Posted on November 19, 2025
Stephen A. Edwards, the chief executive who steered the Port of Virginia through a sweeping expansion and a period of record growth, will step down at the end of 2025 to enter the private sector, the Virginia Port Authority said Monday.
Mr. Edwards, who has led the port since January 2021, oversaw the completion of a $1.4 billion capital investment program—finished on time and on budget—that modernized operations and expanded capacity at one of the East Coast’s fastest-growing gateways. Under his leadership, the port reported gains in volume, revenue, earnings and labor hours, while luring a wave of port-centric industrial development to the state.
His tenure also included the renegotiation of the lease for the Virginia International Gateway container terminal, an agreement that granted the authority greater operational control and a defined pathway to acquire the facility.
“Under Stephen’s guidance, The Port of Virginia has been widely recognized as the highest performing port by customers and users,” said John W. “Bill” Kirk III, chairman of the port authority’s board.
Sarah J. McCoy, the port’s chief administrative officer, will assume the role of interim CEO following Mr. Edwards’s departure. Ms. McCoy, a decade-long veteran of the organization, has held leadership roles across administrative and operational functions.
