Our Staff and Instructors
Meet our Staff and Instructors
We pride ourselves on having some of the best instructors in the industry. Our instructors have over 100 years of combined experience teaching driving to help you or your teen driver succeed.
Les Hodges
Instructor – Les recently joined the RVA Driving Academy family after retiring from the printing business after 20 years of service.. He and his family moved to VA from OK in 2001 when they made their home here. Les and his wife have…
Willie Gillus
Instructor – Willie was born and raised in Suffolk. He attended Nansemond River HS where he was a standout athlete in football. He continued his education at Morgan State University playing tight end for the Bears, and graduated in 2017 with…
Hannah Ballowe
Social Media Accounts Specialist – Hannah graduated from St. Catherine’s School in 2019 and currently attends Virginia Tech where she is studying English-Pre Law while also running on the XC, Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams.
Tim Fenn
Instructor – Tim is a teacher at Glen Allen HS, where he helps students with credit recovery through Edgenuity. He is a former athlete, playing baseball at Virginia Tech (GO HOKIES), and presently can be found teaching behind-the-wheel and coaching…
Sherry Edwards
DMV Forms Specialist – Sherry is a retired Health and Physical Education Teacher and coach of 30 years with Henrico County Schools. When she is not helping out in the office of the RVA Driving School in the mornings, she…
Darlene Wilson-Thomas
Instructor – Darlene has over 40 years of Health, PE and Driver Education teaching experience. She has a passion for teaching her students to make good decisions and to utilize safe driving techniques. Darlene is retired from Richmond City Public…
Julie Ballowe
Owner / Instructor – Julie is the new managing owner of RVA Driving Academy. She has been a Health, PE and Driver Education teacher in the Henrico County school system for 29 years, and joined RVA Driving Academy in 2016….
Chuck Evans
Instructor – Chuck has been the backbone of RVA Driving Academy since its inception. Because of his integrity and attention to detail, RVA Driving Academy consistently passes DMV audits with zero deficiencies, and is well known in the community for…
Eric Hilton
Instructor – Eric teaches Health, PE and behind-the-wheel at Godwin High School, where he is also the girl’s basketball coach. When he isn’t at Godwin he can usually be found on the sidelines of one of his children’s many sports…
Fred Bibby
Instructor – Fred is a legend in Driver Education throughout the Richmond area. He probably taught your grandmother to drive. Fred is retired from Richmond City Public Schools where he taught Health, PE and Driver Education for over 40 years….
Trilby Burt
Instructor – Trilby has been teaching Driver Education in the Richmond area since 1994. She has been teaching at RVA Driving Academy for 6 years. Trilby is often requested as an instructor and has received high praise from students and…
Emma Loderick
Office Manager – Emma is the Office Manager at RVA Driving Academy. She is the jack of all trades and is usually the cheery voice behind our phones. Emma is a Richmond native, graduate of St. Catherine’s School and also…