at the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls for more than fifteen years. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of Programs. Over the years she’s been responsible for training, program evaluation, and human resources. Prior to that, she worked as a case manager, staff supervisor, and in a direct care role with our youth in VHBG’s group homes. She also has experience as a classroom teacher. She graduated from the University of Virginia with an undergraduate degree in English and a Master’s in Teaching.

Vice President of Philanthropy
Lionel Bacon
Lionel is originally from Louisville, KY, where he attended Ballard High School. Lionel was a standout performer for the Ballard Bruins basketball team and received a full athletic scholarship to attend and play basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1986-1990. Lionel served as team captain for the Rams in both his junior and senior seasons. With a degree in Juvenile Justice, Lionel went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration. Lionel’s professional career includes serving as Vice President of Community Development for the YMCA and Associate Athletic Director for Development for VCU.

Vice President of People, Diversity, and Belonging
Darryl Smith Ickes
Darryl’s more than 25-year career in human resources includes serving as a Senior Recruiter in Finance, HR Generalist in Finance and Senior Living, and HR Business Partner in Health Care. They are also a P+sitively Managing Method Certified Expert Manager and co-chair of VHBG’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. After working for six years at VHBG, Darryl was promoted from Director of Human Resources to Vice President of People, Diversity, and Belonging. They earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a concentration in HR Management from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Home for Boys and Girls
Board of Governors

Chairman
Alexander D. Eccard, Yount, Hyde and Barbour
Vice Chairman
Katie Harlow, Capital One
Treasurer
Alan Hess, Wells Fargo Financial Advisors
Secretary
Shannon L. Taylor, County of Henrico
Immediate Past Chairman
Mary A. Gordon, Retired, Altria

Additional Board Members:
John Barnes III, VA Beach Express, Inc.
Shannon S. Best, University of Richmond
Richard Bland, Retired, Bland & Sorkin P.C.
Katherine Busser, Community Foundation for a greater Richmond
Robert A. Calhoun, Virginia Commonwealth University
Robert T. Greenland, Greenland and Associates
Aurelia Lewis, Lewis Media Partners
J. Lawrence Mansfield, Amazon
Joni Marshall, FDIC
Paul Melnick, Juno Financial Group
Thomas L. Mountcastle, Retired, CSC Leasing Company
Nikki Powell, Community Volunteer
Sarah G. Vogt, Leadership Foundations
Russell G. Wyatt, Commonwealth Commercial Partners

Claiborne Warner, VHBG President and CEO

Virginia Home for Boys and Girls Foundation
Board of Directors

Chairman John Barnes III, VA Beach Express, Inc.

Additional Board Members:
Kelly Armstrong
Katherine Busser, Community Foundation for a greater Richmond
Alexander D. Eccard, Yount, Hyde and Barbour
Mary Gordon, Retired,  Altria
William Hardy, Harris, Hardy & Johnstone
Alan Hess, Wells Fargo Financial Advisors
Mary Virginia Scott, Retired, The Bergman Group
Don Steinbrugge, Agecroft Partners
Madison Wootton, Truist Investment Services

Claiborne Warner, VHBG President and CEO