Locke assumed her role as president in February 2024. She is responsible for developing and executing the strategy that enables the VFIC to achieve its mission of connecting deserving students with the excellent, personalized, and values-based independent education offered by the 17 VFIC schools.
An innovative thinker who is well acquainted with the philanthropic community in Virginia, Locke previously served as the Virginia State Director for The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization.
Before joining The Nature Conservancy, Locke was President of the Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia. In addition to her work in the nonprofit sector, Ogens has more than fifteen years of successful experience as a portfolio manager and investor for small—to mid-cap companies.
Ogens earned a BA in American History from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. She serves as Chair of The Salvation Army’s Charlottesville Advisory Board and as a board member and secretary of Foxfield Races. Locke previously served as a board member and chair of the College Foundation at the University of Virginia.
Elizabeth “Liz” Blaine joined the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges in January 2024. Liz has extensive experience in principal gift fundraising and executive team leadership. Before joining the VFIC, Liz held development positions and served on the leadership teams of distinguished mission-based nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she served as Director of Philanthropy for the Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where she led a team of fundraising professionals to raise significant private operating and endowment support. Other roles included Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts, for the College Foundation of the University of Virginia, her alma mater; Director of Development for The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the private nonprofit which owns and operates Monticello; and Associate Director of Development for the University of Virginia Cancer Center. Before becoming a development professional, Liz was a business lawyer in private practice and served as in-house counsel in the hospitality industry.
Liz is passionate about providing access for deserving students to private, independent colleges and universities in Virginia. Together with business trustees, college presidents, donors, and leadership team colleagues, she looks forward to taking scholarship fundraising at VFIC to the next level, to better serve the member schools and their students.
Blaine holds a BA with Distinction in Art History and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is a former trustee of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia and Elk Hill Farm in Goochland, Virginia.
As Chief Operating Officer at the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Mary-Beth Johnson is responsible for the internal operations including day-to-day management of the organization. She has been with the Foundation for the past twenty years, since 2004.
Mary-Beth’s non-profit professional history includes more than twenty-seven years of working in Richmond, VA for organizations including Emergency Shelter, Inc./Home Again, St. Joseph’s Villa and currently for the VFIC. During her non-profit career, Mary-Beth has been responsible for all areas of fund raising including the annual fund, major gifts, capital initiatives, grant writing, planned giving and special events. Prior to her work in Richmond, she was the Distribution Supervisor for Production Masters, Inc. and TPC Communications both in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While working at the audio and video postproduction companies, she was responsible for processing all duplication orders, trafficking for ad agencies and broadcast clients and the distribution of nationally syndicated programs.
Johnson holds a BA from the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia and a certificate in Management from the Darden School of Business. In addition, she holds certificates in non-profit and volunteer management from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of South Carolina respectively.
She is a past-President for the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives and has held positions on the boards of the Virginia Pharmacists Association Research and Education Foundation Board, the New Community School, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra League and the Junior League of Pittsburgh. Johnson is a graduate of the 2006 Leadership Metro Richmond program and a 2019 graduate of LEAD Virginia.
Dawn Greggs is Director of Programs and Communications for the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, where she draws on 30 years of nonprofit experience to strengthen engagement, support fundraising, and enhance organizational communications.
Over her career, Dawn has served educational, cultural, and nonprofit organizations focused on preserving history, advancing education, and enriching communities. Her experience includes development and communications roles with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Library of Virginia Foundation, Valentine Museum, Virginia Association of Museums, and Virginia Early Childhood Foundation.
Dawn is dedicated to connecting people with meaningful experiences through events, programs, and strategic communications. Her background in nonprofit management, donor relations, event planning, and community outreach has made her a valued collaborator and advocate for education and the arts across Virginia.
Dawn earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with a minor in History from Hollins University. She was the inaugural Coordinator for Arts Alive, Inc., promoting arts engagement and cultural programming in her hometown of West Point, Virginia. More than 20 years later, the organization continues to offer performance series, arts programs, and theatre camps for children. Today, Dawn serves as a board member and Vice President of Arts Alive, Inc., and as a board member and secretary of the Historical Society of West Point.
As Development and Engagement Coordinator, Kristen supports the VFIC team in fundraising efforts, donor outreach, and program administration.
Before joining the VFIC, Kristen worked in communications and graphic design for several nonprofit organizations, including the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Sierra Club. In addition to her work in the nonprofit sector, Kristen worked as a Marketing Manager at Gensler, a global architecture and design firm.
A native Virginian, Kristen earned a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the College of William and Mary and a Certificate in Graphic Design from the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University. She is passionate about community involvement and regularly volunteers with Little Hands RVA and her children’s school PTA.
