SBE Board Members

Robert H. Brink represented Arlington in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1998 to 2014. For 10 years he served as a member of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections. After retiring from the General Assembly, he headed the Commonwealth’s Division on Aging Services and was Senior Legislative Advisor to Governor Terrence R. McAuliffe from 2015 to 2018.

Prior to his election to the House, Mr. Brink was a member of the professional staffs of two committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Brink holds a B.A. from Monmouth College (Illinois) and a J.D. from the College of William & Mary.

Dr. John O’Bannon is a lifelong Virginian who has dedicated himself to caring for others. As a child growing up on a farm in Rappahannock County, John helped his family by selling apples at the family fruit stand near Skyline Drive. John O’Bannon’s leadership abilities became apparent during his schooling.  A graduate of Hargrave Military Academy and the University of Richmond, John attended medical school at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), where he was elected President of the Student Body.  Later, as a resident at MCV, he was elected President of the Housestaff Council, served as Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, and was named Chief Resident in Neurology.

A well-regarded physician, John O’Bannon is a partner in Neurological Associates, a leading Richmond medical practice.  He has served as Chief of Staff of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and has served on the Board of Trustees. He has also served 2 terms on the VCU Health System Authority Board, where he chaired the Quality Committee.  His peers have named him one of the “Outstanding Physicians of the Year” in Richmond Magazine’s annual poll.

John O’Bannon is a national leader in improving the medical profession.  A leader in the American Medical Association (AMA), John served on the AMA Delegation from the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and served as a member of the AMA’s Council for Ethical and Judicial Affairs from 1997 through 2004.  Here in Virginia, John is a past Chairman of the Board of the Richmond Academy of Medicine.  He also served as Chairman of the MSV’s Legislative Committee, where he helped pass the Virginia Patients’ Bill of Rights.

John O’Bannon is a leader in our community.  He is a member of the West Richmond Rotary Club and serves on the Boards of several organizations including The Virginia Home, Virginia War Memorial Foundation, VPAP, Tuckahoe YMCA, Hargrave Military Academy, The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and the Advisory board at the Science Museum of Virginia.   A member of the Henrico County Republican Committee, John has been active in numerous federal, state, and local campaigns.

John served in the House of Delegates of the General Assembly of Virginia for 17 years, serving on JLARC and other commissions. He served on the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, Appropriations Committee and Privileges and Elections Committee.

John and Pat O’Bannon have been married for 48 years, and reside in Western Henrico.  Pat O’Bannon is a former public school teacher who currently serves as Henrico County Supervisor for the Tuckahoe District.  The O’Bannon family attends River Road Church, Baptist.  John and Pat have three children, John, Virginia, and Andy, all of whom are graduates of Henrico County Public Schools, and four grandchildren  who live in Henrico county and are attending Henrico County Public Schools.

Jamilah D. LeCruise manages her own law practice in Norfolk, Virginia where she represents clients on a variety of legal matters including criminal and family law.

Ms. LeCruise graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts degree and then attended William & Mary School of Law. 

Currently, Ms. LeCruise is Chair for the Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association Young Lawyers Section and President of the South Hampton Roads Bar Association. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia, the City of Norfolk Board of Zoning Appeals, the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference Board of Governors, and the Virginia State Bar General Practice Sections.

She has been recognized for her advocacy and service by Super Lawyers, Virginia Legal Elite, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, the Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Section, Coastal Virginia Magazine, Virginia Business Magazine, and CoVa BIZ Magazine. 

She is the current Virginia State Bar Young Lawyer of the Year. 

She served as an election lawyer during the campaign of the Hon. Jerrauld "Jay" Jones, Delegate to Virginia’s 89th House District where she lives. She is an active member of the Norfolk City Democratic Committee where she has served as Area Chair in addition to moderating and organizing the city-wide Commonwealth’s Attorney, city council, and school board debates.

Donald W. Merricks is a native Virginian who has lived in Pittsylvania County his entire life where he has been a banker, business owner and community leader.

He began his banking career as a teller at Schoolfield Bank and Trust in Danville which eventually became a part of First Virginia Bank Piedmont where he rose to executive vice-president.  In the mid 1990’s, he left the banking industry to join his wife Patti at the helm of their building specialties company, J. W. Squire Company, Inc. in Danville.

In 2017, the business was sold to his nephew and Mr. Merricks returned to banking as he was named the president and CEO of Virginia Bank & Trust Company.  He retired from that position in 2021 and now enjoys spending time with his family and being a gentleman farmer.

Mr. Merricks was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2007 to represent the 16th district in Southern Virginia, made up of the city of Martinsville and parts of Henry and Pittsylvania Counties.  He served three terms as a delegate before stepping down in 2014 to spend more time in the business.

Mr. Merricks has been an active member of the community serving on numerous boards over the past 40 years including the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region, the Danville Community College Educational Foundation, the Danville Pittsylvania County Community Services Board, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.  He currently serves as vice chairman of the First National Bank board, President of the Bellevue, Inc. Board, a non-stock, non-profit company serving the intellectually disabled, and is a member and treasurer of the Danville Host Lions Club.  

He graduated from Danville Community College with an associate’s degree in business before moving on to Averett College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business.  He later earned his MBA from Averett College.  He lives with his wife of 47 years in Pittsylvania County where they are active members of Chatham Baptist Church.

Chiang is a long-term community advocate and serves in leadership roles on several boards. She is a founding member of the Asian & Latino Solidarity Alliance of Central Virginia, and she was a two-term gubernatorial appointee who served on the Virginia Asian Advisory Board to provide input to the Governor’s programs affecting the Asian community in Virginia.

She has also served on several boards and committees of many nonprofit organizations, such as: Bon Secours Virginia HealthSource; Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth; Chesterfield Education Foundation; Richmond Times-Dispatch Opinions Department Community Advisory Board; Dominion Energy Community Advisory Board; CBS Channel 6 Community Advisory Council; Children of the Commonwealth Benevolent Fund; Asian American Society of Central Virginia; and Organization of Chinese Americans, Central Virginia Chapter and Eastern Virginia Chapter.

In late 2014, Ms. Chiang received the Asian Leadership Inspiration Award from the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, she received the Asian Community Leader of the Year Award from the Governor’s Virginia Asian Advisory Board.

Chiang retired from the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity in 2015, where as the Director of Operations, she was responsible for the overall programs and operations, policy development, agency accountabilities, financial management, and staff performance.

Chiang holds a bachelor’s degree of science in Forestry and a master’s degree in Nutrition and Healthcare Foodservice Management. She is also an alumnus of the 2010 class of Leadership Metro Richmond Quest.