About Danny

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Dr. Danny Avula took office as the 81st Mayor of the City of Richmond on January 1, 2025.

Before being elected Richmond’s first immigrant mayor, Danny served the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts for 12 years, including as the Director for six years. There he championed efforts to address maternal and childhood health, access to reproductive care, community safety, and the root causes that shape health outcomes—especially poverty and race.

In January 2021, Governor Northam appointed Danny to lead Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination effort. He jump started a struggling vaccine rollout and elevated the Commonwealth from 50th to one of the top 10 most-vaccinated states in the country.

After the pandemic started to recede, Governor Youngkin appointed Danny as Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services in 2022, where he implemented key changes to support families and to create more sustainable pathways out of poverty. He also expanded resources through successful legislative advocacy, began the process of replacing outdated IT systems, and ensured employees statewide had the necessary training to offer responsive, high-quality service.

Danny is a pediatrician and works as a hospitalist at Chippenham Hospital.

Born in Hyderabad, India, he immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1979. A father of five, Danny and his wife, Mary Kay, have lived in Richmond’s East End for over 20 years. Mary Kay is a teacher with Richmond Public Schools.

Danny holds degrees from the University of Virginia, VCU, and Johns Hopkins. He was named one of Richmond’s “Top Docs” each year from 2013-2022, a Richmond Times-Dispatch Person of the Year in 2019, and Style Weekly’s Richmonder of the Year in 2020. In 2017, he won the Dancing With the Richmond Stars contest.