WHEREAS, Nancy M. Welch, M.D., an esteemed public health professional who is certified in pediatrics and general preventative medicine and currently serves as director of the Chesapeake Health Department, was selected as the 2023 Chesapeake First Citizen by the Chesapeake Rotary Club and the Chesapeake Rotary Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Welch is a graduate of Lynchburg College, Duke University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Colorado; she served the nation as a member of the United States Army Reserve, from which she retired with the rank of colonel; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Welch has served as a public health director in the Commonwealth since 1976, first for the Alleghany Health District and then for the City of Chesapeake; and

WHEREAS, as director of the Chesapeake Health Department, a health district under the Department of Health, Nancy Welch oversees local efforts to implement public health policy on behalf of the Commonwealth; she has greatly served citizens by utilizing data analysis to motivate individuals and communities to pursue healthier lives; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Welch has served on various boards and committees over the years to develop programs that enhance health outcomes and quality of life for members of her community; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, Nancy Welch spearheaded the organization Healthy Chesapeake, a consortium of local departments and organizations that have bound together with the goal of serving the community's most vulnerable populations and making Chesapeake the healthiest city in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Welch has long been a vital member of the Emergency Operations Center in Chesapeake and has played a leading role in her community's response to various natural and man-made disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, as a testament to her unwavering efforts to serve others, Nancy Welch has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Lynchburg College Distinguished Alumni Award, the 2012 Hampton Roads YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Medicine, and the 2013 Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Marian P. Whitehurst Women in Leadership Award; she was also conferred an honorary doctorate degree from Lynchburg College in 2014; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Nancy M. Welch, M.D., hereby be commended on the occasion of her selection as the 2023 Chesapeake First Citizen; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Nancy M. Welch, M.D., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her contributions to the Chesapeake community.