Ian's Story

 A  long time Virginia resident  - Ian is a husband, former City Council  member, small business leader and entrepreneur who has a long track  record of working with community  advocates and public servants to get things done.

Ian was born to a working class family in rural West Virginia where he learned the value of family,  hard work and community.  The son of a diesel mechanic and small  business owner - Ian knows the struggles many Virginia families face  while trying to make ends meet building a better future for their  children- Ian witnessed these struggles and sacrifices first hand  growing up.  One of the first members of his family to attended college,  Ian worked his way through school as a camp counselor and youth mentor-  invaluable experiences that helped shape his life forever.

Ian  chose to make Northern Virginia his home and immediately began working  in the community.  Over the years Ian has served in many volunteer  positions including as President of the Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation, Board Member at the Caton Merchant House, Member of Friends of SERVE and Chairman of the Tri-County Walk to End Alzheimers - helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in honor of his Grandfather- Clennie Lovejoy

Ian's work has been recognized by being named to Prince William County's 40-Under-40, by being named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International and by being elected to two terms on the Manassas City Council.

Ian  graduated summa cum laude from Concord University and was the University's first Rhodes Scholar nominee and was awarded Sociology Graduate of the year.   He later attended graduate school  at Virginia Tech (go hokies).  He earned his master's degree in Sociology with an  emphasis on demography, survey design and data analysis. 

After teaching at Radford University Ian joined the private sector in several positions of organizational leadership- managing regional and national companies.

Recognizing the need to connect quality employees with good paying jobs- Ian founded Reliant Hiring Solutions -  a national recruitment firm that specializes in live-hire events for a  wide variety of industries- including law enforcement, healthcare and veteran's placement.

Ian  has helped coordinate hundreds of hiring events, helping thousands of  job seekers find work. Reliant was recognized for its service to the  community as a Small Business of the Year Nominee in 2020 and was named 2024 Best Recruitment Company in Prince William County by InsideNova.

Ian also helps manage The Lovejoy Gallery on Main with his wife, Nancy.

In  2012 - at just 29 years old - Ian was elected to the Manassas City  Council- the youngest member in modern history.  During his tenure,  Ian was a strong advocate for citizen engagement, fighting over  development, lower taxes, affordability, transportation solutions and  economic growth.  Ian supported policies that brought thousands of jobs  to the region and provided millions of dollars in support to families  and businesses during COVID-19 and improved traffic in the area.

During  Ian's time as Chairman of the Manassas City Economic Development  Committee- the city secured Virginia's largest economic development  project - over 3 billion dollars - which helped bring thousands of jobs  to the region.

Ian  has served on countless boards and commissions and as member and  benefactor to many of the region's leading community service  organizations.

Past and present Boards, Committees, Appointments and Awards:

Past President/Board Member, Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation

Board of Directors, Caton Merchant House

Paul Harris Fellow, Manassas Rotary

Board Member, Omniride/PRTC

Alternate, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority

Benefactor, CASA

Benefactor, ACTS

Benefactor, Carried to Full Term

Chairman, Manassas City Economic Development & Land Use Committee

Chairman, Manassas City Council Finance Committee

Chairman, Manassas City Council Personnel Committee

Member, Manassas City Council Legislative Committee

Council Liaison, Manassas City Utility Commission

Council Liaison, Manassas Regional Airport Commission

Council Liaison, Historic Resources Board

Walk Committee Chairman, Tri-County Walk to End Alzheimer's

Director, HISC Gives Back Philanthropy Endowment

Board Member, City of Manassas Family Services

Attend, Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church

Member, Friends of SERVE

Vice President, Point of Woods HOA

Mentor, Virginia Tech Upward Bound

Member, Manassas Architectural Review Board