Education Partnership
2026 CHAMBER BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIPS
Seventeen scholarships were awarded to local high school students by the Mount Vernon Springfield Chamber of Commerce to recognize outstanding achievement by graduating seniors planning to continue their education and pursue careers in business and related fields.
At a reception hosted by the Army Historical Foundation and GEN Burt Thompson (Retired), Supervisor Rodney Lusk, Franconia District, encouraged the scholarship recipients to be open to new opportunities giving examples from his life of how an unexpected invitation or opportunity made a big difference.
The Chamber’s 2026 Business Scholars are Ethan Santos and Kate Hood, Mount Vernon High School; Nicole Cousins and James Song, South County High School; Andrew Binetti, Lucy Little, Nathan Roeschlein, and Mason Brown, Thomas A. Edison High School; Gavin Clarke and Manas Puri, Lake Braddock Secondary School; Melina Teklu, Christian Sadek, and Aadi Mathur, West Springfield High School; Brooklynn Jones and Preston Simpson, Hayfield Secondary School; Henry Lang, West Potomac High School; Landon Koch, Bishop Ireton High School.
Scholarships were made possible through the generous support of local businesses and organizations, including Andrews Federal Credit Union, AHEAD Technology Consulting, Cisco, Nutanix, Ourisman Automotive Group, Reworld Fairfax, and Star City Grain Storage, as well as funds raised through the annual Chamber Golf Classic.
The Chamber established the Mount Vernon Springfield Education Partnership, a 501(c)(3) organization, to support local students pursuing higher education. Members of the Education Partnership Board of Directors are Roberta Tinch, Inova Health Systems; Michael Bennett, Ourisman; George Ksenics, Andrews Federal Credit Union; Karen Corbett Sanders; Mike Murphy, Knights of Columbus; Marissa Eyon, FASTSIGNS Springfield; Kathleen Lugarich, Army Historical Foundation; Mark Viani, Bean, Kinney & Korman PC.
Since 1998, the Chamber and Education Partnership have awarded more than $402,500 in scholarships, reflecting a longstanding commitment to education, workforce development, and the future of the Mount Vernon and Springfield communities.
REWORLD BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Nicole Cousins
South County High School
REWORLD BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
James Song
South County High School
Ourisman BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Ethan Santos
Mount Vernon High School
AHEAD BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Gavin Clarke
Lake Braddock Secondary School
ANDREWS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Andrew Binetti
Thomas A. Edison High School
NUTANIX BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Manus Puri
Lake Braddock Secondary School
CISCO BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Melina Teklu
West Springfield High School
BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Mason Brown
Thomas A. Edison High School
BUSINESS SCHOLAR
2026
Brooklynn Jones
Hayfield Secondary School
Business Scholar
2026
Preston Simpson
Hayfield Secondary School
2026 Scholarship Benefactors
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Contribute to the Education Partnership
A strong commitment to education has led to the creation in 2005 of the Mount Vernon Springfield Education Partnership, a 501(c)3 organization, to provide scholarships for local graduating high school students pursuing further education in a business related field.
Since 1998, the Mount Vernon Springfield Chamber of Commerce has provided scholarships worth almost $300,000 to local high school students. In 2023, thirteen scholarships with a total value of $26,000 were awarded.
You are invited to be part of this effort to prepare future business and community leaders by contributing to the Chamber’s scholarship fund. Any contribution is greatly appreciated and special benefits are given to the contributions listed below. All money goes directly to scholarships with no overhead.
A “Summa Cum Laude” $2,500 investment provides these benefits:
- A scholarship named after your business awarded to a local high school senior.
- A listing on the Chamber’s Education Honor Roll published in local newspapers and on Chamber social media.
- Your business logo with hotlink to your website on the Education Partnership website.
- Reserved admissions and recognition at Scholarship Awards.
A “Magna Cum Laude” $1,000 investment provides these benefits:
- A listing on the Chamber’s Education Honor Roll published in local newspapers and on Chamber social media.
- Your business logo with hotlink to your website on the Education Partnership webpage.
- Reserved admissions and recognition at Scholarship Awards.
A “Cum Laude” $500 investment provides these benefits:
- A listing on the Chamber’s Education Honor Roll published in local newspapers and on Chamber social media.
- Your business logo with hotlink to your website on the Education Partnership webpage.
- Reserved admissions and recognition at Scholarship Awards.
Education Partnership Board of Directors
Michael Bennett, Ourisman Automotive Group
Karen Corbett Sanders, former FCPS School Board Member
Holly Dougherty, Mount Vernon Springfield Chamber
George Ksenics, Andrews Federal Credit Union
Kathleen Lugarich, Army Historical Foundation
Michael Murphy, Mount Vernon Knights of Columbus
Roberta Tinch, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
Mark Viani, Bean, Kinney & Korman PC
Marissa Eyon, FASTSIGNS Springfield