ANTHONY J. ROMANELLO
Executive Director

Areas of Expertise:
Economic & Business Development, Management, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Government, Teaching

Anthony Romanello became Executive Director of the Henrico County Economic Development Authority in March 2019. He has made his career serving local governments in Virginia to ensure a positive environment for businesses and residents. He worked in town management and county administration for the City of Richmond, West Point, Stafford County, and Henrico County.

Anthony grew up in Henrico graduating from Hermitage High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and American Government with a Minor in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Anthony is a proud Eagle Scout and published author, and he enjoys living in Henrico County with his wife Diane and their five children.

anthony@henrico.com

TONEY HALL
Deputy Director

Areas of Expertise:
Recruitment of National and International Business Capital Investment

Toney has more than 20 years of experience at the local and regional levels, attracting capital investment from a variety of national and international business sectors. He oversees the EDA’s marketing functions as well as its business attraction and expansion programs. Before joining the EDA, he served as Vice President of the Greater Richmond Partnership, founded the Virginia Biotechnology Association, and held several other private and public sector positions.

toney@henrico.com

TWYLA POWELL
Business Attraction Manager

Areas of Expertise:
Domestic & International New Business Development

Twyla is an experienced business development professional who has worked for 20 years in private sector business development and project management and eight years in public sector economic development. Most recently, in her former role as Business Development Manager for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, she was responsible for attracting capital investment and new jobs to the Commonwealth. As the EDA’s Business Attraction Manager, she leads the Business Attraction program to bring new domestic and international businesses to Henrico.

twyla@henrico.com

WENDY MILLER
Marketing Specialist

Areas of Expertise:
Office & Financial Administration

Wendy joined the EDA in 2014. She assists with the EDA’s marketing and attraction efforts by promoting Henrico County as a premier business location including managing active business attraction projects, participating in trade shows and marketing missions, preparing the “Henrico Now” newsletter, performing website updates and coordinating special events.

wendy@henrico.com

ABIGAIL PATTERSON
Research and Real Estate Coordinator

Areas of Expertise:
Market Research, Real Estate, Project Management

Abigail joined the EDA in 2018 after receiving her Master's in Geographic Information Systems from John Hopkins University. As the EDA Research and Real Estate Coordinator, she maintains and manages our real estate database, provides mapping support for projects, and performs research and data analysis for development opportunities in the county and to support businesses.

abigail@henrico.com

FELICIA AINSA
Existing Business Manager

Areas of Expertise:
Business Retention and Expansion, Workforce Development, Project Management

Felicia is a business development professional who has more than 15 years of experience in consulting and helping businesses achieve a higher level of success. Most recently, she worked for three years in workforce development to ensure that companies protect their most important asset – their people. As the EDA's Existing Business Manager, she leads retention and expansion efforts, coordinates the Business First volunteer team, and runs a variety of programs and events to foster a positive business environment in Henrico and to identify local companies in need of support.

felicia@henrico.com

AUDREY POLK
Existing Business Representative

Areas of Expertise: 
Business Retention and Expansion, Economic Research, Project Management

Audrey joined the Henrico EDA team in April 2018. Previously, she worked as a Research Analyst for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), where she calculated the state’s ROI for economic development projects and designed customized marketing proposals for projects locating to or expanding across the Commonwealth. Audrey is a proud VCU alumna, chips and salsa enthusiast, and self-proclaimed podcast junkie. As the Existing Business Representative, Audrey provides informational assistance to local Henrico businesses, manages business expansion projects, and coordinates business retention special events.

audrey@henrico.com

DIANE BLANKENSHIP
Existing Business Assistant

Areas of Expertise:
Office Administration, Business Services, Expansion & Retention Support

Diane is likely the first person you’ll meet when visiting the Henrico EDA offices. She joined the team in 1996, bringing with her extensive experience in customer service and administration. She is responsible for various administrative duties, including all County account payables. She also assists with the management of the Business First program.

diane@henrico.com

KAYLA COLEMAN
Office Administrator

Areas of Expertise:
Office & Financial Administration, Human Resources

Kayla joined the EDA team in May 2019 after serving as the Human Resources Manager for the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office. She is a proud VCU alumna and avid VCU Rams Basketball fan. She oversees diverse operational areas, including vendor contract management, the EDA and Henrico County budgets, and provides oversight of the Human Resources functions for the office.

kayla@henrico.com