When Jeannie Baliles became First Lady of Virginia in 1986, she immediately named fighting adult illiteracy as a major societal issue that needed to be addressed.
Ms. Baliles was also instrumental in creating a public-private partnership that would oversee and prevent overlapping services among all community-based literacy organizations throughout the state.
During her tenure as the nation's First Lady, Barbara Bush had publicized the plight of the millions of adults in America with low literacy skills, and had influenced the formation of many new grass roots adult literacy programs in the nation, and influential people like Jeannie Baliles.
Each year the Jeannie P. Baliles Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of students, volunteers and program staff of Virginia's literacy organizations.
[6] In 2008, Richmond Mayor Douglas Wilder appointed her to a charter-study commission to review the City Charter.