Bryan K. Stephens is President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber. Since taking the helm of the Hampton Roads Chamber in 2013, Bryan has led us to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce “5 Star Accreditation”, an achievement only obtained by the top 1 percent of the over 7,200 Chamber’s in the Nation. Bryan has extensive leadership and business experience that he brings to the Chamber every single day in his quest to make Hampton Roads the place for businesses to succeed.
A retired U.S. Army officer, Bryan has won numerous military awards and decorations and is a graduate of West Virginia University, Golden Gate University and the U.S. Army War College.
In 2016 Bryan was awarded the Chamber Executive of the Year for the Commonwealth of Virginia by the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and in 2017, 2018 and 2019, he was listed on Inside Business’s Top 25 Most Powerful People in Hampton Roads. Bryan has also been listed by Virginia Business as a Virginia 500 Power List honoree for several consecutive years.
Prior to assuming his current position with the Chamber, Bryan served as President and CEO of Kalmar in San Antonio, Texas; a $250M/year manufacturer of material handling equipment, after serving a distinguished 28 year career in the U.S Army, retiring as a Colonel. In the Army he served in a variety of progressive operational leadership and command positions. His last assignments included Infantry Brigade Commander and Division Chief of Staff, 10th Mountain Division (LI) Fort Drum, NY and Chief of Operations and Chief of Staff, Joint Warfighting Center, USJFCOM in Suffolk, VA. His military qualifications include, among others, Ranger, Airborne, Pathfinder, Air Assault and Joint Staff Officer.
On a personal note, Bryan enjoys playing a round of golf on the beautiful courses that Hampton Roads has to offer. He is also looking forward to the many business expansions happening across the region such as the redevelopment of Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall, the completion of the Cavalier resort on Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront and the forthcoming casinos in Norfolk and Portsmouth.