The Board of Directors of the NOVA Foundation has elected three new officers for 2021-2022.
“I am thrilled to welcome these talented new officers of the NOVA Foundation Board. Along with strong community connections, they each bring a depth of experience and a breadth of skills to help guide our work to increase the Foundation’s positive impact on our students, the College, and our community,” said Kelly Persons, executive director of the NOVA Foundation.
Buddy Rizer, Board Chair, is the Executive Director of the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. Committed to public service, Mr. Rizer leads the agency responsible for encouraging growth and developing relationships with Loudoun County’s business community in both the commercial and agricultural-based business sectors. During his tenure as Executive Director, Mr. Rizer and his team have attracted more than $30 billion in new investments and tens of thousands of new jobs to Loudoun. Mr. Rizer has been named a Tech Titan five times by Washingtonian Magazine; one of the 50 most influential Virginians by Virginia Business Magazine four times; and one of the most influential businesspeople in Washington, D.C. by Washington Business Journal through its Power 100 series. A proud product of the community college system, Mr. Rizer is a certified economic developer and a graduate of Virginia Tech's Local Government Management Graduate Certificate Program.
Erin Hogan, a Managing Director at Bank of America Private Bank and a NOVA Alumna, is Board Vice Chair. She oversees the regional philanthropic business across 18 states and the District of Columbia, working closely with philanthropic individuals, families, and nonprofit institutions. Hogan holds an advanced degree in public health and her previous experience includes academic research and government consulting for a variety of public health and safety.
Michael Forehand, Vice President of Government and Community Affairs for Inova Health System, Foundation Board Secretary. In his professional role, Forehand overseas government and community affairs at the local, state and federal levels for Inova, Northern Virginia’s leading non-profit healthcare provider. He is a Northern Virginia native, a graduate of Fairfax County Public Schools and has earned a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a Juris Doctorate from the Washington College of Law at American University. In 2016, he was selected as a member of the Political Leaders Program of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.
Forehand is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Northern Virginia Workforce Development Board and previously served as vice chair of the Northern Virginia Chamber Policy Committee and as a member of the NOVABIZPAC Board of Trustees.
Founded in 1979, the NOVA Foundation, formally known as the NVCC Educational Foundation, is the only non-profit organization that directly supports Northern Virginia Community College and its goal of providing all students with a high-quality, life-changing education. Through its donors, the Foundation funds more than 350 scholarships, student emergency aid grants and academic grant programs each year for NOVA's six campuses and NOVA Online.
The NOVA Foundation is governed by a board of directors whose members come from both the public and private sectors in Northern Virginia. For additional information about the NOVA Foundation, visit https://giving.nvcc.edu/. For press inquiries, contact Hoang Nguyen, public information officer at hdnguyen@nvcc.edu.