Phyllis Leffler, President
Phyllis K. Leffler is Professor Emerita at The University of Virginia in the field of public history. In addition to two books on public history, she has published award winning articles on museum exhibits and on the history of women at UVA in The Public Historian and the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. She has also published in the Journal of the History of Ideas, French Historical Studies, Transatlantic Studies and Ethnicities. Her interest in documenting peoples’ lives and experiences led her to co-publish “To Seek the Peace of the City: Jewish Life in Charlottesville,” and to be the lead interviewer for the Lowell Weicker Oral History Project, soon to be released through the U.Va. Library. An extensive oral history project with Julian Bond produced both a website and a book entitled Black Leaders on Leadership: Conversations with Julian Bond (2015). She also wrote the twenty-year history of the Ron Brown Scholars Program, published as The Value of One, The Power of All (2017). She is immediate past president of the Southern Jewish Historical Society.
Shelley Murphy, Vice President
A native of Michigan, Dr. Murphy has been an avid genealogist for nearly three decades, specializing in the study and practice of African American genealogical research. She is a much sought-after guest lecturer throughout the country and is well known here in the Central Virginia region for her exceptional work in this field. Dr. Murphy holds a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. She is an Adjunct Professor for Averett University’s satellite campus in Richmond. She also works part time as a Housing Counselor with the Piedmont Housing Alliance, routinely educating citizens on family financial literacy and the benefits of home ownership. Currently, Dr. Murphy is the lead Descendant Project Researcher for the UVA Descendant Outreach Program and Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.
Tim Mullins, Treasurer
Tim has been a finance professional for the past 38 years, is currently the Chief Investment Officer/CIO of Wells Fargo, and is a passionate architectural historian and preservationist. He owns Findowrie Farm in Keswick, VA which is just completing a comprehensive, 5-year renovation of the original home, outbuildings, and grounds.
Luke Roark, Secretary
With a lifelong background in building and craftsmanship, Luke established his own Class A firm, Commonwealth Contractors, in 2020 and has since been recognized for his expertise and commitment to quality. Through his work, Luke aims to honor the legacy of Virginia’s craftsmanship and contribute to the preservation of our unique architectural heritage.
He actively participates in community organizations, including the Charlottesville Greater Area Chamber of Commerce, the Building Goodness Foundation, Shenandoah National Trust Fund, and the Blue Ridge Home Builder Association.
MJ Abbitt
Mary Jae Abbitt (MJ) holds a MSBA from Boston University’s London International Program and graduated from Furman University with a BA (history major, English minor). Her Masters provided expertise in public sector securities’ regulation at the SEC and private sector financial services compliance at NYSE and NASDAQ. A Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, at USAID she advised economic development and better governance controls in European countries preparing for NATO and EU membership and countries in conflict. After working with impoverished children in Bamian Province Afghanistan, she constructed a 500 student school, still operating under Taliban control.
MJ enjoyed enriching her knowledge of the founding era as a part-time Guide at James Monroe’s Highland. She employed both her business and history degrees in restoring and operating Scottsville’s award-winning High Meadow Vineyard Inn and Restaurant. She enjoys community engagement as Chair of the Paramount Theater’s Arts Education Committee and as Highland Commissioner. A gardener, she holds an AA degree in Horticulture & Landscaping. And, researching family genealogy is a special hobby.
MJ looks forward to being a part of ACHS as we celebrate our country’s 250th Anniversary in 2026!
Olivia Brown
Olivia Brown has been a longtime lover of history from the time she was a young girl. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and American Studies from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s Degree in Public History from the University of South Carolina where her thesis research focused on the intersections of Jewish and Southern foodways. She has worked previously as a Tour Guide at James Monroe’s Highland and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and as Community Programs Manager for the Bucks County Historical Society. Her public history work includes volunteering for Historic Columbia and the Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative, where her research was published in the 2023 book, “Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina.” Currently, she works professionally in Sales Operations for Stanley Martin Homes and runs a public and private events company called Trivia with Olivia, and informally as her own family’s genealogist and photo archivist.
Ted Coates
Since retiring from a career in the Navy & Coast Guard, Ted has headed four non-profits as Executive Director. He has and continues to serve on numerous Boards and Committees not only for non-profits, but for government agencies, schools, private clubs, and homeowners associations. He established and obtained 501c3 approval from the IRS for a non-profit dedicated to historic preservation. For several years, Ted taught a course for those considering serving on a non-profit Board called “Doing Good by Serving Well”. He and his wife Martha moved to Charlottesville in 2016 from the Boston area.
Bunny Gibbons
Bunny is a native of Charlottesville. She grew up on her family’s farm showing horses and foxhunting. She attended St. Anne’s-Belfield and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Virginia. Bunny is a realtor for Loring Woodriff Real Estate.
Bunny is a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Board member of the Virginia Thoroughbred Project, Ednam Forest HOA and Ednam HOA. She is a frequent volunteer at Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry and Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. She enjoys playing golf and attending UVa. sporting events with her family.
Helice Henderson Jones
Helice is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree from Howard University and her Master’s Degree in Education Degree from Virginia State University. She is currently a teacher with Hampton City Schools in Hampton, Virginia and most recently a teacher with Newport News Public Schools in Newport News, Virginia.
A descendant of an Enslaved Laborer at UVA, Helice is a founding Board Member of the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at the University of Virginia.
When not teaching in the classroom, Helice enjoys exploring history, genealogy, cruising, and spending time with family. She and her husband, retired Air Force MSGT Charles Jones, Jr., reside in Hampton, Virginia.
Sam Towler
Sam Towler grew up at Everingham Blake’s Schelford Farm in Owensville, just west of Charlottesville. A graduate of Albemarle High School and James Madison University in the 1970s, he lived away from the area and returned in 1994. He was married to Carol Norford Collier and lived in the old Wilkerson farmhouse in Belmont until Carol’s recent death. After settling her estate, he moved to Waynesboro. He worked at Michie Hamlett law firm as a legal assistant from 1995 to his retirement in 2020. Sam has been very active in local history, having compiled two reference books of Court records and written two articles for the Magazine of Albemarle County History, one of which chronicled his mother’s family, the Baileys, and all African-Americans who lived with them at Monticello during the Levy ownership. He was editor of the Central Virginia Genealogy Association newsletter for several years. Sam has been a member of Central Virginia History Researchers since its start and has done volunteer work for many regarding African American Genealogy research. For several years he has volunteered at the Albemarle Circuit Court conserving and working on a new index of the Chancery cases that were not sent to the Library of Virginia.
Gayle Jessup White
Gayle is Monticello’s first Public Relations & Community Engagement Officer, and the first descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved community to be employed by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns and operates Monticello. She began at the Foundation in 2014 as an International Center for Jefferson Studies fellow, combing through old letters, documents, and records for clues to her family’s past. Two years later, she joined the staff as Community Engagement Officer, becoming a principal spokesperson.
A former award-winning TV reporter and anchor, Gayle began her career in journalism at The New York Times, where she interned in the Washington Bureau. She left the Times for Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, earning a Master of Science in Journalism. Gayle spent several years as a TV news reporter and anchor before becoming a public television producer and show host at her undergraduate alma mater, Howard University.
Gayle serves on Virginia’s Citizens Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion, where she is founding chair of the Descendant Committee. She is also a member of the Council of Historic Richmond and serves on the Poplar Forest African American Advisory Group. Her first book, “Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for her Family’s Lasting Legacy,” published by HarperCollins will be released on November 16, 2021.
