At-Large Representative - Lynchburg City Council

Bert Dodson, Jr. was born and raised in the Lynchburg area. After graduation from Brookville High School in 1971, he attended Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond, where he earned his BS degree in Business Administration in 1976.

He is President and CEO of Dodson Bros. Exterminating Co., Inc., of Lynchburg, which currently has 33 offices in five states. Dodson Bros., founded in 1944, is one of the largest family-owned pest control firms in the country.

He is an Elder at Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church, is a member of the State Leadership Council of the National Federation of Independent Business, the Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary, and the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce. He is also on the Executive Board of Trustees of Virginia University of Lynchburg and was Chairman of The American Heart Walk for the Lynchburg area in 2001 and 2002, and a member of 2005 Commonwealth of Virginia Commission on Transportation in Urbanized Areas.

Dodson received the 1999 Sam Walton Business Leader Award. The annual award is given to a member of the Greater Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce who embodies the principles of Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton. He also received the Virginia Pest Management Industry Stewardship Award in 2002 for outstanding service to the pest management industry and the State Association. He was named the 2006 Small-Business Champion in Virginia by the National Federation of Independent Business. In October 2007 Dodson received the Lynchburg Fire and EMS Department's 2007 Advocacy Award.

He was first elected to Lynchburg City Council in May 1998, re-elected for a second term in May 2002 and for a third term in May 2006.

Dodson and his wife, Theresa, have four daughters, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Rachel and Kara.

At-Large Representative - Lynchburg City Council

Joan Foster, Chief Operating Officer of the Alliance for Families and Children, has lived in the Lynchburg area for 33 years and received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Lynchburg College. In her present position at the Alliance she is responsible for providing leadership in such areas as management of prevention programs, grant writing, advocacy, and representation to state and federal agencies. She assists in managing the budget for the Alliance, which is the largest United Way member agency. She believes that she has developed skills in finding ways to eliminate expenses and redirect resources for the private non-profit organization, skills that will be useful to Council.

Foster cites her extensive experience in serving the families and children of Central Virginia as one of her main reasons she ran for City Council. She states: "City Council must take a pro-active approach to making Lynchburg the best place it can be for everyone who lives here. We must strive for the best possible education for our children, the best possible jobs for our workforce, and the best possible living conditions for everyone."

Foster has been married for 41 years to Bob Foster, a pharmacist at Wal-Mart. The couple has three grown children, two daughters, Janna and Hilary, a son, Robb, and three grandchildren, Grace, and twins Lily and Annie.

Ward I Representative - Lynchburg City Council

Michael Gillette was born and raised in Connecticut, and moved to Virginia in 1990. Email Michael Gillette at michael.gillette@lynchburgva.gov

Dr. Gillette attended Brandeis University as an undergraduate where he graduated magna-cum laude with majors in Philosophy and Classical Greek. He graduated with highest honors in Philosophy and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Gillette then went on to receive his Master's and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Brown University where he wrote a doctoral dissertation in the field of clinical ethics.

Michael came to Lynchburg to accept a teaching position at Randolph-Macon Woman's college where he rose to the level of Associate Professor and was awarded tenure. Currently, he is President of his own medical ethics consulting business, 'Bioethical Services of Virginia, Inc.' and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Univeristy of Virginia School of Medicine.

Michael and Jodi Gillette have been married for 25 years and they have two daughters, Rachel and Rebecca.

Ward III Representative - Lynchburg City Council

Jeff Helgeson, originally from Bloomington, Minnesota, came to Lynchburg, Virginia in 1985 to pursue a degree in Finance from Liberty University. He graduated in 1988 and continued his education, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Liberty in 1990.

In 2001, Helgeson earned a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from American College, considered the pinnacle of professional education in the financial services industry. He is a Chartered Financial Consultant and a Chartered Life Underwriter.

Since completing his education, Helgeson has been civically active, serving as a former president of the Lynchburg Jaycees, former member of the Lynchburg Planning Commission and as a member of the President’s Advisory Council with the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.

A former high school and collegiate wrestler, he also works as the Assistant Wrestling Coach at Jefferson Forest High and chairs the LU Wrestling foundation, with the goal of bringing back the sport of wrestling to the university. Helgeson is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting and camping. He also volunteers with Big Brothers, Big Sisters as a Big Brother.

Helgeson describes himself as fiscally conservative and he brings that philosophy to City Council. “Fiscal responsibility is an important issue for me, says, Helgeson, and I believe we should be sure the City lives within its means.”

He was elected to the Ward III City Council seat in May 2004 and serves on Council’s Finance and Planning Committee.