New Virginia Beach economic development chief resigns suddenly

Virginia Beach officials confirmed that the city’s new economic development director, Christian Green, resigned Wednesday after serving less than four months in the post.

Green’s resignation marks the second time in a row Virginia Beach‘s economic development director has departed after a short tenure. Deputy City Manager Amanda Jarratt, once again, is serving in the interim role, the city said in a statement Thursday.

“Christian Green put in his notice of resignation on June 11; specific details are not available to the public as this is a personnel matter in accordance with HR policy,” the city said in its statement. “We can confirm, in collaboration with Mr. Green, that he elected to resign from his position due to pressing family matters. Christian is leaving on good terms with the City, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Virginia Beach City Council Member Barbara Henley said the city will likely do a national search for a new economic development director.

“I want someone who’s very energetic, particularly about the issues that we’re looking at in Virginia Beach now with sports tourism; that’s my particular area of interest,” Henley said. “And you know, I really want someone who’s going to be able to help us move these things forward.”

Henley said she didn’t have too many interactions with Green during his brief tenure with the city, although he attended one of her monthly forums. To her understanding, she said, Green’s departure was due to family issues.

Green came aboard from Georgia, where he was director of economic development for the city of Stonecrest, on Feb. 24, and replaced Charles E. “Chuck” Rigney, who resigned from the job in July 2024. In an August 2024 article in The Virginian-Pilot, Rigney said he requested an audited review following questions about travel expenses.

Rigney had previously served as interim director for about eight months after the departure of Taylor Adams, who left in 2023 to take an economic development job in Nevada.

Adams became economic development director in 2018 (initially in interim capacity), after his longtime predecessor Warren Harris abruptly resigned amid an audit of his spending of city funds. The Pilot reported that a Virginia Beach Circuit Court grand jury indicted Harris in 2019, and in 2021 he pled guilty to four counts of felony embezzlement.

According to The Pilot, in February 2022, Harris received a suspended jail sentence, not having to serve time in jail, but being required to repay the nearly $80,000 he wrongly charged taxpayers on a city credit card. He had largely used the money on extravagant meals and trips and other personal expenditures.