The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance recently announced the hiring of Steve Herbert as interim president and chief executive officer and Chris Lemmon as executive vice president, who will serve as the organization’s first chief marketing officer.

Steve Herbert is a former city administrator, economic development professional, city planner and naval officer. He previously served as deputy city manager for Virginia Beach. Prior to that, he held positions as interim city manager for Hopewell; city manager for Suffolk; chief plans and policy officer and assistant director of economic development for Portsmouth; and assistant director of economic development for Norfolk.

Herbert has also worked in the private sector as a business development manager and defense contractor for the firms of Booz Allen Hamilton and SAIC. Herbert served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, retiring from the Naval Reserve in 1999 with the rank of captain. On active duty, he served in Vietnam and on warships in the Pacific and Atlantic. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and holds a Bachelor of City Planning degree. He also earned a master’s degree in administration from George Washington University. He is an alumnus of the CIVIC Leadership Institute in Norfolk and the Senior Executive Institute at UVA in Charlottesville.

Herbert is married to Sally Newton Herbert, and they have two grown sons.

At the Alliance, Herbert will lead the operations of the region’s economic development agency and oversee a staff of business development, business intelligence and marketing professionals. Herbert and the entire alliance staff work closely with the state and local governments and the private sector to assist international and domestic companies with investment projects, expansions and relocations. Eleven cities and counties throughout the Hampton Roads region and over 60 businesses fund the Alliance’s operations.

“I’m very pleased to be selected and eager to get to work,” Herbert said.

Chris Lemmon has extensive experience in consumer product marketing and has worked for a number of well-known brands including Enfamil infant formula, Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, Reynolds Wrap and Swedish Match. Most recently, Chris served as senior vice president of marketing and product development at GFP, a family-run company in Virginia Beach that manufactured outdoor water play, seasonal décor, and water gardening products. Lemmon was part of the executive team and managed the marketing and product development teams in the United States as well as in China.

Lemmon joins the Alliance as executive vice president and as the organization’s first-ever chief marketing officer. Lemmon will lead the Alliance’s marketing efforts to enhance the public and private image of Hampton Roads through sound research and impactful tactics. He will be responsible for managing and directing the Alliance’s expanded domestic and international business attraction, business expansion/growth and high impact investment promotion activities. Lemmon will oversee the Alliance’s Regional Economic Development Team in its efforts to plan and execute comprehensive regional business development, sales promotion and sales management strategies.

Lemmon earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Michigan State University, where he was the captain of the university’s golf team and an Academic All-American. He earned his Master of Business Administration in marketing from Indiana University. Lemmon currently lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, Kirsten, and their three school-aged children.

“I am very excited to be part of the great team at the Alliance,” Lemmon said. “There is a huge potential for business growth in this area. My mission is that every growing business here and abroad takes a hard look at Hampton Roads for their expansion plans.”