President's Council on UVA-Community Partnerships

09/15/2026

The Local Economy Implementation Group aims to increase University procurement relationships and the proportion of procurement funds going to local businesses, as well as refining guidelines that ensure local businesses have access. This quarter, the group hosted events such as the UVA Small Business Expo, which brought 73 businesses together to connect with University buyers, and planned SWaMfest to support small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses in collaboration with other universities across the Commonwealth. The group’s workshops continue to connect local suppliers and departmental buyers and help small businesses gain industry insights.

The group is looking forward to connecting with SWaM businesses at the upcoming SWaMfest in October!

Learn more in the slides or visit

Local economy working group page information.

09/15/2026

The Local Economy Implementation Group aims to increase University procurement relationships and the proportion of procurement funds going to local businesses, as well as refining guidelines that ensure local businesses have access. This quarter, the group offered events such as the UVA Small Business Expo, which brought 73 businesses to connect with buyers at the University and planned SWaMfest to support small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses in collaboration with other universities across the Commonwealth. The group’s workshops continue to connect local suppliers and departmental buyers and help small businesses gain industry insights

The group is looking forward to connecting with SWaM businesses at the upcoming SWaMfest in October!

Learn more in the slides or visit prescouncil.president.virginia.edu/local-economy

09/10/2026

From supporting post-incident response with Region Ten to facilitating dialogue with students about school climate, expanding summer programs with Starr Hill Pathways, and fostering networking between youth-serving organizations, the Community Safety Implementation Group has spent this quarter focused on its goal of collaborating with community and UVA representatives to improve community safety resources and services to maximize positive impact on our community.

Check out more of what we've been up to in the slides above or learn more on our website at

08/04/2026

It was a pleasure to participate in the Youth One Stop Shop at Carver Recreation Center as the event celebrated its four-year anniversary.

Hosted by The Fountain Fund, the event brought together more than 40 community organizations to connect families with local programs, services, and resources. Thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success and to the many community members who joined us.

We look forward to participating again soon!

07/27/2026

We want to hear from you! What does a safe and healthy community look like to you? Comment below.

Responses like yours help the President's Council amplify community voices through the work of its six working groups.

07/23/2026

The Public Health Working Group is committed to promoting greater coordination between community-based initiatives and the University of Virginia to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. In the last quarter, Population Health has expanded its operations to include two new divisions, celebrated a decade of service, expanded access to primary care services, and more.

Swipe left to read more about the Public Health Working Group.

07/21/2026

In Q2, UVA Pipelines & Pathways continued its mission to increase the number of community residents hired by UVA and to expand upward mobility opportunities for UVA-affiliated workers through continued program recruitment, including the Hoos Driving and Early Childhood Educator Training Programs.

Swipe to learn more.

07/17/2026

The work of the Local Economy Working Group, anchored by UVA Supplier Engagement, has included event support for local business events, cross-institutional collaboration with and @, and preparation for SWaMfest 2026.

Swipe left to learn more!

07/15/2026

Over the last quarter, the Council's Early Childhood Education Implementation Group has made progress by training future early childhood educators, supporting the development of local ECE spaces, and collaborating with the Family Support Collab and ReadyKids to maintain gently used materials for providers.

Swipe to learn more about the Council's current and ongoing early childhood education initiatives.

06/10/2026

Please join us in welcoming four new members and a new Co-Chair to the President’s Council on UVA-Community Partnerships.

Selected through a public nominations process, these leaders will help guide the Council’s work to strengthen partnerships between the University of Virginia and the Charlottesville-Albemarle community. Learn more about the Council's members here: https://prescouncil.president.virginia.edu/people

Daniel Fairley has been appointed Co-Chair and will serve a two-year term alongside Karen Waters. The Council also welcomes four new members who will each serve three-year terms:

• Dr. Margaret Hayden, physician, professor, and director of the Program in Biomedical Ethics at UVA
• Bonita Patton, community leader and youth advocate
• Malorie Black, student leader and community-engaged scholar
• Coco Ahn, nonprofit leader and community advocate

The Council brings together University and community leaders to advance collaborative work in affordable housing, community safety, early childhood education, local economy, pipelines and pathways, and public health.

We are grateful to all who participated in the nominations process and look forward to the expertise, perspectives, and leadership these new members will bring to the Council's work.

Sign up for the Council's newsletter for updates: https://tinyurl.com/prescouncilnewsletteruva