Black-Tie Gala To Honor Chesapeake’s Servant Leaders

Special to the Guide

The New Chesapeake Men for Progress Education Foundation, Inc., is sponsoring its 6th Annual Black-Tie Scholarship Gala Saturday November 18, 2023, at the Delta Hotel by Marriott Chesapeake. The Gala is one of Hampton Roads premier social events and features a VIP Reception, dinner, award presentation, and raffle. More than 460 individuals attended the Gala in 2022, and organizers expect a sell-out for this year’s Gala.

The Gala is designed to recognize three outstanding Chesapeake citizens for their outstanding contributions to the improvement of the quality of life in Chesapeake, Hampton Roads, the state and nation. This year’s the Foundation’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded to Adam Harrell, Sr., a former veteran, educator and dedicated community leader. Adam is a retired US Army Colonel, former School Board member, founder of the Chesapeake Men for Progress, leader of the Concentrated Employment Program, and a dedicated servant-leader, whose good deeds are grounded in faith, and compassion.

Jean Carideo will be awarded the Dr. James Jackson Community Service Award. She was a pioneer along with the late Judge, Edward P. Grissom and former mayor. Dr. William E. Ward, who led the effort that established the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterway History Museum. She is a lover of history and serves as president of the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterway History Foundation and a board member of the Cornland School Foundation. She has an unabating interest in history and considers herself fortunate to live in a City with so much history … both known and unknown.

Dr. Stephanie D. B. Johnson will also be awarded the Dr. James Jackson Community Service Award for her exceptional achievement and leadership in education. She is Chair of the Board of Trustees at Elizabeth City State University, awarded the Governor’s Achievement Award four straight years for academic achievement and the National Blue-Ribbon Award, which is given to only two schools in the state each year. A former administrator in Chesapeake Public Schools, she has facilitated through the Hampton University Leadership Academy, the certification of 44 new public school administrators. She has co-authored four educational books in a series called “The Missing Alphabet,” and written several publications including “Tearing down Invisible Teaching Walls” and “Success Program in Algebra for Military Students.” Dr. Johnson philanthropy extends to $150,000 to “The Johnson and Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund at ECSU for Education and Mathematics majors. She also fully funds the Foundation’s Middle School Academic Award Program annually.

Special Recognition will be observed for Chesapeake Police Officer, Albert White, the first respondent to the mass shooting at the Walmart Supercenter November, 22, 2023.

There are only a few tickets available for this event, and they can be purchased on the Foundation’s website: thencmpeduf.org on the donation button. Individual tickets are $70, and sponsorships are available by calling (757) 650-0174.