“I have enjoyed my time as a BoS member and have gained life-long friends and, much like Fire/EMS, have been educated on lots of projects and processes that will stay with me for a lifetime,” he told the board. “As I reflect on the topics, Fire/EMS, economic development opportunities, educational support and the pandemic are the cornerstones of my time on the board. Three of these were great and the fourth was bad; however, how the county has delivered services and support through the pandemic has been awesome.”
Sloan will continue serving as an active member of the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department, the reason he cited for the resignation. “I do not feel I can fully serve on the fire department and serve on the BoS, so I hereby submit my resignation …,” he said, adding Dec. 30 is his last day as a supervisor.
The supervisors voted unanimously in appointing White to the remainder of Sloan term, which ends Dec. 31, 2021. “I have no idea how I could have found a more capable person to take my spot on the BoS than Amy White,” Sloan told the board.
White said it’s an honor to be appointed to the board.
“I’m humbled by the appointment,” she said last week. “I want to be as effective as possible.”
The Buchanan resident has two main objectives when she starts: to help with “tangible relief,” mainly bringing broadband access to more areas of the county and bring people together to make the county even better, she said.
On the broadband front, she would like to ensure the county does all it can to distribute funding that help the citizens, small businesses and agriculture efforts. “I want to be effective and as fair as possible,” she said.
Bringing people together, White said, is one of her strengths. White, dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at Western Virginia Community College, enjoys seeing people work together. “At WVCC I am known as a good collaborator,” she said.
As a new supervisor she is coming in during a tough period, with the county hit hard by COVID-19 and the upcoming vote by the board on where to move the Confederate monument currently located in front of the county courthouse in Fincastle.
White said she doesn’t shy away from making hard decisions. “I learned in a class once if you’re not making tough decisions, you’re not doing your job,” she said.
With a Master’s in Microbiology and Immunology from Virginia Commonwealth University, she said, she’s in a good position to help the county with its COVID-19 response.
According to a press release from the county, White has experience in state, regional and local education, agriculture and economic development policy and innovation, including on the Virginia State Manufacturing Development Commission (on which she currently serves), the Virginia STEM Education Task Force, the boards of directors of RAMP, a regional economic development accelerator, and the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce, and in leadership positions with Buchanan Presbyterian Church and the Botetourt County Fair.
Driven by a lifelong love of the natural sciences, White received her undergraduate degree in Biology from James Madison University. She also earned a Certificate in Field Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Following completion of her graduate degree, she worked for a private consulting firm in environmental toxicology until beginning her teaching career at Hollins University in 2001. She taught at James Madison University from 2003-2005 and has worked at Virginia Western Community College since 2005.
At Virginia Western, she has held various roles, including Assistant Professor in Biology, Biology Program Head and Assistant Dean. She now serves as Dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), while continuing to teach part-time in the Science department.
She resides on her family farm with her husband Corbin. Her two children, Lindsey and Davis, attend The University of Georgia. Lindsey is pursuing a degree in Veterinary Medicine and Davis is in graduate school studying Poultry Science.
Reflecting on his time as a supervisor, Sloan said he is proud of his work with the county fire/EMS, pointing to hiring a new chief, supporting the creation of a fire/EMS Capital Reserve process, and the purchase of “gently used” equipment for the county’s fire departments.
“I have been an advocate for Emergency Services because this is where Botetourt County can directly impact individuals and families at possibly the worst times of their lives,” he told the board.
