Larry Brunson’s success in life has been marked by reinvention. Whenever one plan didn’t work out, he’d simply hatch another one and do everything possible aiming for a good outcome.
That approach has served him well.
A Virginia Peninsula Community College graduate, Brunson is the executive director of the Newport News Opportunity Center , formerly Brooks Crossing Innovation Center. The role places him at the core of connecting people to careers and employers to talent. He’s been in the position since summer 2022 as part of the Newport News Office of Workforce Development and Economic Mobility.
Although his title may be impressive, titles don’t define his nearly 30 years in the workforce development arena. It has been more about impact for Brunson. He’s held positions with the City of Suffolk, Paul D. Camp Community College and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). From serving as director of Suffolk’s Workforce Development Center to his stint as VEC workforce development and deputy tax assistant, he steadily grew skills for the responsibilities he now shoulders.
“One of my main functions is strategic partnerships, and our primary customer is business and industry. I am the connecting force for all things workforce development, which is an umbrella of things,” said the self-described “strategic centerfold.”
“I look at workforce development as the circle of everything. And inside that circle, there’s training, education, career pathways, and of course, industry,” he added.
Surprisingly, Brunson’s professional life started in fast food, not in a boardroom. In that industry, he steadily rose in the ranks, from store manager to regional trainer and corporate leadership roles with companies, including Cracker Barrel. The corporate leadership experience eased Brunson’s transition to workforce development. That’s where he found his calling.
Before his corporate career took off, he was attending college while balancing marriage, fatherhood and a part-time job. Brunson admits he struggled during the first year, overwhelmed by competing responsibilities.
“I flunked out …That experience changed everything,” he said.
After his unsuccessful turn at then-Christopher Newport College, he enrolled at VPCC in 1983. VPCC, under another name at the time, helped Brunson find his footing. He said the smaller setting and supportive faculty, who understood the realities of working adults, made a world of difference.
“It was great for me because I was a married parent. There were times when I would come (to class) from work exhausted. Sometimes I fell asleep,” he recalled, adding his instructors never dissuaded him but offered a lot of encouragement instead.
Brunson completed his studies in marketing and merchandising and earned an associate degree in the late 1980s. He was armed with valuable lessons about the economy, consumerism and more.
“I wanted to know how the world makes money,” he explained. “I also wanted to know more about consumer behavior, the economy and how that worked.”
He ultimately spent 10 years with Cracker Barrel. He gained experience in operations, budgeting, and human resources with the company.
Meanwhile, he completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in human resources management from the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). After leaving the nationally known restaurant chain, Brunson ran his own property management business, doubling his corporate salary.
He shifted to workforce development and landed his first state position in 2010. Another opportunity opened a year later at Paul D. Camp Community College. At the college based in Franklin, Va., Brunson helped lead workforce initiatives tied to a $25 million state grant. He also wrote a curriculum. That was something the 1976 Phoebus High School graduate had never done.
In collaboration with industry leaders, including Huntington Ingalls Industries, Brunson developed a fast-track welding program. The 160-hour four-week program, designed to take students from zero experience to certification in marine welding, was a hit, and its impact stands.
“Through a collaborative effort of all the community colleges in the area (VPCC included), we had a goal of getting individuals trained and hired. The program is still successful and sustained today,” he said.
“The first year, we graduated 10 out of 10 in the first cohort. Over a three-year period, we graduated 40 people out of the program, and several of them went on to The Apprentice School,” added Brunson, noting it became a model for other colleges and earned recognition from the Virginia Department of Education for business and industry collaboration.
Today at the Opportunity Center, Brunson is still helping make training and employment accessible. He’s also a mentor to entrepreneurs and an avid supporter of small business growth.
“Sometimes people just need awareness,” he emphasized. “They need to see what’s possible.”
Brunson’s dedication to community extends beyond his career pursuits. He twice held elected offices in his native North Carolina. He served as in Halifax County as a Town of Weldon commissioner and had a stint as police commissioner for the town. He’s proud to have helped bring a $237 million economic development project to the region, creating more than 150 jobs.
The desire to have a meaningful impact guides Brunson. His work with numerous agencies and civic groups, including housing authorities, public schools, reentry councils and the Virginia Department of Corrections, speaks to that commitment. Brunson also helped build workforce systems, advised nonprofits and served on boards for several civic organizations, including the United Way of South Hampton Roads.
“My whole goal is to help people, to give people awareness of their skills and talents and where they can go,” he said. “It’s introducing them to things that perhaps, they might not otherwise focus on … the economy, career pathways, education.”
He keeps his education at the fore. In addition to associate and bachelor’s degrees, Brunson holds an MBA from UMGC, where he’s currently studying distance education, eLearning and curriculum design. It’ll be his second master’s degree, and he anticipates finishing in 2027.
At home, the Suffolk resident delights in spending time with his wife, Alice (of 26 years). He pointed out she’s enjoying her second retirement, having served as deputy director of human services for Northampton County and later executive director of a rape counseling center in North Carolina. A proud father of six, he beams when discussing his children. Brunson said, although they’re following their parents’ lead when it comes to being productive, each adult is making their mark. They’re entrepreneurs, professionals, creatives and musicians.
“All of them are very successful, and we have great relationships,” he shared, adding they live across the country in Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, California, while one is even a world traveler.
As for his legacy, Brunson reemphasized making a difference matters most.
“I would hope that the testimony of my life would be that people who have come into my circle professionally, that they have risen to the occasion of their lives, and they’re well on their way with their career pathways or their journeys,” he said. “They are successful. They’re confident about who they are and where they’re going.”
