Board and Officers – Sojourn Center

Board of Directors and Officers

Samara McMillion Abplanalp, Treasurer

Certified Public Accountant, McMillion & McMillion, PC Samara McMillion Abplanalp is a certified public accountant and owner of a public accounting firm, McMillion & McMillion, PC. She grew up in Blacksburg, VA and loves the community and opportunity to work with many diverse clients in the New River Valley, and worldwide. She spends her “spare” time with her husband and daughter, and their small zoo of cats and dogs. She became involved with Sojourn Center when her father served on the board as Treasurer, and after his passing, she accepted the honor to serve as Treasurer with the mission much closer to her heart. About serving as Treasurer of Sojourn Center, she says “Both hospice patients and their families need support during a difficult time for all involved. There is a great need for this support in the New River Valley, Virginia, and Sojourn Center is working hard to fulfill this need with a future inpatient hospice house for the New River Valley.”

John L. Bush, AIA

Code Review Architect, Office of University Building Official, Virginia Tech, John Bush is a member of the American Institute of Architects and has worked as an architect in Virginia Tech Facilities since January 2001. He has worked professionally as an architect in the University Architect’s Office, the Office of University Planning and currently in the Office of the University Building Official. He served on Blacksburg Town Council for 14 years between years between 2010 and 2024. John recieved his BA after studying the Great Books including philosophy, history, and Ancient Greek at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM and holds a M.ARCH from Virginia Tech. He and his family have lived in Blacksburg since 1984. “Giving back to the Blacksburg community is a driving force for me, and work on issues of livability and quality of life are the driving forces behind my public service. Nothing exemplifies this more than the critical necessity of hospice services and the critical necessity of hospice services and the critical need for a local hospice house for our community.”

Anne Judkins Campbell, RNC, MEd, MSN, President

Retired New River Valley Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Anne Judkins Campbell, is a Blacksburg native and founding member of the Sojourn Center board, along with Tina Smusz and Harry McCoy. After 25 years as a women’s health nurse practitioner and the first NP in the NRV, Anne retired in 2004 from Montgomery Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inc. and LewisGale Hospital – Montgomery. She volunteered at the Free Clinic of the New River Valley for 27 years before it became The Community Health Center of the NRV. Campbell retired from her professional work to care for her elderly mother. She was the primary home hospice caregiver for her parents in 2002 and 2005 under the care of Carilion Clinic Hospice. Anne is active in the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church and the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech and serves as President of the Sojourn Center Board. On what drew her to Sojourn Center, she says “Just as with birth, we have but one opportunity to ‘get it right’ at the end of life. I want to be part of this local effort to promote living well until the end of life.

Richard M. “Rick” DiSalvo, Jr.

Rick DiSalvo, Civil Engineer, retired, Executive Vice President and COO, Draper Aden Associates , a mid-Atlantic environmental engineering and surveying firm. Since retiring, he has started a ministry at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, His Hands, providing home repair services to elderly and disabled parishioners. He serves on the board and maintains the building of the Montgomery County Christmas Store, an all-volunteer, community-wide organization assisting low-income families during the Christmas season. Holding a B.S. and M.S. Civil Engineering degrees from Virginia Tech, DiSalvo brings extensive engineering experience to the board “Having lost family members under the care of hospice, I deeply appreciated the love and care shared with my family by the hospice nurses. My parents passed from their home, but not everyone has that option. The peacefulness of my parents’ passing in their home setting under hospice care is an experience that others should be able to choose. Having a hospice house in the NRV would allow families to know their loved ones are receiving compassionate care in a homelike setting. Family members could gather, much like they would in the comfort of their own home settings, as they prepare to say goodbye to a loved one.” “I am honored to part of the team working to make a Hospice House in the NRV a reality.”

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter is the associate pastor at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church and an (APC) American Professional Chaplains board certified chaplain who specializes in working with individuals experiencing grief and loss. Emily has served as a bereavement counselor and chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospice, Montgomery Hospice in Rockville, MD and VCU Medical Center in Richmond, VA. She has also held pastoral roles at Hermon Presbyterian Church and The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Emily earned both a Masters of Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA.
Whether guiding congregants through funerals and memorial services as a pastor, supporting patients and families at end of life as a chaplain in hospice and hospital settings, or facilitating grief support groups as a bereavement counselor, Emily has almost a decade of experience in end of life care. She believes that grief is sacred, that tears are holy, that laughter is salvific (and possible to find again). Mostly, she encourages people coping with the loss of a loved one to be exceedingly gentle with themselves. “When folks enter hospice care, they often feel that they’ve exhausted all their options. Hospice houses can widen possibilities in a time when choices around one’s care feel limited. When home care does not feel like the best fit for a patient and family’s needs and a return to the hospital is not ideal, a hospice house offers another way forward. It gentles the journey, combining the comforts of home with skilled and compassionate care in a space that is better equipped to meet a broader range of needs. I am excited to help bring such a vital resource to the New River Valley.”

Andy Morikawa

Andy Morikawa is no stranger to Sojourn Center as he becomes a member of the board in January, 2024. He has helped Sojourn Center professionally as the facilitator of several workshops for our board, for the board and extended friends of Sojourn Center, and for the executive committee over the years. More recently, he has attended several board meetings to help us assess how we might effectively move forward during our current “pause” as we observe the Medicare regulations related to hospice and the usage of hospice services in the NRV and determine when is the appropriate time to fundraise and build a hospice facility

Andy Morikawa, a third gen Japanese American, is a former Peace Corps Volunteer ESL teacher and trainer. Following Peace Corps in the Palau District of Micronesia, Andy found a career in nonprofit work, primarily in the New River Valley, beginning in 1979. He has served as executive director for New River Community Action and founding executive director for the Community Foundation of the New River Valley. As a volunteer he serves and has served on the boards of directors of local, regional, and national nonprofits. He is IPG Senior Fellow at the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance where he is a team member serving the development of community change organizations. He founded and hosted an IPG podcast, Trustees Without Borders. He lives in Blacksburg with Susan, his wife. His three children, three grandchildren, and great grandson all live in the New River Valley.

Regarding his interest in Sojourn Center, Andy says, “Anne Campbell of the Sojourn Center reached out to me many years ago to help facilitate planning sessions during the Center’s startup. I’d not previously known about hospice houses and felt drawn into the conversation. I was then in my late 60s and starting to look ahead and consider how to explore and develop an end of life practice of my own. Since then I’ve embraced my elderhood and the prospect of my life’s end as an enormously rich opportunity for growth about life’s meaning. So, when the board extended an invitation to become a member of the Sojourn Center Board, I realized I’d need to change my decision to not accept any more invitations to do volunteer work. Likely, this will be my last assignment. I look forward to it and am glad to be in the good company of the Sojourn Center’s distinguished trustees.”

Rhonda M. Rogers, Corresponding Secretary

Former Assistant & Office Manager, retired, Student Affairs Cultural and Community Centers, Virginia Tech Rhonda Rogers worked as executive assistant and office manager in the Student Affairs Division at Virginia Tech for 45 years. She was recognized for meritorious service to students by the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers, received the Virginia Tech Division of Student Affairs Heroine Award, was a recipient of the Virginia Tech President’s Award for Excellence and following her retirement, received the 2019 Staff Career Achievement Award. Rogers holds an associate’s degree in secretarial science from Wytheville Community College and earned a career studies certificate from New River Community College. Rogers is lay leader at Asbury United Methodist Church. She is married to Phil Rogers, and has two children and three grandsons. “Fellow board member, Ed Spencer, invited me to join the Sojourn Center board because of the experience I had with my dad. We discussed palliative and hospice care as his health continued to fail and this raised questions for me about the process, the cost, and how it would be beneficial for us. I hope that serving on this board will educate me so that I may be able to help someone else.”

Edward Spencer, Ph.D., Vice President

Vice President Emeritus for Student Affairs, Virginia Tech Edward Spencer earned the title of Vice President Emeritus for Student Affairs at Virginia Tech when he retired in 2012 after a 42-year career in student affairs administration at Virginia Tech and at the University of Delaware. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in social psychology from Delaware, an M.A. in student personnel administration in higher education from Syracuse, and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Rochester. He has received numerous professional and community awards and served on a variety of boards and committees. In retirement, he serves locally as chairman of the board of directors of Warm Hearth, Inc. and as vice president of the Sojourn Center Board. He does occasional consulting for other colleges and universities. Most importantly, he is grandfather to Quin and Brandon Spencer who live just three blocks away from him in Blacksburg. “Through the difficult deaths of family members and friends, I have grown to appreciate the tremendous difference a hospice house can make in the final days of life, both for the individual and for his/her family and caregivers. Likewise, the fact that Virginia has only 10 licensed hospice houses while North Carolina has 41, has made it clear to me that we have a void that must be filled!”

Lisa T. Sprinkel, MSN, RN

Vice President, Home Care, Hospice, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Lisa Sprinkel has served in various leadership roles over the course of her career. However her work in supporting patients and families through end of life care has been the most meaningful and informative of her career. She has served as senior director of Carilion Clinic Hospice since 2006 and senior director of Carilion Clinic Home Care five years previously and is the current Vice President of Home Care and Hospice. She received her diploma in nursing from Roanoke Memorial Hospital’s School of Professional Nursing, her bachelor’s degree in business from Mary Baldwin, and her M.S. in nursing administration from Jefferson College of Health Sciences. “We, as health care providers, have a duty and obligation to our patients to understand, acknowledge and respect their wishes in all aspects of their health care experience. That duty becomes an imperative when we are accompanying them through the process of a potentially life limiting illness, and we have opportunities to improve. My mission is to present hospice and end-of-life care as a means to healing the soul when healing the body is no longer possible.”

Nicole Thompson, BSN, RN, CHPN, MSPC

Palliative Nurse Specialist LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, Nicole Thompson has been a Registered Nurse for over 27 years. 22 of those years were spent working as an ICU nurse at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, and the last 5 years she worked as a Nurse Case Manager for Carilion Hospice in the New River Valley. Most recently, Nicole has taken on the role of Palliative Nurse Specialist at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, where she serves as a consultant for those with serious and chronic illnesses, advocating for a focus on comfort and quality of life. Promoting and facilitating difficult conversations with patients, families and the Interdisciplinary Team regarding goals of care, as the Palliative Nurse Specialist, Nicole is available to provide an extra layer of support to those facing life limiting or life threatening illnesses. Nicole graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Jefferson College in 1993, then received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1997 from Virginia Commonwealth University. She completed her Master’s of Science in Palliative Care from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in December, 2023. Throughout her career, Nicole has attained 3 specialty certifications, currently maintaining that of Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN). A Christiansburg native, Nicole is an active member of her local church, Faith Missionary Baptist. She and her husband Greg are blessed with their blended family of 5 very busy high school and college age children. “As a hospice and now palliative nurse, I have walked alongside many patients and families through their end-of-life journey. While this road is often difficult, the support and education provided by the hospice team can make an immeasurable impact and yet is so underutilized. My passion is to bring the expertise and compassion of dedicated hospice professionals to more and more folks across the New River Valley. For this reason, it is my honor to serve on the board of Sojourn Center and I look forward to seeing the hospice house’s establishment.”

Jerry W. Via, Ph.D.

Associate Dean Emeritus, Virginia Tech College of Sciences Jerry W. Via is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. He graduated from Roanoke College with a Bachelor of Science, obtained his master’s in zoology from the College of William and Mary, and completed his doctorate at Virginia Tech. He served Virginia Tech in several capacities, starting as an assistant professor in the department of biology, then as assistant registrar, and coordinator of athletic advising. Jerry was then appointed to assistant dean for curriculum and advising for the College of Arts and Sciences and later the College of Science. His specialty is the ecology and natural history of birds. Jerry has led many field trips for bird watchers around the state as well as Costa Rica, and was the coordinator for an education abroad program in the Dominican Republic for seven years. He has taught for 23 years in Elderhostel/Road Scholar programs across Virginia as well. Jerry serves as the president of the New River Valley Bird Club and gives many natural history presentations for bird clubs and other groups. He is also a lifelong member of First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Virginia. After 37 years of teaching and advising, Jerry looks forward to traveling and other opportunities for teaching and helping others. “A hospice house provides a homelike environment with loving care for patients and family as they face the end of life. It is time for the New River Valley to have this resource for those who need special care not available in their homes.”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”