About the “CIVIC Couples” series
Did you know CIVIC Leadership Institute’s alumni include several married couples who have both gone through the program, often years apart and at different stages in life? As part of our 30th anniversary reflection and in celebration of Valentine’s Day, we’re highlighting a few of these CIVIC Couples and the unique connections they share through their individual CIVIC experiences.
Now retired from NASA, Melvin Ferebee (‘10) and Michelle Ferebee (‘12) continue to be impactful leaders in the community – Michelle as a Hampton City Council Member and Melvin as Interim Director of the Virginia Air and Space Science Center. But long before those roles, they built their NASA careers side by side, often working in the same circles while carefully maintaining professional boundaries. “There was a time when both of us were directors,” Michelle explained, “and sometimes he was in the meeting that I was leading, and other times he was leading.” The respect for each other’s roles was intentional and visible. As Melvin put it, “Michelle and I could be in the same room, and people in the room would never know that we were [married].”
Both credit CIVIC with pushing their learning beyond the familiar world of science, engineering, and research. They described coming from a research environment where work can feel internal, and realizing how much value comes from stepping outward. “Getting out of that research space, and actually talking to people, and being able to interact, and make those connections,” Michelle shared, “it honed in the importance of us getting out to connect with people, creating collaborations and partnerships across industries.”
For Melvin, the growth was also deeply personal. “Before CIVIC, I would argue I was a strong introvert,” he reflected. “After CIVIC, I leaned more towards being an extrovert… I learned a lot of social skills while I was in CIVIC.” The experience gave him confidence in rooms and conversations that once felt uncomfortable. “I was made a better person,” he added, noting how those skills translated into his leadership and community engagement.
For both Melvin and Michelle, some of the most vivid takeaways of their CIVIC experience came from getting behind the scenes of institutions across the region. For Melvin, a standout experience was crawling around in the USS Boise submarine, learning about hot racking and “sleeping on torpedoes.” Another memory that still resonates came during a program day when a classmate invited a remarkable guest: “One of our classmates brought Katherine Johnson in, and it was just – wow, that’s magical,” Melvin recalled.
When asked to finish the sentence “CIVIC taught me that leadership is…,” Melvin’s was simple: fluid. He elaborated, “You meet people where they are… your vision isn’t so hard that it can’t be tweaked along the way.” Michelle’s answer focused on connection: “Leadership is about building relationships, collaborations, and coalitions… creating opportunities for two-way communication, and in order for people to communicate, you have to be able to trust.”
Looking ahead, both pointed to what they hope never changes: the in-person structure and the opening retreat experience that builds real relationships and camaraderie. Michelle shared, “I wouldn’t change the structure,” adding that “if it were ever a virtual CIVIC, it wouldn’t be the same. We need the human interaction.”