Fort Monroe FADA has a new executive director

By MATTHEW STURDEVANT - 757-247-7874
5:34 PM EST, February 13, 2008

HAMPTON - The governing board that oversees the future of Fort Monroe appointed a deputy assistant secretary of the Army as its new executive director.

William A. Armbruster replaces interim executive director Conover Hunt in heading up the Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority. The authority is preparing for some future use of Fort Monroe once the Army leaves the military base in September 2011.

Armbruster headed up a section of the Army entitled "Privatization and Partnerships." Armbruster led a staff of 40 and has leveraged "some $970million in initial equity into more than $9.8billion in additional private capital," according to a prepared statement by the development authority. "We are pleased to have attracted such a high-caliber individual to this position," said L. Preston Bryant, Jr., chairman of the authority. "For the past six years, Mr. Armbruster has been working with more than 25 other military installations all across the country that, like Fort Monroe, have been affected by (the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure plan) actions."

Armbruster has been a deputy assistant secretary for the Army since 2002. Before that, he was executive vice president of Roanoke Lumber International from 1991 to 1996, executive director of Emporia Downtown Redevelopment Corporation from 1989 to 1991 and served as a Blackstone town councilman from 1992 to 1995.

Armbruster served 26 years in the Navy. He retired as a captain and Naval Intelligence Officer. He received the Legion of Merit with Gold Star, the Bronze Star with 'V' for combat valor, the Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation, a Navy Commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, a Combat Action Ribbon and Republic of Vietnam Theatre Ribbons.

He has a bachelor of arts degree in government from College of William & Mary and a master of science in international affairs from George Washington University.