2018 Keynote Speakers
The Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, Inc. is pleased to announce the keynote speakers for the 2018 Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference being held at the Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel in Portsmouth, VA on September 14 - 15, 2018, as follows:
Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 Welcome Breakfast Speaker: Chief Tonya Chapman
Portsmouth Police Chief Tonya Chapman brings visionary leadership and high-quality service to Portsmouth and to the Hampton Roads Region. Chief Chapman’s professional career in law enforcement spans over 29 years, becoming Virginia’s first African American female chief of a municipal police department. Prior to her appointment as Chief of Police, she served as the Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia, as appointed by the Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2014. From 2011-2014, she served as Deputy Chief of Police with the Richmond Police Department. Chief Chapman began her law enforcement career as a Police Officer in 1989 with the Arlington County Police Department, and aggressively progressed through the ranks, becoming Arlington’s first African American female Captain.
Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 Luncheon Speaker: Gianni Graham
Gianni Graham is the founder of Dolls for Dolls Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501c3 organization launched in 2015 with a goal to collect 1,000 Barbie brand dolls for homeless girls. But after news outlets like ABC News, CBS Good Morning America, the Huffington Post, MSNBC, and a magazine in Scotland carried her story along with others, strangers from around the world began sending Barbies to help Gianni achieve her goal. Not only did she end up collecting 1,000 Barbies, Gianni collected 5,000 Barbies from people in Texas, California, Great Britain, Nigeria, the Philippines, and more. For Gianni Graham, the goal is simple: “To make girls feel loved.”
For additional information about the 2018 Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, visit the conference website at www.vsnc.org.