E. Dana Dickens, III was appointed President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Partnership on January 7, 2005. Dana is responsible for implementing the policies of the Partnership's Board of Directors and the general management of the Corporation.

Dana has a distinguished background in public service in Hampton Roads having served as Vice Chairman on the Suffolk Planning Commission, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Ordinances. Later he successfully ran for City Council and became the first ever “rookie” Councilman elected Mayor. He served two terms as Mayor of the City of Suffolk.

Dana served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Hampton Roads Partnership prior to being appointed as its third president. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance and served as Vice Chair of the Mayors and Chairs Caucus of Hampton Roads.

Other leadership positions include the Chairmanship of the Western Tidewater Water Authority and member of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. He was Chairman of the High Growth Coalition and had an active leadership role in working with the General Assembly and the shelter industry on growth issues. The Virginia High Speed Rail Development Committee and the Urban Land Institute have elected Dickens to their Board of Directors.

Selected by the Rotary Club as Suffolk First Citizen 2003, Dana was also presented the award of excellence for the Local Government Elected Official from a City with population over 50,000 at the 2003 Annual Conference of the Virginia Downtown Development Association. The Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association selected him for their 2004 Leadership Award for excellence in Virginia planning. Dana was chosen Elected Official of the Year 2004 by the Virginia Downtown's Association, and served on the Virginia Municipal League's Legislative Committee. He also chaired the VML Finance Committee.

In 2006, Governor Timothy Kaine appointed Dana to the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

Old Dominion University honored Dana during the 2008 Founders' Day program with The Albert B. "Buck" Gornto Jr. Regional Service Award, given to an individual who has shown outstanding commitment and service to this region of the commonwealth.

Dana graduated from NC Wesleyan College with a BA Degree in history. He and his wife, Linda Kay Rankin Dickens, reside in the village of Eclipse, located in Northwest Suffolk.