PERSON: Wes Bellamy

Charlottesville City Council

Councilor/Vice-Mayor

Dr. Wes Bellamy is the Vice-Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia and the youngest individual to ever be elected to the Charlottesville City Council. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Bellamy moved to Charlottesville in September 2009 after graduating from South Carolina State. In 2011, he was encouraged by community leaders and school personnel to pursue a career as a teacher, and he has spent the last six years teaching and sponsoring several clubs at Albemarle High School. Dr. Bellamy earned his Master’s Degree in Education Administration in 2014 and his Doctoral Degree at Virginia State University in 2017. Dr. Bellamy was appointed to the Commonwealth of Virginia State Board of Education in 2016, a post in which he served for nearly a year.

Wes’s primary focus is on improving the lives of those who lack resources and positive role models in their lives. He strives to do this by sponsoring community days, coat drives, and empowering as many youth as possible through H.Y.P.E. (Helping Young People Evolve). Started in December 2011, H.Y.P.E. is a boxing and mentoring program serving boys and girls in the Charlottesville/Albemarle urban ring. Since the program’s creation, the overall GPA of participants jumped from a 1.8 in December 2011 to 3.2 in June 2016. Wes currently serves as the President of the national award winning 100 Black Men of Central VA, is an adviser for the Collegiate 100 Black Men of Central VA (UVA Chapter), serves as Co-Chair of the Charlottesville Alliance for Black Male Achievement (CABMA), and is an African American Teaching Fellow. He currently serves on the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board and the Charlottesville Police Citizens Advisory Panel. He has also served on the Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee.

— charlottesville.org