City Manager

(757) 514-4012

Selena Cuffee-Glenn is the City Manager for the City of Suffolk. Unanimously appointed by the City Council on February 1, 2008, she is the first woman and first African-American to hold the position of the city's chief administrative officer.

Ms. Cuffee-Glenn began her tenure with the City in June 2005 as Assistant City Manager for Development. Before coming to Suffolk, she served four years as the Director of Planning and Community Development for the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. While there, she directed an economic and neighborhood development portfolio totaling more than $300 million in public and private investments. Previously, she served two years as Deputy Director for the Division of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation in the City of Richmond's Department of Community Development and also served 15 years as Principal Planner and Senior Planner in that same division.

In addition to her many years of experience in planning and community development, Suffolk's City Manager has extensive experience with bond financing and all forms of federal, state, and local health and human services initiatives. She helped coordinate more than $100 million in downtown financing efforts and federal neighborhood revitalization programs in Richmond. Ms. Cuffee-Glenn's finance background led to her election to the Board of Directors for the Richmond Virginia Federal Credit Union. She was eventually named Chair of the Board.

Under her leadership, she helped the credit union increase its assets to more than $54 million. She also implemented strong operating policies that focused on fiscal responsibility, budgetary restraint, regulatory compliance, and internal controls. From 1990 to 1995, Cuffee-Glenn was an Adjunct Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. She taught graduated courses in urban planning, community change and empowerment, and the art of negotiations. At Virginia Tech, Cuffee-Glenn lectured and presented at several conferences and public forums on community development issues in Virginia.

Ms. Cuffee-Glenn quickly demonstrated her leadership skills in the City of Suffolk when an F-3 tornado struck Suffolk just two months after she was named City Manager. Despite experiencing over 20 million dollars in damages citywide, Cuffee-Glenn led her management team to a rapid, coordinated and effective response to the major disaster.

Cuffee-Glenn continues to provide leadership and vision to Suffolk during a challenging economic recession. Her message of efficiency, effectiveness and accountability provided a strong foundation as she closed a cumulative budget deficit of seventeen million dollars between 2008 and 2012. Cuffee-Glenn accomplished these monumental tasks without layoffs or loss of the workforce. Even in a challenging economic environment, Cuffee-Glenn has led the city to three bond rating improvements with all three bond-rating agencies. Moody's reported the reason for the improved ratings was a direct result of the City's "strong management team".

It's Cuffee-Glenn's business and civic leadership which helped lead CNN Money Magazine to recognize the city as one of America's 100 Best Small Cities to Live for 2010. The magazine cited Suffolk's ranking in job creation, quality of education, crime rate and overall quality of life as reasons it was selected for the honor.

In addition, the City of Suffolk was awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting and Budgeting for the fiscal years 2008 to 2012. This award is presented by the Government Finance Officers' Association of the United States and Canada. The awards represent that the City of Suffolk has achieved the highest standards in governmental accounting, financial reporting, and budgeting for its comprehensive annual financial report and annual operating and capital budget. Under Cuffee-Glenn's management, the City received its first Distinguished Budget Award in 2009 and has continued to receive this award annually thereafter.

A native of Chesapeake, Cuffee-Glenn received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Planning degrees from the University of Virginia.

She currently serves on the following boards and commissions:

Chair, Hampton Roads Chief Administrative Officers - Hampton Roads Planning District Commission

Chair, Hampton Roads Transportation Advisory Committee - Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization

Executive Committee Member - Hampton Roads Planning District Committee

Member - Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (non-voting member)

Member - Executive Committee Member of the Hampton Roads Military & Federal Facilities Alliance (HRMFFA)

Member - Southeastern Public Service Authority Ex-Officio Board Member and Member of the Executive Committee

Member - Virginia Commonwealth University Excellence in Virginia Government Awards

Member - International City/County Management Association

Member - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc

Ms. Cuffee-Glenn has been honored with the following awards:

2008 - Female Community Leader Award, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc

2010 - Outstanding Support of the Youth of Suffolk Achievement Award

2010 - Distinguished Public Service Award, Conference of Minority Public Administrators