City Leadership
The City of Virginia Beach was chartered as a municipal corporation on Jan. 1, 1963. The City currently operates under the council-manager form of government.
The City of Virginia Beach was chartered as a municipal corporation on Jan. 1, 1963. The City currently operates under the council-manager form of government.
The 11-member City Council is the city's legislative body. The City Manager is appointed by the Council. Through his staff, the City Manager acts as chief executive officer and implements policies established by the Council.
Patrick A. Duhaney joined the City of Virginia Beach as city manager in July 2020. Prior to taking on his new role, he served as City Manager of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he had been employed since 2009. While there, Duhaney served in a variety of roles, including contract compliance specialist, chief procurement officer and assistant city manager.
Before his work in local government, Duhaney served in the U.S. Army on active duty and in reserve capacity from 1999 to 2015 under combat engineer and ordnance commands. He also worked for a community development financial institution in Cincinnati, where he served as a program officer responsible for issuing community development loans, oversaw the local LISC office’s loan portfolio and worked to bring resources to aid in the redevelopment of Cincinnati neighborhoods.
Duhaney has served on numerous boards in Cincinnati pertaining to neighborhood economic development and redevelopment and chaired the City of Cincinnati's Minority/Small/Women Business Enterprise Advisory Board.
Duhaney holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Urban Studies from Cleveland State University and a master’s in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati. He is a graduate of the Urban League’s African American Leadership Development Program.
He is also a certified Economic Development Finance Professional and a Certified Public Procurement Buyer issued by the National Institute for Government Procurement (NIGP).
Budget & Management Services
Kevin Chatellier, director
City Manager's Office
Melissa Zibutis, chief of staff
Emergency Communications & Citizen Services
Jada Lee, director
Emergency Management
David Topczynski, director
Emergency Medical Services
Jason Stroud, chief
Fire
Ken Pravetz, chief
Police
Paul Neudigate, chief
Public Works
LJ Hansen, director
Housing & Neighborhood Preservation
Ruth Hill, director
Human Services
Aileen Smith, director
Public Library
Kimberly Knight, director
Parks & Recreation
Michael Kirschman, director
Public Utilities
Bob Montague, director
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Cynthia Spanoulis, president & CEO
Liaison to Virginia Beach Department of Public Health
Agriculture
David Trimmer, director
Convention & Visitors Bureau
Nancy Helman, director
Economic Development
Amanda Jarratt
Planning & Community Development
Kathy Warren, director
Communications
Tiffany Russell, director
Cultural Affairs
Emily Labows, director
Finance
Letitia Shelton, director
Human Resources
Stacy Hawks & Monica Kopin, co-directors
Information Technology
Peter Wallace, director
Performance & Accountability
Thepiolus Aspiras, director
Liaison to Virginia Beach Courts