The 2023 Salute to Lord and Lady was held at the Fairfax County Government Center on Tuesday, October 3rd. Each Fairfax County County Board of Supervisor recognized two honorees from their district who have demonstrated exceptional volunteer service, heroism, community spirit, or other special accomplishment.
Celebrate Fairfax is proud to work in partnership with the Board of Supervisors to make this an amazing annual event celebrating the people in Fairfax County.
The twenty honorees and their bios by district are:
AT-LARGE
Lady Lucy Capaldi
Lucy Capaldi served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) at Fairfax CASA for over twelve years from 2009 to 2022 and brought professionalism, compassion, and dedication to the role. During her tenure, Lucy advocated for 28 children including babies, toddlers, and teens from 13 family groups. Lucy also completed 40 reports to the Court on the status of the children in her cases. Lucy never stopped learning, she went on to earn over 220 continuing education credit hours focused on child welfare to ensure that she was informed on the issues facing the families and children in her cases. Fairfax County and CASA are lucky to have such a dedicated volunteer like Lucy who is always going above and beyond for the well-being of our children.
Lord Eric Goplerud
Dr. Eric Goplerud is a clinical/community psychologist and was Vice President and Senior Fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago until his retirement in 2018. He was also the founder and chairman of the board of the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. Previously, Dr. Goplerud was a research professor in the Department of Health Policy at George Washington Medical Center. Dr. Goplerud has a long history organizing and leading interfaith organizations focused on energy efficiency, energy conservation, and resiliency, much of this focused on low income and disadvantaged citizens of Virginia.
BRADDOCK DISTRICT
Lady Shari Zamarra
Shari has been living in Northern Virginia since 1969, but she originally hails from the Midwest. She has devoted her time to various organizations, including the Girl Scouts, Sorority Alumni group, Gabriel Project, Fairfax Partnership for Youth, and Faith Communities for Action. Additionally, Shari holds positions on several boards and committees, such as the Community Action Advisory, Braddock Land Use, the BOS Affordable Housing Advisory, and FCPS FLE Curriculum Advisory. She is currently chairing the Board of Toward Educating America’s Children, which supports educational opportunities for children in Guatemala. Shari has a heart for youth and families, particularly immigrants, and is passionate about recycling.
Lord John R. Rephlo
John Rephlo has a long history of service to our community. He has been an integral member of the Braddock District Land Use and Environment Committee since its inception. Serving as Vice Chairman and Chairman, he has guided members through detailed examinations of Comprehensive Plan amendments and site plans. His leadership helped ensure that the best interests of the residents are included in the decision-making process.
For 25 years, Mr. Rephlo volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America, receiving the prestigious Silver Beaver Award for his dedicated service. He has been an active member of the West Springfield Civic Association.
DRANESVILLE DISTRICT
Lady Kathleen Murphy
For the past 9 years, McLean resident Kathleen Murphy has served in the Virginia House of Delegates. She is on the Transportation, General Laws, Finance, and County, Cities and Towns Committees. In her roles on the Board of Veterans Services and as Vice Chair of the Veterans Caucus, she addresses issues faced by military personnel, especially Virginia’s 106,000 women veterans. Having lost her brother to gun violence, she created the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus and helped pass several important gun safety measures. Having a stepdaughter with Cystic Fibrosis, she created the Rare Disease Caucus and received national honors for her efforts. Delegate Murphy is not running for re-election. Her strong leadership will be missed.
Lord Patrick Smaldore
Patrick Smaldore is a champion for public safety. He has been a member of the McLean Citizens Association’ Board since 2011, and its Public Safety Liaison since 2012. He organizes Senior Safety Summits and promotes the Community Emergency Response Team programs. He joined the Police Department’s McLean District Station Community Advisory Committee in 2012 and became its chair in 2015. In 2015, he served on the Fairfax County Ad Hoc Police Practices and Review Commission. He is a graduate of both the Police and Fire and Rescue Academies. Recently, Mr. Smaldore became Chair of the Police Chiefs Community Advisory Council.
FRANCONIA DISTRICT
Lady Sharron Dreyer
Sharron Dreyer has been a Franconia district resident since 1972. She is a registered nurse and was a founding staff member of Hospice of Northern Virginia (now Capital Caring). She then served as Director of Senior and Specialized Housing for Fairfax Dept of Housing for 16 years and has served as the Franconia district representative to the Commission on Aging since 2014. Sharron is an elder in her church, a volunteer with a variety of service organizations, and has served on both the Virginia Housing Study Commission and the Fairfax County Communitywide Housing Strategic Plan Task Force. She has resided at Greenspring since 2011 where she has discovered working with clay and is a co-leader of the Greenspring Pottery Workshop.
Lord Dr. Bryon L. Garner
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Bryon Garner has lived in Alexandria VA since 2019. Bryon exemplifies a culture of service having served on the Fairfax County Redistricting committee in 2021. In 2020, he served on the City of Alexandria Commission on HIV/AIDS Awareness and since 2022, he has served as a board member of the Police Civilian Review Panel. Bryon is a 2023 graduate of the Union Institute & University PhD program where his research focuses on patriotism and veteran identity. Bryon and his wife of seven years, Dr. Sidra Smith, are active members of Metropolitan AME church in Washington DC.
HUNTER MILL DISTRICT
Lady Roberta Gosling
Roberta Gosling moved to Reston in 1987 and Hunter Mill District is very fortunate to have benefited from her tireless work both as a talented business professional and a dedicated community volunteer for the past 37 years. She utilizes her extensive leadership skills to assist local organizations make an impact in our community by serving on their boards. Roberta has volunteered countless hours in our district schools as well as revitalized the Reston Girls Travel Basketball Program. In 2017, Roberta co-founded the South Lakes High School PTSA Food Pantry. Along with Abbe Pascal and this year’s Lord Fairfax, Andy Sigle, she worked with school leadership to bring an in-school food pantry to SLHS to help reduce food insecurity.
Lord Andy Sigle
Andy Sigle moved to Reston in 2006 and since then his devotion to his community and Hunter Mill District has spanned decades. After spending 29 successful years in the telecommunications industry, Andy decided to pursue a second career in areas that better fit his interests and passions. After leaving the corporate world, he began volunteering and working part-time roles in the non-profit sector and in various areas of community building. In 2017, Andy co-founded the South Lakes High School PTSA Food Pantry along with Abbe Pascal and this year’s Lady Fairfax, Roberta Gosling. While SLHS PTSA President, Andy and the PTSA won Best of Reston in 2018 and continues to co-lead the Food Pantry with Roberta.
MASON DISTRICT
Lady Alis Wang
Alis Wang has significant international credentials, but it is her commitment to community service that stands out in Mason District. She is in her second term on the Human Services Council, served on the Site Specific Plan Amendment Task Force, brought her analytic skills to the Baileys Crossroads/Seven Corners Revitalization Committee, and currently serves on the Mason District Land Use Committee. Alis also was elected to the Lake Barcroft Association Board of Directors, where she served as board secretary and membership chair. Alis represented Mason District on the county’s Redistricting Advisory Committee following the 2020 Census, and is a Certified Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member.
Lord Lassine Doumbia
Since 2007, Lassine Doumbia has been the volunteer extraordinaire for the award-winning free Cultural Heritage concerts. Lassine helps set up equipment, provides water for performers, and welcomes audience members with his booming voice and friendly manner.
His sense of community pride can be traced to his boyhood village in Mali, where education meant a daily 16-mile bicycle trip. Successful in the United States, Lassine started a project to build a school, then a medical clinic, with a water tower and well, to serve those facilities in rural Mali. Lassine Doumbia’s commitment to the community substantiates that it truly does “take a village,” whether in Africa or Fairfax County.
MOUNT VERNON DISTRICT
Lady Shirley Short
Shirley Short, or as we call her – our Volunteer Extraordinaire – is an amazing asset to Team MVD and Mount Vernon residents. Shirley is a retired Fairfax County firefighter and played an integral role helping residents during the 2006 Huntington flood. Shirley works tirelessly in assisting with the many community events we host each year, volunteering thousands of hours. To name a few, Shirley helps lead the Ides of Bark Dog Festival each year and single-handedly organized a new addition to our Town Meeting – Taste of Mount Vernon. Shirley’s dedication, willingness to jump in at all times and her can-do attitude makes a difference for all of us!
Lord Ron Fitzsimmons
Ron Fitzsimmons and his sister Laura Fitzsimmons Peters created Alice’s Kids to anonymously help children in need in our community, and across the country. Alice’s Kids provides gift cards to teachers and counselors who have identified a child’s needs. The teacher then gives the gift card to a parent or caregiver who takes the child to buy the needed item, or is able to purchase it and surprise the child. Through Alice’s Kids, Ron has helped put smiles on the faces of thousands of children. It is efforts like this that make Ron deserving of this recognition.
PROVIDENCE DISTRICT
Lady Nada Bashir
Nada was born in Sudan and moved to Fairfax in 2000. Nada exhibits her commitment to helping others, especially immigrants like herself, through her professional involvement with local government agencies and local nonprofit organizations. She assisted in establishing a self-sufficiency program, a housing project to serve families who were facing homelessness, and connected Fairfax County residents to available resources. Currently, Nada is the Director and Information Technology Educator at Kingsley Commons Computer Technology Program and has previously worked in Fairfax County Public Schools and Fairfax County Health Department.
Lord Tom Biesiadny
Tom Biesiadny dedicated 35 years to Fairfax County’s transportation landscape. Starting as a transportation planner in Port Arthur, Texas, he progressed through transportation-related roles in Fairfax County and was the Director of Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) from 2011 to 2023. Tom orchestrated pivotal projects like the Metrorail Silver Line, Northern Virginia’s Express Lanes expansion, and the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit. He expanded the Fairfax Connector, nurtured relationships with transit authorities, and initiated numerous infrastructure improvements. Tom played a pivotal role in establishing the Virginia Railway Express and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. His leadership earned him three A. Heath Onthank Awards.
SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT
Lady Cathleen Turner
Cathleen Turner was elected as the President of the Saratoga Homeowners’ Association in 2013, serving in that role currently. Cathy volunteers her time for this self-managed association. During her tenure, she rewrote the Articles of Incorporation, Declaration of Covenants, and Bylaws. She set up joint quarterly meetings with 3 boards (TOSCA, SRG, SCA), revamped walking trails, started an annual Community Day, implemented seasonal events for children and an End of School Year Ice Cream Day. In addition, she worked with the county to get bus stops in front of the Saratoga Shopping Center and joined the glass recycling program.
Lord Rob Hahne
Rob Hahne is the Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League and served 10 years as the Head Coach at Westfield HS where he was the Washington Post Coach of the Year in 2019. He serves on several boards including the Youth Chair of the American Baseball Coaches Association, the Chairman of the Fairfax County Baseball Council, and the founder of the American Travel Baseball Alliance. Rob is a member of the Fairfax County Sports Tourism Task Force and helped with the development of baseball facilities throughout the County, including Patriot Park North and Capital One Park. He is the founder of Kyle’s Kamp, an organization raising millions for cancer research at Children’s National Hospital.
SULLY DISTRICT
Lady Cathy Martins Muha
Cathy Muha is the Co-Chair and Sully District representative to the Fairfax Area Commission on Aging. Cathy has provided support to the Commission and the Sully District for seven years, as Secretary to the Commission, Participant in Home Meals Workgroup Pilot Program, Liaison to the Long Term Care Coordinating Council Diversity in Aging and Disabilities Committee, and is a Representative for the Commission on Aging to the Fairfax Food Council. Cathy has also presented information about the Commission to local organizations and recorded an End of Life Care presentation for Fairfax 50+ podcasts. Cathy’s current primary focus is Co-Chairing the Personal Well-being Committee in developing initiatives for the Strategic Plan, SHAPE the Future of Aging.
Lord Prince D. Howard
Prince Howard and his family have resided in Centreville, VA for 33 years. He serves on the Deacon Board at the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Centreville. From a community perspective, he also served on the Fairfax County Chairman’s Task Force on Equity and Opportunity, Community Safety and Justice Committee, the Board’s Public Safety and Security Committee Use of Force Community Advisory Committee, and the Board’s Public Safety and Security Committee Police Reform Matrix Action Plan Working Group. Additionally, Mr. Howard, a small business owner, serves as a member of the Fairfax County Small Business Commission representing the Sully District.
View the 2023 Salute to Lord and Lady Fairfax ceremony and photo gallery here.