Melissa Peele, MSW
Founder & Executive Director
Melissa Peele is the Founder and Executive Director of Firm Foundation of Virginia. Melissa earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Norfolk State University and a Bachelor’s of Human Services Counseling from Old Dominion University. She worked as a professional Social Worker for the cities of Newport News and Norfolk Social Services with foster care and adoption. She also worked with UMFS where she was a Regional Independent Living Consultant helping youth prepare to transition out of foster care.
In these professional roles and after experiencing her bout with homelessness, Melissa saw the need for transitional housing for pregnant mothers, youth aging out of foster care, and families who experienced homelessness. Driven by her passion for serving single mothers, Melissa founded Firm Foundation of Virginia, an organization that would provide women a nurturing environment where emotional, social, spiritual, and financial needs are addressed to move them from homelessness to home. In addition to leading Firm Foundation of Virginia, Melissa is currently working as an Adjunct Social Work Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and is a Deaconess in her local church.
Melissa is a native of North Carolina, but has resided in the Hampton Roads Area since 1991. Prior to her Social Work career, Melissa served in the United States Air Force.
Beth Lyon-Suhring
Board Member
Beth Lyon-Suhring is the Director of Christian Education at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Suffolk. She is responsible for educational ministries at the church for all ages. Beth is a native of West Virginia and holds a BA in English from St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC, a Master’s Degree in Library Science from UNC-CH, and a Master’s Degree in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She and her husband Steve live in an old farmhouse in Suffolk which they rescued from the wrecking ball, and which, nearly forty years later, is still a work in progress. They have two adult children.
Charles L. Owens
Board Member
Charles retired from the US Navy after a successful 23-year career, of which, 17 were spent as a Public Affairs Officer where he was primary media spokesman for high-profile events such as the 2003 Gulf War, the attack on the USS COLE (DDG 67), and the USS GREENVILLE’s (SSN 772) collision with the Ehime Maru.
Upon retiring from the Navy, Mr. Owens assumed responsibility for a Media and Marketing Services contract in Afghanistan, where he led the efforts of senior-level strategic communication planners, social scientists, and media analysts with applied planning, opinion research, analysis, and marketing campaign strategy experience. He successfully established and led strategic communication contracts in Stuttgart, Germany, Northern Africa, Bogotá, Colombia, and Miami, Florida. Mr. Owens’ articles on strategic communication have been published in Proceedings Magazine.
Currently, Mr. Owens is working with leadership in the US submarine force analyzing, at the strategic and tactical levels, force requirements through 2030 and beyond. Analysis includes active engagements with NATO partners and assessing practical applications for machine learning, artificial intelligence, crewed/un-crewed systems and other new technologies.
Mr. Owens serves the City of Suffolk as its Soil and Water Conservation Director and his community as a Deacon in his local church.
Rev. Gillian Weighton
Board Member
Pastor Gillian is Head of Staff and Pastor at St Andrew Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, VA. Gillian was born and raised in Scotland. She served two churches in Scotland for 22 years before coming to the USA where she has served churches in Wisconsin and Virginia. While in the Church of Scotland, Gillian trained as a conflict mediator for the Church of Scotland, and through “A Place for Hope” she worked for the Scottish government in their fight against sectarianism.
Pastor Gillian has also served as a University and Hospital Chaplain, she sat on General Assembly Committees and served as spiritual adviser and chaplain at conferences for newly ordained pastors.
She currently serves the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia as a member of the Commission on Ministry, the Congregational Vitality Team and the Peace and Justice Team. Pastor Gillian graduated from St Andrew’s University with a Bachelor of Divinity and the University of Glasgow with a Certificate in Ministry. She graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York City with a Masters in Sacred Theology and most recently she graduated as a Doctor of Ministry from Austin Theological Seminary. When asked to describe the ministry setting to which she believes God is calling her, Gillian replied, “My sense of call is toward a ministry setting where I can serve a church that understands itself as a family of faith. A place where all are welcome, where community is important, and where everyone is included and involved.”
Lenore Henderson
Board Member