The 2010 Charleston Area Alliance Annual Celebration is upon us! Don’t miss your chance to be part of this upbeat salute to the people and organizations that have helped create jobs and enhance our community in the past year,

It begins this evening at 5 p.m. at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences.

Individual tickets will be available at the door and are $200 Alliance member/$250 future member.

The event will open with a formal program at 5:00 p.m.; Elkins native Dr. Nancy Nielsen, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, will be the keynote speaker.  Dr. Nielsen joins a prestigious list of nationally-prominent Mountaineers — including John Chambers, Brad Smith and Ray Lane — who’ve come home to West Virginia to share their insights on the issues that our shaping our future.

Dr. Nielsen was a mother of five when she entered medical school at the age of 29, and is only the second woman to head the AMA.  She will discuss what it means to be a West Virginian and how her Mountain State roots have shaped her life and career. 

The event will also salute the 2010 Leadership Kanawha Valley graduates and College Summit Scholarship recipients.

A gala reception featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and entertainment by the Bob Thompson Unit will follow in the Grand Lobby.

A VIP reception for sponsors will run from 4 to 4:45 p.m.