Katie Cristol to lead Tysons development nonprofit

Arlington County Board of Supervisors member Katie Cristol will step down early to take a job as the first permanent CEO of the Tysons Community Alliance, the Tysons community development nonprofit announced Tuesday.

Cristol will assume the role on July 5, relieving acting CEO Richard Bradley. In October 2022, the Tysons Community Alliance replaced the Tysons Partnership to focus on economic and social development in the area.

“I am honored to be selected by the Tysons Community Alliance Board and truly look forward to doing the work I love in our dynamic Northern Virginia region,” Cristol said in a statement. “I’m compelled by the organization’s focus on community building and inclusive, equitable economic growth, along with its vision for Tysons as a thriving regional downtown.”

Cristol was first elected to the Arlington County Board of Supervisors in November 2015. In 2018 and 2022, Cristol served as board chair. In November 2022, she announced she would not seek reelection at the conclusion of her second term, but Cristol will now leave on July 4, before her term concludes. The county board will hold a public hearing to appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of Cristol’s term, which ends Dec. 31, according to a news release.

“We are thrilled to have Katie Cristol as the new CEO for the Tysons Community Alliance,” TCA Chair Josh White said in a statement. “Katie has a proven track record of championing inclusivity, collaboration and community engagement. She is a well-respected leader and consummate professional with experience in catalyzing communities and urban management planning efforts in transportation, sustainability and economic development.”

Cristol holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University.

She has served on the boards of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and has held leadership roles in the Virginia Municipal League, the Virginia Railway Express Operations Board and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Human Services Policy Committee.