News Flash

Jan. 12, 2022 – The Hampton City Council filled its vacant seat on Wednesday when Michelle Ferebee was sworn in to replace, on an interim basis, former Councilwoman Chris Snead, who resigned on Jan. 1 when she was sworn in as the city’s treasurer.

Ferebee, a Hampton native and former chair of the city’s Economic Development Authority, was unanimously endorsed and voted in by the current City Council. She will serve for the duration of 2022. The city plans to hold a special election later this year to allow the voters to pick a candidate who will serve the final two years of the term, from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2024.

Ferebee, a deputy director at NASA Langley Research Center, said: “I’m humbled and honored to serve this wonderful city where I was raised and educated, where I was married and raised our three children.”

She was sworn in by her brother, retired Hampton Circuit Court Judge Wilford Taylor Jr. Their 94-year-old mother, Zenobia Taylor, stood by Ferebee’s side, and Judge Taylor observed that their late father was watching as well. “Right now,” Taylor said, “he is saying, ‘That’s my baby girl.’ ”

Ferebee is a graduate of Bethel High School and the College of William and Mary. She has also been active in a variety of community organizations, including the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, The Junior League of Hampton Roads, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and The Links. She has received numerous NASA awards, including the Exceptional Achievement Medal.  

The City Council selected her from among 62 residents who had applied to fill the interim seat left by Snead’s departure.