The Hampton Roads Chapter of ASPA hosted a general luncheon/meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2014 from 11:00 to 12:20 at the Holiday Inn on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach.
Our guest speaker was Ms. Robin McCormick, Communications Strategist, for the City of Hampton. Ms. McCormick graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hollins College in Roanoke and then went to work for The Times-Herald newspaper in Newport News, Virginia, the day after graduation. That afternoon paper merged with its morning sister paper (the Daily Press). McCormick stayed, initially as a reporter, covering a variety of beats: courts, education, youth services, transportation. Over the years, she moved to editing as a copy editor, business editor, features editor, news editor and finally managing editor. Along the way, as the business changed and the newspaper became a bigger media company, she worked with a variety of start-up publications, early website and TV partnerships. Robin left the newspaper business after almost 30 years to come to the city of Hampton to help tell the city’s story. As communications strategist/director of marketing & outreach, she leads a team that is responsible for: city’s website, media relations, cable TV station, social media, communications, citizen engagement, brochures, marketing, awards nominations, etc.
Our Featured Speaker was Mr. William Harrell, President & CEO of Hampton Roads Transit. His topic of discussion was “Connect Hampton Roads”.
Valerie has been an active member of ASPA since June of 2009. Prior to being elected President, she served as a member of council, Membership Chair and President Elect. She holds a Master’s Degree from Troy University in Public Administration and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been employed with the city of Virginia Beach for 27 years as a Real Estate Appraiser, where she also serves as a member of the Inclusion and Diversity Communications Committee and
Todd Solomon, the interim Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE) spoke to our chapter on “Citizen Involvement in Regionalism: How Civic Engagement Benefits Past and Future Regional Initiatives.” As a background for those who may not be familiar with the center, it is a non-profit that was created in 2008 based on a future of Hampton Roads study group.
The center was created to increase the ability of Hampton Roads citizens, governments and institutions to work together to strengthen the region economically and to enhance our quality of life. Todd discussed several of their recent projects to include the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) Urban Crescent Project, the Urban Land Institute Reality Check, and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) Envision HR Project. They are now planning a regional project on “Sea Level Rise.” They will be asking citizens to identify their issues, discuss solutions and trade-offs, prioritize the results and create and action plan to move forward. He also discussed some of the work they are doing with the Kettering Foundation and the International City Management Association.
To learn more about HRCCE view please visit their website at 
Hampton Roads Chapter – American Society for Public Administration 
You must be logged in to post a comment.