As 2020 begins, Savon Shelton Sampson is readying for an “exciting” new year serving as president of the Junior League of Richmond.

“It’s a new decade,” the Glen Allen resident says. “It’s endless amounts of opportunity for us to really close the gap in amplifying our impact in the community.”

The 37-year-old, who began her one-year term as JLR president in May, is leading the nonprofit organization’s efforts to promote and develop volunteer work among women leaders to improve the Greater Richmond community.

JLR was formed in 1926 by 59 women, becoming part of the wider Association of Junior Leagues International a year later. The Richmond group now boasts 852 members dedicated to local community service and a variety of annual events it uses to achieve its mission.

The Henrico native first joined JLR in the summer of 2010 following a yearlong venture in Minneapolis. She joined at the suggestion of a friend.

What Mrs. Sampson initially saw as an avenue to make new friends and contribute to the community has grown to a deep dedication to an organization for which she has served as a new member adviser, vice president of membership and chair of multiple committees over the course of nearly a decade.

“The league has been such a safe place for me to grow and develop as a leader,” Mrs. Sampson says. “It’s a place where you can fail. It’s a place where you can learn. It’s a place where you can succeed. It’s a place where you can innovate all while still doing your day job or whatever passions that you have.”

Mrs. Sampson’s tenure at the helm already has led to several accomplishments for JLR, from efforts to ensure the group’s financial stability “for the next 93 years,” she says, to a record-breaking “Touch A Truck” fundraiser at the Richmond Raceway to opening “The Rolling Rack,” a mobile companion to The Clothes Rack thrift store the group operates.

The Junior League most recently expanded its community focus area from the city’s East End to the Greater Richmond community in September as part of a new initiative, “Women Helping Women and Girls.”

While Mrs. Sampson’s tenure ends in mid-2020, she has multiple plans for where she wants to take JLR before she steps down, ranging from improving member engagement to a four-point strategic plan for the next four years that includes greater communication with local partners and new methods to increase JLR’s visibility.

These projects will work to address what Mrs. Sampson sees as JLR’s greatest challenge: Improving its impact in the Greater Richmond community.

She says more than half of JLR’s members are “sustainers,” who regularly pay dues but largely serve in an advisory capacity. That’s a marked contrast to the more active members Mrs. Sampson says JLR needs “to pinpoint our impact” in Richmond and more easily explain the good JLR does to the public at large.

“We’re not able to say that right now and that’s really where we’d like to be,” Mrs. Sampson says.

Despite the work ahead, Mrs. Sampson remains confident that 2020 will be a good year for the organization that she says engenders and places so much trust in its leaders, while supporting them with a diverse coalition united in elevating the Richmond community.

“Every single year we give a new leader the opportunity to manage a million-dollar nonprofit,” Mrs. Sampson says. “You’ve got this whole group of people who’ve got your back. And to me, that’s what makes it so special.”

Meet a leader shaping others dedicated to the community good and this week’s Personality, Savon Shelton Sampson:

Occupation: Senior strategic leader at EAB, an education consulting firm that partners with K-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities.

What I do: I collaborate with colleges and universities to develop strategies that will help grow the enrollment of adult learners and graduate students at their institutions.

No. 1 volunteer position: President of the Junior League of Richmond.

Date and place of birth: Nov. 27 in Henrico County.

Current residence: Glen Allen.

Education: Bachelor’s in economics from Hollins University.

Family: Husband, Ernesto Sampson, and two daughters, Alice, 4, and Erica, 2.

When I was elected: Elected president-elect in January 2018; the gavel passed to me as president on May 21, 2019.

Why I wanted to serve: JLR has given me so much in regards to leadership development and I’m passionate about paying it forward to help develop other women to become premier leaders. I am also a huge proponent of sharing measurable outcomes that correlate directly to JLRs impact on the greater Richmond community.

When Junior League of Richmond was formed: 1926.

Mission of JLR: The Junior League of Richmond is an organization of women committed to the mission of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Latest achievement: In September 2019, we voted to change our community focus area to women helping women and girls within the Greater Richmond community.

When and how I got involved with JLR: I joined in the summer of 2010 after one of my friends suggested I join. I had moved back to RVA from Minneapolis.

My reason: I wanted to join as a way to make new friends and give back to the community. JLR’s top projects: For the 2019-2020 league year, I am focused on developing a new strategic plan for 2020-2023; being intentional about leadership development for our members and our community; keeping our members engaged; and being visible and impactful in the community, which includes selecting our new community focus area.

A good leader is: Authentic, empowering, empathetic, expe- rienced, courageous, inclusive, strategic and valuable.

Number of JLR members: 852.

JLR’s interest in diversity of members: JLR welcomes all women who value our mission. We are committed to inclusive en- vironments of diverse individuals, organizations and communities.

What JLR does to promote diversity: This is still a work in progress. We have a committee dedicated to developing our approach to promote diversity and inclusion within JLR and they should be providing their recommendations to the board by the end of the league year on May 31.

JLR’s No. 1 challenge: Amplifying our impact to the greater Richmond community.

How I plan to meet it: Starting now and continuing for the next few years as part of our new strategic plan, we will:

1. Empower our leaders to chal- lenge the status quo and think dif- ferently about how we quantify our impact and outcomes;

2. Communicate our expectations around quantifiable outcomes with our community partners;

3. Launch a new community focus area, Women Helping Women and Girls; and

4. Invest in a relevant marketing strategy and leverage storytelling to showcase our impact.

How I start the day: Assuming positive intent.

A perfect day for me is: Doing something fun with my family and friends.

How I unwind: Working out — running or CrossFit.

At the top of my “to-do” list is: Learning more about my college and university partners so I can deliver value that will translate into enrollment growth.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Ride roller coasters!

Best late-night snack: Popcorn.

A quote that I am inspired by: “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections every year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” — Unknown

The best thing my parents ever taught me: Giving back to my community should be a priority in my life.

Persons who influenced me the most: My daughters. They have taught me how to be selfless and empathetic, to lead with grace and to love unconditionally.

Book that influenced me the most: “Expect to Win: 10 Proven Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace” by Carla A. Harris. What I’m reading now: “From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home” by Tembi Locke.

If I’ve learned one thing in life, it is: Strive for excellence, not perfection.

Next goal: Learn to play golf!