12 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 7 Number 5


January 2013


Around Hampton Roads Mobile America: New Online Service


Matches Vets with Jobs Chesapeake welcomes a new online service that matches the talents of veterans with employers seeking independent contracting. President and CEO, Dan Bell says that Mobile America is a "virtual workforce” in the style of guru.com, freelance.com and other outsourcing providers. However, this site is exclusively for job-seeking veterans and their spouses and will be available to them free of charge. Job seekers and providers can both register at www. mobileamerica.us.


TNCC Vice President of Workforce


Wins Innovation Award Dr. Deborah George Wright, Vice President of Workforce Development at Thomas Nelson Community College, has been awarded the Virginia Community Colleges System’s Expanding Workforce Opportunity Award for her leadership in public-private workforce development partnerships. The award was presented during the December Hire Education Conference held in Hot Springs, Virginia.


Wright was honored for leading a collaborative that includes Virginia’s largest private employer, Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), Thomas Nelson, Tidewater, Paul D. Camp, Rappahannock and Eastern Shore Community Colleges and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS).


Each organization shares resources and access to VCCS noncredit funding for customized training through a signed memorandum of understanding. The collaborative established best practices that other community colleges across the state and their partnering businesses can easily duplicate.


“We were thrilled to bestow this well-deserved award upon Deborah Wright, and I know that her colleagues share my enthusiasm. Her visionary leadership is complemented by her attention to nuts and bolts program implementation, benefitting all the citizens of Hampton Roads,” said Craig Herndon, Vice Chancellor for VCCS Workforce Development Services.


The partnership up-skilled 92 Virginians with 120 hours of concentrated accelerated training as marine electricians, who have since been hired full time employment at NNS at salaries of $32,000 and full benefits. The program has a 97% completion rate and a 93% placement rate.


The first trainings were held in marine electrician labs at TNCC and RCC, which replicated the training mock-ups at the NNS waterfront. The Collaborative intends to move into additional trades, beginning with Surface Prep and Coatings in an 80- hour training using a mobile training lab that will move to each college location, starting at TNCC in January. Classes in Marine Electrician at TNCC and RCC are scheduled through June. All students apply through the NNS website.


“This partnership is a team effort,” says Wright. “We have an outstanding group of individuals contributing to make this project successful.”


Newport News City Manager


Announces Retirement Neil Morgan will retire May 31, 2013 after 27 years of service


Newport News City Manager Neil A. Morgan has announced his retirement effective May 31, 2013. He has served in the role of City Manager since 2009.


“This is a difficult decision for me, but I believe that the timing is right, both personally and professionally,” said Neil Morgan. “I have spent most of my professional life working for the City of Newport News and will always care deeply about this community and this organization.”


A native of Newport News and a graduate of Warwick High School, Morgan has worked for the City since 1986. His first position was with the Department of Development as a Project Coordinator, and he later attained the positions of Senior Project Coordinator, Manager of Development, and Assistant Director of the Department of Planning and Development. In September 1997, Morgan was promoted to an Assistant City Manager, and he became Deputy City Manager in May 2009. He was named Acting City Manager in August 2009 by City Council, and was appointed City Manager in February, 2010. Morgan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from West Virginia University. He has also completed post graduate work at Virginia Tech.


The Newport News City Council will conduct a nationwide search for Morgan’s replacement.


Norfolk City Manager Marcus Jones Tell us about your


Church programs Churches@hamptonroadsmessenger.com


Announces Staffing Changes NORFOLK – City Manager Marcus Jones has made several staffing changes as he continues to take steps to create an efficient and effective well-managed government.


Sabrina Joy-Hogg has accepted the role of Assistant City Manager. Since March 2011, Sabrina served as the Budget and Grants Management Director, responsible for directing the


Sabrina and Alice will start their new roles January 2, 2013.


Dale Castellow will join the City of Norfolk staff as the Transportation Strategic Planner –Advisor beginning January 7, 2013. Dale has 25 years of transportation experience including Director of Transportation Services for Loudon County. He has worked on many high profile projects including; planning and development of Virginia Beach Town Center, Pentran and HRT merger, the Dulles toll road and I-95 HOT Lanes in Fairfax.


“Sabrina and Alice bring a wealth of experience and a commitment to better serve Norfolk residents,” said City Manager Marcus Jones. “I am pleased to welcome Dale to the city and look forward to working with him as we chart the future of Norfolk’s transportation needs.”


Orientation Session for Individuals Interested in Doing Business with the


preparation and administration of the $1.1 billion annual operating, capital and Community Development Block Grant program budgets. Prior to joining the City of Norfolk, Sabrina worked for the Governor’s Budget Team in Richmond, where she analyzed and assessed the fiscal needs of education agencies, monitored operating funds for several state agencies and participated in fiscal negotiations.


Alice Kelly has accepted the role of Finance Director. Since 2001, Alice served as the Assistant Public Works Director responsible for finance and budget, personnel administration, customer service and community outreach. She has also served as the Acting Finance Director and board chair of the Norfolk Municipal Employee Federal Credit Union.


Portsmouth Public School Division January 16, 2013 ● I.C.Norcom High School ● 1801 London Boulevard, Portsmouth, VA 23704 ● 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.


Portsmouth Public School Board has approved a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program policy. The purpose of the M/WBE Program is to provide opportunities for M/WBE firms to compete in all aspects of Portsmouth Public Schools procurement contracts for construction, services, materials, and goods.


This is an important meeting if you have done business with or are interested in doing business with Portsmouth Public Schools so your company can learn about the M/WBE program and how the bidding and proposal requirements are changing.


RSVP by January 10, 2013 if you plan to attend.


Suffolk Introduces Business Reinvention Project for Hampton


Roads' Business Community SUFFOLK, Virginia – The City of Suffolk and the Virginia Regional Center for United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) Workforce Transition and Business Development are proud to introduce a groundbreaking program to assist entrepreneurship and diversification for the Hampton Roads business community. The Hampton Roads Business Reinvention Project is based upon the research and teachings of Saras Sarasvathy, PhD, a world renowned business professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Dr. Sarasvathy’s program is based on the principle that entrepreneurship is not an art, but a science…that it can be taught; and that highly successful entrepreneurs approach their goals and objectives with effectual thinking and a unique decision framework. Dr. Sarasvathy is world renowned and has received significant notoriety for her “Inc. Magazine” article Inside the Minds of Great Entrepreneurs, which is the most shared article in the history of “Inc. Magazine.”


The Project will kick off January 2013 with a series of meetings, workshops and additional services to benefit the Hampton Roads business community affected by the disestablishment of USJFCOM, government contractors interested in diversifying their services, and entrepreneur start-ups. The Project will be managed and coordinated by the City of Suffolk and the Virginia Regional Center for USJFCOM Workforce Transition and Business Development, and is being funded by a grant from the Office of Economic Adjustment via the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.


For more information on this program and to find out how your business can participate in this exciting program, contact Karla Siedschlag, Coordinator at the Virginia Regional Center for USJFCOM Workforce Transition and Business Development; 757-514-4450 or ksiedschlag@suffolkva.us.


suffolkva.us


Regional Tax Summit 2013 in Virginia Beach


January 10, 2013 ● 10:00am-12:00pm ● Meyera E. Obendorf Central Library


Please join us for this informational summit to provide you the tools and resources you need to assist working families. Providing more than $260 million in refunds to low income working families of South Hampton Roads, the Earned Income Tax Credit is the largest antipoverty program in the United States. Yet, by IRS estimates, 20%-25% of eligible households do not receive this credit. In South Hampton Roads as much as $56 million could be returned to working families and to the local economy.


As community leaders you are in a unique position to help low income working families and bring more income into the local economy by increasing awareness of this credit and the free tax preparation resources available.


To RSVP Call: 757.385.3551


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