If you’ve visited the Regional Building recently, you may have noticed some new faces .  Here are brief summaries of talented professionals that have recently joined the HRPDC staff.

Welcome aboard! We’re glad you have joined us and we look forward to your contributions to making Hampton Roads a great place to work, live and play!

Simone Elmore, Administrative Assistant II – Simone Elmore joined the HRPDC in October 2022. Simone has several years of experience in administrative work, including a Business School High School diploma, a clerical apprenticeship, and an Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration from Tidewater Community College. Previously she was the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Manufacturing at STIHL Inc. where she was responsible for administrative tasks for the entire manufacturing department. In addition, she was the leader of a cross-departmental team to find and implement solutions for glove cost reduction, organized events, and visitor plant tours, and was the coordinator of the 5S program.

Simone is originally from Germany and moved to the U.S. in 2015. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities like camping and fishing; everything that includes arts and crafts; and spending time with her husband, dog, and reptiles.

Ivy Ozmon, Water Resources Planner III - Ivy Ozmon joined the HRPDC Water Resources team in October 2022. Prior to, Ivy served as a Water Quality Specialist for HRSD, the wastewater treatment authority for Hampton Roads. In that role, she conducted water monitoring related to implementation of HRSD’s Sustainable Water Initiative For Tomorrow (SWIFT), in addition to performing laboratory and field testing to inform treatment processes for biological nutrient removal and odor control operations. Before that, Ivy served the City of Manassas Department of Utilities as Environmental Program Manager, overseeing public drinking water system monitoring and compliance, in addition to managing the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) program.  Outside of work with utility compliance operations, Ivy contributed to Northeast regional ocean planning efforts for three years as principal scientist for the Maine Coastal Program’s Maine Coastal Mapping Initiative, where she developed spatial models to predict benthic habitat classifications for the subtidal environment offshore of Mid-coast Maine.  Ivy earned her Master of Science in Ocean and Earth Sciences from Old Dominion University, researching the ecology and physiology of harmful marine algae under projected climate scenarios, and she investigated green roof impacts to runoff water quality through her research at Virginia Wesleyan College, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Ivy is a Norfolk native, and she enjoys spending free time on outdoor activities from the mountains to the coast.  You’re likely to find Ivy with her husband and black lab playing in their garden, on the beach, along a nature trail, in a tidal creek, or on a disc golf course around the region.