Paul J. Atkinson

Paul Atkinson is the Chief Executive Officer for Eggleston. A native of Hampton Roads, his daily responsibilities include fiscal management and planning, program development, strategic initiatives and maintaining effective and productive relationships with state, local and national disability organizations.

When Mr. Atkinson was named Eggleston’s executive director in 1991 the organization had an annual revenue budget of less than $500,000 and served 125 persons with disabilities. Today the organization provides employment or services to over 700 persons with an annual revenue budget of $24 million dollars.

Mr. Atkinson received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and began his professional career as a special education teacher. In addition to having worked in the public school system, Paul also worked within the state institutional system where he became aware of a variety of challenges facing persons with disabilities.

Mr. Atkinson is a graduate of the Hampton Roads Civic Leadership program, and is a past winner of the Virginia Beach Foundation’s Excellence in Non-profit leadership award. He has served as the Chair of Source America, a national organization of 500 non-profits providing disability employment services and was recently selected as the recipient of the Milton J. Cohen Leadership Award. He is a former president of vaACCSES, a state trade association for community rehabilitation programs, and former president of the National Council of Work Centers. He is also a mediator, licensed by the Supreme Court of Virginia.