Michael Futrell
| Michael Futrell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 2nd district | |
|
In office January 8, 2014 – January 13, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | L. Mark Dudenhefer |
| Succeeded by | L. Mark Dudenhefer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Thomas Futrell January 27, 1982 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Bernadine Pearson |
| Residence | Prince William, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Lindsey Wilson College (B.A.) |
| Religion | Christian |
| Website | http://www.michaelfutrell.com |
Michael Thomas Futrell (born January 27, 1982) is an American politician from Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Futrell served a term in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the second district.
Biography
Michael Futrell is an elected official in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He currently resides as a state Delegate in the Virginia General Assembly. Delegate Futrell represents the 2nd district of Virginia which encompasses Prince William County and some of Stafford County. Delegate Futrell is an activist for education, military and veteran families, and healthcare reform. In office, Delegate Futrell has been a heavy sponsor for the “Ban the Box” movement. This change in job applications pushed the Governor to ban the felony check box on applications in Virginia, helping to expand the job applicant pool. Delegate Futrell and his wife, Bernadine, reside in Woodbridge, Virginia where he is an active member of the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce. A devout Christian, Delegate Futrell and his wife also serves as Senior Deacons at Harvest Life Changers Church. He and Dr. Futrell have two children, Michael II and Melanie.
Early life
Born in Ohio and raised by a single father, Futrell came from humble beginnings. He has been known to tell his story of going from , “living next to a drug house and growing up to be the first ever African American elected to represent Stafford County in the Virginia House of Delegates in their 350 years of existence.”
Taking after his father who was a high school and college Hall of Fame basketball player, Delegate Futrell was a highly sought after athlete. He had also become known for his public speaking skills winning the State of Ohio Optimist International Oratorical Contest Scholarship for speech “My vision of tomorrow’s world.” and other oratorical contest throughout the area. Delegate Michael Futrell went on to accept a full athletic scholarship to Lindsey Wilson College where he was co-captain his senior year and graduated with a degree in Secondary Education in 2007.
Political career
Delegate Michael Futrell is a dedicated public servant representing his community in the Virginia House of Delegates. Michael Futrell has served in the House of Delegates since 2014. Futrell won the 2013 election for Virginia House of Delegates District 2. Futrell ran unopposed in the June 11 Democratic primary. He defeated incumbent Mark Dudenhefer (R) in the general election on November 5, 2013.[1] In 2015, Delegate Futrell served on the following house committees: Finance, Privileges and Elections, and Science and Technology. He sought the Democratic nomination in Senate District 29 in June 2015.[2] After the unsuccessful bid, Futrell announced that he would not seek reelection to the Virginia House of Delegates to focus on continuing to make an impact in his own community.
While in office, Delegate Futrell has shown support for numerous bills. In January 2015, Futrell teamed up with Senator Donald McEachin to introduce The Community Policing Act (Body Camera Bill), also known as House Bill 2393, to both the House and the Senate.[3] This act included establishing and updating a number of minimum training standards for law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth and developing a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan for strengthening and improving law enforcement and the administration of criminal justice throughout the Commonwealth, and periodically update that plan. The bill also included a focus on improving community police relations. Delegate Futrell was also a patron for the Ban the Box movement in Virginia. This new practice implements the deletion of the felony box on job applications in order to give those who have a previous felony a chance to obtain a higher job position. Delegate Futrell has also sponsored bills focusing on the state infrastructure fund, various Veteran’s issues, and reforming healthcare in Virginia.
"Other" Career
Delegate Futrell began his career as an educator teaching middle school math and science in a low-income school. After making a career change to become a pharmaceutical representative in Northern Virginia, Delegate Futrell also began volunteering as a basketball coach with the Hylton Boy’s and Girls Club, in Woodbridge, Virginia. Michael co-founded “Make the Future” in 2010 with his wife, Dr. Bernadine Futrell. A nonprofit organization, “Make the Future” provides underprivileged and at-risk youth in the Northern Virginia community the tools needed to “create positive habits from preschool to college.” Make The Future became a pillar of its community. In addition to co-founding “ Make the Future,” Delegate Futrell has always had a vested interest in the political well-being of his community, having served as Past President of the Prince William County Young Democrats and Vice Chairperson of the Prince William County Elections Task Force.
Make the Future
Founded in 2010, Make The Future began with a summer basketball camp in 2010. The goal of the summer camps was to provide the opportunity for youth to develop positive and constructive life choices. The camps included a curriculum designed to support the scholastic, moral, and athletic development of campers. They incorporated character development, nutrition training, and physical education into each lesson to develop children in the core areas needed for success on and off the court. After the launch of the basketball camp in the summer of 2010, Delegate and Dr. Futrell realized that they could make learning and athletics an enjoyable experience that could prepare future leaders for tomorrow. Since the non-profit’s start in 2010, the couple has gone on to spread their message by working with NBA Hall of Fame member Dominique Wilkins, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, R&B sensation Ne -Yo and his non profit organization The Compound Foundation, Wilberforce University and Prince William County Schools. Delegate and Dr. Futrell were honored by the Prince William County Minority Business Network in 2014. Make the Future has created several programs working with individuals, groups and organization to meet this mission. At the top of its agenda for 2015 is the expansion of its gender based generational mentoring programs, the Legacy Lectures and the Wisdom Brunches, as well as increasing the number of adults who will commit to be a mentor in the commonwealth.
References
- ↑ "Michael Futrell - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
- ↑ Weiner, Rachel (2014-12-15). "Del. Michael Futrell joins race for open Virginia Senate seat". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
- ↑ "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB2393 > 2015 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-21.