The Paparis family, longtime Williamsburg residents, have presented to the Williamsburg Police Department a $10,000 grant for staff leadership training. The grant was made by Rose Paparis in honor of her late husband, Tom Paparis, and will be used to enable members of the police force to attend the Professional Executive Leadership School (PELS) at the University of Richmond.
“This is a great honor for the entire Williamsburg Police Department,” said Chief Yost. “Over the years, Tom made countless generous donations to the Police and Fire Departments -- a defibrillator, ballistic shields, M-16s – ‘whatever you need,’ he used to say. I think it is fitting that this investment in the people of the Police Department will be one of his lasting legacies. Leadership training of this caliber is invaluable for the individuals that attend the school and for the entire force, and without this grant we could not afford to participate.”
The Professional Executive Leadership School (PELS) is an intensive three-week, liberal arts-based educational experience managed by the Virginia Police Chiefs Program that focuses on the study of leadership. Faculty members from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, teach the classes and are drawn from the Management Institute, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, Robins School of Business, and several other schools within the university. The PELS is very competitive, and participants are drawn from government, business and the private sector as well.
The first two officers to attend PELS thanks to the Paparis grant are Lt. Kenny Lawson and Lt. Tim Davis.
Tom Paparis was a police officer in Greece before he moved to the US and settled in Williamsburg in 1952. He owned the original Ivy House and the Yorkshire Steak and Seafood Restaurant.
Photo: L-R: Lt. Tim Davis, Police Chief Mike Yost, Maj. Susan Geary, Lackey Paparis, Lt. Kenny Lawson