Bill Text: VA HR129 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Jana D. Carter.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-02 - Bill text as passed House (HR129ER) [HR129 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HR129-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Jana D. Carter retired from Chesterfield County on January 1, 2020, after a distinguished 34-year career; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter joined Chesterfield County in 1985 as the director of Housing Programs, where she improved the quality of life for citizens by establishing the county's first housing assistance initiatives; and
WHEREAS, as the administrator of Youth Planning and Development from 1996 to 2005 and the director of Juvenile Services from 2005 to 2017, Jana Carter provided leadership, strategic direction, and financial oversight for six juvenile services departments; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter facilitated the transformation of the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Task Force into Substance Abuse Free Environment, Inc., (SAFE) the award-winning county, school, and community nonprofit coalition focused on preventing substance abuse, and she served as a founding member of the SAFE Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter led many successful collaborations that improved access to information and resources, including the development and launch of a Community Care mobile application, the School Readiness Coalition's redesign and promotion of the Positive Parenting website, a process for conducting biennial community youth surveys, and transformation of the county's youth group home residential program into a day reporting center, resulting in improved services for juvenile offenders and their parents; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter provided leadership and direction to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors-appointed Youth Citizen Board and raised visibility and community support for youth-focused issues and events, such as town hall meetings, Model County Government Day, and Outstanding Youth awards; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter co-authored six successful America's Promise Award submissions, resulting in Chesterfield County being the only locality in Virginia named as "One of the 100 Best Communities in America for Young People" for each of the six years of the competition; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, Jana Carter was appointed director of the newly created Department of Citizen Information and Resources; she provided exemplary leadership, financial oversight, planning, and coordination for the department, which supports aging and disability services, youth services, mobility services, and community engagement; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure with the Department of Citizen Information and Resources, Jana Carter facilitated the organizational changes necessary to establish a new county department that merged staff and programs from a variety of county departments, supported the establishment and subsequent expansion of the Davis Child Advocacy Center, supported the development and launch of Access On Demand, and supported the development and implementation of My Chesterfield Academy, which is the first of its kind in Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter received SAFE's Sharyl W. Adams Award in 2019 for her exemplary contributions to community engagement related to the prevention of substance abuse; and
WHEREAS, Jana Carter was an invaluable mentor to fellow local government employees, patiently guiding them through county processes, lending an objective ear and assisting with problem-solving, and serving as a model for professionalism and integrity; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Jana D. Carter hereby be commended on the occasion of her retirement from Chesterfield County government; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jana D. Carter as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her contributions to the Chesterfield County community.
