Jon D. Strother, Springfield, term expires, 6/30/11
Chairman
Mr. Strother graduated from Howard University in 1964 and accepted a commission as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force. He was assigned to various locations in the U.S. as well as in Turkey, Germany, Viet Nam and Thailand. After leaving the Air Force, Mr. Strother began a 28-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency where he served in a variety of positions including analyst, presidential briefing coordinator, administrative officer and finally, senior investigator in the Office of Inspector General. Mr. Strother retired in October 2004 with over 40 years of service.
In 1979, Mr. Strother was appointed to the Fairfax County Human Rights Commission. Subsequently, he served many years as that commission’s Chairman and Vice Chairman and helped to make that commission one of the most effective local commissions in the nation and one that became a model for other local jurisdictions when creating their commissions.
In the early to mid-1980s, Mr. Strother led a statewide, nonpartisan coalition with the goal of creating a human rights commission for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Governors Robb and Baliles appointed Mr. Strother to a two-year study commission that proposed legislation to create such a commission. In 1987, with strong bi-partisan support, the General Assembly created the Virginia Council on Human Rights.
In 1995, Mr. Strother was a cofounder and the first president of the Virginia Association of Human Rights Commissioners, now known as the Virginia Association for Human Rights.
In June 2003, Governor Warner selected Mr. Strother to be Chairman of the Virginia Council on Human Rights.