Senior Leadership
Lawson Wijesooriya
Chief of Staff
Lawson Wijesooriya is the Chief of Staff for Richmond’s 81st Mayor, Dr. Danny Avula. Before leading his successful bid for mayor as campaign manager, Wijesooriya spent 15 years leading local non-profits—with a focus on strategy and community development—to serve some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. She graduated from the University of Virginia as a Phi Beta Kappa Jefferson Scholar and is a mother of two.
Thad Williamson
Senior Policy Strategist
Dr. Thad Williamson is professor of leadership studies and PPEL at the University of Richmond and currently serves as senior policy strategist for Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. His research focuses on social justice, urban politics, and community wealth building, including his recent co-authored book The Making of 21st Century Richmond (2024). He previously served as Richmond's first director of Community Wealth Building (2014-16), senior policy advisor to Mayor Stoney (2017-18), and chair of the City Charter Review Commission (2022), while also receiving the University's Distinguished Educator Award (2012).
