Office of Government Relations for VCU and VCU Health

Thank you Senator Dick Saslaw and happy belated birthday!

Thanks to Senator Dick Saslaw for sharing his birthday with kids at CHoR! These balloons will help brighten up this gloomy day.🎈😊

Today members of VCU SGA traveled to Capitol Square for their inaugural Lobby Day. The group met with Governor of Virginia and legislators including Richmond Delegate Jeff Bourne to advocate for their priorities including increased financial aid, a new Arts & Innovation academic building and protections for DACA students.

On September 12, Secretary of Administration, Keyanna Conner, and Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth, Nelson Moe, presented the Maggie Award for Future Female Innovators to VCU students Jessy Lemus, a sophomore double majoring in Spanish and International Social Justice, and Maryam Azeem, a junior double majoring in Psychology and Biology. Congratulations to the team on this prestigious award.

Today President Rao was pleased to host VCU students interning in the Richmond offices for Senator Tim Kaine, Senator Mark Warner, and Congressman Donald McEachin for lunch and a lively discussion.

Councilman Michael Jones Richmond City Council 9th District was on campus today pursuing opportunities with VCU Division of Community Engagement and Mary and Frances Youth Center Lobs and Lessons to bring tennis to the Southside.

Dr. Montse Fuentes, Dean of VCU College of Humanities and Sciences met with Delegate Jeff Bourne, Delegate Riley Ingram and other members of our General Assembly yesterday to discuss funding for a modern STEM labs building.

Congratulations to our own Ashley Myers Hood, Senior Director for State Government Relations, on her recent completion of the Virginia Executive Institute offered by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs. Pictured here delivering her leadership challenge presentation on the opioid crisis in Virginia.

VCU's Dr. Gerry Moeller, Dr. Mishka Terplan, and Dr. Bill Dewey had a great day on Capitol Hill last week talking with Virginia's congressional delegation about VCU's leading work on addiction research and treatment. Thanks for your support, Senator Mark Warner, Senator Tim Kaine, Congressman Donald McEachin, Congressman Dave Brat, Congressman Scott Taylor, and Congressman Morgan Griffith!

VCU congratulates students Tonecia Brothers-Sutton, Rima Chavda and Salinna Lor for their selection as 2018 Governor's Fellows. They will spend their summer cultivating and sharpening their leadership skills by taking on a variety of tasks and projects within various offices of Governor Northam's administration. The Fellows also learn from special guest speakers and take field trips across the Commonwealth. Well done Rams!

Dr. Daniel Carey, Virginia's Secretary of Health and Human Resources, congratulated Project Connect outreach workers today during the Virginia Health Care Foundation celebration marking 100,000 children served by FAMIS. From the podium Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam shared the story of one of his patients who was helped by the FAMIS program. Thank you to everyone who joined us today at VCU Health to celebrate this milestone.

Thank you Governor of Virginia and Secretary Carey for joining us today to celebrate our $21M Clinical and Translational Science Award from National Institutes of Health (NIH). Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to expanding research and improving access to cutting edge treatments for diseases.