Three new members have been named to The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors, while the terms of service for another board member has ended.
The three-year appointments of Ray Lipes, Nancy Moga and Rachael Thompson were announced at the Thursday, July 21, annual meeting of The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors. Lisa Schoppmeyer is leaving the board following the conclusion of her third, three-year term.
“I am delighted to have Ray Lipes, Nancy Moga and Rachael Thompson join The Alleghany Foundation Board,” said board president Dr. Susan W. Rollinson. “Each of them brings a wealth of experience and insights that will help guide the board in its future decisions.”
Lipes is a senior manager who retired from Lumos after more than 46 years of service. He began his professional career with the Clifton Forge-Waynesboro Telephone Company in 1973 as a lineman and held various management positions with the company in sales, marketing, customer service, community relations, engineering and construction.
He was married to the late Debbie Reynolds Lipes, the former CEO of Bath Community Hospital, and has two sons, Sam and David Lipes, and two grandchildren, Catie and Rylan Lipes.
He is a past president of the former Covington Lions Club and past president of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. Lipes is a former member of the Covington-Hot Springs Rotary Club and a current member of the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Lipes is a graduate of Covington High School and received his associate’s degree in business management from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. A native of Covington, he currently resides in the Falling Spring area of Alleghany County.
“I look forward to serving on The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors,” he said. “As a lifelong resident of the Alleghany Highlands with most of my family still living here, I have a vested interest in continuing my work to support this community’s well-being. The foundation is an important resource actively supporting the efforts of other community organizations to improve the quality of life, strengthen education and boost economic development in the Alleghany Highlands.”
Moga is an educator who retired in 2019 as the principal at Callaghan Elementary School. Her 33 years in administrative experience also included serving as principal at Boiling Spring Elementary School. Additionally, she served as assistant principal at Clifton Forge Elementary and Central Elementary Schools.
She said her lifelong goal was “to improve the quality of education and life in our community and state.”
Moga came to the Alleghany Highlands in 1984 and served as a teacher at Boiling Spring Elementary School. She received the Virginia Tech Alumni Distinguished Service Award in May of 2017 and was recognized by the Virginia Senate with Senate Joint Resolution No. 140, offered Jan. 17, 2002. She was named Virginia’s National Distinguished Principal for 2001-2002 and was principal of the first fully accredited school based on SOL results in the Alleghany Highlands in 2000.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and her master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia. She received her certificate of advanced graduate studies in educational administration from Virginia Tech.
Moga is a past president, vice president and 36-year member of the Covington Woman’s Club. She is also a past president of the Virginia 4-H All Stars and a past member of the Virginia Tech School of Education Advisory Board. She is a board member and past president of the Virginia 4-H Foundation Board of Directors. She is a founding member and past president of the Alleghany Highlands Virginia Tech Alumni Association and past president of the Virginia International 4-H Youth Association.
Moga and her husband of 45 years, Nick, reside in Alleghany County.
“I look forward to working with the board to help make our community a strong and healthy place to live, work and play,” she said.
Thompson is an instructor at Mountain Gateway Community College where she teaches courses in management, marketing, business law, business management, organizational behavior and accounting. In 2019 and 2020, she served as an adjunct instructor at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College.
From 2014 to 2020, she served as executive director of the DSLCC Educational Foundation and director of institutional advancement. Thompson has served on the Chancellor’s Faculty Advisory Committee as one of 23 representatives throughout the Virginia Community College System and successfully led DSLCC through its first major gifts campaign in nearly 20 years, surpassing the $3.5 million goal and achieving $4.1 million in gifts.
Thompson previously served as director of national sales at The Greenbrier and director of regional accounts at The Homestead. She received her bachelor of arts degree in political science with minors in law and the liberal arts and music from the University of Richmond and her master’s degree in business administration from James Madison University. She has completed additional graduate coursework from Southern New Hampshire University and Liberty University.
Thompson has served as president of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and a former board member of the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation. She is a catechist in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church children’s catechism program.
Thompson, her husband, Bryan, and their three children, Penelope, Price and Pearce, reside in Covington.
“The Alleghany Foundation has provided tremendous support to advance our area, and I am honored to be a part of this continued progress,” she said. “I look forward to serving with the board members and staff as we collaborate with other community partners to further develop the Alleghany Highlands.”
Schoppmeyer, the owner of Schoppmeyer Financial Services in downtown Covington for over 30 years, served on various committees during her tenure on The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors.
“We will miss Lisa as she ends her term on the board,” said Dr. Rollinson. “Her service on the Audit and Nominating committees and as chair of the Economic Transformation Committee were vital to the operation of the foundation and several economic development projects. We thank her for the many hours she gave to the foundation and wish her the best as she continues to participate in the civic life of the Alleghany Highlands in other ways.”
In addition to her duties with The Alleghany Foundation, Schoppmeyer serves as a board member for Highlands Community Bank, LewisGale Hospital Alleghany and the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Committee.
She is a past president of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, served as treasurer for the Alleghany Highlands YMCA Board of Directors and is a former treasurer for Olde Town Covington. She also served as the 2014 Alleghany Highlands Christmas Mother.
A native of Covington and resident of Alleghany County, Schoppmeyer is a graduate of Covington High School and Virginia Tech. She and her late husband, Larry, have two children, a daughter, Erin, and her husband, Tommy, and a son, Eric. She has two grandchildren, “the loves of my life” Makayla and Brooks Gilbert.
“Serving on The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors for the past nine years has been a truly rewarding experience,” she said. “During my tenure, the foundation has provided grants to many nonprofits in the Alleghany Highlands. These grants have helped to improve many areas of our beautiful community. I would like to thank The Alleghany Foundation for giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a fantastic board.”
All members of The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors are residents of the Alleghany Highlands community. Other board members include Janie D. Barnette, David E. Crandall, D.O., Brandon S. Caldwell, James R. Eller, Jack A. “Rusty” Hammond II, Teresa B. Johnson, Kelly Dean Madsen, and R. Meade Snyder. Directors Emeriti include Michele K. Ballou, M.D., Harrison L. Fridley, Jack A. Hammond, Charles W. Kahle, George J. Kostel, Leo T. Mulcahy, George C. “Chip” Snead Jr., James D. Snyder, Lynda N. Thompson and Anne L. Wright.
About The Alleghany Foundation: The Alleghany Foundation was established in 1995 in Covington with $35 million in proceeds from the sale of Alleghany Regional Hospital. The foundation’s vision is to be a resource partner with eligible organizations to make the Alleghany Highlands a civically engaged, prosperous region that builds upon its assets to produce opportunities for its residents.
The total annual awards from The Alleghany Foundation now add up to almost $60 million. For more information, visit www.alleghanyfoundation.org.