Contact Us

Mayor's Office

900 E. Broad St., Suite 201
Richmond, VA
23219 USA
Phone: 804-646-7970
Fax: 804-646-7987

Email: RVAMayor@rva.gov

Mayor's Working Groups

During his tenure, Mayor Stoney has convened a number of working groups to bring experienced, innovative and diverse voices around the table to solve pressing problems. 

Below, you will find descriptions of these groups, links to any online presence they may have and a regularly updated calendar of upcoming meetings for those groups that meet publicly.

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The mission of the Educator Task Force (ETF) is to engage and elevate educators’ voices to support and advance Mayor Stoney’s children, youth and education priorities for his second term while responding to emerging priorities as needed. Teachers, counselors and other support staff will comprise the task force.

The ETF will work to offer recommendations on college and career preparation for students grades 6-12 and guidance for planning a year-round academic calendar. 

The application was open March 25 - April 18.

Visit the website of the Shockoe Alliance.

The Shockoe Alliance is charged with guiding design and implementation of concepts and recommendations for the future of Shockoe as a holistic area rooted in history and informed by those with shared interests to advance these efforts in support of the mission. It was founded in 2018.

Said Mayor Stoney at the time: "In February of 2018, we had experts and advisors from around the country visit Shockoe [Area] to take a look at some of the land use issues we face in the city. They spent a total of four days doing site visits and stakeholder and community engagement meetings.

"We found that there was not a common vision for this area; but, if we could find a common vision, there would be opportunity for trust building, reconciliation, and the creation of an international cultural destination.

"My team decided that the best path forward was to bring people together around the table to discuss the future of Shockoe – to find that shared vision. That’s where we are today. ”

Since its founding, the Shockoe Alliance has met regularly to create and discuss proposals for the Shockoe Area. On July 28, the mayor, surrounded by members of the Shockoe Alliance, committed to funding a capital improvement budget amendment between $25-50 million for the memorialization and commemoration of Richmond's complete history, with an emphasis on the stories of enslaved Africans. Read more about that commitment here. 

Click here to learn about how to watch the public meetings of the Shockoe Alliance. 

Organization Member name(s)
*Virginia House of Delegates Delegate Delores McQuinn
*Rose Fellows Mayor Levar Stoney, Councilwoman and President Cynthia Newbille
*Preservation Virginia Elizabeth Kostelny
*Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project Ana Edwards
*Shockoe Business Association Brian White
*Shockoe Neighborhood Association David Napier
*Shockoe Partnership Brian Jackson
African Community Network Djibril Niang
Bike Walk RVA Louise Lockett Gordon
Capital Trees Frazier Armstrong, Max Hepp-Buchanan
Church Hill Association Jeffery Burden
Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe Reggie Tupponce
Community Unity in Action Lynetta Thompson
Cultural Heritage Partners Ellen Chapman
Friends of Taylor's Hill Park Trish Bernal
History and Culture Commission Free Yannoh Bangura, Paula Saylor Robinson
Richmond Regional Tourism Katherine O'Donnell
Richmond Resident Ben Ragsdale, Whit Richardson
Shockoe Property/Business Owner Juan Braxton, Susan Gaible
Shockoe Resident Mark Chang
Valentine Museum Bill Martin
Venture Richmond Lucy Mead

* Signifies a found organization/member

Staff Title
Kimberly Chen Senior Manager, Office of DCAO Sharon L. Ebert
Osita Iroegbu Senior Policy Advisor for Community Engagement, Office of Mayor Levar Stoney

 

Click here to read the Homelessness Advisory Council's final report.

This special Advisory Council was created to provide advice to the Mayor and City Council about issues related to the homeless services system in the Richmond community.  The Advisory Council has thirty (30) days to review information and create a list of recommendations.  The list of recommendations is the expected deliverable. 
 
The Advisory Council will be asked to absorb a great deal of information about a complex, multilayered social issue.  Hopefully, the work product of the Advisory Council will help the Mayor, the City Council, local media and the general public clarify the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders, set appropriate expectations regarding capacity and resource allocations, resolve outstanding service delivery issues, and neutralize misinformation.  The framework for this work will be the Strategic Plan to End Homelessness approved by City Council. 

Click here to read the Strategic Plan to End Homelessness.

Name

Affiliation
Reverend Dwylene Butler Sixth Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Katie Chlan Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
Annette Cousins Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond
Christine Elwell Greater Richmond Regional Collaborative
Scott Firestine Richmond Public Library
Tracey Hardney-Scott Richmond NAACP
Bonita Hogue VCU Health, Department of Care Coordination
Natasha Lemus Waymakers Foundation
Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch Richmond City Council
Nadine Marsh-Carter Children's Home Society of Virginia
Ricky Martin Fitness Warriors, Community Advocate
Zakia McKensey NationZ Foundation
Nury Mojica Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation
Councilwoman Ellen Robertson Richmond City Council
Michael Rogers Homeward
Diana Thomas Caritas
Timika Vincent Wealth Building Solutions
Dr. Alex Wagaman VCU School of Social Work
Thomas Washington Richmond Public Schools
Charles Willis Community Advocate

Staff

Name City Department
Reggie Gordon DCAO of Human Services
Maggie Anderson Chief of Staff, Mayor's Office
Sam Schwartzkopf Office of the Press Secretary
Khilia Giacobone Human Services
Patty Parks Human Services
Lynda Sharp-Anderson Social Services

Minutes:

January 22 meeting minutes

January 25 meeting minutes

January 29 meeting minutes

The Mayor's Teacher Advisory Council was convened to advise the Mayor's Office on issues that educators are uniquely positioned to speak to.

One of the projects MTAC has championed was the provision of free CPR training for Richmond Public Schools teachers. Certification in CPR is mandatory for teachers, and that process can cost individuals as much as $150 per certification period. MTAC identified this barrier, partnering with Richmond Fire Department to provide multiple free training sessions for RPS teachers.

MTAC also took lead on a reimagined Teacher Appreciation Week in May of 2020. In the middle of an unprecedented semester, MTAC reached out to teachers, school administrators and elected officials for challenging, enlightening and celebratory interviews. You can watch the introductory video here and catch the rest of the content on this playlist on the city's YouTube channel. 

The mayor meets with the Mayor's Teacher Advisory Council

Read the final report from the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety here. 

Read the initial report of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety here. 

Mayor Stoney announced the members of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety on July 10. His primary requests of the diverse group of professionals include reviewing the police department’s use of force policies, exploring an approach to public safety that uses a human services lens and prioritizing community healing and engagement.

The members of the task force bring an array of perspectives from activist, legal, academic, law enforcement, emergency services, artistic, healthcare and other fields. At the close of a 45-day period, the task force will bring the mayor a set of actionable steps forward to build a safer city for all.

The first public meeting of the task force took place Friday, August 7, 2020. The task force meets every other Friday afternoon at 3:00. They are streamed live to the City of Richmond Facebook page. Meetings will be available for viewing on the City of Richmond's YouTube channel.  

Watch the meetings on your own time at the below links:

August 7

August 21

September 4

September 18

On September 23, the task force presented their initial report to the mayor and Chief of Police Gerald Smith. You can read that report here. Read a city press release on the report here. 

On November 23, the task force compiled and presented their final report. You can read that report here. Read the mayor's statement on the final report here. 

 

Members
Bill Pantele
Birdie Jamison
Brad Nixon
Brandon Browne
Brandon Lovee
Brian Swann
Brian Williams
Carol Adams
Collette McEachin
Courtney Winston
Daryl Fraser
Destiny Hill
Devontae Scott
Djibril Niang
Donté McCutchen
Councilwoman Ellen Robertson
George Brown
Glenwood Burley
Helena Hudson
Iman Shabazz
Keisha Cummings
Kimberly Russo
Lashawnda Singleton
Lisa Moon
Lyons Sanchezconcha
Councilman Mike Jones
Natasha Crosby
Patrice Shelton
Ram Bhagat
Robert Morris
Rodney Robinson
Shanel Lewis
Shatara Hurt
Sheba Williams
Shytina Huey
Torey Edmonds
Tracy Paner
Triston Harris
William Pelfry

 

Staff Member Organization
Maggie Anderson Office of the Mayor
Chief Gerald Smith Richmond Police Department
Chief Melvin Carter Richmond Fire Department
Director Steve Willoughby Richmond Emergency Communications
DCAO Reggie Gordon Richmond Human Services
Director Shunda Giles Department of Social Services
James Davis Community Ambassadors Program
John Lindstrom Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
Ruth Morrison Richmond City Health District
Director Valaryee Mitchell Office of Community Wealth Building
Osita Iroegbu Office of the Mayor

The Monument Avenue Commission was founded in July of 2017 and met through 2018 to solicit public input and make recommendations on how to best tell the real story behind the statues on Monument Avenue and change the face of Monument Avenue by adding new monuments that would reflect a broader, more inclusive story of our history. 

After white supremacists marched in Charlottesville Virginia in August of 2017, the mayor added a charge to the commision's tasks: to examine the removal and/or relocation of some or all of the monuments to the Confederacy.

The Monument Avenue Commission solicited public comment for just under a year. You can read internet public comment submission by submission month below:

To read the Monument Avenue Commission's final report, click here. 

Member Role/Specialty
Christy Coleman, Co-Chair CEO, American Civil War Museum
Dr. Gregg Kimball Library of Virginia, Director of Public Services and Outreach
Councilman Andreas Addison Councilmember, First District
Dr. Edward Ayers Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and President Emeritus of the University of Richmond
Stacy Burrs Development consultant
Sarah Shields Driggs Architectural and art historian
Councilwoman Kim Gray Councilmember, Second District
Dr. Julian Hayter Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond
Dr. Lauranett Lee Public historian and consultant
Coleen Butler Rodriguez City resident and marketing specialist

The American Civil War Museum has created a website where you can learn more about the history of Monument Avenue.