The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office held a Promotion Ceremony on Jan. 10, 2025, at Virginia Beach City Hall, Building 1. Eighteen deputy sheriffs and civilians received promotions in the second-largest promotion ceremony since Sheriff Rocky Holcomb took office in September 2023 when 22 deputy sheriffs rose through the ranks.
“We continue to promote the best and the brightest at the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office and this group of deserving recipients is no different,” said Holcomb. “I am extremely proud of our new leaders and their dedication and service to the VBSO. I know they will continue to make us proud.”
The promotions included seven master deputies to sergeant, four sergeants to lieutenants, two lieutenants to captains and one captain to major, with nearly 200 years of combined experience. The two captains are Gregg O’Neil, Commanding Officer of Corrections, and Wayne R. Thomas, Commanding Officer of Courts/Transportation/Civil Process. Joseph Bartolomeo was promoted to major, a position resurrected after 20 years.
The promoted civilians were Diane Amoss and Jessica L. White, Human Resources Administrative Specialist II, Kelsey Grunder, Public Safety Analyst II, and Ronna Donley, Financial Specialist, with more than 60 years of combined experience.
The promotion process at the VBSO is extremely competitive at every level. For deputies, it weighs performance, experience, tenure, leadership, volunteerism, training and education. Performance, experience, tenure, and job knowledge weigh heavily for our civilians.
Bios of the newly promoted major and captains are below.
Major Joseph Bartolomeo Major Bartolomeo began his career with the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office in May 2002. He earned his B.A. in Economics and Business from the Virginia Military Institute. Major Bartolomeo is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 260). He has served on the Emergency Response Team for 13 years and is currently assigned to Operations Command.
Capt. Wayne Thomas Capt. Thomas has been with the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office since 2005. He has served in multiple divisions of the Sheriff’s Office, including Corrections, Intake, Courts and Training. Capt. Thomas spent time with both the Emergency Response and Honor Guard teams. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political science from Virginia Wesleyan University (then College) and his master’s in public administration from Strayer University.
Capt. Gregg O’Neil Capt. O’Neil has been with the Sheriff’s Office for over 25 years. Over the years, he has worked in Corrections, Intake, Civil Process, Professional Standards, Maintenance and Special Projects. Capt. O’Neil has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Salem State College and a master’s degree in public administration from Troy University.





