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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Chamber ALX on Thursday named the public safety honorees for its 2026 Community Champions Honors, completing the slate for an awards breakfast that will recognize members of the Sheriff's Office, Police Department, Department of Emergency and Customer Communications and Fire Department alongside the six essential-services honorees previously announced.
The breakfast, presented by Inova Health System, is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, from 8 to 10 a.m. at Belle Haven Country Club, 6023 Fort Hunt Road. Registration opens at 8 a.m., the program begins at 8:30 a.m., and the event concludes at 10 a.m. Tickets are $65 for chamber members and $75 for prospective members. Attire is listed as "your version of business" or uniform.
Sheriff's Response of the Year: Project Lifesaver Team
The Sheriff's Office honoree is the Project Lifesaver Team, a 19-member group that uses search-and-rescue training and radio technology to locate adults and children who may wander due to Alzheimer's, Down syndrome, autism or dementia, the chamber said. Members are on call 24 hours a day in addition to their regular duties. In November, the team located an Alexandria resident within an hour of his wandering from home and reunited him with his family, according to the chamber.
The team includes Lt. Andrea Diaz, Lt. Robert Gilmore and Lt. Victor Ignacio; Sgts. Cassandra Branch, Corey Bryant, Deon Eaddy, Myrna Juarez, Brian Muck, Hafsa Munir and Sean Williams; Investigator Carlos Cañas; Master Deputies Toyia Brown, Samuel Clark, Morgan Garner, Ricky Hart, Shayla Leonard and Sean Scalasky; and Deputies Kelly Allen and Gjavon Wooden.
Police Response of the Year: Officer Ahmad Rahim
The Police Department honoree is Officer Ahmad Rahim, who is being recognized for the rescue of an unresponsive 3-year-old. According to the chamber, Rahim secured building access, reached the sixth floor, located the child and began CPR before medics arrived. The child showed signs of life during chest compressions, including movement and a returning pulse. Rahim and EMS personnel coordinated to clear an airway before the child was transported to a hospital.
DECC Response of the Year: Group D
The Department of Emergency and Customer Communications honoree is Group D, which fielded a 911 call from a driver reporting that he had been stabbed but who refused to stop for assistance or provide his location, the chamber said. Using available technology, dispatchers identified the southbound vehicle and coordinated with surrounding agencies. The caller also reported that he had shot another person, prompting hospital notifications and cross-checks for recent gunshot admissions, which allowed the incident to be linked to a related event in a neighboring jurisdiction.
Group D includes Public Safety Communications Officers I Malika Jackson, Darnell Williams and Vilma Garcia; and Public Safety Communications Officers II Briana Mack, Christina Graves and Juanita Walker.
Fire Response of the Year: Mid-air collision response
The Fire Department recognition will honor members who responded to the Jan. 29, 2025, mid-air collision over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport, which killed all 67 people aboard an American Eagle regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. The chamber recognized the department's Marine Operations Division for its response last year, with Chief Felipe Hernandez, Jr. accepting on the division's behalf. This year's award extends recognition to additional personnel "following a respectful passage of time since the incident," the chamber said.
Transportation Unit honorees are Nancy McFadden, John Blocker, Jesse Turner, Reginald Ford, Tyler Fredericks, Lori Taylor, Warren Sollers, Tyrone Gibbons, Fiera Givens, Hunter Borner, Rossana Lazo, Tylet Smith and Von Abbot. Suppression Unit honorees are Lt. Sylvester Shorter, Tara Blunt, Travis Jones, Quinten Jenkins, Capt. Nathan Krause, Russell Thorn, Zachary Stamm, Amanda Donohoue, Zion Woods-Dodson, Lt. Dennis Short, Zachary Whitmore, Lloyd Waller, Andre Dula, Lt. Jeremiah Sisler, Samantha Baskin, Leon Kittrell, Jason Grimes, Capt. Sean Europe, Joseph Payne, Ryan Kilner and Khalei Gaines-Kelly. Additional honorees are Capt. Brett Fitzgerald, Capt. Jason Wehmeyer and Battalion Chief David Plunkett.
Previously announced honorees
The Chamber ALX previously named six essential-services honorees for the 2026 program: Educator of the Year Mesia Dillard-Warner of the Campagna Center; Government Employee of the Year Helen McIlvaine of the City of Alexandria's Office of Housing; Hospitality Employee of the Year Guillermo Ruiz of the Westin Alexandria Old Town; Health Professional Employee of the Year Emma Bland of Woodbine Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center; Senior Provider of the Year Charity Ampong of Goodwin House Alexandria; and Utility Employee of the Year Terry Stanley of Virginia American Water.
Registration is open through The Chamber ALX. Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Lovie Patish at lpatish@thechamberalx.com.
Disclosure: The Alexandria Brief is a paying member of The Chamber ALX and a member of the chamber's Inner Circle.
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