The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors has selected Dr. Barbara Brown to represent District 5 on the Board of Supervisors following the resignation of supervisor Denise Morrissette.
The selection will become official when the Board votes to approve the appointment at their May 18, 2026, regular meeting. The decision comes after the Board solicited applications from residents of District 5 to fill the vacant seat. The Board received applications from seven residents and conducted interviews with all applicants on May 4, after which they deliberated before selecting Brown to fill the interim appointment.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Donati Jr. expressed gratitude for everyone who applied for the interim appointment.
“We were impressed with the level and quality of interest we received for this opportunity, and I want to thank all of our applicants for their participation and desire to serve their community,” said Board Chairman Bill Donati Jr. “We received applications from numerous well-qualified individuals which made our decision a difficult one, but after going through the process it was clear Dr. Brown’s experience and qualifications stood out.”
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Brown has a history of active engagement in the Powhatan community. She served on the Planning Commission from 2020 to 2024 and participated in the County’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan Update. She currently serves as Powhatan’s representative on the Reynolds Community College Board and as President of the Free Clinic of Powhatan Board of Directors. She also served on Habitat for Humanity of Powhatan’s Board from 2016 to 2020 and during that time helped start and managed the Powhatan ReStore.
Brown is retired but spent the last 25 years of her career as vice president for data and analytics of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. She has also worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse, pediatric nurse practitioner, organizational consultant, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Department of Health Administration faculty, Associate Director for the VCU Williamson Institute for Health Studies, and Vice President for Risk Management at the Virginia Reciprocal.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from VCU, a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Health Administration and Research from VCU.
After she is sworn into office on May 18, Brown will serve in an interim capacity until a special election is held on Nov. 3, 2026, and the winner is qualified and seated. The seat will be up in 2027, which is the Board of Supervisors’ regular election cycle.
“We are at a pivotal point in the history of Powhatan County and the decisions the Board of Supervisors makes today will be consequential for how well the County is positioned in the years and decades to come,” said Donati. “It’s critical that we have every area of the County represented as we make these decisions and I look forward to welcoming Dr. Brown to be the voice for District 5 as we move forward.”
Supervisor Morrissette announced her resignation effective May 15, 2026, during the Board’s March 23 regular meeting.
The process for filling a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors is governed by Virginia Code § 24.2-228, which allows the remaining members of a local governing body to
appoint a qualified voter from the election district to fill the vacancy on an interim basis until a special election is held.
For more information on the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors, visit www.powhatanva.gov.
