Henry Gaston joined the Hampton Roads Alliance in May 2025. As Business Development Director, Henry works to recruit new businesses and assist existing companies with an expansion in Hampton Roads, thereby contributing to the ultimate goal of attracting jobs and capital investment to the region. Henry is passionate about building stronger, more resilient communities through economic development, business strategy, and cybersecurity.

Prior to working at the Alliance, Henry spent four years at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in both consultant and federal roles. While at CISA, Henry specialized in strategic planning, program management, partnership and outreach, and business process improvement within the cybersecurity and critical infrastructure landscape. At CISA, Henry learned to lead cross-functional teams, communicate across organizational layers, and build systems that align strategy with real-world impact. These skills continue shape his work in economic development and business development, where strategy, collaboration, relationships, and execution are essential to creating opportunity.

Henry is a Hampton Roads native and comes from a family of small business owners and active-duty service members. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia, is a CompTIA Security+ cybersecurity expert, a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and a certified strategic planner. Henry also received a Certificate in Business from the McIntire Business Institute at UVA. Outside of work, Henry enjoys spending time on the beach, traveling, spending time with friends and family, engaging in tHRive events throughout the region, playing golf, and reading historic novels.