Chuck Rigney and Mike Paris were our guest speakers at the November 2017 luncheon; they discussed Norfolk Works and other programs that Norfolk has created to foster equitable economic development. NORFOLK WORKS, launched in December 2016, is designed to champion the recruitment of diverse Norfolk talent to support business retention and expansion, align economic and workforce development efforts to acquire new business development, and, in collaboration with our workforce partners, help Norfolk citizens prepare for and connect to meaningful employment opportunities.
Chuck Rigney rejoined the City of Norfolk as Director of Development in June 2015, after serving as Director of Development in the City of Portsmouth since October 2014. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Director of Development (including two years as Interim Director) in Norfolk, having first joined the City in June 1997. He oversees the management and operation of the City’s Development team. Chuck’s background includes prior employment with the Virginia Peninsula Economic Development Council (VPEDC), where he was a Senior Business Development Manager. Before entering the economic development field, Chuck worked in commercial real estate and banking in the Hampton Roads community.
Mike Paris is a Business Development Manager with the Norfolk Department of Economic Development and is responsible for administering its workforce initiative, Norfolk Works. He also represents Development as part of the East Little Creek Task Force. Formerly, he served as an Employment Broker, Manager of the Center for Employment Resources, and as a senior employment professional for the Norfolk Department of Human Services. Mike is the previous Chair of the Norfolk Employment Task Force and the Hampton Roads Reentry Employment Committee, and is the present Chair of the Norfolk Workforce Investment Network.
Hampton Roads Chapter – American Society for Public Administration 
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