Jeannie Baliles
Encyclopedia
Jeannie P. Baliles founded the Virginia Literacy Foundation
, which was incorporated in 1987. Former wife of Gerald L. Baliles
, the 65th Governor of Virginia
, she served as First Lady of Virginia from 1986 to 1990.
(1962), and taught history until the birth of her first child. Ms. Baliles went on to earn a M.A.T. in history from Wesleyan University
. She was inducted into the Delta Kappa Gamma honor society (education). Baliles is the founder and chairman of the Virginia Literary Foundation and served as the Chairman of the Virginia Opera
. She has served as a trustee on the Virginia Environmental Endowment, the Community Foundation of Central Virginia, and the Jenkins Foundation. She has also served on the board of Wolf Trap
, the Nature Conservancy, the Jamestown-Yorktown Trust, YMCA
, the Historic Richmond Foundation
, and on the Board of Trustee's of Virginia Union University
and the Richmond Ballet. In 2008, Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder appointed her to a charter-study commission to review the City Charter. Ms. Baliles, who was divorced from Governor Baliles in 1996, has two children from the marriage, Laura and Jonathan.
and has served as its chair ever since. Under her leadership, the VLF donates $200,000 per year in matching grants ($4 million so far) to grass roots literacy organizations that taught literacy skills to adults who read at or below basic literacy levels. Ms. Baliles was also instrumental in creating a public-private partnership that would oversee and prevent overlapping services among all community-based literacy organizations throughout the state. During her tenure as the nation's First Lady, Barbara Bush
had publicized the plight of the millions of adults in America with low literacy skills, and had influenced the formation of many new grass roots adult literacy programs in the nation, and influential people like Jeannie Baliles. On page 330 of her 1995 Memoir, Mrs. Bush wrote about Ms. Baliles, "She is a ball of fire and has done a real job in her state and has shown real leadership in the field." The Foundation also partnered with the State Department of Education in the Virginia Literacy Initiative to encourage the spread of family and workplace literacy programs in the commonwealth. During the 1980s, this model was unprecedented in the nation. Each year the Jeannie P. Baliles Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of students, volunteers and program staff of Virginia's literacy organizations. In 1989, the Virginia Press Women voted Jeannie P. Baliles the Newsmaker of the Year as first lady of Virginia and leader in literacy programs.
Virginia Literacy Foundation
The Virginia Literacy Foundation , was founded by Jeannie Baliles, Virginia's First Lady from 1986–1990, and founding director Mark Emblidge. It was incorporated as a 501 organization in 1987...
, which was incorporated in 1987. Former wife of Gerald L. Baliles
Gerald L. Baliles
Gerald L. Baliles was the 65th Governor of Virginia and is the director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia...
, the 65th Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
, she served as First Lady of Virginia from 1986 to 1990.
Personal life
Jeannie McPherson Patterson Baliles was born in North Carolina and raised near Baltimore. She took her undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Washington CollegeWashington College
Washington College is a private, independent liberal arts college located on a campus in Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782...
(1962), and taught history until the birth of her first child. Ms. Baliles went on to earn a M.A.T. in history from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
. She was inducted into the Delta Kappa Gamma honor society (education). Baliles is the founder and chairman of the Virginia Literary Foundation and served as the Chairman of the Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera is an opera company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Organized in 1974 by a group of Norfolk, Virginia community volunteers, Virginia Opera presented its first productions in 1975 and in the intervening four decades has become known and respected nationwide for the...
. She has served as a trustee on the Virginia Environmental Endowment, the Community Foundation of Central Virginia, and the Jenkins Foundation. She has also served on the board of Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap may refer to:* Wolf Trap, Virginia* Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Wolf Trap, VA* Wolftrap anglerfish , a family of anglerfish* A microbiology experiment of Wolf Vishniac...
, the Nature Conservancy, the Jamestown-Yorktown Trust, YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, the Historic Richmond Foundation
Historic Richmond Foundation
Historic Richmond Foundation was founded in 1956 by Mary Wingfield Scott in order to save the Church Hill area surrounding St. John's Church. It is an organization "dedicated to salvaging properties of historic or architectural value."-Preservation:...
, and on the Board of Trustee's of Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
and the Richmond Ballet. In 2008, Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder appointed her to a charter-study commission to review the City Charter. Ms. Baliles, who was divorced from Governor Baliles in 1996, has two children from the marriage, Laura and Jonathan.
Founder of the Virginia Literacy Foundation
When Jeannie Baliles became First Lady of Virginia in 1986, she immediately named fighting adult illiteracy as a major societal issue that needed to be addressed. In 1987, she oversaw the founding of the Virginia Literacy Foundation (VLF) with founding director Mark EmblidgeMark Emblidge
Mark E. Emblidge has worked on policy issues on behalf of literacy in the U.S. for at-risk populations from childhood through adulthood.-Early Life and Schooling:...
and has served as its chair ever since. Under her leadership, the VLF donates $200,000 per year in matching grants ($4 million so far) to grass roots literacy organizations that taught literacy skills to adults who read at or below basic literacy levels. Ms. Baliles was also instrumental in creating a public-private partnership that would oversee and prevent overlapping services among all community-based literacy organizations throughout the state. During her tenure as the nation's First Lady, Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
had publicized the plight of the millions of adults in America with low literacy skills, and had influenced the formation of many new grass roots adult literacy programs in the nation, and influential people like Jeannie Baliles. On page 330 of her 1995 Memoir, Mrs. Bush wrote about Ms. Baliles, "She is a ball of fire and has done a real job in her state and has shown real leadership in the field." The Foundation also partnered with the State Department of Education in the Virginia Literacy Initiative to encourage the spread of family and workplace literacy programs in the commonwealth. During the 1980s, this model was unprecedented in the nation. Each year the Jeannie P. Baliles Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of students, volunteers and program staff of Virginia's literacy organizations. In 1989, the Virginia Press Women voted Jeannie P. Baliles the Newsmaker of the Year as first lady of Virginia and leader in literacy programs.