The Shadow
COVINGTON, VA (VR) — The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors has welcomed two new members. Kathleen All and Dr. James E. (Jim) Ballou have been appointed to three-year terms, effective Friday, May 8. They succeed Susan W. Rollinson, Ph.D., and Dr. David E. Crandall, who leave the board after serving a maximum of three, three-year terms totaling nine years each. Dr. Rollinson and Dr. Crandall were not eligible for reappointment.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Jim Ballou and Kathleen All,” said Kelly Dean Madsen, president of The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors. “Both Jim and Kathleen have lived and worked in the Alleghany Highlands for many years and will be strong contributors while serving on The Alleghany Foundation Board.”
A 1990 graduate of Alleghany High School, All received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Virginia Tech in 1994. Furthering her education, she received her master’s degree in business administration from Averett College in 2000.
All worked as a cost accountant at Bacova Guild from 1994 through 2006. From 2006 until 2017, she served as vice president of operations at Jackson River Community Credit Union, and in 2017, she was named CEO, a position she still holds today.
A lifelong resident of the Alleghany Highlands, All and her husband, Steve, serve at Faith Baptist Church, where they work with teens, teaching and “whatever is needed.”
“Steve and I spend our free time enjoying all the outdoor adventures of the Highlands from hiking, biking, running, kayaking, etc.,” she said, “and traveling.”
All volunteers with the Alleghany Highlands Christmas Mother program, the Alleghany Highlands Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the Mountain Gateway Community College Educational Foundation, and she is a past president of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.
“I am honored to have been selected to serve on the board of The Alleghany Foundation,” All said. “The foundation board and staff truly have a heart for our community and a desire to see the area thrive both economically and socially. I am excited to work alongside this team and continue the incredible work of those who have served before me.”
Born in Washington, D.C., Dr. Ballou and his family moved to Clifton Forge in 1959 when he was a child. Dr. Ballou earned his bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Washington and Lee University in 1977. He received his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1982 and completed his Internal Medicine Residency in 1985 at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine.
In 1986, Dr. Ballou became Board Certified in Internal Medicine by the American College of Internal Medicine, and in 1988 he earned his Fellowship in Infectious Diseases from the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine. He became Board Certified in Infectious Diseases by the American College
of Internal Medicine in 1992.
Dr. Ballou worked in the clinical laboratory at Saint Mary’s Hospital from 1978 until 1979. He then moved to the Norfolk Diagnostic Clinic, where he was employed from July 1985 until June of 1986. From July 1988 until May of 2013, Dr. Ballou was affiliated with Jackson River Internists-West Virginia/Virginia Health Care Alliance.
He has been affiliated with LewisGale Hospital-Alleghany since July 1988 and has served as Infection Control Committee chairman and Executive Committee chairman.
Dr. Ballou is a past chairman of the Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board and past chairman of the Alleghany Business Leader’s Forum, a group that led the last attempt at government consolidation in the Alleghany Highlands. He also served as the team physician for Alleghany High School athletics from 1988 through 2020.
A Civil War and 19th century American history enthusiast, Dr. Ballou enjoys woodworking, home remodeling and running. He came to Clifton Forge when his father, Dr. Charles F. Ballou, took a position at the C&O Railway Hospital. His mother, Bari, was the art department at Dabney S. Lancaster
Community College for more than a decade, and she was instrumental in the formation of the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center.
“I was mostly gone from 1970 to 1988 while getting my education and medical training,” he recalled. “In 1980, on the same day that Mount St. Helens blew up, I was fortunate to marry Dr. Michele K. Ballou, a former member and chairman of The Alleghany Foundation. Our daughter, Kate Sterling, was born in 1992 and is now married, living in Alexandria and working as a federal prosecutor in D.C. Since 1992, we have lived in what is now a 130-year-old house in Clifton Forge which we are in the never-ending process of restoring.”
Dr. Ballou said he looks forward to his work on The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors. “I am thankful for this opportunity to participate in the ongoing vital support The Alleghany Foundation gives to our community,” he said.
Other members of The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors include Janie D. Barnette, Brandon S. Caldwell, Jack A. “Rusty” Hammond II, Teresa B. Johnson, Ray N. Lipes, Nancy M. Moga, Nolan R. Nicely, Kevin W. Persinger and Rachael G. Thompson.
Dr. Rollinson and Dr. Crandall were named Directors Emeriti during the May 8 meeting.
“Thank you to Dr. Sue Rollinson and Dr. David Crandall for their nine years of service on the Alleghany Foundation Board,” Dean Madsen said. “Both Sue and David have served in multiple roles and will be missed. Sue has served as both president and secretary-treasurer. She has also been a champion for education in the Alleghany Highlands. David has been active on multiple committees and has contributed greatly in the foundation’s Health and Wellness focus area. I wish Sue and David well as they rotate off of the board.”
Dr. Rollinson reflected on some of the foundation’s accomplishments during her time on the board. “It has been a true privilege to serve on the board of The Alleghany Foundation for the past nine years,” she said. “We managed to get through the COVID pandemic, keeping most of the local non-profits alive.
Mackenzie Scott recognized the foundation’s efforts concerning the ‘social determinants of health’ with an amazing $3 million grant that came out of the blue. The Covington and Alleghany County school divisions have merged, and downtown Clifton Forge and downtown Covington are coming alive again.
It’s been an amazing nine years of growth!”
Dr. Crandall focused on the foundation’s community involvement over the past 30-plus years. “The Alleghany Foundation was established in 1995 with funds from the sale of our community hospital, and has, over the decades, endeavored to use these funds to benefit our community,” he said. “It has been a great privilege to serve on the board of directors over the last nine years, trying to use this endowment wisely. I have enjoyed working with the other members and the wonderful staff of the foundation, all of whom share the same love for our community. I wish them, and our Alleghany Highlands community, all the best.”
Other Directors Emeriti include Michele K. Ballou, M.D., James R. Eller, Harrison L. Fridley, Jack A. Hammond, Charles W. Kahle, Leo T. Mulcahy, Lisa H. Schoppmeyer, George C. Snead Jr., James D. Snyder, R. Meade Snyder, Lynda N. Thompson and Anne L. Wright.
About The Alleghany Foundation: The Alleghany Foundation was established in 1995 with $35 million in proceeds from the sale of Alleghany Regional Hospital. The foundation’s vision is to be a resource partner with eligible organization to make the Alleghany Highlands a civically engaged, prosperous
region that builds upon its assets to produce opportunities for its residents.
Total annual awards from The Alleghany Foundation now add up to more than $72 million. For more information, visit alleghanyfoundation.org.
Dr. Jim Ballou
Kathleen All
