
BOV Member
Shawn Avery
Contact Information:
Biography:
Mr. Shawn Avery currently serves as the President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. In this role, he provides leadership for strategic initiatives, partner and community relations, business and industry development, industry sector activities, educational initiatives, and management and oversight for the largest Workforce Development Board in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
He comes to the Hampton Roads Workforce Council after serving as Vice President for the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development, where he provided leadership for the Councils’ Private / Public Partnership Division. In addition, he has held the positions of Senior Manager of Development and Community Affairs for Opportunity Inc., Manager of the Peninsula Workforce Development Center and Grants Specialist for Thomas Nelson Community College.
Mr. Avery holds a Master of Business Administration from Florida Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University. He has received a Certificate of Studies in Economic Development from Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina.
Mr. Avery is the recipient of an Inside Business Top Forty under 40 in Hampton Roads award, as well as an Expanding Workforce Opportunities Award and a Chancellor’s Award from the Virginia Community College System. Most recently he received Community Builders Award from the Hampton Roads Community Action Program.
Mr. Avery currently serves on various Board and Commissions, including the GO Virginia Regional Council, Hampton Roads Chamber, and the Hampton Roads Alliance.