Michael Berlucchi

Councilmember Michael Berlucchi was elected on Nov. 5, 2019, and re-elected on Nov. 3, 2020, and again on Nov. 5, 2024, to serve as the District 3 Representative on the Virginia Beach City Council. He was born and raised in Virginia Beach and is a graduate of First Colonial High School, George Mason University, the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, and the CIVIC Leadership Institute at Old Dominion University.

Michael is a member of the inaugural Virginia cohort of The Hunt Institute State Policy Fellows, a bipartisan program that brings together local leaders—from mayors and council members to school board chairs—who are committed to strengthening education policy across the Commonwealth.

He serves as CEO of Arts Alliance, an organization that has provided over $25 million in support to more than 65 arts and cultural organizations across South Hampton Roads since 1987. Under his leadership, Arts Alliance continues to serve as a unifying force for the region’s arts sector by providing strategic guidance, organizing collaborative initiatives, and advocating for policies that sustain and expand cultural opportunities. Arts Alliance plays a vital role in enhancing quality of life, strengthening the economy, and fostering a thriving arts community.

Michael has been recognized as one of Inside Business’s Top Forty Under 40, as an OUTstanding Virginian by Equality Virginia, and as an Adult Move Maker by Teens With a Purpose for his dedication to youth empowerment. He has also been honored by UNCF Virginia for his work supporting minority students and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and by the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater for his commitment to the Filipino American community and the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia. 

He received the inaugural GRC Hero Award for his efforts to support Green Run Collegiate, a tuition-free public charter school in Virginia Beach offering an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. He has authored articles and delivered presentations on topics related to his professional experience and civic engagement.

Michael has served on the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission and the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation, and held consecutive terms as president of Hampton Roads Pride. An active volunteer, he supports numerous nonprofit organizations including Teens With a Purpose, the CIVIC Leadership Institute, the Green Run Collegiate Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, Virginia Beach for Fairness, the Hampton Roads LGBT Public Safety Consortium, the Virginia African American Cultural Center, the Hope House Foundation, and the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, among many others.

On City Council, he serves as liaison to the 5/31 Memorial Committee, the Arts and Humanities Commission, the Development Authority, the Human Rights Commission, the Social Services Advisory Board, the Cannabis Advisory Task Force, the Animal Control Advisory Board, Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation.

info provided by VBgov.com