WASHINGTON (WAVY) – Former Portsmouth City Manager, Tonya Chapman, has now been hired by the District of Columbia Public Library.

According to a press release from the DC Public Library, Chapman will be the new Director of Safety and Security. She is set to begin her new job on Monday, June 5.

“We are excited to have Tonya join us,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of DC Public Library. “She has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the law enforcement field and has proven that she is an innovative leader and understands the vital role that safety plays in supporting the use of our buildings.” 

Chapman first served as Portsmouth’s Police Chief, but then left the position after three years. She then later returned as Portsmouth’s City Manager in June 2022, but was then fired in January after holding the position for six months

Councilman Bill Moody, who made the motion to terminate Chapman, said during the City Council’s bi-annual reorganizational meeting in January that Chapman was “willfully engaging in conduct which is demonstratively injurious to the city monetarily or otherwise.”