President's Bio

Lavern Jackson Chatman
President & CEO, Northern Virginia Urban League
1315 Duke Street – Alexandria, VA 22314
703-836-2858 – chatmanlj@aol.com

 

Ms. Chatman has been involved with philanthropic efforts to benefit youth, education, healthcare, and arts in the Washington, D.C. region for over fifteen years. She has served on the Board of Directors for Archbishop Carroll High School, Washington, D.C.; The Campagna Center, Alexandria, VA; Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, INOVA Alexandria Hospital, Northern Virginia Community Foundation, WETA Public Broadcasting and Chair’s the Diversity Council for AARP Virginia.

 

Since 2004 Ms. Chatman has served as the President and CEO of the Northern Virginia Urban League (NOVAUL).  She directs programs and services to empower African Americans and disadvantaged others to enter the social and economic mainstream in the Northern Virginia community. Under Ms. Chatman’s leadership NOVAUL has become one of the preeminent organizations in Northern Virginia addressing issues on youth empowerment, financial literacy, affordable housing, closing the education achievement gap, and social justice.  Ms. Chatman is a tireless administrator and fundraiser for the Urban League creating innovative partnerships with major corporations, small businesses, churches, elected officials and community leaders throughout Northern Virginia. 

 

Ms. Chatman spearheaded the Urban League’s building of the Freedom House Slave Museum.  Under her leadership this two year project raised $300,000 to build, design and create a permanent memorial to tell the story of domestic slave trading in Alexandria, Virginia. For nearly 30 years the building housed some of the most successful slave dealers in America with over 10,000 slaves traded from the premises. This historic building today is the headquarters of the Northern Virginia Urban League.

 

Ms. Chatman is responsible for organizing and implementing development efforts for other non-profit organizations by chairing galas, leading capital campaigns, and sponsoring major fundraising events. Ms. Chatman was a key campaign strategist and fundraiser for Mayor William D. Euille, the first African American elected as Mayor in the city of Alexandria, VA.

 

She began her career (1979-1983) as a marketing representative with the IBM Corporation.  She then served (1984-1987) as general manager for a Washington D.C. gospel radio station (WUST-AM) and also served as an associate producer for the renowned talk show “Petey Greene’s Washington” on WDCA Television.  Ms. Chatman went on to become (1988 – 1993) Director of Marketing for Urban Shelters and Health Care Systems, marketing health care management services to city, state and federal government agencies.

 

Ms. Chatman retired from the workforce (1994 – 2004) and became a full time-volunteer for various charities and non profit organizations, including America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth.  An organization dedicated to improving the lives of the nations at-risk youth, then chaired by General Colin Powell.  She and her late husband James I. Chatman established the Chatman Fund with a $400,000 donation to the Northern Virginia Community Foundation to support youth development programs for African-American youth.  The main program of the Chatman Fund is The Grandfathers Group, an award-winning mentoring initiative which matches senior African-American men to act as surrogate grandfathers to African-American boys, living in single-female households. 

 

She has served on The National League of Cities, Council on Youth, Education & Families, the World Bank’s D.C. Community Outreach Grants Committee, and the Cardinals Circle for the Archdiocese of Washington D.C.  She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Arlington Chapter of Links, Incorporated.

 

She is a native of Alexandria, Virginia; she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing from Mount Vernon College, Washington, D.C. She served over eight years as a foster parent with the District of Columbia’s Department of Human Services.  She plays golf, loves to travel and is actively involved in the education, recreation and development of her seven nephews, one niece and host of godchildren.

 

Recent Awards and Honors include: Alexandria Commission on Women’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Fairfax County Chapter of NAACP’s Leadership Award, National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Ebone Image Award, and the Psi Alpha Alpha Fraternity’s Citizen of the Year Award