Drum roll, please! We would like to take this time to welcome our Interim CEO, Mel Tull! Mel will serve as Interim CEO as we search for a permanent replacement.
“I look forward to working with the CHSVA Board and staff to ensure a seamless transition to a new CEO, who will lead the organization into the future,” said Mel. “It is a pleasure serving with such devoted staff and a truly rewarding experience to witness the life-changing impact CHSVA has on the children we place in forever homes or support as they transition into adulthood.”
As of January 3, our former CEO, Nadine Marsh-Carter, resigned after serving CHSVA tremendously for 16 years.
“The last sixteen years have been the most professionally rewarding ones of my life,” said Nadine. “I adopted my children through CHSVA and later served on the Board before becoming CEO. CHSVA will always be a part of my life, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have served some of Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens through CHSVA. I know CHSVA’s great team of employees, volunteers, and supporters will continue to innovate and expand, and I will always be rooting them on.”
We want to thank Nadine for her hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and time over the last 16 years. CHSVA would not be what it is today if it weren’t for you! We wish you the best of luck in your next chapter as President of the Cameron Foundation.
Keep reading to learn more about our Interim CEO, Mel Tull.
Mel Tull, CHSVA Interim CEO | Professional Background
Mel leads CHSVA as Interim CEO after having served as a Board Member for 10 years. During those ten years, he served as Board Chair, Treasurer, and Finance Committee Chair at various points.
Currently, Mel is Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Bankers Insurance, LLC, where he serves on the company’s senior leadership team. Previously, Mel served as General Counsel at the Virginia Bankers Association, Partner at Hunton & Williams, and consultant at Arthur Andersen. Mel has also served his country as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
Mel is dedicated to his community and has participated in Leadership Metro Richmond and Lead Virginia, two non-profit organizations that bring together people from all backgrounds to study the opportunities and challenges facing the Richmond region and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Today, Mel serves as a volunteer Board Member of Henrico CASA, a non-profit organization of volunteers who serve as court-appointed special advocates (CASAs) for abused and neglected children.
When asked about this transitional period, CHSVA Board Chair John Owen Gwathmey was very optimistic.
“We know that because of Nadine’s strong leadership of CHSVA, we are very well positioned to continue to provide important assistance to families in need in Virginia. Mel served on the Board of CHSVA for 10 years and was instrumental, along with Nadine, in growing CHSVA and expanding its services and influence in the community. We are confident that Mel can provide the leadership we need for CHSVA to continue to fulfill its important mission to build strong, permanent families and lifelong relationships for Virginia’s at-risk children and youth. We have appointed a search committee to identify an outstanding permanent candidate who can lead us into the future.”
During this transitional period, Mel is positive that CHSVA will continue to provide caring, professional, and trauma-informed services to the children, youth, and families of Virginia.
Mel Tull, CHSVA Interim CEO | Q&A
To get a better look into who Mel is and to pull the curtain back on the people who lead CHSVA, we asked Mel several questions about his personal connection to CHSVA, his passions, his typical day as a CEO, the challenges he faces, and his goals for the new year. Enjoy the Q&A below!
- What drew you to CHSVA? I was first introduced to CHSVA many years ago when some close friends adopted a child through CHSVA. I was touched by the impact it had on them, their family, and their new child. At the same time, I was looking for ways to use my professional skills as a lawyer and accountant to contribute to the community and serve those less fortunate than me. When the opportunity to serve on the CHSVA Board and as Finance Committee Chair came available, I jumped on it.
- What are you most passionate about working at CHSVA? Finding permanent adoptive parents for children in foster care and providing transitional supports to young adults who age out of foster care without being adopted. To do that effectively, I’m equally passionate about making sure we use our limited resources efficiently to maximize our impact in the community.
- Why do you think CHSVA has continued to thrive year after year, since its founding in 1900? Its entrepreneurial spirit. CHSVA is a leading innovator in finding loving families and support for children whose birth parents are unavailable or unable to do so. Innovation sparked the creation of CHSVA in 1900 when it was formed to place children in permanent homes as a better alternative to the orphanages of the day, which often failed to provide adequate basic needs such as food, clothes, and shelter, or higher-level needs, such as emotional support and life-skills training. For more than 120 years since its founding, CHSVA has been at the forefront of crafting solutions to the evolving challenges these kids face.
What does a typical day look like for a CEO you might wonder? For Mel, his days are often filled with a lot of meetings as well as email exchanges with staff, volunteers, Board Members, community partners, donors, and supporters discussing current services and strategic plans for expanding those services.
A CEO faces many challenges. Mel’s biggest challenge as Interim CEO is making sure the organization uses its limited resources most efficiently in order to maximize the impact it has on the communities it serves.
Looking forward, Mel has high expectations for CHSVA.
“Nadine was CEO for 16 years, and many people saw her as the face, heart, and soul of CHSVA. My initial job is to make sure our many constituents (clients, staff, volunteers, donors, and supporters) are comfortable with the transition and the stability of the agency. Beyond that, we are actively working on exciting plans to expand our services to support more children, families, and young adults in the near future. I look forward to continuing to advance the ball on those plans in 2023.”
A CEO has to have downtime too, right?! When Mel isn’t working, he enjoys exploring the Buttermilk Trail and the James River Park system. Someday, Mel would like to through-hike the Appalachian Trail with his youngest daughter, Kathryn. Mel also enjoys swimming, biking, running, and exploring national parks and other countries.
We can’t wait to see where Mel leads us in 2023!
Children’s Home Society of Virginia | Supporting Virginia Adoption
Founded in 1900, CHSVA has served nearly 17,000 children, youth, and families over the past 122 years! We believe every child deserves a home. If you are thinking about adopting a child, we encourage you to reach out to us today.
None of that would be possible without the extended CHSVA family of individuals, foundations, and businesses who generously volunteer their time and energy and provide much-needed financial support. We sincerely thank you for your support of the young people and families we serve! If you would like to donate to our mission of finding permanent, loving homes for Virginia’s at-risk youth, please click the button below!
