Sergei has a long history in promoting tourism to various Virginia communities including Richmond (where he grew up), Petersburg, Staunton (where he established the tourism program for that community), Bedford, and Lynchburg. He is the only person to have served as president of all four state or regional tourism organization in Virginia: The Virginia Travel Council (now known as the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association); The Virginia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (now known as the Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations), The Shenandoah Valley Travel Association, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Association. He was twice recognized as the Outstanding Local Tourism Director in Virginia. He has served on the boards of numerous non-profits that focus on historic preservation, the visual and performing arts, and downtown revitalization. He has spoken at meetings in San Francisco and in Los Angeles, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Atlanta and Macon, Georgia, Washington, DC, and across Virginia. He is a Life Member of The Victorian Society in America, Preservation Virginia, and the Historic Blandford Cemetery Foundation.
Alexis is not a native of Petersburg, but is an avid lover of the city’s deep and intriguing history. She is an Archeologist, Historian, and Preservationist by training with a concentration in African American, Colonial, and Civil War landscapes and histories. She is also the Project Director for the Enslaved Laborers Field Project, which is a public archeology effort to incorporate local community members in interpreting the lives of the enslaved at Whitehill Plantation. She enjoys “digging” through records at the Virginia Historical Society, transcribing letters and diaries, and looking through the Petersburg Chancery Records.
Kelsi Gale is originally from Reedville, a small fishing town on the Chesapeake Bay. She attended Florida State University, achieving a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, then attended the University of Pennsylvania and achieved a Master of Science in Criminology. Kelsi moved back to the area in 2014 and met her husband, James, an Army Captain, in 2016. He was living in the High Street Lofts and they used to walk down High Street admiring the historic architecture and imagining what it would be like to live in one of the historic homes. In 2018, an uninhabitable house on High Street came on the market; they fell in love with what it could be and decided to undertake a six-month, full rehabilitation (their first) of the property. About halfway into the project, they realized the sense of community they felt on High Street was not present at their home in Willow Lawn and decided to relocate to the Petersburg house after the rehabilitation was completed.
There were several discoveries during the construction project, including a stair tread that was signed in 1876 and a picture where the house is visible that was taken during the Siege of Petersburg that sparked her curiosity and prompted her to delve into and further investigate the origins of the home. After spending countless hours in the records departments and scouring the internet, she realized that she felt like she owed it to the house that had stood for almost 250 years to understand the families and stories that had come before them. The old houses in Petersburg hold a special place in her heart and she has continued to research houses and buildings in Old Towne. Historic preservation is important to her because it breathes life back into these old homes and buildings and allows them to keep giving to the community for years to come. She and James fully understand the amount of work and time that goes into a historic renovation but also have come to understand the saying that “if you love an old house, it’ll love you back.” She is looking forward to becoming active in the Historic Petersburg Foundation and sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for historic architecture but most importantly to learn from others and their experiences in Petersburg.
Born and raised in Dinwiddie County, Norris moved to Petersburg, Virginia in 1978 and settled in Prince George County in 1983, where he currently resides. He is happily married to his high school sweetheart, and together they have two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He graduated from Dinwiddie High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Averett College. For 39 years, he held various management positions at DuPont Teijin Films. Following his retirement from DuPont, he embarked on a career in real estate. In 2014, Norris obtained his Virginia Real Estate license and joined Weichert Realtors Brockwell & Associates. He is dedicated to assisting buyers and sellers achieve their real estate objectives while providing them with an exceptional experience.
Terri joined the HPF Board of Trustees in May 2024. As a trustee, Terri brings nearly 30 years of professional experience from her career with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson’s personal care divisions. Terri held management positions in sales, strategic planning, trade marketing, business analytics, and consumer research. She has prior non-profit board experience with the Selective Mutism Association, when it was known as Selective Mutism Group-Childhood Anxiety Network, and currently serves on Main Street Petersburg Inc.’s Design Committee. Terri and her husband, Dean, moved to Petersburg in Spring 2022 after living 25 years in the greater Princeton, NJ area. They have long had a love of old homes and historic towns, supporting various preservation efforts in the northeast. On a visit to Richmond in Fall 2021, they decided to explore Old Towne Petersburg and quickly became enamored with the sense of community, historic buildings, businesses, and the potential for revitalization. Unable to get Petersburg out of their minds, they made a second visit a month later and decided to move here. Their hopes and expectations of small-town living have been greatly exceeded. The Cardullas support numerous Petersburg organizations. In December 2023, they opened their 200-year-old home for the Holiday Home Tour sponsored by the Historic Petersburg and Battersea Foundations.
Louis is a native of Prince George and greater Petersburg and has a lifelong interest in the story and fabric of our city. Louis worked for Preservation Virginia for nearly forty years before retiring and relocating home to Petersburg in 2017. During his time with Preservation Virginia, he had the joy of managing the stewardship of multiple historic sites across the Commonwealth, including Historic Jamestown, Scotchtown, the John Marshall House, Cape Henry Lighthouse, and Bacon’s Castle, among others. He and his wife, Lucia, live in the Walnut Hill neighborhood and are active in multiple local organizations.
Kyle is a dedicated leader in Petersburg’s historical and tourism communities. He is a former President of the Historic Petersburg Foundation board and remains a board member, demonstrating his continued commitment to the organization’s mission. His passion for Petersburg’s rich history extends to his role on the HPF History Committee. Beyond historic preservation, Kyle actively promotes Petersburg’s tourism industry. He served as President of the Petersburg Tourism Coalition, a vital alliance that brings together stakeholders to enhance the city’s visitor experience. He brought Petersburg’s history to life through his ownership of the John Baird Jr. House (c. 1783) on Grove Avenue. Kyle further deepened visitors’ connection to the city through his historical golf cart tours that were offered by the Petersburg Company.
Jay has been a public servant for many years, serving the following communities in leadership, management, marketing, tourism, parks and recreation, economic development, and capital development: Texarkana, Arkansas, Ruston, Louisiana, Corpus Christi, Texas, Butte-Silver Bow County, Montana, Prince William County, Virginia, San Bernardino County, California, Shreveport, Louisiana, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and Bastrop, Louisiana. Jay’s education includes: University of Virginia—Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service Senior Executive Institute (2008), Centenary College (MBA, 1992), and Louisiana Tech University (BS, 1973). He has served as an Adjunct Professor at Grambling State University (Louisiana) and George Mason University (Virginia) and as an instructor at Mini University (Prince William County, Virginia). Jay was appointed the Executive Director of Crater Planning District Commission in Petersburg, Virginia in March 2023. He is a credential manager with ICMA and a former member of the Texas City Management Association and the Arkansas City Managers Association. Jay and his wife, Kathy, have three children and four grandchildren and reside in Petersburg.
Kathy, a native of Louisiana, has a broad background in non-profit management. She was the founding Director of the Home Again Project in Redlands, California. Kathy was also the founding Executive Director of Leadership Prince William in Prince William County, Virginia. The program unites leaders from diverse backgrounds to improve and strengthen the Prince William County community. She also served as Director of Development for Leadership Arlington. In this role, she was responsible for securing funding for programs, events, and initiatives, helping to ensure the organizations continued impact and sustainability. Kathy also served as Director of the Butte, Montana Literacy Program where she directed a group of volunteers committed to empowering adults in the region to learn to read, learn math skills and obtain their GED. She was instrumental in pioneering an innovative program in a public housing project in Shreveport, LA. In addition, Kathy continues to provide consulting services to non-profits and government agencies. Locally she has served as a member of the Hopewell Downtown Partnership Board and as St. John’s Episcopal Church Vestry liaison to the Outreach Committee. Kathy is Senior Warden, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chester. Kathy attended LA Tech University obtaining a degree in Elementary Education. She also holds a Specialization Degree in Early Childhood Education from Grambling State University. Kathy is married to Jay Ellington, Executive Director of Crater Planning District Commission. Jay and Kathy returned to Virginia to enjoy their children and grandchildren. Her proudest achievements are her three children, Chris, Lindy, and Parker; their spouses Roy and Terry; and her grandchildren, Landry and Jackson Burns and Beaux and Grayson Ellington. Kathy lives with her husband and 18-year-old dog, Winston, in a historic High Street Petersburg, VA home. She maintains that the home dictates its needs, and she is determined to listen.
Rachel is honored to be a part of the Historic Petersburg Foundation’s board. Petersburg holds a very special place in her heart; she has fond memories of her childhood here, with her history-enthusiast father often bringing her to explore the area. Those early visits sparked an interest that blossomed into a true love for this city and its fascinating history. Professionally, her life also keeps her deeply rooted in Petersburg as a proud local business owner of Evermore Bridal Boutique and the Assistant Vice President and Branch Leader at Truist Bank in Petersburg.
Damon is a writer, historian, culinary educator, and internationally-recognized authority on Southern cooking and its history. The author of nine cookbooks, he has provided commentary for reprints of several historical cookbooks and was editor and recipe developer for the Jefferson Foundation’s first cookbook, Dining at Monticello: In Good Taste and Abundance. What he brings to the Historic Petersburg Foundation Board, however, is deeper than a knowledge of what came out of its historic kitchens. After earning a Master of Architecture with a thesis on Historic Preservation and Restoration from Clemson University, he practiced architecture and preservation for more than a decade in Savannah, Georgia, before turning to culinary history. He lives, writes, and eats in Petersburg’s Historic Walnut Hill neighborhood, where he and his husband are restoring a 1942 Federal Revival house and its garden.
