Connie Kincheloe, a longtime member of the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation (GCCEF) and former chairwoman of Virginia’s State Board of Community Colleges, was honored as the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation 2017 Philanthropist of the Year. The award was presented Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, at an event in Culpeper.
“It’s really humbling to be honored for something that means so much to me,” Kincheloe told the crowd at the award presentation. “I have a passion for Germanna, I have a passion for the Virginia Community College System, and I have passion for the mission of community colleges.”
“When I see the students we serve, I see my family,” she said. “My father grew up in an orphanage. How much our Great Expectations program for foster youth would’ve meant to him as he left to make his place in the world. My mother never finished high school. That haunted her for the rest of her life. What could she have done with the second chance opportunity our Middle College program offers people?”
“Community colleges save people’s lives, and that’s no exaggeration,” Kincheloe said. “I’ve seen it, heard it, and read it in countless student stories over the past 20 years.”
Germanna President David A. Sam lauded Kincheloe for having the passion, intelligence, heart, and willingness to exercise her influence and use her energy for others.
“Connie always has the greater good in mind, seeking to open new doorways for countless students,” Sam said. “Even when some students did not believe in themselves, she has always believed in them, and has taken action to help them find and achieve their dreams.”
GCCEF Board member Joe Daniel praised Kincheloe for her care for others. “She cares about people. She cares about students across the Commonwealth. She cares whether people are able to achieve their life goals,” he said.
Kincheloe has also played an important role in developing new partnerships within Germanna’s service area through her work as a member of the Culpeper Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, University of Virginia Medical Center Operating Board, and Virginia Hospital Association Board.
