Jay Taliaferro is the City Manager for the City of Salem, VA. Prior to his current role, he served as Assistant City Manager beginning in 2000, City Engineer beginning in 1998, and Staff Engineer beginning in 1991. He has previously served with a variety of regional organizations including Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the Western Virginia Regional Jail. Taliaferro earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Clemson in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s of Public Administration from Virginia Tech.
Richard Caywood, P.E. serves as the County Administrator for Roanoke County, VA. Beginning in 2013, he served as Roanoke County’s Assistant County Administrator beginning with management responsibilities over a range of County operations, including Development Services; Fire & Rescue; Parks, Recreation & Tourism; Planning; Police; Libraries; General Services; Communications and Information Technology; and Social Services. Caywood received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. He was named the Marcia Mashaw Memorial Award (Assistant of the Year) recipient by the Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA) in 2017 and he served on the VLGMA Executive Committee from 2017–2020. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia since 1999. Prior to joining Roanoke County, Caywood spent 20 years with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in various administrative roles.
Michael McEvoy is the citizen representative of the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority and Executive Director for the Western Virginia Water Authority, a regional water and wastewater utility provider serving 180,000 customers in the Roanoke area. A graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, McEvoy worked for electric and water utilities in Florida and Georgia before moving to Virginia. He serves as Vice President and Treasurer for the Virginia Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies, is Vice Chair of the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority and serves on the Board of the Virginia Biosolids Council. McEvoy has been an appointee under three different governors to various environmental advisory agencies including the Roanoke River Bi-State Commission and the State Water Commission.
Robert Cowell serves as the City Manager for the City of Roanoke. Having previously served as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Amarillo, Texas, Cowell brings a wealth of management credentials including being a Certified Urban Planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners, an Accredited Member with the Congress for the New Urbanism, and a Credential Manager with the International City/County Management Association. In addition to serving on the Board of ICMA, he maintains membership in the American Planning Association, the Congress for the New Urbanism, the Urban Land Institute, and the Society of American City and Regional Planning History. He received a B.S. from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. and an M.S. in urban planning from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Gary Larrowe is County Administrator for Botetourt County, VA and has served as Executive of the Public Service Authority there for 11 years. Prior to his current position, Larrowe served as County Administrator for Carroll County, VA and worked for Virginia Tech University for 17 years. He has received awards for his public service work from Rotary International, USDA Virginia Tech and the United Way. He earned his Master’s in Adult Education from Radford University and his Bachelor’s in Agricultural Education and Economics from Virginia Polytechnic.
Keith Perry is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Carilion Clinic where he is responsible for leading Technology Services, Health Information Management and Clinical Engineering for a comprehensive network of medical facilities that provide quality care close to home for nearly one million Virginians. Prior to his current role, he served as Administrator of Technology Services for University of Virginia Health Systems, and Vice President and Associate Chief Information Officer for Hospital Partners of America. Perry earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Garder-Webb University in Business Administration and a Master’s of Healthcare Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration from Pfeiffer University. He also served as President for the Virginia Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and is a member of the College of Health Information Management Executives.
Scott Midkiff is the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for Virginia Tech where he oversees a division responsible for enhancing and supporting teaching and learning, participating in, supporting, and enhancing research, fostering outreach, developing partnerships with communities, promoting the capabilities of advanced networking and communications, providing, securing, and maintaining information systems allowing the University to accomplish its mission. During his over 34 years with Virginia Tech, he has also served as Program Director for the National Science Foundation and prior as Visiting Research Associate at Carnegie Mellon University. Midkiff earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Duke University in Electrical Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Duke University.
Frank Smith is the President and CEO of RVBA. He has worked in telecommunications for nearly 30 years in both the commercial and government sectors including several years supporting the development of DoD related networks. Frank is a graduate of Washington & Lee University with a degree in Public Policy. He has served on the boards of the Transportation and Science museums. He is an Eagle Scout and previously served as an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 221 in Cave Spring. He currently serves as an Elder of Christ the King Presbyterian Church. Frank is the proud father of two young adult sons and lives in the City of Roanoke with his wife.
James Bandy is Vice President of Operations and Solutions Engineering for RVBA. James has 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry managing pre-sale design and post-sale support. Past positions include Regional Data Specialist, Sales Engineering Manager and Director Network Application Engineering specializing in WAN, Security, Voice and Internet design strategies. James is a native of the Roanoke Valley and currently lives in Roanoke City with his wife and two children.
Barry Stacy is the Operations Project Manager for RVBA. Stacy has over 28 years of experience supporting municipal government and previously served as the Codes Compliance Coordinator for the City of Roanoke. He is a locally and internationally-certified Zoning Official and Building Maintenance Inspector. Stacy earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Master’s of Public Administration from Virginia Tech.
Tywanii Ross is the Business Operations Administrator and Secretary of the Board for RVBA. Ross brings to the role over 10 years of experience in local business office, human resource, and award-winning payroll management for commercial and private entities.
