Industrial Development Authority Board

Mr. John Cannon, Chairman
Mr. Butch Blanks, Vice Chairman
Ms. Lisa Kipps-Brown, Secretary/Treasurer
Mr. Marcus Hargrave, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer
Mr. Ted Bennett
Mr. Chris Lumsden
Mr. Garland Ricketts

Industrial Development Authority Staff

Mr. Mike Sexton, Executive Director

Mike Sexton joined the Halifax IDA as the Executive Director in December of 2008, coming from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership where he worked as a Senior Project Manager.   Mike's experience includes working over 500 active projects throughout the Commonwealth resulting in over 140 announcements and over 16,000 new jobs; several significant projects located in Southern Virginia during his tenure.  After graduating from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma and serving in the US Navy from 1967 to 1971 Mike worked in marketing computer systems for over 20 years.   Married with four children, Mike’s son Jeremiah recently graduated from VMI and has taken a commission with the US Air Force.

Ms. Patsy Vaughan, Development Director

Patsy Vaughan is Development Director has been with the IDA for approximately 25 ½ years; she is in charge of product development, lease development, and grant writing and administration.  She also administers the Enterprise Zone, local and state incentives, and corresponding performance agreements.  Patsy serves as associate and back-up to the Executive Director in his absence in overseeing the office operations and attending meetings, correspondence, etc.

Jeff Reed, Project Manager

Jeff Reed joins the Halifax IDA team as a contractor and is working on project management and developing leads and prospects; he is also responsible for cultivating relationships with site location groups and consultants.  Reed was with the City of Danville Virginia Office of Economic Development for more than 5 years. During his tenure as Project Manager and Assistant Director, he worked on nearly 30 project announcements. These projects created over 6,700 jobs and over $750 million in new investment.  Jeff graduated from Marshall University and is a native of West Virginia, where he is recognized for conceiving, developing and implementing MountainMade.com, a national model for using the internet as a tool for rural economic development.

Ms. Kristy Johnson, Operations Manager

Kristy Johnson is the newest member of the Industrial Development Authority of Halifax County.  Joining the team in January 2009, Kristy’s primary task is managing the daily operations of the office.  She is also responsible for daily accounting procedures of IDA business as well as overseeing the use of the buildings in Riverstone Technology Park.  Kristy handles event planning and the coordination of prospect visits.

The IDA Staff can be contacted at 434-572-1734 from 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday thru Friday.