Leadership Charlottesville Recognizes Melissa Yuille with Scholarship for Successor
Leadership Charlottesville was established in 1982 by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce as an economic development initiative to build an active corps of engaged, dedicated civic leaders. More than 1,000 individuals have graduated from Leadership Charlottesville and these graduates are now challenging themselves by serving their employers and our community in active community-building efforts.
One of these efforts is part of the program itself as the team breaks into groups in the second part of the year and partners with local non-profits to create viable solutions for various community issues. This year, one of the groups partnered with Piedmont Housing Alliance to research best practices in community wealth building, identify current resources within Charlottesville and map resources into a database tagged by need.
The group, Piedmont Housing Alliance Team (PHAT) was led by former Piedmont Housing Alliance Director of Housing Counseling and Economic Empowerment, Melissa Yuille. During her time at Piedmont Housing, she began a Home Buyer Club and quickly became part of her new home, Charlottesville, as she joined Leadership Charlottesville and served as Vice Chair of the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) Board. Prior to joining the staff at Piedmont Housing, Melissa spent 18 years as the Director of Housing Counseling Services for Lynchburg Community Action Group. She held leadership positions with the Virginia Association of Housing Counselors and was a certified comprehensive housing counselor, financial fitness instructor, post-purchase counselor, foreclosure counselor, housing counseling manager, USDA 502 loan packager, and VHDA Homeownership Education trainer.
Melissa unfortunately passed away on January 21, 2019, leaving behind a loving family, a community of supporters and a lifetime of exceedingly passionate work. In her honor the Leadership Charlottesville Class of 2019 will raise funds to secure a scholarship for her successor at Piedmont Housing to attend Leadership Charlottesville 2020. The Leadership Charlottesville team decided to raise funds for this scholarship to honor the life and work of their friend and extend the benefits of the program, one Melissa cherished deeply, to her successor in the hopes that they will continue the work that Melissa so diligently began in our community.
The Class of 2019 has also raised funds for an additional Class of 2020 scholarship.