Congratulations, Mary Anne Lecos -- 2002 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year

 

By Frank Aukofer,

Barcroft News Staff

 

Lake Barcroft's Mary Anne Lecos has been named 2002 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year.

  The award is co-sponsored by the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations, which includes about 200 constituent organizations in the county, and The Washington Post. Mary Anne was scheduled to receive the award April 6 at the organizations' 53rd annual awards banquet.

  "She is the epitome of volunteer service to the citizens of Fairfax County, and has been for years," said Jean Packard, chair of the federation's selection committee.

  Mary Anne, of Beachway Dr., has lived in Fairfax County since 1961. She and her husband, the late Demosthenes (Dan) Lecos, moved to Lake Barcroft in 1962. She soon started her volunteer activities, which she continued over the years while raising seven children.

  Describing herself as "a compulsive volunteer," Mary Anne has traveled in recent years to South America, Asia and the Middle East to assist the U.S. State Department's Office of Overseas Schools in planning, curriculum development, and governance and operations.

  She is the representative for St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church on the board of the Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA), where she has served as vice president and grants development chair. Over 19 years, she also held various positions on the Fairfax Arts Council.

  At Lake Barcroft, Mary Anne has served in a variety of roles for the Woman's Club, including as a member of the board of directors and co-vice president. She is a longstanding member of the Parent-Teacher Associations at Baileys, Glasgow and J.E.B. Stuart schools.

  For 10 years between 1969 and 1979, Mary Anne was the Mason District representative on the Fairfax County School Board. She served as the Board's chairman from 1974 to 1978. Based on her school board leadership, she was named Washingtonian of the Year in 1976, and for her contributions to education was awarded a life membership in the national PTA.

  More recently, Mary Anne has been a faculty member at George Mason University as an associate professor, member of the dean's leadership team and director of teacher education. She currently serves on the adjunct faculty for education leadership programs.

  Born and raised in Chicago, Mary Anne graduated from DePaul University. She holds advanced degrees in education and educational administration from the American University and Virginia Tech.