Our Next Speaker

Lincoln Saunders - Chief Administrative Officer, City of Richmond

A native of Virginia’s Northern Neck, Mr. Saunders graduated from William & Mary with a B.A. in government before pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs at Indiana University. He is also a graduate of the Sorensen Institute’s College Leaders Program.

Mr. Saunders assumed his current role as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Richmond in 2020, after serving four years as Chief Staff to Mayor Levar M. Stoney. 

As Chief Administrative Officer he serves as the city’s top administrator, responsible for overseeing the city’s $2.7 billion dollar budget and managing more than 3,000 employees. He began his governmental career as a legislative aide in the Virginia House of Delegates while he was a student at William & Mary. In 2014, Mr. Saunders was appointed by Governor McAuliffe as a Policy Advisor to the Governor and Chief of Staff to First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe.

In addition to his service on the William & Mary Board of Visitors, Mr. Saunders serves on the boards of the First Tee of Greater Richmond, the Greater Richmond Transit Company, the Greater Richmond Partnership, the Richmond Ambulance Authority and as Vice-Chair of the Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority. Mr. Saunders lives in Richmond with his wife, Ashley Hall, and their daughter, Story.