Prince William County, Va. - As an adoptive father of two, Prince William County Supervisor Martin E. Nohe, R-Coles, knows all about the necessity of providing a loving home for those less fortunate.
Now, he'll get to take his practical knowledge to the state level. On Friday, Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed Nohe to the State Executive Council for Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth.
"The best place for a child is in a safe environment with a family," Nohe said. "The next best place is a safe environment with someone else."
A result of the Comprehensive Services Act of 1993, which changed the way at-risk youths were being served, the council helps shape regulatory language and channel funding from state to local jurisdictions. Nohe said he's excited about his opportunity.
"It's incredibly challenging but it's a challenge I am excited about," Nohe said. "It's a real opportunity to make a meaningful difference."
Nohe said he always wanted to learn more about the subject. For a brief time, he served as the Prince Wil-liam Youth Services Board chairman and currently serves on the Greater Prince William County Boys and Girls Clubs Board of Directors.
In 2006, he and his wife were given the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute Angels in Adoption award.
However, as a Virginia county supervisor, Nohe found there wasn't much he could do on the local level due to privacy laws and money being funneled from the state to the individual locality.
From the juvenile court system to the foster care system, there is a real need for providing the appropriate services for the appropriate child and family, said Nohe. Only when Nohe decided to become a foster par-ent did he start to understand the complexities of the system.
Nohe believes he will be filling a yet-to-be completed term, which expires the summer of 2013.
In other local appointments, Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill is on the Secure Commonwealth Panel, along with Bristow resident David J. Waldman of the Emergency Management Division at L-3 Communications and former Senior Director for Response Policy on the Homeland Security Council and subsequent National Security staffs at the White House.
Bill Card, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and small business owner of Dumfries, has been appointed to the Frontier Culture Museum Board of Trustees.
Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.
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