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City Manager
About the City Manager
 In January 2000, Darlene Burcham was named City Manager for the City of Roanoke. Ms. Burcham came to Roanoke from the City of Norfolk, where she had served as Deputy City Manager since 1995. She began her service to the City of Norfolk in 1987 as Director of Human Services, being named Assistant City Manager in 1989.
Ms. Burcham also served eight years as Assistant County Administrator and acting County Administrator in James City County (Va.), and eight years before that as Director of Social Services for the City of Hampton (Va.).
She has been involved in numerous committees, programs and initiatives throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, earning many distinctions along the way. Since her arrival in Roanoke, she has been recognized by:
- "Government Technology" magazine as one of the Top 25: Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2004,
- The Madison Society of Political Science, Oration, and Debate in 2005 for outstanding service,
- NAACP as a Citizen of the Year in 2007, and
- Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow.
She now serves on the boards of the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, the Regional Partnership Executive Committee, as chair of the CLEO consortium for the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board (Workforce Investment Area 3), and is a member of Hotel Roanoke Conference Center Commission. She was previously a member of the Western Virginia Water Authority Board.
Her association with First Cities Coalition has included serving as its secretary, as chair of its City Manager’s Steering Committee and as a member of its Executive Committee. In addition, she serves on the Governor’s Task Force on Urban Policy, the Governor’s Virginia Citizen Soldier Support Council Task Force, the Governance Task Force for the Start Strong Council, the Governor’s Energy Policy Advisory Council, and is a member of the Virginia Municipal League Executive Committee. Ms. Burcham is one of two Virginians on the Alliance for Innovation Board and recently has been appointed to the ICMA Sustainability Advisory Committee.
As City Manager for the City of Roanoke, her accomplishments include:
- Promoting diversity in the organization and in the community.
- Implementing a Pay for Performance program for employees.
- Leading city staff to develop and implement Roanoke’s 2001/2020 Comprehensive Plan, a new Zoning Ordinance, a new Subdivision Ordinance, neighborhood plans, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and the Urban Forestry Plan.
- Promoting the use of technology by the city, which led to Roanoke’s national recognition as a Top Digital City (five out of last six years).
- Creating the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Services to address neighborhood needs and issues.
- Placing an emphasis on communication through nationally recognized publications.
- Promoting numerous “green” initiatives including a model recycling program, incentives for energy-conscious construction, and the C2C design competition.
- Encouraging national accreditation as a standard for departments including the Police, Fire, and Sheriff’s Office, as well as several in process.
- Implementing a Community Policing Program to provide better communication between police and citizens.
- Bringing attention and resources to recruiting/retaining young adults to the city.
A native of northern Virginia, Ms. Burcham holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of William and Mary, a master’s degree in social work administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a certificate from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She has two daughters and five grandchildren.
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