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CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VA — James “Jim” Holland, the Dale District supervisor and longest tenured current member of the Chesterfield County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors, will lead the board as its chair in 2024.

Holland is a native of Gates County. He is a 1971 graduate of Gates County High. The son of Clyde and Martha Holland who had 12 children, Jim was the sixth. His brother, Wesley Holland, and Wesley’s wife, Dorothy Holland, have four children who still live in Gates.

The five-member Board of Supervisors voted unanimously during its Jan. 3 organizational meeting to appoint Holland as chair for the third time in his tenure. In 2014, Holland made history when he became the county’s first black chair. His board colleagues also chose him to lead the board in 2021. He has served as the board’s vice chair twice, including in 2010 and 2022.

“I thank my family, my gracious wife, my friends and everyone who has helped us get to this point tonight,” Holland said. “I’m humbled, honored and thankful for the opportunity to lead and serve this wonderful community.”

Re-elected to a fifth four-year term on the county’s governing body in November, Holland brings considerable institutional knowledge and leadership skills. His new term began Jan. 1.

Chesterfield County is home to more than 380,000 residents. In his role as chair, Holland is responsible for overseeing board meetings and public hearings and communicating board directives to the county administrator and other staff. Holland also represents his respective district and the entire board at many local government, community, and regional functions.

Holland received a master’s degree in business administration from North Carolina Central University and a bachelor’s degree with honors from Fayetteville State University.

A U.S. Army veteran, Holland was stationed at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in the 118th Military Police company as a paratrooper and military policeman during the de-escalation of the Vietnam War. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and the president of Holland and Company, CPA located in Chesterfield. He is retired from Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International, and now is an accounting professor and CPA advisor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Holland is actively involved in multiple professional and community organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Virginia Society of CPAs, Chesterfield County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Task Force, and the Chesterfield County Council of PTAs. He is a deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church Centralia.

He and his wife, Judith, a retired teacher for Chesterfield County Public Schools, have two adult children.