Team Building

Mayor-elect Stoney to retain Selena Cuffee-Glenn as the city’s chief administrative officer, names chief of staff

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Mayor-Elect Levar Stoney on Monday announced he will retain the city’s current chief administrative officer, Selena-Cuffee Glenn, when his term begins in January.

Stoney cited Cuffee-Glenn’s “passion for public service” and track record as an administrator in Suffolk, where she helped the city earn a AAA bond rating as city manager. “In many of the conversations we’ve had, I’ve told her that is a goal that I want us to shoot for,” Stoney told reporters at a news conference held at the ChamberRVA office downtown.

As CAO, Cuffee-Glenn will oversee the day-to-day operations of the city’s various departments. Outgoing Mayor Dwight C. Jones hired her to the position in the spring of 2015. She had previously worked in City Hall before jumping to Suffolk.

Stoney also named Lincoln Saunders as his chief of staff. Saunders, whom Stoney referred to as a friend, currently serves as the chief of staff for Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe. Saunders has “great capacity to build partnerships, coalitions and alliances that I think will take the city forward, Stoney says.

As chief of staff, Saunders says he’ll work to “execute [Stoney’s] agenda set out during the campaign,” as well as manage the full team Stoney hires.

Saunders, who lives in Westover Hills, has previously held positions in the General Assembly and with the Democratic Party of Virginia, among others. He’s a College of William & Mary alumnus who once slept on Stoney’s couch while working on Creigh Deeds’ campaign for Virginia Attorney General. 

“We developed a really long, trusting friendship and respect for each other’s work ethic,” Saunders says.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Saunders slept on Stoney's couch while working on Creigh Deeds' gubernatorial campaign. It was Deeds' campaign for attorney general.