The Roanoker - January/February 2021 - 32

40 UNDER 40

Jaclyn Nunziato, MS, MD, 38
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics
and Gynecology Carilion Clinic
Virginia Tech School of Medicine/
Executive Director and Founder of
Huddle Up Moms

" ... Roanoke makes everyone in
the community feel a sense of
pride to be a part of this great
city. "
Dr. Jaclyn Nunziato earned a
Bachelor of Science with a minor
in History and concentration
in Women's Studies from
Villanova University in 2004,
her Masters of Science in
Molecular Biology from Farleigh
Dickinson University in 2007
and completed her medical
degree at Loyola Stritch School
of Medicine in Chicago. Her
multiple awards include the
Apple Award for Excellence from
Virginia Tech Carilion School
of Medicine in 2018-19. She also
creates educational resources
(newsletters, blogs, panels)
on women's health issues and
is the founder of Huddle Up
Moms, a nonprofit dedicated
to empowering women. " My
role ... has afforded me the
opportunity to work with so
many wonderful leaders in the
community who share the same
passion of providing quality
care and support to the women
of Roanoke, " she says. " It takes
a village to raise a family and I
want to empower women with
the tools and access to resources
they need to thrive in their
life, marriage, motherhood,
relationships and within the
community. "
*	 2019 Faculty Teaching Award SASGOG, Society of Academic
Specialists in General
Obstetrics and Gynecology

32 JAN/FEB 2021

Tim Pohlad-Thomas, 36

Christina Rouse, 38

Chloe Shelton, 21

Outreach and Communications
Specialist, RIDE Solutions

Children's Advocacy Center Director/
Lead Forensic Interviewer,
Children's Trust

Filmmaker, Chloe Shelton Films

" ...our entire community works
together to solve problems, create
incredible new experiences and
share our love of this beautiful
city with everyone who is willing
to listen. "

" ...we've enjoyed the 'small
town' feel in conjunction with
the enormous opportunities for
outdoor activities. "

Tim Pohlad-Thomas serves the
citizens of Roanoke as part of
the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany
Regional Commission daily,
helping people save money
and improve their quality of
life with alternative forms of
transportation. He is a 2018
Leadership Roanoke Valley
graduate, Vice President of the
Clean Valley Council board,
a 5 Points Music Foundation
board member, the Experience
Outside Program Chair with
Get2KnowNoke and the FloydFest
Outdoor Adventure Director. A
tireless advocate for our region,
his passion for helping people
and the environment combined
with his love for the area has
resulted in partnerships with
Roanoke Parks and Recreation,
Roanoke Stormwater, Roanoke
Valley Preservation Foundation
and others; this allows him to
spread his love of Roanoke and
the surrounding areas to as many
people as possible through events
like Clean Valley's Riverfest, Night
Rider's Ball, RIDE's yearly social
rides and Roanoke GO Outside
Festival. " With my event planning
experience and my willingness
to be involved in anything and
everything I can, I have had the
privilege of working with so many
incredible organizations to help
make Roanoke just a little more
awesome, " he says.

Christina Rouse earned her degree
in Psychology from Virginia Tech
in 2004 and her Masters of Social
Work from Radford University
in 2006. She began working at
Children's Trust in 2007, rising
to Director of the CAC program
in 2013. With over 300 hours of
training in her field on forensic
interviewing, she has completed
over 1,600 interviews of abused
and neglected children and directs
the operation and employees in
the Roanoke, New River Valley,
Bedford and Carroll County
CAC offices. Rouse is qualified
as an expert witness to testify
in numerous civil and criminal
court hearings in the state, is
part of the faculty for Virginia's
statewide Forensic Interview
training program ChildFirst.
She speaks at state and national
conferences in her field and has
held officer positions on the Board
of Directors for the Children's
Advocacy Centers of Virginia.
" The CAC program is providing
a space for children and families
who have experienced trauma
and a place to feel supported and
to begin the healing process, "
Rouse says. " The children we serve
are the future of the Roanoke
community and impacting their
long-term wellbeing is paramount
to building a thriving community.
Day in and day out, I love what
I do and the mission of the CAC
program. "

*	 Ferrum College President's
Innovation Team member
*	 Clean Valley's Riverfest
Planning Committee member

*	 Hosts her bi-weekly podcast
about board gaming,
relationships and the
interaction between the two

" [Roanoke] is very rich in
history, which I love. Everywhere
you turn, there is a story to be
told. "
Chloe Shelton is an awardwinning filmmaker who not
only writes and directs original
content, but also works with
other local filmmakers in the
area and beyond to produce their
films. She also partnered with
the Salem Historical Society
and Museum to research, write
and direct a film that served
as a centerpiece for their WWI
exhibit. Four of her films have
been screened in Times Square
at the All American High School
Film Festival. She is a recipient
of four regional Student Emmys
from the National Academy of
Television Arts and has received
over 35 awards for her films in
the festival circuit. A published
author, avid reader and history
buff and researcher, she is the
current Young Preservationist
of the Year winner through
Preservation Virginia. " I love
to include the Roanoke Valley
in my filmmaking endeavors in
any way I can, " Shelton says. " My
hope is that ... I can continue to
bring my passion of filmmaking
to Roanoke. I would love to see
more film professionals choose
to stay in Roanoke or move here
to pursue the craft. "
*	 Recipient of FOUR Regional
Student Emmys from the
National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences
*	 Winner of the Heritage
Education Award from
Roanoke Preservation
Foundation
*	 Does portrait photography
and colorization of historic
photographs

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