Sandy Bryant receives 2026 `Moral Imagination and Courage’ Award at Virginia Tech
Mount Rogers Community Services CEO Receives Award from Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance
Citing her “incredible, brave leadership,” the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance has awarded Mount Rogers CEO Sandy Bryant the 2026 Moral Imagination and Courage award.
Bryant received the award at the Institute for Policy and Governance‘s 20th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 24. More than 50 people were at the event at the Hahn Gardens on the campus of Virginia Tech.
Bryant Has Led Mount Rogers Since 2018
Bryant has been CEO at Mount Rogers since 2018. She has also worked in the Virginia behavioral health system for nearly five decades.
Mary Beth Dunkenberger, deputy director at the Institute, noted that the number of people Mount Rogers serves in its region has nearly doubled during Bryant’s tenure.
Dunkenberger ticked off a list of Bryant’s accomplishments to include:
- The state’s first community-based crisis care center.
- Led Mount Rogers to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic – one of only 3 in Virginia among the state’s 40 community services boards.
- Developed a geriatric transitional housing facility.
- And much more.
Brant has accomplished this in one of the most resource-deprived regions of Virginia, she said. She has also faced political resistance for efforts to serve people in the LGBTQ+ community and those experiencing homelessness, Dunkenberger said.
`A career of improving the quality of care’
“Sandy Bryant has made a career of improving the quality of care for individuals with behavioral health needs, while serving as a model and mentor to those she leads,” Dunkenberger said. “She has done so consistently, exhibiting ethical leadership, imagination, and courage.”
The Institute for Policy and Governance advances innovative research and works with organizations, people, and communities to tackle complex challenges. The Institute’s vision is to build a future in which communities thrive through research, better policy, and strong governing structures.
In accepting the award, Bryant thanked her staff and her family and those in attencande for their work to provide compassionate care.
“We all have the same mission to help those who are vulnerable and suffer with depression, loneliness, addiction, and trauma,” she said.
About Mount Rogers Community Services — With a mission to help people, families, and communities thrive, Mount Rogers is a top provider of behavioral health services in southwest Virginia.
We offer services for mental health, behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders. We also offer geriatric, counseling, early intervention, and other services in the city of Galax and the counties of Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, and Wythe.
