Meet the Staff

Tam is the Director of Public Relations & Media Services, a three-tiered, comprehensive communications department including public relations and information; television services; and audio-visual tech service. Tam manages all agency functions including media relations, public awareness campaigns, HCTV-Channel 17 operations, crisis communications, publications and other products and services offered by the department.

Tam joined Henrico County in 1993 after working as a feature and news writer, an advertising writer, a graphic designer, a photographer and a promotions director for several local, regional and national media and publishing companies throughout Virginia and Washington, D.C. During her tenure with Henrico’s Public Relations & Media Services, she held four progressively responsible positions, including assistant director, before being named director in 2002. During her career, she has won more than 100 professional awards for writing, graphic design, photography, public relations campaigns, television production and community relations.

Tam is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!) with a degree in Mass Communications and is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Public Relations Society of America, the International Association of Business Communicators, National Association of County Information Officers, and Virginia Government Communicators.

Tam is not afraid of power tools, and hopes to be an independently wealthy interior decorator in her next life.

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Jennifer is the Assistant Director of Public Relations & Media Services. She oversees media and community relations, assists internal agencies with special projects or consultation, and manages the department’s publications.

Jennifer joined Henrico County in 1999 with prior public relations experience with Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) and Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley Investment Counsel. She has a B.A. degree in Communications from Valparaiso University in Indiana, and is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators, Past President; the National Association of County Information Officers; the Public Relations Society of America; and Virginia Government Communicators.

Having been born and raised in Wisconsin, Jennifer is a self-proclaimed cheese head and lover of all things dairy.

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Joel is a Public Relations Specialist with the department and is our resident photographer, graphic designer, animator, computer guru and general jack-of-all-trades. Joel joined the county government in 2001 after having worked in Henrico Public Schools’ media services department from 1991-95, and at Reynolds Medals (now Alcoa) as the director of photography, video and audio-visual services from 1995-2000.

Joel’s illustrious career, including owning his own photography and graphics firm, has earned him a stellar reputation in the business. His work has won dozens of awards from professional organizations around the country.

Joel, a Buffalo native (we don’t hold that against him) attended the University of New York at Buffalo, and has taught several graphics and desktop publishing courses for Adult Education at Hermitage High School.

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Linda joined the county in 1989 as an Office Assistant with the Division of Recreation and Parks, but became a member of Public Relations & Media Services just nine months later (and has been with us ever since!). She is the department’s secretary, and performs a wide array of essential administrative duties including proofreading our many articles and publications, writing correspondence, assisting with the department’s financial transactions and providing information and assistance to county agencies and residents.

Linda attended Howard and Virginia Union universities. She earned her certification in customer service from Henrico County in 2002 and is a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

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Elva is the Office Assistant for Public Relations & Media Services, and hers is often the first voice you’ll hear when calling our department. As our front-line greeter, Elva assists residents and other county agencies over the phone and in person, as well as performs a variety of indispensable administrative functions in our busy office.

Elva joined PR&MS in 2006 with six years of administrative experience, most recently with the Virginia Department of Education. Originally from Rockville, Maryland, Elva attended Salisbury State University and Montgomery College before relocating to the Richmond area.

Elva is a huge Maryland Terps fan (Fear the Turtle!) and during basketball season you can also find her supporting the VCU Rams. She enjoys cross-stitching in her spare time.

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Steven joined HCTV–17 in 2005 as one of our television producers/directors. With a background in news and photojournalism, Steven brings an edgy touch to the programs he produces for the station. His philosophy on television production is simple: he “just wants to make a good story happen.”

Before joining the Public Relations & Media Services Department, Steven honed his interviewing, editing and storytelling skills as a photojournalist for local news stations WWBT Channel 12 and WTVR Channel 6. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Hokies Rule!) where he began as a science major before jumping the fence to visual media.

A former Steven Spielberg wannabe, Steven loves sci-fi and is a glorified trekkie.

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Ryan joined Henrico County in 2003 as one of our first television producer/directors, and was promoted to Senior Producer/Director in 2004. Ryan’s forte is his storytelling ability — from inception to completion — of his award-winning television programs. As a producer, videographer, nonlinear video, audio, and photo editor, Ryan is the driving force behind many of the programs you see on HCTV–Channel 17.

Before joining Henrico’s general government, Ryan produced for Henrico Public Schools, and was a general assignment news videographer and editor at WVIR NBC-29 in Charlottesville and at the Capitol Bureau of WCVE PBS-23 in Richmond.

Ryan is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Fine Arts, Communication Arts and Design.

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Roberta has been a television producer/director with Henrico County since 2000. She researches, develops, shoots, lights, edits and writes broadcast productions for HCTV, operates all video and audio equipment and supervises productions in the studio and field. Many of Roberta’s programs and documentaries have earned national awards for excellence in television production.

Roberta has worked in theatre, radio and television since the mid-seventies. She has been behind the scenes in lighting, set building and props, as well as on-the-air as a radio rock ‘n roll disc-jockey/announcer. Roberta was the primary newscast director at WNCT in Greenville, NC; WAPT in Jackson, MS; WXEX in Richmond, VA (before it became WRIC); and WCVE, our local PBS affiliate, where she directed the ever-popular “Battle of the Brains.” Roberta is a graduate of East Carolina University with dual degrees in Theatre Arts and Psychology, and a minor in Broadcasting.

When she’s not engrossed in television production, Roberta practices martial arts. She has studied five different styles of martial arts over the years, and has instructed many classes. She earned a first-degree black belt ranking in both Kyokushinkai karate and Taijutsu, is a member of the National Women's Martial Arts Federation, the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors and the American Women's Self-Defense Association. Roberta is also a certified rape prevention and self-defense instructor.

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Fred joined Public Relations & Media Services in 2005 as a Media Specialist, overseeing and providing all audio-visual support and meeting facilitation for county agencies. He has a background as an AV special events consultant, technician and camera operator.

Fred received his Masters in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Louisiana State University (Geaux Hokies!). Fred has been playing guitar for more than twenty years and plans to combine that with his MBA to pursue a lucrative career as a guitar hero. Fred enjoys long walks, romantic candlelit dinners and strives for world peace.

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Tony joined Henrico in 1988 as a radio repair technician with the Division of Police. After six years with the division, he transferred to the Department of General Services performing telephone support and A-net / I-net liaison responsibilities. Since 2002, Tony has been the technology support specialist for Public Relations & Media Services, maintaining all of our personal computers, public meeting room computers, as well as the audio-visual equipment throughout the county’s Training Facility classrooms.

Before joining the county, Tony was a United States Marine and a radio repair technician for the State Police. Tony earned his associate’s degree in Information Technology from J. Sergeant Reynolds, and is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School. When he’s not submerged in technology for the county, Tony enjoys restoring old cars, modern art and electronics.

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Joyce is the business supervisor for Public Relations & Media Services, and is our senior staff member having been with Henrico County since 1970. She oversees the department’s finances, including purchasing, budget preparation and management. Joyce also supervises all administrative support functions within the department.

After a six-year stretch in the Henrico Finance Department, Joyce joined Public Relations & Media Services (then called Research & Information) as the second member of the then two-person department. Joyce has worked under four county managers and four directors, and has seen the department grow from that two-person team to the 19-member machine we are today.

Joyce, a self-proclaimed graduate of the “School of Hard Knocks,” summarizes her long career in public service saying, “It has been an amazing journey that I hope to travel as long as I can” (the rest of us certainly hope that’s a long, long time from now).

Joyce’s hobby—her “other job” on the weekends—is wheeling and dealing in antiques. From ball-and-claw lowboys to Blue Willow china, Joyce enjoys working her booth at the antique mall in Tappahannock.

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Steve is the Senior Public Relations Specialist with Public Relations & Media Services. While he is primarily one of our top-notch writers, he performs a multitude of PR functions within the department. Steve writes news releases, media advisories and public service announcements, as well as articles for “Henrico Today,” television scripts and other county publications. He also conducts media relations and crisis communications during emergencies or natural disasters, and is frequently a host for some of our HCTV programs.

Steve joined the county in 2002 after having been a staff writer for Alabama’s “The Dothan Eagle” and “The Dothan Progress” newspapers, as well as a university relations coordinator for Troy State University. Steve is an accomplished writer and published co-author; his book "A Place of Our Own: The Stories of Dothan and Houston County" is available on Amazon.com.

Steve is a graduate of Beloit College in Wisconsin, and attended graduate school at University of Alabama. He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators. Steve is a die-hard Alabama football fan, and as a boy once met legendary coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant (his brush with fame that he remembers fondly today).

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Doug came on board the team in 2004 as our Television Operations Technician and Engineer for HCTV–17. Doug oversees all technical and engineering operations in the television studio, engineering and dub areas, edit suites and training classrooms, as well as performs all programming and maintenance of the video server for the station.

Before joining Henrico, Doug was the operations manager and field engineer at
Professional Products, Inc. for 24 years. He also manufactured and maintained automated videotape movie systems for Symtel of Virginia to be used in hotels and motels, and provided field and bench service for AVEC Electronics. Doug also worked for John Tyler Community College’s electronics and AV department, and was an electronic technician in the United States Navy.

Doug attended John Tyler Community College, and is continually learning new technologies to help us stay on the cutting edge of the television industry.

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Dave is the station manager for Henrico County Television, HCTV–17, overseeing station operations and managing the team of producers and technicians that create the feature programs aired on channel 17. Dave joined Public Relations & Media Services in early 2003, and as the station’s first manager, he helped design and build the television studio from the ground up. In addition to managing television services, Dave assists county agencies with their internal video production and media services needs.

Dave was formerly the station manager for Henrico Public Schools’ television, channel 99. Prior to his career with Henrico, he spent 16 years immersed in virtually every aspect of television broadcasting at WWBT-12, including directing the evening newscasts and managing the production department.

Dave earned his MBA from Averett University, and his undergraduate degree in television and marketing at the University of Arizona. He is a strong supporter of local television and of locally produced programming, and believes that good programs can positively impact our community. He is a member of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

When he’s not running the TV station for Henrico, Dave plays racquetball and enjoys the great outdoors boating and riding horses.

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Diane originally joined Public Relations & Media Services in 1995, but transferred to the Human Resources Department in 2001. After seven years away, Diane came home to PR&MS in 2008 as a Public Relations Specialist. Diane is our resident Webmaster, creating and updating all of the graphics, photos and information you'll find on this Web site. In addition, Diane creates the message boards you see on HCTV, as well as the Adopt-a-Pet series, ticker updates and DVD jacket design.

Before joining the PR&MS team, Diane worked in the private sector for various advertising and creative firms. Her talents are a quirky blend of tech-head meets creative whiz, and her attention to detail borders on neurotic.

Diane is a graduate of James Madison University with a degree in Communications. When away from the office, you're most likely to find her distance-running through the streets of Henrico. She is an exercise enthusiast, an avid reader, and loves romping around with her Shih Tzu, Chloe.

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Elizabeth joined Public Relations & Media Services in 2008 as an Office Assistant for HCTV-Channel 17. Whether you’re calling to request a DVD of one of our award-winning programs or need assistance tracking down one of our producers, Elizabeth will help you out.

Elizabeth has a variety of administrative support experience, as well as a love for music. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, and continues — time permitting — to pursue her passion for the clarinet.

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Ben joined Public Relations & Media Services in 2004, and is a Senior Television Producer/Director for Henrico County Television. Ben has produced a number of feature programs that air on the station, and his camera and editing skills can rival any seen today on television. With multiple awards under his belt, Ben continues to bring our residents top-notch, professional programs that inform and entertain.

Before joining the county, Ben was a video journalist and microwave live truck operator for Richmond’s WWBT-12, and had worked for another NBC affiliate in Roanoke. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi!) with a degree in Mass Communications.

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Geoff joined HCTV–17 in 2005 as one of our television producers/directors. Having been in television production for more than 25 years, Geoff admits he just “really loves to play with video.”

Before joining HCTV—17, Geoff was a producer for Henrico School’s channel 99. He has worked for local television and video production companies both in the Metro Richmond area and Northern Virginia, and has won several national awards for his television productions. Geoff is a graduate of James Madison University with a degree in Communications.

Geoff, the consummate Great Outdoorsman, does put the camera down from time to time. When he’s not camping or gardening, you may find him climbing the massive Red Rocks of Nevada.

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