Ellen Chewning was both a founding member of the Virginia Counselors Association Foundation and served on its original board of directors. She was also the recipient of the John Cook Award from VCAF in 1995.
Chewning held degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia. She retired in 1986 from her position as guidance supervisor for Richmond Public Schools in Virginia.
In retirement Chewning remained active both professionally and in civic endeavors. She was the recipient of many honors, including serving as a delegate to the White House Commission on Children and Youth. In 2012, she was honored posthumously as a board member emerita of the Jobs for Virginia Graduates Board of Directors.
She also served on the Henrico County School Board in Henrico County, Va., and was the first woman to serve on the J. Sargent Reynolds Community College Board. She was the first woman to chair the Henrico Democratic Party and was a presidential elector in the 2004 presidential election.
Chewning served as president of the Virginia Personnel and Guidance Association, now the Virginia Counselors Association, and one of its longest serving board members. During that time, she chaired a variety of committees and served as a liaison with numerous education and counseling organizations.
She was a recipient of the VCA’s Humanitarian and Caring Person Award the Association for Non-White Concerns in Counseling’s (now the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development or AMCD) award of the same name.
Her honors and other efforts included serving as member of the Richmond Urban Partnership in Education, president of the Richmond Urban League, and member of the Board of the Daily Planet. Other honors included: Distinguished Service Award, Virginia Education Association; Outstanding Citizen Award, Virginia Council on Social Welfare, Capitol Region; Life Membership Award, Virginia Congress of PTAs.