News Release: 3/31/2026

For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2026
 
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Coordinator
Laurel Ridge Community College
svoth@laurelridge.edu
Phone: 540-868-7134
            540-335-3195
 
Laurel Ridge bestows its annual alumni award on Cynthia Schneider, Class of 2017
 
There’s no “expiration date” when it comes to continuing your education, 2017 Laurel Ridge graduate Cynthia Schneider said Friday during the Laurel Ridge Community College Educational Foundation Appreciation Luncheon. She was presented with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award during the annual event which brings together scholarship recipients and donors.
 
Schneider was 57 and feeling unmoored when she enrolled in the college in 2014. It was a decision that changed the course of her life.
 
“Twelve years ago, I was at one of the lowest points of my life,” said Schneider, recalling how the last of her four children had flown the nest, shaking her identity as a mother while at the same time her 25-year career with a small specialty food company – where she had risen from a part-time data entry clerk to director of operations – came to an end. “It shook my confidence to the core. I didn’t know what else I had to give. I wasn’t confident in my skillset.”
 
Many years before, she had taken a year of classes at James Madison University before transferring to a new biblical college in Kansas, which, unfortunately, wasn’t accredited, and Schneider was apprehensive about embarking on a job search without a credential. She realized the best thing to do would be to enroll at Laurel Ridge, using grant funding.
 
“It was time for a new chapter, and that chapter began at Laurel Ridge,” Schneider said.
 
At the college, she found an environment that was both nurturing and academically rigorous.
 
“My classes challenged me and affirmed the abilities I had,” Schneider said. “Laurel Ridge showed me that learning doesn’t have an expiration date, and that it’s never too late to begin again. Laurel Ridge helped me rediscover what was possible for my future.”
 
Even before graduating with her associate degree in 2017 – she also earned a career studies certificate in business – Schneider was hired to be the director of finance and administration at the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber. She has been the CEO of the chamber since 2019.
 
In 2024, the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives named Schneider the Chamber Executive of the Year, and in 2025, she earned the Certified Chamber Executive designation, a credential only 3 percent of her peers nationwide have earned. She is active with Civitan International, Shenandoah University School of Business’s advisory board and the Gold Medallion Foundation/School of Esther.
 
In addition to her degree and certificate from Laurel Ridge, Schneider has taken part in Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions courses. Additionally, two of her children have also received an education at Laurel Ridge.