New members of Citizen Advisory Board named
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The Henrico Citizen has named the new members of its Citizen Advisory Board – 15 Henricoans who will serve one- or two-year volunteer terms to provide input, ideas and feedback about the Citizen’s coverage and operations.
The Citizen created the advisory board in 2021 as a way to deepen its connections within the county and ensure that open lines of communication exist between communities and groups from all corners of Henrico.
The new board will serve through March 2025 and includes six returning members and nine new members, who were selected from those who responded to a call for applications. The board includes three members from each of the county’s five magisterial districts.
The board will meet 10 times during the next 12 months to provide input to Citizen staff members, engage in discussion about possible topics of coverage and provide advice and ideas about operations. Board members also will serve as community liaisons, helping to connect their spheres of influence and hyperlocal communities with the Citizen. Their roles also may expand to in other ways yet to be determined.
Each board member brings a unique perspective and background to the board, which generally reflects the diverse composition of Henrico County.
Juanita Lewis is a longtime resident of Henrico County and graduate of the county’s public school system who works as traffic director at Radio One.
Earnest Singleton is a longtime resident of Henrico and a U.S. Army veteran.
Tyriq Taliferro is a senior scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific and a VCU graduate.
Virginia Fleischmann is a retired registered nurse and former member of the Medical Reserve Corps and former director at large for the Virginia Nurses Association.
Samantha Thompson, a returning board member, is a senior business advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank. She also has served as a member of the Henrico Division of Police’s Chief’s Advisory Board.
Sharita Walker is the owner/director of Let’s Be a Kid Family Daycare in Eastern Henrico and has served on the Henrico County Public Schools subcommittee.
Dilshad Charania, a returning board member, is co-founder and executive director of CapazIT, a nonprofit agency that supports the career growth and wellness of immigrant communities. She also serves as a representative for the Ismaili Muslim community of the Richmond region.
Vipin Gautam is a Commonwealth of Virginia employee and current or former member of committees of the India Association of Virginia, Chinmaya Mission and Hindi Sanskriti Parivar.
Autumn Zaborowski, a returning board member, is retired from Capital One and an occasional substitute teacher in Henrico County Public Schools. She also has served as a volunteer with the Henrico Foster Care and Adoption Network, her church and HCPS.
L. Frances Brown is retired and serves as a the board chair of the John Rolfe Family YMCA and as a member of the Henrico County Recreation and Parks Commission. She also is a member of the Henrico NAACP and volunteer at Highland Springs and Varina high schools.
Katy Lampman, a returning board member, is the executive director of the Tuckahoe Family YMCA and member of the Western Henrico Rotary, Re-Establish Richmond, Refugee Coalition and Thrive Church.
Nicholas Worley is a lieutenant/paramedic with the Henrico Division of Fire who holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from VCU.
Red Bankston, a returning board member, is a longtime resident of Highland Springs and community volunteer.
Sheena Brown is a Henrico County Public Schools employee, PTSO president at Fairfield Middle School and a member of the Henrico NAACP.
Jo Mueller, a returning board member, is native of Central Virginia who returned to the region and to Eastern Henrico County upon her retirement from an information technology company in Northern Virginia. She is a member of the League of Women Voters and has been active in her homeowners’ association.
