Honoring Loudoun’s Roots, Investing in its Future

Loudoun Laurels celebrates the leaders who shaped the county and the students who will carry a spirit of service forward.

Written by Lia Hobel | Photos courtesy of Loudoun Laurels

In Loudoun County, leadership isn’t measured in personal achievements, but by what those accomplishments make possible for others. That idea is at the heart of the Loudoun Laurels Foundation, which honors residents whose lives have strengthened the county while investing in young people who are beginning their own paths of service.

Founded in 2008, the foundation began with what Elaine Attridge, vice chair of the organization’s board of directors, describes as a simple idea: recognizing the people who have helped make Loudoun County a stronger community. Over time, that recognition became something larger. Through recorded oral histories, Loudoun Laurels preserves its honorees’ stories as part of the county’s civic memory, giving future generations a way to understand the people and choices that helped shape Loudoun.

The work is also forward-looking. Since 2013, Loudoun Laurels has supported Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students through scholarships and mentorship, creating a bridge between established community leaders and emerging ones. “At the heart of Loudoun Laurels is a belief in the power of individuals’ contributions to strengthen a community,” Attridge says, “and in the connections that can form when we recognize those contributions, preserve their stories, and invest in the next generation.”

That mission will come into focus on September 26, when Loudoun Laurels will host its annual Celebration of Life and Leadership Gala at The National Conference Center in Leesburg. More than an awards ceremony, the gathering points to something larger: the passing along of values that have long defined Loudoun County — service, stewardship, generosity, imagination, and civic responsibility.

“Punkin Lee, Sheila Johnson, Betsy Davis, Jim Roberts, and Kim Hart — all are past Laureates with ties to Middleburg, and each one has strengthened the community in strikingly different ways,” Attridge says. “They’re part of a broader group of honorees with such varied backgrounds, professions, and perspectives that in the process, Loudoun Laurels has become a community of its own. What I really enjoy is that at a time when people can find themselves increasingly separated by profession, generation, geography, or point of view, Loudoun Laurels creates a place where people come together, form relationships, and discover what they have in common.”

This year’s Laureates — Fran Craig and Kristi and Mike Huber — will be honored alongside the 2026 Scholars, high schoolers Abby Byambatseren and Anab Yassin.

The scholarship program, launched in 2013, grew naturally from the foundation’s mission. Loudoun Laurels was already honoring people who had demonstrated extraordinary leadership and service; the next question was how to help cultivate those same qualities in the next generation. The program identifies students who show resilience, leadership, academic promise, and a commitment to community, offering not only financial support but encouragement, mentorship, and a connection to people who believe in their potential.

Scholarships may total up to $40,000 per student. “We select our students because they have demonstrated the very same qualities we celebrate in our Laureates: hard work, resilience, leadership, academic purpose, and a deep commitment to community,” Attridge says.

The 2026 Scholars

This year’s Scholars, Abby Byambatseren of Stone Bridge High School and Anab Yassin of Tuscarora High School, reflect those values in distinct ways. Both have faced significant challenges, Attridge notes, “but neither seems defined by those challenges.”

Byambatseren came to the United States from Mongolia without her parents, learned English, adapted to a new country, maintained a strong academic record, worked her way into a shift leader role, participated in athletics, and volunteered through school and community organizations. In her interview with the selection committee, she spoke about her family’s sacrifices and her desire to give back. She will attend James Madison University and plans to become a physician.

Yassin, who came to the United States from Sudan in 2016, impressed the committee with maturity, initiative, and a strong sense of community. She cofounded the Muslim Student Association — connecting with students at other schools, planning for succession so the work would continue after her graduation, and using the Random Acts of Kindness Club to recognize people whose contributions are often overlooked. Determined to pursue dentistry, she contacted practices until she found an oral surgeon willing to let her shadow. She will attend George Mason University.

To date, Loudoun Laurels has awarded 31 scholarships, totaling $1.24 million. 

The 2026 Laureates

There is no single type of Loudoun Laureate, and the 2026 honorees make that clear. Fran Craig’s work is rooted in technology, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and philanthropy. The Hubers’ story moves from furniture to wine, from family business to farmland preservation. “They built very different things and followed different paths,” Attridge says, “but all three have used what they built to create opportunities for others and strengthen Loudoun.”

Fran Craig: Innovation as Service

For Craig, being named a 2026 Loudoun Laureate is an acknowledgment of both career and community. “Role models engender more role models performing good work in the community,” she says. That belief helped shape the culture she built at Unanet, where mission, vision, communications, planning, and organizational health were central to her work.

Craig was an early coder and spent her career working with emerging technologies. At Unanet, she pushed the company toward web-based applications, even organizing with other companies to offer Java training when resources were limited. Yet her view of innovation extended beyond software. It included remote work, mentorship, opportunities for women returning to the workforce, and a more human approach to performance and career development.

As a woman entrepreneur in technology, Craig faced skepticism and barriers that earlier generations of women often had to meet without formal protections or clear pathways. She learned to stand up for herself and others, and she credits organizations such as Women in Technology for providing practical support, professional connection, and community. Her hope is that younger women recognize that a path has been cleared, even as the work of expanding opportunity continues.

STEM education has become a natural focus of Craig’s philanthropy and mentorship. At Unanet, she recalls, team members, customers, and partners felt the software belonged to them — and because of that, they cared for it and made it better.

Loudoun, Craig says, has been fertile ground for both professional and philanthropic work. She describes the county as “a microcosm of America,” a place where people come to live, work, and play — and where many give back. “Partnering with family and neighbors who care deeply about making Loudoun a better place for everyone has been one of the great joys of my life,” Craig says. She also notes that life at Doverhill Farm and riding with her husband’s horses through Middleburg’s countryside have exposed her to the beauty and spirit of the region.

Her advice to students is simple: “Do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do.” Her legacy, she hopes, will be understood through the connection between innovation, opportunity, and service. “Innovation opens doors to opportunity,” Craig says, “but service ensures those doors stay open for everyone.”

Kristi and Mike Huber: Building Businesses, Preserving Land

For Kristi and Mike Huber, the Laureate recognition came as a genuine surprise. “We’ve never gone looking for awards or recognition,” they share. The honor, they say, feels like an affirmation of the work they have tried to do over decades: building businesses with care, supporting the community, and making a positive difference along the way.

That commitment is visible through Belfort Furniture. After time spent in Europe working in Mike’s family furniture business, the couple returned to Virginia and, in 1987, began selling furniture from a remote Herndon warehouse with just three people: Mike, Kristi, and Mike Parry, who remains with Belfort nearly 40 years later.

“We certainly didn’t have a grand plan to build a large company,” Mike Huber says. “We worked hard, took care of our customers, treated our employees like family, and kept reinvesting in the business.” Over time, Belfort grew with Northern Virginia, but what remains most meaningful to the Hubers is the community around it — the employees, customers, and partners who became an extended family.

In 2008, after Belfort reached Mike’s long-held goal of becoming one of the top 100 furniture retailers in America, he was ready for another challenge. That search led the Hubers back to family land near Leesburg that would become Stone Tower Winery. The Hubers planted their first grapes in 2009, and by 2013, they were fully committed.

Today, Stone Tower includes roughly 100 acres of vineyards under production, additional winemaking facilities, and a wider agricultural enterprise. But the larger dream, Mike says, was always to create a business capable of supporting and preserving family farmland for future generations. That vision found a memorable affirmation when the winery’s Kristi Chardonnay was selected for the White House state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “What began as an experiment ultimately became a way to preserve the land we love,” Mike says.

Across Belfort and Stone Tower, the Hubers describe their principles simply: success requires integrity, customers and employees come first, and businesses should strengthen the communities that support them. Family has been central to that work. Their son Matt now serves as president of Belfort, their daughter Lacey is vice president of Stone Tower, and their daughter Lauren has built a career in real estate. Looking ahead, Mike and Kristi hope their family’s commitment to local connections continues through future generations.

Loudoun Laurels tells the story of community as an ongoing act of stewardship. “Recognition is temporary, but the stories endure,” Attridge says. As the 2026 Celebration of Life and Leadership Gala approaches, the connection between Laureates and Scholars gives the evening its deeper meaning. The Laureates show what a lifetime of service can look like; the Scholars show what becomes possible when example is paired with opportunity. “Our Laureates and Scholars remind us that every contribution matters,” Attridge says, “and each of us has a role to play.” ML

Featured photo: Kristi and Mike Huber.

Published in the September 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.