Ballard honored with 2012 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy

Stephen B. Ballard, president and chief executive officer of S.B. Ballard Construction Company in Hampton Roads, has earned the Virginia Community College System 2012 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy. Ballard was nominated for the award by Tidewater Community College. The award was given at a luncheon ceremony at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

A Norfolk native, Ballard has built one of the most respected construction firms in the Commonwealth where he has achieved a reputation for completing large, complex projects on time and within budget. Ballard currently serves on the Tidewater Community College Educational Foundation Board and made a sizeable contribution to The Campaign for TCC, which concluded December 31, 2011. Ballard’s contribution to the campaign helped TCC exceed its $10 million goal by 20 percent with nearly $12 million raised.

The Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy luncheon is hosted by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) to honor the leading philanthropists from each of Virginia’s 23 community colleges as well as the statewide foundation. This marks the seventh year the awards have been given.

This year’s class of distinguished philanthropy leaders has contributed a combined total of more than $48 million dollars to Virginia’s Community Colleges.

“These philanthropic leaders are tremendous partners,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “These individuals, organizations and employers are difference-makers who play an essential role in helping our colleges fulfill their mission of addressing Virginia’s unmet needs in higher education and Workforce Solutions.”

The honored philanthropists will have a scholarship named after them that will be awarded next fall to a student attending their community college. The one-year scholarships are funded by Wells Fargo and Dominion.

The luncheon’s keynote speaker was Steve Gannon, executive vice president, deputy general counsel – legal for Capital One Financial Corporation. Gannon is a member of the Virginia State Board for Community Colleges and a director of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education.

“We owe our success to our 30,000 hard-working associates, and plenty of them, in turn, owe a good deal of their success to community colleges,” said Gannon in applauding the opportunities created by philanthropic donations made to community colleges. “We can’t spare any lost potential. In a global economy that rewards innovation and technical prowess, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.”