Susan Horne
President and CEO
E-mail: shorne@leadva.org

Susan Horne has served as president and CEO of LEAD VIRGINIA since March 2007. Prior to heading LEAD VIRGINIA, she served as president and CEO of Leadership Fairfax, Inc., the largest community leadership organization in the Northern Virginia region. During her 15-year tenure with LFI, Susan played an integral role in the inception of LEAD VIRGINIA by serving on its steering committee and board of directors. She is a 2006 graduate of LEAD VIRGINIA and was selected by her class colleagues to serve as class graduation speaker.

Susan was elected to public office in 2004 to the Leesburg, Virginia Town Council and in 2006 was elected vice mayor of the Town of Leesburg. During her four years in elected office, she co-founded the annual community Keep Leesburg Beautiful campaign and was a driving force in the creation of citizen task forces to successfully collaborate on community initiatives of neighborhood improvements, parks and trail networks and economic development. While on the council, she served as a voting delegate to the Virginia Municipal League representing Leesburg. She also served as council liaison to the Airport Commission and to the Leesburg and Loudoun County Economic Development Commissions.

As LEAD VIRGINIA’s president and CEO, Susan works closely with the board of directors to guide the organization’s strategic direction, and ensure its financial stability and the successful delivery of the annual class program and alumni activities. She works to build and maintain relationships with corporate and community partners across Virginia and is responsible for recruiting a class representing a widely diverse group of Virginia’s leaders each year. Susan and her staff collaborate closely with regional planning teams to execute a strong class program, annual alumni conference and launch of a new program, Conversations with Leaders. 
Susan holds a master’s degree in public administration and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is a 1999 fellow of the Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership from the University of Virginia. She is the former CEO of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce where during her tenure she established a major business-to-business expo and an array of business networking events, and served on the Loudoun School Business Partnership Executive Council to broaden business involvement in the local schools.

Susan is a member of the Virginia Leadership Association and serves on the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Richmond Regional Board. She is a member of a national consortium of state leadership program directors and will serve as host to the 2012 state directors’ conference in Williamsburg.  She was honored in 2007 by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce with its Blue Diamond Award recognizing Excellence in Corporate Citizenship, is an honorary member of Leadership Fairfax and has been recognized by Fairfax County for her work with Leadership Fairfax. In 2011 Susan was named by Virginia Business magazine among the 25 best connected people in the state and is frequently called upon to serve as a speaker and presenter on community leadership.

Susan and her husband, Bob, are parents of two daughters and reside in Richmond. They co-chair the Shepherding Team of the Newcomer’s Ministry at their church and serve as volunteers with the Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast.

Amanda Keller
Director of Administration and Communications
E-mail: akeller@leadva.org

As Director of Administration and Communications, Amanda Keller manages daily operational duties which include accounts receivable/payable, deposits and registrations for all events. Under communications, her responsibilities include producing the monthly e-newsletters, the bi-annual printed newsletters, the annual directory, maintaining the website, sending out press releases and all social media accounts. In 2011, LEAD VIRGINIA started the “Spotlight on Alumni” section which features monthly profiles on two alumni from different regions and class years.  The profiles are included in the e-newsletters along with the website.   

Previously with LEAD VIRGINIA, Amanda was the Director of Programs and Operations from July 2007-September 2010. In this role, Amanda worked closely with the regional planning teams to coordinate and execute the seven monthly program sessions across the Commonwealth, and with the alumni committee to plan annual alumni conferences.

Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in political science from Virginia Wesleyan College, where she was a member of the Society of Collegiate Journalists, the Rho Lambda honor society and the Order of Omega honor society. Amanda was also a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, where she held positions of vice president of alumnae and heritage and fundraising chair, among others, and was also the secretary/treasurer for the Panhellenic Council for Virginia Wesleyan College. In 2007, she was elected into the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Amanda and her husband, Doug, reside in Richmond with their daughter, Hayden, and labs, Portis and Dutch.

 

Margaret Taylor
Director of Programs and Alumni Relations
E-mail: mtaylor@leadva.org

Margaret Taylor joined the LEAD VIRGINIA team in September 2010 as Director of Programs & Alumni Relations. As Director of Programs, Margaret works closely with the regional planning teams to coordinate and execute the seven monthly program sessions across the Commonwealth. In her time with LEAD VIRGINIA, Margaret has helped to provide added structure to the alumni committee, which has resulted in a significant increase in regional alumni events. She works hand-in-hand with the alumni committee to plan annual alumni conferences, regional social gatherings, and statewide educational seminars. In December 2011, LEAD VIRGINIA launched a new Conversations with Leaders program, which is a series of events designed for alumni and invited guests to stimulate intellectual inquiry, stay informed on timely topics, and continue to build social capital among our alumni network.

Prior to LEAD VIRGINIA, Margaret worked in Richmond at Weinstein Properties, handling a variety of marketing and advertising projects, from graphic design of promotional materials to planning & executing grand openings and open houses for properties in VA and NC. She also worked with Boisseau Partners, an advertising agency in Richmond, publicizing events, assisting with client services, and working with production managers to create advertisements. Immediately after college, Margaret worked with FN Holdings, the parent company of Dominic’s of New York, coordinating corporate and promotional events.

Margaret is a Randolph-Macon College alumnus, with a BA in English. She spent her college career as a student assistant in the alumni office, helping to coordinate a variety of alumni events, including Homecoming gatherings and various regional alumni events. She also studied abroad for a semester at Wroxton College, England, and completed a semester-long internship in Orlando, FL with the Walt Disney World College Program.

Margaret resides in Richmond with her husband, Jon, and son, Dillon.