PAUL SIMPSON, Vice Chair

VALERIE HOPSON-BELL, Secretary

Valerie Hopson-Bell developed the first local long-term care ombudsman program in the Fredericksburg area in 1999 for the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging.  She continued in that position until July 2007.  She has been hailed as a respected, fair and highly effective advocate for the aging community.

Prior to moving to the Fredericksburg area, Ms. Hopson-Bell began her career in aging in 1992 as an activity director at an Adult Care Home in Burlington, North Carolina for clients ranging in age from 19 years old, with intellectual disabilities to 94 years young, with chronic medical health issues, including dementia.

While working at the Adult Care Home, Valerie finished her undergraduate degree in Human Services, with an emphasis in Gerontology at Elon University.  During her senior year at Elon, she studied abroad, learning about the human services systems of England, Scotland and The Netherlands. She began her professional career at Alamance ElderCare, Inc., which offered care assistance and case management to seniors, to assist them in remaining independent.

In 2008, Valerie ultimately started own business: ElderCare Connections, LLC.  She was a private certified geriatric care manager who helped families create a roadmap to care for their loved ones most effectively.  In 2019, Valerie sold ElderCare Connections.

Community is very important to Valerie, whether it’s advocating for the queer community, the homeless population, being on the forefront of opioid harm reduction, or simply taking in the beauty of the Rappahannock River, this is her home.

Valerie and her life partner reside in Spotsylvania County.  They have two sons, two grandsons, twin granddaughters and one beautiful great-granddaughter.

ANDRE PINEDA, Treasurer

Andre is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and the Southern Illinois University School of Law. His early career included work as a Legal Honors Intern and Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of General Counsel – Fair Housing Division.

After HUD, he went to work as an attorney on public campaign financing matters at the Federal Election Commission. In his later years, he became a Special Assistant General Counsel at the FEC directly with the General Counsel in managing an office of approximately 115 individuals.

Andre has lived in Fredericksburg since 1995.

After working in DC for approximately 12 years, he changed careers in 2002 to become a financial advisor. He started his financial career at Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc. but resigned about 18 months later to care for his children, Miguel and Sophia.

Sophia was born with severe heart defect, Down Syndrome and other health-related issues. He was also a Manny during that period – helping to care for the child of good friends. Thankfully, Sophia’s open-heart surgeries were successful, and he was able to return to work as an advisor with the Stewart Wealth Management Group at Wachovia Securities.

In 2007, the Stewart Group became part of Cary Street Partners, where he is a Financial Advisor/Managing Director.

For over thirty years, he has been active in different groups and causes. While at HUD, he was President of the L’Enfant Chapter of National IMAGE, Inc. – a Latino advocacy group. He also served as 2 nd Vice President of National IMAGE, Inc. – advocating for Latinos in Federal service at the national
level.

Once things stabilized in his personal life after Sophia’s birth and he returned to work, he again became active in various non-profit efforts.

Through the years, he has served on the Board of the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Big Brother Big Sisters of Greater Fredericksburg, the Fredericksburg Area Museum, and the Board of Visitors of Southern Illinois University School of Law.

More recently, he served on the Board of the Community Foundation of Rappahannock River Region and currently serves as Treasurer for the Fredericksburg Free Press and the National Down Syndrome Congress. He is also a member of the Rappahannock Goodwill Industries Board and serves as President of the Darbytown Civic Association.

On the weekends, he is out and about at various farmer’s markets and events working the Sophiola booth – the business he and his wife created around Sophia’s art.

CAT CARTER, Board Member

MARTACELIS FUENTES, Board Member

JEREMY LAROCHELLE, Board Member

CHRISTINE MCELHINNEY, Board Member

AMANDA THOMPSON, Board Member