Interim Chief Sidney Carroll has accepted the position of Fire Chief, Norfolk Fire-Rescue effective May 4th. Chief Carroll, a Norfolk native, joined Norfolk Fire-Rescue in January of 1982. He has risen through the ranks of the department and has served as a supervisor in all three operational battalions within the city, including serving as health and safety officer, administratively. Chief Carroll holds a bachelor’s degree in fire administration and an associate degree in business administration. He has completed several national fire academy and national incident management system courses, served on the core values development committee for Norfolk Fire-Rescue and also served as the chairperson for Norfolk Fire-Rescue’s diversity committee. In his forty-one year career, Chief Carroll has received a medal of honor, a medal of valor, a firefighter of the year award and several citations for providing extraordinary service to the citizens of Norfolk.
Kelly Straub has accepted the Director of Marketing and Communications position effective May 4th. Kelly joined Team Norfolk in March 2016. Over the course of her tenure with the City, she has served as the public relations specialist for the Department of Libraries and the Department of Communications before becoming the Bureau Manager overseeing the accounts management and FOIA teams and then as Assistant Director of the Department of Communications & Marketing. Kelly assisted in the roll out of the updated norfolk.gov and MyNorfolk platforms, developed communications campaigns for departments throughout the City to include advertising, social media, print collateral and more. She has assisted on special projects, including the CIAA bid, COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts, the Norfolk launch of the Patriotic Festival, and crisis communications planning on both the City and regional levels. Kelly is a member of 3CMA (City-County Communications & Marketing Association) and Lead Hampton Roads Class of 2010. Kelly received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She and her husband, Kurt, are the proud parents to an eight-year-old son, Tanner.
Robert Carteris has accepted the position of Director of Utilities effective May 4th. Bob has been with the department of Utilities for 17 years serving as Manager of Budget & Accounting, Assistant Director, and Acting Director. Previous private sector international experience included global logistics, container shipping and steel manufacturing primarily with large European based companies. Bob is originally from New York City and has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Manhattan College and a MBA from Baruch College.