Bio website

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 numerous awards, including the Ally of the Year Award from the Hampton Roads Alliance, 2025 UNCF M.A.S.K.E.D. Award, Hampton Roads Chamber Visionary Award, MLK Community Leaders Award, Greater Williamsburg Chamber’s 15 Under 50, as well as Chancellor’s Award from the Virginia Community College System, and the Community Builders Award from the Hampton Roads Community Action Program.   

Mr. Avery currently serves on various Board and Commissions, including Richard Bland College, US Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council, Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable, Hampton Roads Chamber, Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, Hampton Roads Alliance and the Virginia Business Roundtable for Early Education. 

Bio website

Dr. Christopher N. Coleman serves as Superintendent of Isle of Wight County Schools in Virginia and brings more than 23 years of experience in public education. Throughout his career, he has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and division-level administrator, developing extensive experience in instructional leadership, organizational management, school operations, finance, and strategic planning.

Dr. Coleman holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University, along with an Educational Specialist degree and a Master’s degree in Supervision and Administration. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from Chowan College. His leadership has focused on improving student outcomes, strengthening organizational systems, expanding educational opportunities, and ensuring that resources are strategically aligned with the needs of students and schools.

In addition to his career in education, Dr. Coleman has served more than two decades in the United States Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Major. His military service, including deployment to Afghanistan, has further shaped his leadership philosophy around service, accountability, teamwork, and developing others.

On April 1, 2021, Dr. McCray was appointed President of Camp Community College.

A 29-year veteran educator, he previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor of Programs for the Virginia Community College System, where he partnered with the Senior Vice Chancellor to provide system-wide oversight and policy leadership for academic, career education, and workforce development programs.

Before that, Dr. McCray served as Executive Vice President and Vice President for Workforce at Tidewater Community College (TCC), overseeing academic affairs, student affairs, and workforce development as Chief Academic, Student Affairs, and Workforce Officer. Earlier, he was Executive Director of the Pruden Center for Industry and Technology in Suffolk, Virginia, where he helped found the Hampton Roads Public Works Academy and led the establishment of one of Virginia’s first Governor’s STEM academies focused on career and technical education.

Dr. McCray is an active civic and professional leader. He is a past president of the Virginia Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators and has served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including St. Leo University’s Advisory Council, the CIVIC Leadership Institute (past board chair), Bon Secours Health System, the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, Early Childhood Western Tidewater, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, and the Virginia Ship Repair Association. He currently serves on the Virginia Workforce Board as the designee for the Chancellor of the VCCS.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Workforce Development and Curriculum from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a Master of Education from Cambridge College, and a Ph.D. in School Leadership from Old Dominion University. A former teacher, coach, principal, and adjunct professor, Dr. McCray is also a proud military veteran.

Toi Hunter serves as Vice President of Existing Business Engagement at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), where she leads statewide efforts to strengthen relationships with Virginia’s existing businesses and support their continued growth, investment, and long-term competitiveness. In this role, she leads VEDP’s Regional Talent Solutions and Business Outreach team and works across the Commonwealth to connect employers with talent, workforce, economic development, and other resources that support business retention and expansion.

With more than 15 years of economic development experience at the local, regional, and state levels, Toi has built her career around helping businesses navigate opportunities and challenges while strengthening collaboration among economic development, workforce, education, government, and industry partners. Her work includes executive business engagement, business retention and expansion strategy, workforce development, corporate intelligence, and the development of cross-sector solutions responsive to employer needs.

Prior to rejoining VEDP, Toi served as Vice President of Business Retention and Expansion at the Hampton Roads Alliance, where she led regional strategies supporting the success, growth, and retention of businesses throughout Hampton Roads. She worked closely with major employers and regional partners to identify expansion opportunities, address barriers to growth, strengthen workforce solutions, and advance a coordinated regional approach to business engagement.

Toi previously spent five years with VEDP, first managing the Virginia Jobs Investment Program and later serving as Business Retention and Expansion Manager for Eastern Virginia. In those roles, she helped expanding companies access workforce development resources and worked directly with Virginia employers to identify business needs, expansion opportunities, and broader issues affecting the Commonwealth’s business climate.

Earlier in her career, Toi served as a Business Development Manager for the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, and worked in the banking industry, providing her with a strong foundation in finance and business operations.

Toi earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Tech. She resides in Chesapeake with her husband and their two children.

Xavier Beale is vice president of Human Resources for Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of HII, located in Newport News, Virginia. In this role, Beale is responsible for talent acquisition, human resources operations, labor relations, leadership and professional development, ethics, engagement and Newport News Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School.