PRESS ROOM

SPSA Executive Director John Hadfield Announces Retirement

“I have set out to serve the will of the Board and to provide the absolute best service the members, citizens, and businesses of this region. I also believe that the reforms and other changes I have led at the agency have made SPSA a better and stronger organization,” says Mr. Hadfield.

“The timing of the announcement of my retirement is appropriate now as I first wanted to see several initiatives through for the agency. I needed to know that SPSA as an organization would be left to its next leader on sound footing. Exactly ten years from Thursday, January 24, the current SPSA use and support agreements will expire. A new leader, I believe, can shepherd the agency through the necessary additional changes for the future,” adds Mr. Hadfield.

Mr. Hadfield will have been a SPSA employee for 30 years as of June this year.

Mr. Hadfield was a Captain in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam. A spinal cord tumor left him paralyzed at the age of 25. He a hold Bachelor of Science degrees and a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Old Dominion University.

Over his career, Mr. Hadfield has served on the Mayor’s Commission for the Employment of the Handicapped in Virginia Beach and the President’s Commission for the Employment of the Handicapped. He also has served as a Senior Warden and Trustee of All Saints Episcopal Church; he is the longest tenured lay person serving in this capacity for the Church. He has served on the regional United Way Board of Directors and the Future of Hampton Roads Board of Directors. He also has served on the Board of Directors for the Boys Home in Staunton, Virginia. He is a graduate of the CIVIC organization and the FBI’s Citizen Academy. He has received numerous awards from the Solid Waste Association of North America, having founded several working groups within the organization. Currently, Mr. Hadfield is Treasurer for the international association.

The SPSA Board of Directors will hire an executive search firm to seek candidates for the position of Executive Director. The Board hopes to have that process completed by August 2008.

For additional information, contact Felicia Blow at (757) 420-4700.

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 SPSA has been providing efficient and environmentally sound waste disposal services to the region and its residents since 1985. SPSA’s solid waste management system includes waste-to-energy, yard waste composting, drop-off and curbside recycling as well as other recycling programs, household hazardous waste collection, landfilling, landfill gas-to-energy and education programs. This integrated waste management system enables SPSA to put 57% of the waste it receives to a beneficial use, thus allowing the region to reduce its dependence on landfills.