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2023 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 696
Commending April Pinch-Keeler.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 2023
Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2023

 

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler, President and Chief Executive Officer of MVLE, a nonprofit organization based in Northern Virginia that supports adults with disabilities and others facing barriers to employment, has admirably served her organization for 30 years; and

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler discovered her passion for serving individuals with disabilities in her youth and went on to complete a Master’s certificate program in Research Development and Independent Living in the pursuit of her goals and ambitions; and

WHEREAS, throughout her career, April Pinch-Keeler has advocated tirelessly to secure individuals with disabilities the opportunity to engage in meaningful work and to be supported as integral members of their communities; and

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer of MVLE in 2003, and under her tenure MVLE has become a non-profit industry leader and expanded operations to a social enterprise model; and

WHEREAS, through April Pinch-Keeler’s efforts, MVLE has partnered with more than 125 Washington, D.C., metropolitan area organizations and collaborated with local chambers of commerce to provide daily work opportunities and rehabilitation services to more than 450 adults with disabilities annually; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, April Pinch-Keeler forged a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Mentor-Protégé agreement with Northrop Grumman as part of the DOD’s Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP), further developing MVLE’s infrastructure and ability to manage federal contracts and making MVLE the first AbilityOne provider to participate in the MPP with a prime defense contractor; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the success of the MPP partnership forged by April Pinch-Keeler, the DOD presented MVLE and Northrop Grumman with its Nunn-Perry Award for Outstanding Performance in 2013; and

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler’s visionary leadership resulted in MVLE becoming part of The Fedcap Group in 2018, a global network of top-tier nonprofit agencies, “committed to creating opportunities and improving the lives of people with barriers to economic well-being”; and

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler has notably served as a board member, president, and legislative chairperson for the Virginia Association of Community Rehabilitation Programs and is currently a board member of the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council, volunteering countless hours to advocate in support of individuals with disabilities and their families; and

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler has received numerous honors over the years in recognition of her accomplishments in her field, including being named Business Person of the Year by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce in 2018 and receiving a Martha Glennan Disability Inclusion and Equality Award from Fairfax Area Disability Services that same year; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, former Speaker of the House and General Chairman of American Solutions, Newt Gingrich, honored April Pinch-Keeler as American Solutions’ Entrepreneur of the Year from Virginia; she was also recognized on a national level by what was then the National Association of Professional Women, receiving the Woman of the Year award in 2011; and

WHEREAS, April Pinch-Keeler continues to identify new ways to improve MVLE’s ability to serve its community, ensuring that the organization will remain a powerful force for good in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for many years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend April Pinch-Keeler, President and Chief Executive Officer of MVLE, on the occasion of her 30th anniversary with the organization; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to April Pinch-Keeler as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her contributions to the Commonwealth.