Jeff Ryder (Amanda MacDiarmid/For Inside Business)By Hugh Lessig | hlessig@yahoo.com
PUBLISHED: October 26, 2026 at 7:53 AM EDT
Age: 36
Job: Managing director, Virginia Stage Company
At work: I help lead one of Hampton Roads’ largest professional nonprofit arts organizations. My work spans strategy, finance, fundraising, operations, board leadership, community partnerships and building the team and resources we need to put great theater on our stage. I create conditions for artists to do their best work and for audiences to have memorable experiences.
Home and family: I live in Norfolk and have called Hampton Roads home for almost five years. I grew up in LeClaire, Iowa, and lived in several places before moving to Norfolk, including nine years in Cleveland. Hampton Roads has become home because of the people, the community and the great quality of life here.
Volunteer activities: I serve on the board of the Rotary Club of Norfolk as membership director. I’m a past president of Hampton Roads Pride and have previously served on the boards of Theatre Forward and Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, where I was young professionals chair. I believe that being part of a community means contributing to it, not just living in it.
Motivating factor: Organizations can be forces for good in their communities. I love working with something that has potential, such as an organization, a team or an idea, then helping it become stronger, more sustainable and more impactful. I’m especially motivated by the people who show up every day believing that what they do matters.
Advice to young people: Say yes to opportunities that scare you a little. You don’t have to figure out your entire career. Focus on doing good work, building relationships, and being someone people can count on. And when an opportunity comes along that you don’t feel completely ready for, remember that being ready and being capable are not always the same thing.
Professional goal in five years: To lead a thriving regional arts organization with a strong team, a sustainable financial foundation, and a meaningful impact on its community. I hope to be known as someone who develops great leaders and creates opportunities for the next generation of arts professionals.
The one thing I’d change about Hampton Roads: I’d love to see Hampton Roads place an even greater value on arts and culture as an essential part of what makes this a great place to live. We have remarkable museums, theaters, gardens, festivals, performing arts organizations, and cultural institutions, but I think we talk about them as amenities rather than as essential infrastructure that strengthens our communities, attracts talent, and makes people proud to call this region home.
Region’s biggest asset: Our cultural richness and the people who make it possible.
Downtime: I love going to Virginia Opera, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia Arts Festival, Generic Theater, Little Theatre of Virginia Beach, and Little Theatre of Norfolk. I also enjoy visiting Norfolk Botanical Garden and the Virginia Zoo. There is so much culture and creativity here that my downtime often means being an audience member rather than behind the scenes.
What really grinds my gears: “We’ve always done it that way.” I have a hard time accepting that something should continue simply because it’s familiar. I love tradition, but it should be something we choose to preserve, not an excuse to stop asking whether there’s a better way.
