Chancellor Gordon Robertson Receives 2024 Community Builders Award
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (June 7, 2024) – Regent University Chancellor Gordon Robertson received the 2024 Community Builders Award from the Hampton Roads Community Action Program. This award celebrates those who have demonstrated a commitment to service and transforming lives within their communities through education, volunteerism, business, and outreach.
“It is a great honor to receive this award and to be recognized among those who have made significant contributions to the Hampton Roads community,” said Chancellor Robertson. “I thank the Hampton Roads Community Action Program for their inspiring leadership and tireless service that improves lives all across our region. At Regent University, we share that same commitment to giving back and strengthening Hampton Roads. As the largest private nonprofit university in Hampton Roads, Regent is developing servant leaders who enrich and strengthen our community, our nation, and our world.”
The Hampton Roads Community Action Program presented the award to Chancellor Robertson during their annual Community Builders Awards ceremony at the Newport News Marriott City Center on June 6. Phylicia Rashad, award-winning actor and Dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, gave the keynote address, highlighting the importance of education and community.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner sent his warm congratulations to Chancellor Robertson. “This honor is a testament to your exemplary leadership in the region. During your time as Chancellor of Regent University, you have demonstrated a strong commitment to changing lives, creating hope, and making the community a better place to live. Our higher education institutions are so important in preparing Virginians for successful careers and ensuring that our businesses have the skilled workforce that they need to prosper. Your leadership has and will continue to have long lasting benefits in the lives of your students and on the region’s economy.”
The awards ceremony spotlighted contributions in education, recognizing 10 community college and university presidents across the Hampton Roads region. The 2024 honorees include:
- Gordon Robertson, J.D. – Chancellor, Regent University
- Dr. Brian O. Hemphill – President, Old Dominion University
- Dr. Corey L. McCray – President, Paul D. Camp Community College
- Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston – President, Norfolk State University
- Dr. Joel English – President, Centura College
- Dr. Marcia Conston – President, Tidewater Community College
- Dr. Scott D. Miller – President, Virginia Wesleyan University
- Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon – President, Virginia Peninsula Community College
- Jeff Thorud, J.D. – Director of Hampton Roads Campuses, Bryant & Stratton College
- Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams – President, Hampton University
“We are pleased to honor the region’s esteemed college and university presidents as part of the 2024 Community Builders Awards,” said Edith G. White, CEO of the Hampton Roads Community Action Program. “This year’s event uniquely underscores our continued commitment to strengthening the college and technical training pipeline and offers an opportunity to recognize the contributions of leaders who share our vision for a stronger, self-sufficient community.”
About Regent University
Founded in 1977, Regent University is America’s premier Christian university, with more than 13,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in more than 150 areas of study, including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare, and psychology. Regent University has been ranked the #1 Best Accredited Online College in the United States (Study.com, 2020), the #1 Safest College Campus in Virginia (YourLocalSecurity, 2021), and the #1 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in Virginia for 12 years in a row (U.S. News & World Report, 2024).
About Hampton Roads Community Action Program
The Hampton Roads Community Action Program (HRCAP) is a nonprofit community action agency that has been serving residents of southeastern Virginia for over 50 years. An award-winning organization, the agency is a contributor to the economic stability of individuals and families in Hampton Roads. HRCAP is a regional organization – committed to improving the quality of life through programs in education, training, work experience, emergency services, housing counseling, and many other proven strategies. For more information, please visit www.hrcapinc.org.
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