Dr. Thomas R. "Tom" Morris is the sixth President of the VFIC assuming his duties in April 2010. He previously served as Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the administration of Governor Timothy M. Kaine.

Prior to his appointment to the Governor's Cabinet, Dr. Morris served for more than thirteen years as the 19th president of Emory & Henry College.  A distinguished Constitutional scholar and political scientist, he was a full-time faculty member at the University of Richmond. He is well known on a state and national level as an astute political commentator and writer.

A native of Galax, Virginia, Dr. Morris earned a bachelor's degree in government at Virginia Military Institute, studied at Princeton University, then completed his masters and doctoral degrees in government at the University of Virginia. He received fellowships for advanced study including a year each as Liberal Arts Fellow at the Harvard Law School and as fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

During his teaching career at the University of Richmond, Dr. Morris was selected to leadership posts, honored for excellence in the classroom.   He was honored as a University Distinguished Educator, received faculty research grants and chaired the Faculty Council.

He is widely known as an expert on Virginia government and politics and has authored or co-authored four books, including Virginia Government and Politics: Readings and Comments, Fourth Revised Edition, a work co-edited with Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia.  He co-authored a chapter entitled "Republicans Surge in the Competitive Dominion" in an LSU Press publication, Southern Politics in the 1990s. He also wrote a chapter on Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder for a nationally circulated book entitled Governors and Hard Times, published in 1992 by Congressional Quarterly Press, and in 1994 a chapter on Virginia and the Voting Rights Act in Quiet Revolution in the South, Princeton University Press.  Dr. Morris has written an additional 17 major articles or book chapters.

Dr. Morris served as a political analyst for television, radio, and print media over a period of twenty-five years. He chaired the Commission on Virginia’s State and Local Tax Structure for the 21st Century (1999-2000) and was a member of Governor Warner’s Commission on Efficiency and Effectiveness (2002). 

Dr. Morris serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the George C. Marshall Foundation.
(Morris bio - pdf)

Business and fund raising veteran Mary-Beth Johnson serves as Vice President of the VFIC.

She brings experience in both the business world and in fund raising and is a major asset to our program.  She also has a solid understanding of the private colleges and universities in our consortium and is a graduate of one of the VFIC institutions, Lynchburg College.

Mrs. Johnson’s background includes service as Director of Development at both Home Again/ESI Connections and St. Joseph’s Villa in Richmond, positions which focused on annual funds, corporate and foundation relations, and special events. Prior to that, she worked in distribution and account management for Production Masters, Inc., as well as for TPC Communications, both in Pennsylvania.

As VFIC Vice President since 2004, Mrs. Johnson plans and directs the foundation’s annual campaign and has coordinated special programs such as the Ethics Bowl and Career and Workforce Development. Mrs. Johnson served as the 2006-07 President of the Virginia Association of Fund Raising Executives (VAFRE), is a member of Leadership Metro Richmond class of 2006 and serves on the Board for The New Community School in Richmond, Virginia.

Emily Lowry, VFIC’s Program Administrator, joined the VFIC in May 2011. She received her B.S. degree in Psychology from the College of William & Mary and a masters degree in Human Development from Auburn University. Ms. Lowry’s background in higher education includes work in the admissions office at Virginia Commonwealth University and undergraduate leadership development experience with Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. She has had specific experience with career development services through her work as a resume writer and social media specialist for Great Resumes Fast.  Her primary VFIC responsibilities include CAREER15, the annual VFIC Ethics Bowl and coordination of various VFIC events. She is also an active member of the Junior League of Richmond.

Scholarship and Technology Administrator Marilyn Headley joined the VFIC in 1999.  Her primary responsibilities are administration of VFIC scholarships, data management, coordination of internal technology, web site design and maintainance, graphic design for newsletters and other VFIC publications and annual fund support.

Prior to joining the VFIC, Mrs. Headley's experience includes Virginia Department of Education’s Department of Assessment & Reporting, Chesterfield County Public Schools as an Art Educator (1988-97) where she received the Central Virginia Art Educator of the Year award from the Virginia Art Education Association (VAEA); Supervisor of the Writing and Publishing Center, Oak Hill, Fairfax County Public Schools (1985-87), accounts receivable, Snyder-Hunt Corporation, now HHHunt Corporation (1974-77). teaching deaf autistic children at The Bancroft School in Haddonfield, NJ (1973-74) and art educator, Henrico County Public Schools (1970-73).

Mrs. Headley is married with one son, a geologist with a natural gas company in Abingdon, VA; one daughter, a French teacher in the Williamsburg area and two grandchildren.   She holds a B.S. degree in art education from Longwood University with graduate work at Virginia Commonwealth University.  

Monica Rouse
Administrative &
Program Assistant
rouse@vfic.org

Monica Rouse joined the VFIC in 2010 as Administrative and Program Assistant.  Prior to joining the VFIC, Mrs. Rouse held a position supporting the President & CEO of AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, New England’s first and largest AIDS service organization.  Prior to this role, she gained experience in executive support / office management for a small financial firm in Chicago, Illinois.

She holds a B.S. degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona.  After six years of working in genetics research at UA and also Northwestern University, a career change to the non-for-profit sector has been a suitable fit for her devotion in philanthropic service.  In her free time, Mrs. Rouse serves on several special event planning committees, including Comfort Zone Camp, Easter Seals, HandsOn Greater Richmond, and Independent Women of Richmond.

Page Robinson
Finance Manager
(part-time)
robinson@vfic.org

Page Robinson joined the VFIC Staff in September of 2010 as the Finance Manager. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Managerial Accounting. Prior experience includes working as the Office Manager/Accountant for a corporation assisting individuals with disabilities to obtain employment and Senior Financial Analyst for Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Page and her husband both grew up in the Richmond area. They have a daughter and three sons. Her daughter is with HCA. The oldest son is a Henrico County Firefighter. Her middle son is a recent graduate of Hampden-Sydney College. Their youngest son attends J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College.