Manufacturing 2024: TOM HAYES
Hayes began working for the tobacco products manufacturer in 2006, serving as chief financial officer and senior vice president before becoming president of Swedish Match in 2020. Swedish Match manufactures and distributes chew bags, moist snuff, cigars, tobacco-free nicotine pouches, matches and lighters. Among its notable bran[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: BILL MONET
Monet leads Akima, an Alaska Native corporation that handles federal contracts for the for-profit NANA Regional business owned by Indigenous Iñupiat shareholders. Akima has more than 10,000 employees across the world. With more than 30 years of experience in modernizing processes for federal, state, local and commercial clients[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: BRUCE L. CASWELL
Caswell joined government contractor Maximus in 2004 and has served as president since 2014; he became CEO in 2018. He started his career at what’s now PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving on to IBM, where he served as vice president of state and local government and education, as well as director of federal business developme[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: CHRISTOPHER J. NASSETTA
Nassetta is the longtime president and CEO of one of the world’s largest hospitality companies. Hilton has a portfolio of 7,600 properties and 24 brands in 126 countries and territories, ranging from luxury brands like Waldorf Astoria to suite hotels such as Embassy Suites by Hilton. Nassetta joined Hilton in 2007 after invest[...]
Education 2024: MAKOLA M. ABDULLAH
A scan of Abdullah’s accomplishments since joining the public, historically Black university in 2016 makes clear why his résumé includes so many accolades, prestigious board appointments and spots on top 10 and “best of” lists — not to mention a multimillion-dollar contract to stay on as president through 2029. Under h[...]
Professional Services 2024: BILL MARX JR.
Marx became Grant Thornton’s D.C. market managing principal in July, leading the Arlington regional office for the Chicago-based U.S. arm of the global accounting firm network. He succeeds Greg Wallig, who left in June. With more than 25 years of experience, Marx has been a tax principal at Grant Thornton for 13-plus years. [...]
Media 2024: KELLY TILL
After 24 years as an advertising executive with Tribune Publishing’s The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press, Till became the first female publisher in the 172-year history of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2022. She also serves as regional vice president of sales for the newspaper’s parent company, Lee Enterprises. Till joined [...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: JOHN S. MENGUCCI
A 1980 McDonald’s All-American High School Band drummer, Mengucci aspired to have a career in music, but his father suggested he explore the more practical emerging field of computers. So, Mengucci earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Clarkson University and an MBA from Syracuse University. Previously CACI’s[...]
Manufacturing 2024: PRABHAT JAIN
Jain has been CEO of Virginia Transformer, the continent’s largest U.S.-owned power transformer manufacturer, since 1982 — 14 years after he arrived from India, mechanical engineering degree in hand. Over 42 years, he has grown the company from 35 employees to more than 2,700 across six plants. Jain started as a machine sh[...]
Living Legends 2024: PAUL B. MANNING
In January 2023, Manning and his wife, Diane, donated $100 million to the University of Virginia to create the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, which will advance research into new medical treatments, such as cellular and gene therapies, nanotechnology and immunotherapy. U.Va. broke ground on the institute in D[...]
Economic Development 2024: WILL PAYNE
Payne and his team helped secure a 65,000-acre development deal in Southwest Virginia, announced in November 2023, with Fortune 100 energy company Energy Transfer as part of the Energy DELTA Lab initiative. His team is leading a 10-year strategy, developing the land with projects that could generate 1 gigawatt of power. The deal[...]
Law 2024: DAVID C. BURTON
Burton, who specializes in labor and employment law, has defended employers in federal court cases involving disability, the Family and Medical Leave Act and age discrimination. He’s also defended clients in claims brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has represented management in labor contract negotiati[...]