Fort Monroe Authority
Purpose
The Authority shall have the power and duty: to do all things necessary and proper to further an appreciation of the contributions of the first permanent English speaking settlers as well as the Virginia Indians to the building of our Commonwealth and nation, to commemorate the establishment of the first coastal fortification in the English-speaking New World, to commemorate the lives of prominent Virginians who were connected to the largest moated fortification in the United States, to commemorate the important role of African Americans in the history of the site, including the "Contraband" slave decision in 1861 that earned Fort Monroe the designation as "Freedom's Fortress," to commemorate Old Point Comfort's role in establishing international trade and British maritime law in Virginia, and to commemorate almost 250 years of continuous service as a coastal defense fortification of the United States of America; to hire and develop a professional staff including an executive director and such other staff as is necessary to discharge the responsibilities of the Authority; to establish personnel policies and benefits for staff; to oversee the preservation, conservation, protection, and maintenance of the Commonwealth's natural resources and real property interests at Fort Monroe and the renewal of Fort Monroe as a vibrant and thriving community; to adopt an annual budget, which shall be submitted to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations and the Department of Planning and Budget by July 1 of each year; to provide for additional, more complete, or more timely services than are generally available in the City of Hampton as a whole; and to serve as the Commonwealth's management agent exercising all the Commonwealth's powers over land in the Area of Operation, including but not limited to regulation of land use, zoning and permitting for the implementation of actions under the Programmatic Agreement, Design Standards, Reuse Plan and any other agreements regarding Fort Monroe to which the Commonwealth is a party, and ensuring adherence to the findings, declarations and policies set forth in this article, unless the Commonwealth and the Authority specifically agree in writing to the contrary.
Term
Cabinet members and elected representatives shall serve terms commensurate with their terms of office. Citizen appointees shall serve for four-year terms. Cabinet members shall be entitled to send their deputies or another cabinet member, and legislative members another legislator, to meetings as full voting members in the event that official duties require their presence elsewhere.
Composition
There is hereby created a political subdivision and public body corporate and politic of the Commonwealth of Virginia to be known as the Fort Monroe Authority, to be governed by a Board of Trustees (Board) consisting of 14 members appointed as follows: the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, or their successor positions if those positions no longer exist, from the Governor's cabinet; the member of the Senate of Virginia and the member of the House of Delegates representing the district in which Fort Monroe lies; two members appointed by the Hampton City Council; and eight nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor, seven of whom shall have expertise relevant to the implementation of the Fort Monroe Reuse Plan, including but not limited to the fields of historic preservation, tourism, environment, real estate, finance, and education, and one of whom shall be a citizen representative from the Hampton Roads region. The Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade shall serve ex officio without voting privileges and may send their deputies or another cabinet member to meetings in the event that official duties require their presence elsewhere. Cabinet members and elected representatives shall serve terms commensurate with their terms of office. Legislative members may send another legislator to meetings as full voting members in the event that official duties require their presence elsewhere.
The Board so appointed shall enter upon the performance of its duties and shall initially and annually thereafter elect one of its members as chairman and another as vice-chairman. The Board shall also elect annually a secretary, who shall be a member of the Board, and a treasurer, who need not be a member of the Board, or a secretary-treasurer, who need not be a member of the Board. The chairman, or in his absence the vice-chairman, shall preside at all meetings of the Board, and in the absence of both the chairman and vice-chairman, the Board shall elect a chairman pro tempore who shall preside at such meetings. Seven Trustees shall constitute a quorum, and all action by the Board shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the Trustees present and voting, except that any action to amend or terminate the existing Reuse Plan, or to adopt a new Reuse Plan, shall require the affirmative vote of 75 percent or more of the Trustees present and voting. The members of the Board shall be entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred in attendance upon meetings of the Board or while otherwise engaged in the discharge of their duties. Such expenses shall be paid out of the treasury of the Authority in such manner as shall be prescribed by the Authority.
Vacant Seats
No seats are available at this time. If you are interested in joining this board in the future, please submit an application here.
Current Board Members
Brian K. Jackson
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2026
L'Allegro Henry Smith
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2026L'Allegro H. Smith is a senior government affairs and public policy professional with over a decade of experience at the intersection of technology policy, legislative strategy, and federal advocacy. A native of Hampton, Virginia, he is based in Fairfax County, Virginia. Mr. Smith serves as Federal Policy Manager at TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture (USDS JV), LLC, where he leads engagement with the U.S. House Democratic Caucus and advances policy priorities on behalf of the platform’s user community. His portfolio includes artificial intelligence, content moderation, Section 230, quantum computing, and data infrastructure. Previously, he was a Government Affairs Policy Advocate at Public Knowledge, where he built multi-stakeholder coalitions and influenced federal policy on emerging technologies. As Principal of Aberdeen Strategies, he secured zoning frameworks for digital infrastructure projects, led government relations for a $750 million resort development, and administered a $250,000 food security initiative serving more than 500,000 individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. He began his career in the Office of Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03). Mr. Smith holds a B.A. in American Studies from the College of William & Mary. He is an alumnus of the Sorensen Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program (Class of 2016) and a member of its Political Leaders Program (Class of 2026). In 2024, he was named to the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s Top 40 Under 40. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Air and Space Science Center, following appointment by Governor Ralph Northam and prior service as Vice Chairman. He also serves on the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees, appointed by Governor Abigail Spanberger.
Dr Charletta H. Barringer-Brown
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2027Ms. Season R. Roberts
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2027Ms Kelli Shay Lemon
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2028Terrance Mcgovern
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2028Sam Bass
Member of the General Public Membership expires on 6/30/2029