The Board of Directors of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority (RVRA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jonathan (Jon) Adam Lanford as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr. Lanford has over twenty years of local government management experience and is currently an Assistant County Administrator in Botetourt County. In that role he supervises the Departments of Parks and Recreation and Facilities and Maintenance and serves as a project manager for various capital projects, including utility extensions, locally administered VDOT projects and the replacement of the Botetourt County Circuit Courthouse in Fincastle. Mr. Lanford will succeed Dan Miles, who is retiring after 16 ½ years in the RVRA CEO position.
The Roanoke Valley Resource Authority is the regional solid waste management organization serving residents and businesses of the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, and the Town of Vinton. It operates the Tinker Creek Transfer Station in the City of Roanoke, the Salem Transfer Station in the City of Salem, and the Smith Gap Landfill, processing approximately 250,000 tons of regional solid waste annually. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for directing the staff and operations of the Authority and reports to a nine-member Board of Directors made up of representatives of the four member localities. At its meeting on October 25th, the RVRA Board of Directors approved an employment agreement with Mr. Lanford.
Board Chair Rebecca Owens said, “We are pleased to have found someone with diverse experience in local government management, public works, and capital project management and who is familiar with the Roanoke Valley and its localities. The Board was also impressed by his past successes with regional initiatives. We look forward to working with Jon to improve services to the regional partners, their citizens and businesses, and to strengthening the long-term financial sustainability of the Authority.”
The RVRA Board of Directors conducted a national search for the new Chief Executive Officer, assisted by The Berkley Group, of Bridgewater, Virginia. The Berkley Group received applications and conducted initial interviews with the most qualified candidates. It then assisted with selecting finalists for interviews with the Board.
Mr. Lanford received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Ferrum College. In the early years of his career, he served in the Botetourt County Department of Public Works and had various technical roles with the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. He served as the County Engineer and then concurrently as the Director of Public Works in Alleghany County for five years. In 2008 Mr. Lanford was appointed as the Assistant County Administrator of Alleghany County, a position that he held for eight years. He then served as Alleghany County Administrator from 2016 to 2021 when he took his current position in Botetourt County.
Mr. Lanford shared these thoughts on his appointment, “I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to serve as the next Chief Executive Officer of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority. I have a strong commitment to providing regional solutions that benefit our communities and this is a core mission of the RVRA. I look forward to working with the Board and staff, along with the governing bodies of the partner localities, to strengthen the Authority to meet new challenges and continue to provide excellent solid waste management services to our region.”
Mr. Lanford will assume his duties as Chief Executive Officer of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority on November 13, 2023.