Chesterfield hires first sports/visitation/entertainment exec

Chesterfield County has hired J.C. Poma as its first executive director of sports, visitation and entertainment, with a focus on growing sports tourism, the county announced Friday.

Currently the vice president of community relations for regional marketing organization Richmond Region Tourism, Poma will start his new position with Chesterfield on May 1.

“While the county has experienced steady growth in its sports tourism portfolio over the past decade, it has the potential to reach far greater heights,” Poma said in a statement. “I’m excited to be part of that endeavor and can’t wait to get started.”

Poma began working with Richmond Region Tourism in 2016 as sports development manager. In 2019, he was promoted to director of sports relations and took on his current role in 2021.

“We are grateful for J.C.’s leadership and passion over the last seven years at Richmond Region Tourism and look forward to working closely with him in his new role,” Katherine O’Donnell, executive vice president of Richmond Region Tourism, said in a statement. “I look forward to a continued bright future for sports tourism and regional collaboration with J.C.’s leadership in Chesterfield County.”

Before joining Richmond Region Tourism, Poma was community outreach manager for The Doorways, a nonprofit that provides lodging in downtown Richmond for hospital patients and their loved ones in partnership with several Richmond-area hospitals.

Poma has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from Georgetown University. He is an advisory board member for the U.S. Sports Congress and serves on the Sportable Paralympic Sports Club Board of Directors.

In fiscal year 2022, Chesterfield County hosted 63 sports-related events that had 253,111 attendees and generated $34.4 million in direct economic impact and $1.28 million in direct local tax revenue, according to a news release.

In March 2022, neighboring Henrico County named Dennis Bickmeier, then the Richmond Raceway President, as the head of its newly created sports and entertainment authority.