Popular series: Our recent News Leader Newsmakers prove vital to the Staunton community

We wanted to look back and highlight the recent Newsmakers series, a favorite of mine since we started the tradition in 2013.

News Leader reporters (and sometimes the public) put forward names of people who move our community forward — often behind the scenes. These are not the voices you always hear in media, but our journalists know this area and are tapping into the folks who connect things or are doing vital work.

Our subscribers particularly enjoyed the reporting by Monique Calello about the long and meaningful career of Dan Sullivan; by Laura Peters about Robin Miller, who has had a deep impact on Staunton; and by Patrick Hite about Kendra Jones Carter, who is well-known and respected in Waynesboro for her school work.

In case you missed some of this fantastic journalism, here's a peek at who we chose as 2021 News Leader Newsmakers:

EDDIE SANTIAGO

Santiago finds similarities between himself and many of the kids who come through his programs, and he feels like he has to serve as that adult figure that some of them lack.

It harkens back to how Mr. Eddie got his start, a troublemaker who found his way when he found his passion.

“A lot of that is based off his own personal story,” YMCA's Chris Lassiter said, “Just him saying, ‘I’m gonna be the adult that I needed.’”

More: 'Mr. Eddie' doesn't care for attention, but he cares for kids: 2021 News Leader Newsmakers

Santiago’s father died when he was 12, and he uses that to help kids understand that some people just have to grow up differently.

“Life is about choices, and you got to make the best of what you can, especially with people who do care.”

KENDRA JONES CARTER

Carter grew up in Staunton, attending school in the city all the way through high school. Her family worked hard to help her understand what it meant to be Black while living in a city that wasn’t very diverse.

“My parents intentionally made sure that me and my sisters, we took part in things to learn about Black history and to learn about different cultures and things like that,” she said. “So they are very intentional about it. And very involved in things like that. So I think that that helped us a lot.”

More: 'Monumental': Newsmaker Kendra Jones Carter jumps to critical role for Waynesboro schools

Emily Sproul went to school with Carter in Staunton.

“I always knew her as someone who was exceptionally kind,” Sproul said. “And soft-spoken and always seemed to have a smile for folks.”

DAN SULLIVAN

A retired lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps, Sullivan is a voracious learner with a disciplined presence of mind, insatiable curiosity and an unrelenting tenacity that makes him a fierce advocate for citizens. He's always interested, always listening and doesn't hesitate to speak his mind if it means speaking truth.

More: Staunton's Dan Sullivan, a 2021 Newsmaker: Lifetime of advocacy for those who need it most

He meets with people in the community who find themselves intimidated by the process of finding services, especially hard-working people, he said, who in the Venn diagram of life, don’t have access to the internet or the time to be on social media.

Since food insecurity often intersects with a lack of health care, by volunteering at food banks, he is able to connect with more people, and by doing so, get them connected to more help.

MARISELA FIGUEROA GOMEZ

"She has taken the time to learn enrollment procedures and has been able to inform our new families what to expect before they ever step foot into our building," Clymore Principal Fonda Morris said. "She is so much more than a translator. She is a necessary part of our school community team."

More: Newsmaker Marisela Figueroa Gomez: Helping ESL students adjust to Augusta County Schools

Gomez sees herself more in a support role than someone who will provide all the answers. She said the families are more than capable of problem solving, it’s just the language barrier is sometimes an issue.

DONTE' MONTAGUE

When Montague approaches lesson plans, test prep or anything else in the classroom, he thinks back to himself as a student, and the opportunities he wished he’d had earlier in his life.

More: Donte' Montague's approach helps him impact Staunton students' lives through trying times

“I know we have standards to follow, and I know we have, I guess ‘academic quotas’ to meet, but I’ve got to put the student first," he said. "If I just push ‘you have to pass’, I might lose them.”

NANCY INSCO

Debra Freeman-Belle, a Waynesboro school board member and director of the WARM shelter, has seen Insco at work in the community.

More: Newsmakers: Nancy Insco helps people in the grip of drugs, harmful criminal system, succeed

"Nancy’s experience and knowledge in serving justice-involved persons speaks volumes for the lifetime commitment she’s made to improving the criminal justice system," Freeman-Belle said. "Her true impact is that her work is from the heart. She has a relentless focus on the irreplaceable value and individuality of each of her clients beyond what’s in a file or on a report."

ROBIN MILLER

In Staunton, Miller's projects include The Beverley Apartments, The Blackburn Inn, The Villages at Staunton and The Old Y building. Other projects in Virginia include a number of buildings in Petersburg and Richmond.

More: Bringing life to old buildings: Newsmaker Robin Miller has saved many historic structures

His first historic building was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1976. He's been a realtor since that time, holds a degree from Harvard in public policy, is a licensed professional engineer, has taught economics at West Point and has more than four decades of experience in historic building development.

BJ VAUGHN

Sheryl Wagner, director of tourism for the City of Staunton, has known Vaughn for about six years, back when he was working for the Staunton Downtown Development Association. She describes him as determined, kind and hilarious.

More: Staunton man doesn't let vision loss hinder his ability to make an impact: 2021 Newsmakers

"He has a knack for bringing people together to accomplish a common goal. And he loves his family more than anything in this world," she said. "BJ is a friend to all that meet him. He can’t walk down the street without someone yelling his name from down the sidewalk or from a passing car."

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Newsmakers: Staunton people contribute to arts, social good, business