Mary C. Haddad, M. A., President
Mary C. Haddad is the President and Co-founder of the Louis S. and Mary C. Henninger Haddad Foundation, established in 1999. In her role, she has significantly contributed to various philanthropic and community organizations.
Mrs. Haddad serves on the Obici Healthcare Foundation Board, where she is Chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Finance and Investment Committee. She also holds the position of Vice-Chair on the board. Additionally, she is a member of the Chesapeake Bay Academy Board’s Investment Committee and serves as Treasurer on the Organics Roots Academy Board. Mary chairs the Prison Angel Tree program at Oakland Christian United Church of Christ, providing holiday gifts to children of incarcerated parents and grandparents, symbolically from their incarcerated loved ones.
In her local community leadership roles, Mary was the first female President of the Suffolk Foundation for the 2021-2022 term, having previously served as Vice President in 2019-2020 and Chair of the Distribution Committee. She has chaired the Suffolk Foundation’s Women’s Impact Fund, served on the Chesapeake Bay Academy Governance and Nominating Committee, and led the Strategic Planning Committee and Community Life Center Development at Oakland Christian United Church of Christ. Mary has also been actively involved with WHRO Public Broadcasting Stations and ForKids, an organization addressing homelessness and poverty. As General Coordinator, she oversaw the creation of Fun Forest in Chesapeake, VA, which became the largest community-built, ADA-accessible playground on the East Coast at the time. She has chaired the Norfolk/Virginia Beach American Heart Association and co-chaired both the Heart Ball and the Children’s Hospital Ball with her husband, Lou Haddad.
In the realm of higher education and statewide service, Mary has held numerous positions, including Secretary, Chair of Academic Affairs, and Chair of Outstanding Faculty Awards for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). She has also served as Vice-Rector and Chair of Academic Affairs on Old Dominion University’s Board of Visitors, Secretary of Virginia’s Family & Children’s Trust Fund, Chair of Academic Affairs at Virginia Wesleyan University, and a member of ODU’s Women’s Initiative Network. Additionally, she contributed to the Virginia Governor’s Task Force on Cervical Cancer.
Before fully committing to her volunteer and philanthropic endeavors, Mary worked as a Senior Marketing Representative at Armada Hoffler and as Vice President of the affiliated Virginia Design and Art Center. She earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Hampton University in 2009 and her M.A. in Organizational Leadership with a certification in Servant Leadership from Gonzaga University in 2014.
Mary’s contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the Local Hero Award from Bank of America, the Humanitarian Award from the National Committee for Community and Justice, the Safe Harbor Award from Programs and Places for Children, Woman of the Year from Hampton Roads Youth Center, the Volunteer Achievement Honorary from Volunteer Hampton Roads, the Chairman’s Award from the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, and the Volunteer and Community Service Award from Outstanding Professional Women of Hampton Roads, among others.
Mary and her husband, Lou, take great pride in their most cherished accomplishment: raising their four adult children, alongside a large assortment of dogs, in their beloved home, Songwood.
