Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced
the appointment of three highly skilled professionals to fill three executive
positions currently being held by interim appointees.
Sharon Ebert
has been selected to serve as the new Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for
the Economic and Community Development Portfolio. Douglas Dunlap has been named
as the Director of Housing and Community Development. Valaryee Mitchell,
interim Director of the Office of Community Wealth Building, has been appointed
to lead the office on a permanent basis.
“Our city is
blessed to have top-tier talent assuming these key leadership roles,” said
Mayor Stoney. “Sharon, Doug and Valaryee have the expertise and dedication to
lead these departments and I look forward to all we will accomplish together
working for the residents of the City of Richmond.”
Sharon Ebert has more than 25 years of experience
working in state and local government. Her work experience has resulted in over
a billion dollars in investments in areas of economic and retail development,
tax credit financing, historic preservation, mixed-income and mixed-use
redevelopment.
Ebert
previously held positions in New York City, Yonkers, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and
Bridgeport, CT. As the Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Development in
Yonkers, NY, She was responsible for all economic, community and real estate
development activities undertaken by the city, as well as all planning
activities including master and urban renewal plans, neighborhood and downtown
revitalization and affordable housing.
Most recently, Ebert
served as Director of Community Development in the City of Johns Creek, GA
where she oversaw planning, zoning, land development, building, permitting, and
code enforcement activities. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and previously held the credential of a
registered and licensed architect while working in New York.
Douglas Dunlap has been employed with the city for 19
years, during which time he has served in several capacities across multiple
departments. Previously serving as
Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Development Review and most
recently Interim Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.
Dunlap has more
than 25 years of experience in public administration in areas of planning,
housing and community development. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics
from Hampton University as well as a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Prior to
joining the city, Dunlap was employed with the Better Housing Coalition where
he managed its homeownership program overseeing Cary 2000 and Jefferson Mews
homeownership phases.
Valaryee
Mitchell has
more than 18 years of progressive experience with workforce programs including
those serving youth, adults, people living in poverty, dislocated workers,
re-entry and business.
In
her previous role as Workforce Administrator she provided leadership and
oversight for the City of Richmond’s workforce development initiatives
including the Career Stations, BLISS Program, Business Services, and Mayor’s
Youth Academy. Valaryee received her bachelor’s degree from Hampton University
in Political Science and her Master of Public Administration from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute.
Prior to coming to the Office of Community
Wealth Building Mitchell was the Statewide One-Stop Coordinator for the
Virginia Community College System (VCCS). During her tenure with the VCCS she
established a One-Stop Certification process that reviewed continuous quality
improvement in 18 American Job Centers across Virginia.
