Todd Waldo
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am an engineer, artist, and community advocate. My career is in software engineering, and I’m the Founder and Principal Consultant for Hugh Helen. My work centers around strategy, implementation, and executive coaching, and it allows me to do really creative problem solving and social good. I’m also a musician with a temporary jazz & R&B group, JTucker and the Krewe. I lead the Robinson Theater in Church Hill, am on the Board of Directors for the Better Housing Coalition, and I lead the board for the Afrikana Film Festival. I believe in doing good right where you’re planted, so I’m doing good in the East End, offering my time, talent, energy, and money as an investment that makes our people better and this place better.
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Describe Richmond in 3 words.
Historic. Connected. Available.
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From sun up to sun down, what’s your ideal day in RVA?
Starting in Church Hill, where I live, I’m heading over to The Market at 25th to get coffee at Brewer’s Cafe. I’ll walk over to an East End community meeting at Front Porch Café, and from there, I’ll come through the Arts District and have client meetings at Gather before stopping to have lunch at Urban Hang Suite. Once I’m finished at Gather, I’ll walk down Broad Street and go up to Quirk Hotel’s rooftop for a cocktail. I’m coming back to Church Hill for dinner—I have to call out my man Lee Gregory and his restaurant Alewife. Lastly, I’ll end my day with a walk at Chimborazo Park to watch the sunset over the James River.
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What would you say is Richmond’s best-kept secret?
Our Parks system. In Church Hill alone, there’s a number of places I can go to enjoy the scenery of the city. Jefferson Park, Chimborazo Park, Libby Hill Park—there’s just so much you can do there. It’s my point of reflection. When I do look at Libby Hill Park’s view, it’s the James River, the slave dock, the monument to the Confederate soldier, the historic houses around me, and I am five minutes away from Creighton Court. It’s the intersection between everything that makes Richmond wonderful, and hard, and amazing, and difficult. There’s so much you can do in those spaces, and it requires nothing but a simple walk over there. It’s open, free, and accessible; all you need is your imagination.
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BLK RVA is all about supporting the thriving Black businesses and culture in the Richmond region and encouraging tourists to do the same. What’s one thing every visitor MUST do/see when they come to our region?
The Maggie Walker Statue on Broad Street. Hear about her life, her journey, and the impact of this amazing woman that happened right here in Richmond. She’s the model for so many of us; we all aspire to have an impact as deep and wide as she had. You’re standing on ground that used to sit next to the thriving, influential Black part of town that suffered. We struggled to get that corner to be the place that honored her, and now we have a monument to her that’s distinctly different than any other monument in the city. You can capture some of that just by being in that space. So go see Maggie and try to understand what it means for Richmond to honor her in that space and in that way.
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You live in Church Hill. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re staying close to home?
I like to get on my bike—Church Hill is such a bike-friendly neighborhood—and spend time with the people at Union Market. We sit on the patio, have a beer or drink wine, and connect with neighbors. I got to the Robinson Theater to watch a movie, or attend a festival if it’s festival season.
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When we say the name BLK RVA, what does that mean to you?
Pride. I now know a little bit more about my family’s journey, and my ancestor’s journey. There’s this pride that I feel to be who I am in this city with my peers, making Richmond better, and embodying all that we hope RVA will accomplish. When I think about what this brand means and our contributions to it—there’s this deep pride for who we are as a people and what we’ve overcome. We came from the most deplorable conditions and emerged from that to become who we are today. And of course, there is good food, good music, good culture, and good connection. If you come here and get a little taste of it, you’ll get to experience the goodness yourself.