New WHNA officers will be elected at the September 6 association meeting, set for 7 p.m. at Café Zata. A proposed slate of officers will be presented and further nominations may be made from the floor. The proposed officer slate is:

President: Sarah Mansell. A resident of Westover Hills for over five years, Sarah has been WHNA’s vice president for the past year. She has also served on WHNA’s Welcome Committee and as district representative. While chair of the Welcome Committee, she spearheaded creation of the new WHNA gear now included in welcome bags and helped redesign the membership flyer.

Vice President: Matthew Roy. A mechanical engineer, Matthew lived in Richmond during primary school. Now that he’s back in town, he has lived in Westover Hills since 2014 and is a regular at WHNA meetings. He enjoys being able to “bike to Forest Hill Park, walk to Zata, and have beer with my neighbors.”  He says he likes “winter back-packing, skiing at Snowshoe, and cooking in well-seasoned cast iron.” He serves on the board of the Richmond Astronomical Society.

Treasurer: Melissa Butler. Melissa has been the association’s treasurer for the past seven years, and WHNA is glad she’s willing to provide continuity in this important post.

Secretary: Ashley Hall. Ashley and her husband Lincoln Saunders moved into the neighborhood in September 2015, and have also been regular attendees as WHNA meetings. Ashley works at the Capital Region Collaborative and is super enthusiastic about not just making Westover Hills a better place, but the city as a whole. They have a dog, Maribel, which they love to walk around the neighborhood.

Newly elected office will begin their new positions immediately. WHNA is transitioning from a fiscal year to a calendar year schedule.  These officers will serve from September 2016 through the end of 2017, and officers thereafter will serve one-year terms from January through December.

WHNA extends special thanks the outgoing officers who have worked so hard–and thanklessly–for Westover Hills:

• Bryce Lyle, who has done an outstanding job as president for the last year, and before that for two years as vice president
• Jenny Ballard, who has maintained the association’s meeting minutes as secretary for four years

Hats off to both Bryce and Jenny. Dedicated volunteers like them are among the reasons why this is a great neighborhood!