At the September 29, 2010 Board of Directors meeting, the following individuals were elected as the Chamber’s 2011 officers. These leaders will take office at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting of the Membership on December 8. The Chamber thanks its 2011 officers for their commitment to serve. 

Chair - Nelson Adcock began his career at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1980 as a Nuclear Engineer. He left the shipyard in 1984 and joined Furmanite America, Inc. as a staff engineer. In October 1987,he became President of Furmanite America. In 1992, Nelson co-founded a consulting engineering company, GeoEnvironmental Resources, Inc., which specializes in geotechnical, environmental, hazardous material, and mechanical engineering. GeoEnvironmental Resources, Inc. has completed over 5,000 projects for more than 700 clients. Local projects have included the Convergence Center development, the USS Wisconsin berthing, Virginia Beach Convention Center, 31st Street Hilton Hotel, and the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Terminal. Nelson served as the Chamber’s 2010 Chair.

Chair-Elect - Maurice A. Jones is President of Pilot Media, the largest print, digital and direct marketing organization in Hampton Roads. Pilot Media’s businesses include The Virginian-Pilot, Pilot Direct, Pilot Interactive and Targeted Publications + Media. Maurice has served as President and Publisher of The Virginian-Pilot since 2008. Maurice joined Landmark Media Enterprises, owner of Pilot Media, in 2005, serving as Vice President of the Landmark Publishing Group. In 2006, Jones joined Pilot Media as Vice President and General Manager. Maurice has served the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce as Vice Chair of both the Marketing & Communications Committee and Membership Committee.

Treasurer - Deborah K. Stearns, CPM, SIOR, is Senior Vice President at Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate. Deborah’s experience includes office property sales and leasing, commercial development, mergers and acquisitions, and operational management. She is focused on brokerage and business development for the company’s brokerage and property management operations. Deborah is active in the community and serves on the Board of several State and regional organizations. 

Also serving as members of the 2011 Executive Committee:

Immediate Past Chair

Robert M. Boyd

BB&T

President and CEO

Jack Hornbeck, CCE

Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce

Vice Chair, Communications & Marketing

Susan Blackman

Willcox & Savage, PC

Vice Chair, Governmental Affairs

David Durham

SunTrust Bank

Vice Chair, Leadership Programs

Gregory French

Spectrum Financial

Vice Chair, Membership

Marino Santarelli

Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company

Vice Chair, Small Business

William Holloran, Jr.

DZ Atlantic, Inc.

Vice Chair, Sports

C. Grigsby Scifres, Esq.

Willams Mullen

Co-Chair, Sustainable Resources Campaign

Michael Dudley

Sentara Optima Health Plans

Co-Chair, Sustainable Resources Campaign

John W. Wilson

WBR Insurance Agency LLC

Chair, Sync757

Jason Kuller

Signs By Tomorrow-Chesapeake

Chair, Hampton Roads Business PAC

W. S. Miller, III

KITCO Fiber Optics

Vice Chair, At Large

Susan Archer

Old Dominion Steel & Container Co., Inc.

Vice Chair, At Large

Deborah Butler

Norfolk Southern Corp.

Vice Chair, At Large

Stephen Romine

LeClair Ryan

Vice Chair, At Large

Leigh Woisard

Cox Communications, LLC

Chair, Chesapeake Division

Shepelle Watkins-White

ShepelleWatkinsWhite Consulting & Law, PLLC

Chair, Norfolk Division

Michael Fowler

Merrill Lynch

Chair, Portsmouth Division

Jennifer Smith

Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center

Chair, Suffolk Division

Darren Schultz

Copico

Chair, Virginia Beach Division

Linwood Branch

Days Inn at the Beach

General Counsel

Hugh L. Patterson, Esq.

Willcox & Savage, PC

Individuals elected to serve as members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors beginning in December 2010:

Bill Bell

Northrup Grumman Shipbuilding

Mike Benedetto

TFC

Wynn Dixon

Chesapeake Regional Medical Center

Gaelo de la Fuente

Farm Fresh

Dwight Etheridge

Tivest Development & Construction

Steve Fuschetti

Gannett Media Technologies International

Aubrey Layne

Great Atlantic Real Estate

Joe Witt

Old Point National Bank

Jim Wofford

MacArthur Center