Prominent Williamsburg area attorney Gilbert A. Bartlett has been elected to serve as the Chairman of James City County's Economic Development Authority. Bartlett, a principal in the firm of Phillips & Bartlett, P.C., will begin his chairmanship in January. He replaces Jon Nystrom, President of First Virginia Bank - Commonwealth, who will continue to serve on the EDA as a Director. Vincent A. Campana, Jr., Director of Drucker & Falk's Commercial Sales & Leasing Division, was elected to serve as the EDA's Vice Chairman in 1999.
The Authority was formed to assist the County and its Office of Economic Development in expanding James City County's business tax base. Its seven directors are appointed by the Board of Supervisors and serve staggered four-year terms.
Bartlett's credentials for chairing the County's Economic Development Authority are impressive. He has served his community in numerous leadership capacities over the years. Bartlett is a former chairman of the board of directors of Williamsburg Community Hospital, former president of both the Williamsburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Williamsburg Kiwanis Club, former member of the James City County Board of Supervisors and Williamsburg/James City County School Board, and past president of the Williamsburg Bar Association. Bartlett has served as a Director on the James City County Economic Development Authority since 1992 and chaired the EDA's Business Incubator Development Evaluation Committee.
An undergraduate of the College of William & Mary and a graduate of W&M's Law School, Bartlett also served as a Colonel (retired) in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.