Catherine M. Hudgins, the first African American to sit on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, served as the Hunter Mill Supervisor from 2000 to her retirement in 2019. During her tenure, she was a passionate advocate for the county’s diversity and affordable housing. She served as a Chair of the Board’s Human Services and Housing Committee. 

In 2006, Hudgins led the effort to build NCS’ Southgate Community Center at 12125 Pinecrest Road in Reston. Hudgins negotiated the land lease, secured the funding, and communicated her vision for programming and facilities.

In 2021, the community center was renamed the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate.

“Cathy Hudgins tirelessly served our communities in Hunter Mill District, from 2000 until 2019 when she retired from the Board of Supervisors,” Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn said in his motion for the new name in 2021. “She was a community builder with a passion for improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods that are often overlooked. One of Supervisor Hudgins’ biggest accomplishments and one that is a lasting legacy is the re-creation of the Southgate Community Center as a county-owned facility in Reston in 2006.”

Watch a video from the 2006 naming ceremony of the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate.

This story is part of NCS Stories - an initiative to preserve and share stories of the persons, places and events that shaped the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services.