20 Honored As Lord and Lady Fairfax Honorees For Community Work

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Lord and Lady Fairfax has a different meaning in present-day Fairfax. Since 1984, outstanding citizens have been recognized by Fairfax supervisors with the Lord and Lady Fairfax honors. The 2021 awards were presented Tuesday to 20 people.

Each year, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors members each choose two people from their districts who have shown excellent volunteer service, heroism, or other special accomplishments. This includes two honorees from the at-large chairman.

Tuesday's ceremony featured remarks from Kidd O'Shea of Good Morning Washington and ABC7 News; Andrew Painter, a past chair of the Celebrate Fairfax board; and Ashley Morris, president and CEO of Celebrate Fairfax.

The 2021 Lord and Lady Fairfax honorees are:

Selected by Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay:

Ms. Pamela Montesinos: Pamela Montesinos, and her team at Western Fairfax ChristianMinistries are credited with providing hope to people at risk for hunger and homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. She leads the nonprofit's Client Operations and Programs.

Mr. Andres Jimenez: Andres Jimenez has served as the chairman's appointee to the Planning Commission, working many hours to vet land use policies to evaluate the need of the community. He also started to serve on the Chairman’s Task Force for Equity and Opportunity in the past year.

Selected by Braddock Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw:

Ms. Leeann Alberts: Leeann Alberts is the Braddock District Representative for the Fairfax County Health Care Advisory Board, and past chair of the Fairfax Area Disability Services Board. She is now on the board of the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia and Kings Park Civic Association Board.

Mr. Robert Cosgriff: Robert Cosgriff is the Braddock District representative and vice chair of the Trails, Sidewalks and Bikeways Committee and serves in the Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps. He was previously part of the Laurel Hill Task Force, Laurel Hill Citizens Project Advisory Committee, Braddock District Council, Hickory Farms Community Association, board president for Residential youth Services.

Selected by Dranesville Supervisor John W. Foust:

Ms. Janie Strauss: Janie Strauss served on the Fairfax County School Board for 26 years, including multiple terms as chair, vice-chair, and budget chair. Full-day kindergarten, advanced programs in all schools and arts in the core curriculum became more common during her terms. She has been board chair of The Country Day School in McLean, past president of the Fairfax County Council of PTAs and helped found the McLean Teen Center. She now is director of Cappies, a program for high school theater and journalism students.

Mr. William Canis: William Canis has been president of the Great Falls Citizens Association since 2016 and previously as vice president and environment and parks committee chair. He worked with colleagues and officials to elevate the voices of residents in county land use and school decisions, as well as work to preserve and expand the tree canopy, improve deer management, seek safer roads, preserve historic places and more. He has also been a scout leader for Great Falls youth for a decade.

Selected by Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter L. Alcorn:

Ms. Brenda Irons-LeCesne: Brenda Irons-LeCesne has been a Reston resident since 1977 and has served community and service organizations focused on engaging the African American community. She and the organizations she has been involved with have received numerous awards.

Mr. Alvarez LeCesne, Jr.: Alvarez LeCesne, Jr., a Reston resident since 1977, is married to Brenda Irons-LeCesne and has been active with nonprofit organizations. His focus has been on activities emphasizing diversity, children, education, and health, and he has received awards. Both he and Brenda support each other's work and value family, friends and community.

Selected by Lee Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk

Ms. Renee Grebe: Renee Grebe is a 20-year Lee District resident who works on conservation projects in her HOA, leads volunteers to remove invasive plants and advocates for environment-friendly practices at Board of Supervisors public hearings.

Mr. Keith Foxx: Keith Fox is a longtime mentor for youth in the Lee District, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County transportation projects and Fairfax County libraries. He has mentored youth for nearly two decades through FairfaxFamilies4Kids, served on the PTSA at Lewis High School, and volunteers at Key Middle School and the high school. He has also been a civil engineer for the County's Transportation Design Branch and is a Library Board of Trustees member representing the Lee District.

Selected by Mason Supervisor Penelope A. Gross

Dr. Nancy Joyner: Nancy Joyner started the Team Joyner Foundation after the sudden death of her son, Clayton (Coach CJ) Joyner. She made the Coach CJ’s Victory Lane Aquatic Club into a nonprofit to train youth in competitive swimming. She is a certified referee and stroke and turn judge for the Northern Virginia Swim League, a founder of the NOVA United Senior Women’s Basketball Association, and Magister of the Court of Camelot.

Mr. William Lecos: William Lecos, a Mason District resident since 1962, served as director of the Sleepy Hollow Recreation Association and the Lake Barcroft Association. He started the Community Night Out event in Lake Barcroft to honor first responders and the installation of a community playground in Lake Barcroft. Lecos is the Mason District appointee to the Visit Fairfax board and has served on the Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners Comprehensive Plan Task Force and the Site Specific Plan Amendment Task Force in Mason District.

Selected by Mount Vernon Supervisor Daniel G. Storck:

Ms. Lisa Sales: Lisa Sales has worked for the Executive Office of the President, two New York governors, a California congressman, and multiple state and local officials. Now she works in women’s equity, domestic and sexual violence prevention and victim support, and racial equality. As a member of the Commission on Women, she helped the organization's by-laws to be the first in the county to include an equity statement. She was also an advocate for the Virginia General Assembly ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment last year and works to get Congress to completely ratify the amendment. Sales was also one of "Three Musketeers" who worked to get a domestic violence shelter in the South County area in 2019.

Reverend Dr. Keary Kincannon: Reverend Dr. Keary Kincannon founded Rising Hope Mission Church in 1996 to support the community in need along Richmond Highway. Rising Hope provides 125,000 direct services to 6,000 individuals, hosts a food pantry serving 1,000 families, operates a kitchen serving 16,000 meals, and running a hypothermia shelter serving 126. He is also a founding pastor of V.O.I.C.E. (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) a citizens'organization focused on social justice for low and middle-income residents. Kincannon is retiring after 26 years.

Selected by Providence Supervisor Dalia A. Palchik:

Ms. Mercedes Dash: Mercedes Dash was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. as a refugee, and her family later relocated to Virginia. Dash has run a multicultural early childhood education program since 1990 and is the Providence representative on the CCAC board. She also bakes for foster and homeless shelter kids through Cake4Kids and is the 2021 recipient of the Heart of Service Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr. Ken McMillon: A member of Fairfax County’s Community Action Advisory Board since 2013, Ken McMillon has advocated for affordable housing in Fairfax. He was given the Virginia Peters Memorial Fair Housing Award in 2018 and was appointed to the Preservation of Affordable Housing Task Force in 2020.

Selected by Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity

Ms. Christy Hudson: Christy Hudson is an advocate for FCPS students, a mother of three, and a longtime Springfield resident. As a founding member and communications director of the Fairfax County Parents Association, she has advocated on behalf of parents and students and worked to make the school system more accessible to all.

Mr. Evan Draim: Evan Draim, an incoming Commissioned Officer in the Navy JAG Corps, has worked to improve lives of people with disabilities in the autism spectrum and served wounded warriors through his work with Service Source as an employment development specialist and legal and policy specialist.

Selected by Sully Supervisor Kathy L. Smith

Ms. Debbie Kilpatrick: Debbie Kilpatrick has focused on education advocacy and community engagement through county organizations, PTA, and Fairfax County BACs. She is the Sully District Representative to the Barbara Varon Volunteer Award Selection Committee and the Community Action Advisory Board.

Mr. Carlos Carrero: Carlos Carrero is known as "Mayor of the Meadows" for serving the Meadows of Chantilly community as a friend, neighbor and advocate. He is also known as "Coach Carlos" to the youth he has coached in various local sports. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carrero worked with county agencies and community groups on distributing food and toiletries to his community. He serves on Fairfax County’s Manufactured Housing Task Force.