The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce today gave its 2008 Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award to Chamber and business consultant and civic leader Gary F. Henry, founder and principle of GF Henry & Associates.

Mr. Henry was presented the award at the 2008 Chamber Commonwealth Breakfast - underwritten by Union Bank & Trust - at Glenmore Country Club. Today's Chamber event, attended by 200 business and community leaders, also featured remarks by Robert McDonnell, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"Gary Henry just maybe our area's most focused advocate for support and nurturing of, technology businesses - and - a regional business and civic environment that welcomes and encourages strategic technology enterprise," said Mary Loose DeViney of Tuel Jewelers and 2007 Chairman of the Chamber Board of Directors. Ms. DeViney, who serves as Chairman of the 2008 Chamber Recognition Awards, and Christopher Lee of R.E. Lee & Son, 2008 Chamber Chairman, presented the Chamber award to Mr. Henry.

Gary Henry has extensive technology and business experience which spans a full career with General Electric, one of the world's leading technology companies - to creating and building dynamic new businesses in Charlottesville. In various enterprises at various times in his diverse business career, Mr. Henry has served as a CFO, COO and CEO.

Mr. Henry is actively involved with numerous business and civic organizations. He led the move towards increased collaboration between the Charlottesville Venture Group and Virginia Piedmont Technology Council which ultimately led to last year's consolidation of both organizations into the new Charlottesville Business Innovation Council.

Mr. Henry has a particularly powerful interest in "lighting up" young people to the excitement and wonders of science. He has been involved with the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair for more than 20 years. As a winner of the international science fair competition as a youth, this organization has had a great impact on Gary's life. Winning the competition for creating a computer (which he still has), opened up many doors of opportunity such as an invitation by the President of the United States to witness the launch of Apollo 12 and tour of Apollo 13; to attend the National Youth Conference on Atomic Energy; to attend the conference on Nuclear Astrophysics; and even helped him earn his first job with IBM as a teenager. Mr. Henry currently serves as the Chairman of the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair's Board of Directors and as Fair Director. In this role, he spearheads securing sponsors, judges and awards for the event and helps marshal all of the resources that make the Fair possible for 300 of the region's students each year.

At the Chamber, in addition to his service on the Chamber Board of Directors, Mr. Henry volunteered to spearhead the Chamber's computer, information and telephony technology overhaul.

The Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award was established in 1998. The recipient is a Chamber representative who: demonstrates commitment to, and enthusiasm for, our Chamber's mission and our Chamber member enterprises; has given energy and time to our Chamber of Commerce and to our Greater Charlottesville communities; and, has provided assistance, expertise, resources or services to our Chamber for the benefit of our Chamber, our member enterprises and our Greater Charlottesville communities.