Meet the 2025 Local Legends Honorees

The Chamber is proud to honor several incredible women whose dedication and leadership have made a lasting impact on the Fredericksburg region’s business community. These distinguished individuals have played a vital role in shaping our local economy, mentoring future leaders, and strengthening our community.

 

Janel Donohue – President, Rappahannock United Way

Janel Donohue is the President of Rappahannock United Way.  She loves leading an organization that changes lives and improves community conditions. Janel graduated from Mary Washington College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She has over 20 years of leadership and fundraising experience.  Janel leads a statewide effort to engage United Ways throughout the Commonwealth to collaboratively work together on the Virginia ALICE Project and produce the Virginia ALICE Report.  Her RUW team is working to bring systematic change to the way Virginia talks about poverty.

Janel’s passion for her community is evidenced by her community involvement.  Janel is a Board member for the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce where she is a graduate and faculty member for the Leadership Fredericksburg program. She recently joined the University of Mary Washington Foundation Board. 

Janel is a Past President of the Fredericksburg Host Lions Club.  She serves on the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation Selection Committee.  Janel has received community awards such as the Laurie A. Wideman Enterprising Woman’s award, the Fredericksburg Host Lions Club ‘Lion of the Year’ award, and University of Mary Washington Leadership Colloquium’s Patricia Lacey Metzger award.

Janel and her husband live in Spotsylvania County and they enjoy spending time with their two adult children; volunteering with their church and in the community

 

Dr. Janet Gullickson – President, Germanna Community College

Dr. Janet Gullickson has served as President of Germanna Community College since July 2017, when she made history as the institution’s first woman president. Under her leadership, Germanna has experienced remarkable growth, serving 13,500 students annually and achieving a 13% enrollment increase over five years. The college maintains a $55 million annual budget and employs more than 800 faculty and staff across its service region, which spans an area larger than Delaware.  Recently, the college opened the Kevin L. Dillard and Barbara J. Friend Stafford Center, providing nursing, cyber security, business, general and workforce development education.

During her tenure, Dr. Gullickson has secured over $20 million in external grants and grown the Educational Foundation’s net assets to $24 million. She has championed diversity through initiatives like Black Minds Matter, resulting in nearly 50% enrollment of students of color. The college has garnered national recognition from the Aspen Institute and established innovative programs, including Virginia’s only one-year associate degree program and partnerships with industry leaders like Amazon Web Services.

Prior to joining Germanna, Dr. Gullickson held executive positions with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, Colorado Department of Higher Education, and Community Colleges of Spokane. She holds a doctorate in Leadership and Policy from the University of Minnesota and serves on numerous regional boards, including the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Her commitment to education excellence has earned her the Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award.

A proud mother of three and wife to a U.S. Navy veteran, Dr. Gullickson continues to advance Germanna’s mission of providing accessible, high-quality education to its diverse community.  Following retirement from fulltime work, she plans to consult with nonprofit organizations and leaders.

 

Teri McNally – CEO, The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region

Teri McNally is CEO of The Community Foundation, a position she has held since 2002.  With over 22 years of experience in board governance, development, operational planning, donor relationship management and strategic messaging and communications, she is a proven leader in the philanthropic community.

As CEO, Teri oversees the stewardship of more than $60 million in assets across 220 named charitable funds, facilitating over $2.8 million in annual grant distributions. She leads a dedicated team of five staff members, works closely with a 19-member board of governors, and coordinates volunteers for major regional fundraising initiatives. Teri attributes every success to the extraordinary team at The Community Foundation and the board’s steadfast leadership since the foundation’s inception in 1997.

Recognizing the importance of engaging the next generation in charitable giving, in 2004 Teri founded the Youth in Philanthropy program, a three-month initiative designed to educate high school students on the grantmaking and philanthropic process. Since the first graduating class in 2005, hundreds of students have benefited directly from this program, collectively awarding over $300,000 grants since it began. Many graduates remain actively involved in philanthropy, serving as community leaders and role models.

Under Teri’s leadership and in collaboration with the board, The Community Foundation launched the Women and Girls Fund with a vision of bringing together 1,000 women to foster a culture of philanthropy and address the unique needs of women and girls in the community. The fund has conducted two comprehensive research reports on the status of women and girls in the region and has become a premier convener of women’s philanthropic efforts. Since its first grant in 2010, the fund has distributed almost $400,000 to organizations that support women and girls in reaching their full potential.

In 2020 Teri founded the Nonprofit Leadership Cohort to strengthen the capacity of regional nonprofits. This program has expanded collaboration among organizations, fostering new connections and engagement across the sector. Through free training and professional development opportunities, the initiative enhances nonprofit effectiveness while increasing awareness of their impact within their organizations and the broader community.

She holds a BS in Business with a concentration in Marketing from Columbus State University in Columbus GA.  She is the proud mother to Thomas who is married to an incredible woman, Rabea. Together they have blessed her with two amazing grandsons, Kaspar (4) and Emil (2) with one more grandson on the way – each already busy trying to save the world.