GRAVA Board
GRAVA Board 2025-2026
President: Carol Ayars, CVA (she/her) | email Carol
Carol has been a part of GRAVA since Spring ’19 and, prior to her role as President, served as GRAVA's professional development chair for three years. She has been in the field for over 25 years and contributes her real understanding of what volunteers want because she is a volunteer at heart. Carol is the AmeriCorps Seniors Programs Manager with Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging. Her favorite part of her work is helping older adults find purpose and meaning in the second half of life by giving back and helping children in their community. Carol is passionate about helping people who have fallen through the cracks, especially human trafficking survivors, youth, and those without a voice. Carol also serves on the board of the DC-VA AmeriCorps Seniors Director’s Association, the AmeriCorps Seniors Professional Network (ASPN), Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE), and in an ex-officio role on the Governor’s Advisory Board for Volunteerism and Service. Outside of work, she and her husband enjoy being empty nesters with their cat, Bella, but miss having their three granddaughters nearby. She likes playing board games with friends, doing cross-stitch and diamond art, watching old TV shows, and camping and hiking when the weather is nice.
Mary has been an active member of GRAVA since 2022 and currently serves as the organization’s Secretary. She earned her master’s degree in nonprofit studies from the University of Richmond, where she focused on qualitative research in grassroots leadership. In her professional role as Community Engagement Manager at St. Joseph’s Villa, Mary works to build and strengthen community relationships. She is also a member of The River City Ladies League, where she advocates for inclusivity and growth in the sport of disc golf. Outside of her professional and volunteer commitments, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and hitting the local disc golf courses.
Membership Chair: Leslie Beck-Long (she/her) | email Leslie
Leslie has been a proud long-time GRAVA member with over three decades of service at the YMCA of Greater Richmond. Throughout her 32-year career, she has served preschoolers, teenagers, and active older persons in a number of capacities. She spent many years welcoming volunteers at the Tuckahoe Family YMCA and is now the Association Director of Volunteers, where she works on developing relationships and assisting volunteers in engaging in meaningful work that they enjoy. Outside of work, Leslie enjoys reading and spending time with her family, particularly her 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Secretary: Charlie Burgess (they/them) | email Charlie
Charlie is a community engagement professional committed to preserving client dignity. They strive to build genuine, reciprocal relationships with volunteers and community partners, eventually helping people see how their involvement can meaningfully support the mission. They're especially passionate about partnering with existing community organizations to help make sure people receive holistic care. Charlie also enjoys geocaching with their partner and pitbull and listening to audiobooks.
Debbie has been an active member of GRAVA since 2021 and previously served as the Visiting Volunteer Coordinator for Family Lifeline from October 2020 to January 2025. As the conference chair, she collaborates with the GRAVA Board to design the programming flow and logistics of the annual conference, ensuring that every detail is assigned and properly executed before, during, and after the event. She works closely with the Membership and Public Relations Chairs to effectively publicize and promote the conference. Additionally, Debbie is the editor for the monthly GRAVA Newsletter.
Professional Development Chair: Naomi Chetelat(she/her) | email Naomi
Naomi has been a member of GRAVA since spring 2022. She is currently working as the Volunteer Engagement Manager at Health Brigade, formerly Fan Free Clinic. Previously she worked as the Volunteer Engagement Manager at Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity and prior to that as an advocacy intern for Richmond Habitat while completing her degree in Social Justice at Belmont University. Her favorite part of working with youth and volunteers is having a broad view of her organization and being involved in many aspects of its operations. When she is not working, Naomi is spending time with her dog, working on her house, and hanging out with friends around Richmond.
Conference Chair: Debbie Ward (she/her) | email Debbie
As the Treasurer, Kim is responsible for developing, tracking, and monitoring the GRAVA budget and financial resources. Kim works as the Director for Volunteer Programs, Student Career Experiences, and Community Service at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She has been a member of GRAVA for several years, most recently serving as Conference Chair.
