The Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg has awarded its 2026 Professional Leadership Award to Jessica Wirgau, Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV).
Club Award Chair Randy Young said, “The Professional Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have gone beyond the boundaries of conventional professional success by demonstrating exceptional leadership in the development and implementation of programs beneficial to the community.”
The award has been made annually since 2000 to individuals in diverse professions such as technology, education, medicine, finance and public safety.
Jessica Wirgau began her relationship with the CFNRV in 2005 as a volunteer Community Advisor and then a member of the Board of Directors. She became the Assistant Executive Director in 2009 and the Executive Director (now CEO) in 2011.
Wirgau completed her doctorate in Public Administration and Public Affairs from Virginia Tech in 2014. Prior to leading the CFNRV, Wirgau worked for the Town of Blacksburg on the restoration of the Alexander Black House, home of the Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation, and for Virginia Tech on the development of the Moss Arts Center, now the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
The CFNRV’s vision is a productive, healthy, and vibrant New River Valley. Its mission is to encourage charitable giving, nurture collaboration, and invest in lasting solutions that enhance the quality of life for all in the New River Valley.
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In addition to grants, the CFNRV works to strengthen local nonprofits through partnerships and education. Consider removing the redundant ‘2014’ from the second sentence, e.g.: ‘That first year, individual donors raised $40,000 for their favorite nonprofit causes.’
Wirgau was a key player in the partnership with the New River Valley Regional Commission (NRVRC) for the Livability Initiative, a multi-faceted program recognized nationally as a model for other communities. The Livability Initiative seeks to form partnerships across disciplines and across jurisdictions to maximize the efficacy of non-profits, municipal governments, businesses and community volunteers on topics such as housing, aging in place, food insecurity and childcare.
The result is the Healthy Roots NRV regional “network of networks” co-led by the CFNRV to address these challenges. Wirgau’s job focuses not just on growing the CFNRV and its assets, but on making sure those funds are having the greatest impact possible, by connecting people, organizations, and resources (both financial and human capital) to form a strong, connected network. Kevin Byrd, Executive Director of the NRVRC, said, “Jessica has a passion for philanthropy. She helps people see themselves in the work they do.”
Jessica Wirgau’s involvement in other organizations outside her job carries that same effort to make durable, meaningful connections within our community, exemplifying Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self. Both Hyer and Byrd remarked that “Jessica makes the magic happen with her small but mighty staff.”
On receiving the award, Wirgau said, “We get to work with extraordinary people in the community every day and my job is to give them resources.”
The Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg has exemplified the Rotary motto of Service Above Self in the community for over 100 years. Local leadership recognition, youth development programs, and community service projects as well as participation in Rotary International programs such as PolioPlus exemplify this motto. For more information or to join, find @ChristiansburgBlacksburgRotary on Facebook.
Terri Fisher
Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg
