Three alumni recognized with awards
The Virginia Wesleyan Alumni Association recognized three alumni with awards at the 8th Annual Alumni Association Scholarship Auction & Party on Friday, April 18, 2008 at the Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club in Virginia Beach, Va.
Melissa Burroughs '86, Distinguished Alumnus Award
Ms. Burroughs graduated from Virginia Wesleyan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts Management followed by an MBA from Old Dominion University. She serves as Executive Vice President/Chief Lending Officer for Old Point National Bank and Senior Vice President of Old Point Financial Corporation. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President/Regional Executive in Chesapeake. She has over 25 years of experience in the banking/financial industry. Ms. Burroughs has served as chair of the Virginia Wesleyan College President's Advisory Council and the president of the Virginia Wesleyan College Alumni Board of Directors. Ms. Burroughs is involved in many community activities that include the Board of Directors of the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, Roosevelt Gardens Civic League Board, The National Association of Women Business Owners, United Way, and serves as a voting member of the Tidewater Business Financing Corporation Loan Committee.
George "Chip" Tsantes, III '83, Distinguished Alumnus Award
Mr. Tsantes graduated from Virginia Wesleyan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management and from Old Dominion University with a MBA with an MIS concentration in 1986. He serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Intersections, Inc. In this role, Mr. Tsantes leads all technology activities including development, IT operations, IT security across all business units, and developing new services related to strong consumer authentication. Previously he served as a partner in Accenture's Capital Markets Group, part of the global firm's Financial Services practice and a member of its FSI Technology leadership. Mr. Tsantes is co-chair of the Identity Management Standards Panel (IDSP) Working Group 3, collaboration between ANSI and the Better Business Bureau, and frequent speaker at industry events including the FTC's Proof Positive, Security in Numbers, RSA Conference and The Voice Biometrics Conference.
Paul V. Zimba, Ph.D. '79, Distinguished Alumnus Award
Dr. Zimba graduated from Virginia Wesleyan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology. After leaving Virginia Wesleyan, he went on to earn a master of science in Biological Sciences from Old Dominion University and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Biological Sciences from Mississippi State University. Dr. Zimba was a Summer Fellow in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii. He is currently employed at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture as a Research Microbiologist. He has previously served as a research assistant professor at the Department of Fisheries at University of Florida. Dr. Zimba has received over 4.8 million dollars in research grants and contract awards for studies including: "Isolation of toxins from Prymnesium parvum," Arizona Game and Fish Department; "Isolation of Cyanotoxic Species from the Salt River," University of Arizona; and "Identification of Microcystins Produced by Phormidium-The Causative Organism in Coralline Black Band Disease", Florida International University (NIH). Dr. Zimba has published over 80 peer reviewed papers including: "Use of Reflectance and Pigment content to assess stress in cotton," Beltwide Cotton Conference (in press) with G.E. Sassengrath; and "An Overview of Toxin Research at the ARS/USDA," Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (2007). He is an AAUS certified diver and has a U.S. Merchant Marine Ordinary Seamen Wiper Classification. He has reviewed manuscripts for 15 journals and proposals; served as a panel reviewer for the US EPA STAR grants, been an invited speaker at the Gordon Research Conference; and currently serves as the Associate Editor of Harmful Algae, The Open Marine Biology Journal Series, Standard Methods for the Examination of Waste Water and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Phycological Society of America.