John O'Shea

John joined the Commission in December 2021 as the Project Manager – Infrastructure after serving a local municipality’s public works department as the Safety and Special Projects Manager for over 13 years. His initial focus will be on water, sewer, and broadband working to ensure service to neighborhoods. John’s background in infrastructure includes planning, installation, and maintenance of capital projects, as well as improving operational efficiencies in these areas by introducing digital mapping to utilities personnel.

John earned his master’s degree in Applied Experimental Psychology from Virginia Tech, his BA from Christopher Newport, and recently earned a two-year graduate certificate from Virginia Tech and the Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute. Study areas included Supervision, Leadership, Management, Finance, Law, Media, Communications, and Executive Leadership. He is also certified by VDEM through their professional development program and FEMA through the Advanced Professional Development in Emergency Management. John has over 28 years of service volunteering in the community in search and rescue, EMS, and technical rescue, all under the umbrella of Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad. He considers his work at the Commission as a natural extension of his commitment to serve.