Who We Are
Meet The Team
C. Renee Wyatt-Chapline, Executive Director
Renee Wyatt-Chapline is the Executive Director for Virginia's Gateway Region (VGR), a regional economic development organization which serves the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg, and the counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry and Sussex. Wyatt-Chapline joined the region with more than 10 years experience in business development, marketing and public relations.
Since joining the organization in 2005, Wyatt-Chapline has led an extensive domestic and international marketing campaign resulting in awards from both the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) including the IEDC’s award for Outstanding General Purpose Website. In addition, she spearheaded the Momentum Capital Campaign generating approximately $1.5 million in multi-year investor pledges and contributions; funds that in conjunction with local government support will ensure the continued financial sustainability of the organization. In her first year as Executive Director, Wyatt-Chapline oversaw almost $209 million in capital investment and the creation of 1,358 jobs in the Gateway Region and in that same year VGR was recognized by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation’s top 20 economic development organizations.
Prior to joining Virginia's Gateway Region, Wyatt-Chapline was the Marketing & Research Manager for the City of Danville, VA. While in Danville, she was credited with establishing an aggressive international marketing program, developing a new branding logo, and launching an award winning website in 2004 that was recognized by the Southern Economic Development Council. Wyatt-Chapline was a key member in the "Top Development Group for 2003" as recognized by Site Selection magazine.
Wyatt-Chapline serves on the Regional Workforce Development Oversight Board of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. She is active with the Southern Economic Development Council and the Virginia Economic Development Association. She serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute (EDI). Wyatt-Chapline also serves as an instructor with the EDI, and in that capacity, she has led economic development trainings both in the U.S. and internationally.
Mark J. Bittner, GIS Manager
Mark Bittner works jointly with Virginia's Gateway Region and the Crater Planning District Commission as the in-house GIS expert. As GIS Manager, Bittner uses the geographic information system to support transportation and environmental planning, economic development, demographic and economic analysis, redistricting, and ad hoc mapping and analysis for various state, regional, and local organizations and agencies. Bittner is a graduate of the College of William & Mary.
Christian Booty, Research / IT Manager
In his role as Research and IT Manager, Christian Booty manages the data at the heart of the Gateway Region’s work. He coordinates regional research initiatives and supports project research needs, while serving as the in-house technical guru. He also strives to identify research strategies and opportunities to support the organization’s overall economic development goals and objectives.
In addition to his primary research role, Christian also provides complete IT support to the group and is responsible for the design, creation and maintenance of a custom, in-house project tracking solution based on Microsoft Access, phone system support and the setup and maintenance of our Windows Small Business Server and network.
This UK-native has a wealth of experience in economic development marketing, telecommunications, data research, market intelligence and project tracking. Before joining the Gateway Region in 2006, he worked with the specialist economic development marketing firm 310 Marketing in Richmond, VA., and Phone Box Group in Nottingham, England. Christian received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Bridgeport and completed his master’s at Virginia Tech.
Emily Gupton, Project Manager
As Project Manager, Emily Gupton coordinates each aspect of a project from initial requests for information to site visits and project completion. Before joining the Gateway Region, Gupton served as the Program Manager for the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program with the Department of Housing and Community Development. Gupton received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her master’s degree from UVA.
Dennis K. Morris, Special Projects Director
The Gateway Region’s Special Projects Director, Denny Morris, has been serving the region for more than three decades. A former Executive Director of VGR, Morris continues to support the organization in addition to his current role as the Executive Director of the Crater Planning District Commission. Morris is actively involved with the US Route 460 realignment, as well as coordinating a regional response to the BRAC activity at Fort Lee.
Lisa Schwalm, Marketing Associate
Lisa Schwalm is the newest member of the Gateway Region team and serves in the role of Marketing Associate. Lisa’s primary responsibilities include the design and maintenance of all marketing materials from the annual report to specialized marketing ads and brochures aimed at specific industry sectors. Prior to working at Virginia's Gateway Region, Lisa served as the Sales and Marketing Assistant at Visual Reality, Inc., a small distributing company located in Ashland, VA. Lisa received her B.B.A. in Marketing from James Madison University.
Terry Valentine, Administrative Assistant