Fall Luncheon attendees had the chance to honor two top Virginia communicators.

Pam Stallsmith presented Sande Snead with VPC’s 2026 Communicator of Achievement award. Sande was recognized for her dedication to the profession and breadth of experience – from editing her high school newspaper, to leading multimillion-dollar marketing and advertising campaigns, to raising money to fight leukemia and lymphoma. Snead has exemplified leadership through perseverance, determination and curiosity, including serving as VPC president twice.

Pam Stallsmith presents Sande Snead with this year’s Communicator of Achievement. 

Victoria Bourne, president of the Virginia Press Women Foundation, introduced Chloe McCann as the 2026 Agnes Cooke Scholarship winner. McCann is a student at at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Fredericksburg, where she is majoring in Communication and Digital Studies with a double minor in Journalism and Security and Conflict Affairs. McCann receives a $3,000 scholarship to support her studies and student membership in VPC. Bourne described McCann as having “a rare talent for finding narratives that might otherwise go untold.”

Laura Fortunato, Chloe McCann, and Victoria Bourne