Hampton Roads Planning District CommissionHRPDCVA
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Welcome New Employees and Staff Career Milestones

Welcome New Employees and Staff Career Milestones

The HRPDC and HRTPO recently welcomed new employees and recognized career milestones for some employees at their respective October meetings.

New Employees

Deidre GarrettDeidre Garret,
Housing Program Specialist

Deidre Garrett joined the HRPDC as Housing Program Specialist in September. She works with applicants for our first time homebuyer program.  Previously, Deidre worked for the Housing Department in York County where she assisted with the housing choice voucher program and neighborhood revitalization program grants. Ms. Garret has 13 years of experience in property management throughout the southeast region from Louisiana to North Carolina.

Katherine Rainone,
Regional Economist

Katherine Rainone Katherine Rainone joined the HRPDC as a Regional Economist in September, after moving to Virginia Beach at the completion of her Master’s in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. At Scripps, her research focused on the economic impacts of sea level rise and coastal flooding. Prior to joining the HRPDC, she worked for various environmental non-profit organizations in Washington DC, having moved there after undergraduate studies in Baltimore (Katherine holds a BA in Economics and an MS in Environmental Planning and Management from Johns Hopkins University). Originally from New York, Katherine is looking forward to combining her experience and education towards ensuring a safe and prosperous future for all who call Hampton Roads home.

Katherine’s work at the PDC will include economic impact analysis on a broad variety of regionally significant issues, developing the Hampton Roads Economic Monthly, producing the Hampton Roads Benchmarking Study, providing staff support to member localities as well as state and regional organizations, and maintaining the PDC’s socioeconomic database of regional information.

Career Milestones

The employees listed below are recognized for their outstanding service to the HRPDC and HRTPO and reaching a milestone anniversary between November 1, 2018 and October 31, 2019.

5 years

Jill Sunderland, Water Resources Planner III (HRPDC)

 Jill Sunderland

John Mihaly, Principal Transportation Planner (HRTPO)

 John Mihaly

20 Years

Keith Nichols, Principal Transportation Engineer (HRTPO)

Keith Nichols

Sam Belfield, Senior Transportation Engineer (HRTPO)

 Sam Belfield


30 Years

Mike Kimbrel, Deputy Executive Director (HRTPO)

 Mike Kimbrel, Deputy Executive Director
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