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March 10, 2017 – The Charlotte Hornets and Bank of America on Saturday will honor Brigadier General Velma L. Richardson, USA, Ret., as this season’s fifth recipient of the season-long Yellow Ribbon Program. In partnership with Bank of America, the Hornets honor military members and veterans for their unwavering service to our country, and the Yellow Ribbon Program recognizes one of these heroes during one Hornets home game per month. Recipients are featured in the game program, interviewed on “Live at the Hive” on hornets.com, honored prior to the national anthem and during an on-court presentation at halftime and given four tickets to the game. In addition, the Hornets make a $1,000 donation to the recipients' charity of choice.
“The Charlotte Hornets and Bank of America are proud to recognize special individuals like Brigadier General Richardson for their service to our country.” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & COO Fred Whitfield. “It is important for us to thank them for their contributions and recognize the sacrifices they have made for us all along the way.”
Brigadier General Richardson spent 31 years in the U.S. Army following through on a decision she made in the eighth grade that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her aunt, Colonel Vashti V. Jeffries, USA, Ret. She rose to the rank of Brigadier General, becoming one of only 10 African-American women to have earned the rank on active duty in the U.S. Army, and was the senior African-American woman in the Army at the time of her retirement in October 2003.
Brigadier General Richardson commanded at all levels, from company to brigade, and served as the deputy commanding general at the Signal School, the Army and Air Force Exchange and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM). Following her retirement, she spent 10 years with Lockheed Martin, where she led the Department of Defense Information Technology efforts at the company’s Washington Operations Unit and later served as IS&GS Small Business Development Principal.
Brigadier General Richardson serves on several national boards, including the Council for a Strong America, the Military Officers’ Association of America and the National Board of Directors of the ROCKS, a non-profit organization focused on mentorship, scholarship and education for current and retired Army officers, warrant officers and SROTC/JROTC students. Her honors include being named Woman of the Year in 2000 by the Augusta, Georgia, branch of the NAACP and being inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame in 2001. She was also recognized as an outstanding graduate of a historically black college at the 26th National Conference on Blacks in Higher Education in 2001 and by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities for outstanding service to the nation’s military in 2003. In addition, she was named ROCK of the Year by the National Board of Directors of the ROCKS.
This season’s previous Yellow Ribbon Program honorees were late Buffalo Soldier Tomie Louis Gaines Sr.; First Lieutenant Chris E. Franks, USA, Ret.; Technical Sergeant Timothy D. Montjoy, USAF, Ret.; and Lieutenant Colonel Rick Cantwell, USA, Ret. Last season’s honorees were Sergeant First Class Jeremy Hetrick, USA, Ret.; Senior Master Sergeant Horace E. Booker, USAF, Ret.; Specialist Daniel Schugel, USA, Ret.; Captain Sara Yon, USA, Ret.; First Sergeant Ezekiel Ancrum Jr., USA, Ret.; and First Sergeant Randy L. Moore, USA, Ret.