Antionette V. Irving, Sheriff of the City of Richmond, Named Newsmaker of the Year by Virginia Professional Communicators  

Antionette V. Irving, Sheriff of the City of Richmond, has been named Virginia Professional Communicators Newsmaker of the Year, one of the organization’s top honors.

The annual Virginia Professional Communicator’s Newsmaker Award is given to a nominee who has made significant news in the past year or throughout their career. Nominee must be from an under-represented group, such as women, minorities, LGBTQ persons, or people with disabilities OR someone who has served an under-represented group through their vocation.

Nominees are judged by a committee on the basis of newsworthiness, public service, personal sacrifice, risk-taking, and/or inspiration to others. The nominee must either live in Virginia or have spent part of their life in Virginia, and the recipient must be available to accept the award in person and to make remarks at our VPC spring meeting. Only VPC members may nominate candidates for Newsmaker. Longtime VPC member Bonnie Atwood, who currently serves on the VPC board as historian and parliamentarian nominated Irving.

“Most of us think of a sheriff as a man — maybe a sweet Andy Taylor or a gruff old geezer with a huge ring of keys around his belt,” said Atwood. “Dr. Antionette V. Irving is different. She’s Sheriff of the City of Richmond, and she has some broad and positive ideas about how a jail sentence should not merely punish but should be a positive step to a brand new life.”

“Most of us think of a sheriff as a man — maybe a sweet Andy Taylor or a gruff old geezer with a huge ring of keys around his belt. Dr. Antionette V. Irving is different. She’s Sheriff of the City of Richmond, and she has some broad and positive ideas about how a jail sentence should not merely punish but should be a positive step to a brand new life.”

-Bonnie Atwood, VPC Member who nominated Irving

Irving became Sheriff of the City of Richmond in January of 2018 facilitating one of the largest Sheriff’s Offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia, including more than 450 sworn and civilian staff members.

Irving is a native of the City of Richmond and product of Richmond Public Schools where she learned the values of respect and discipline that have served her throughout her career. Growing up a child of substance abuse and domestic violence in the Church Hill area of Richmond, she viewed life with no obstacles or boundaries. A graduate of Armstrong-Kennedy High School, her strong work ethic drove her to become a basketball standout, eventually being named to both the Armstrong-Kennedy High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Shaw University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Sheriff Irving enjoyed a 26+ year career in the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office and was the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Major in either the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office or Police Department. Her leadership and vision encompasses organizational management, fiscal administration, human resources development, conflict and dispute resolution, mediation and community relations.

“Sheriff Irving’s focus is on establishing a culture of excellence at the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office by focusing on the professional development of the staff, establishing strong community partnerships, and equipping residents of the Richmond City Justice Center with the resources they need to prepare themselves for successful reentry into society,” Atwood noted in her nomination.

“Sheriff Irving is a committed mentor, civic leader, and philanthropist in the City of Richmond. She volunteers within the community, as well as, with the Saint Paul’s Baptist Church and the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. She also is a strong proponent of education and youth development. She strives to encourage young people to develop strong values, self-esteem, self-reliance, character, and discipline through the AVI Foundation, which she founded. She embodies the qualities we look for in our Newsmaker of the Year,” said Kim Loehr, VPC’s awards chair.

Irving received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Shaw University and earned her Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. She also earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Criminal Justice from North Central University.

Irving is slated to speak to VPC’s membership at a conference currently being planned for May 15, 2021.