100 People to Meet in 2026: Public Faces

From public relations execs and lobbyists to company CEOs, these executives publicly represent their clients, industries and communities.

MICHELLE R. AUSTIN

PRESIDENT AND CEO, BANK OF BOTETOURT, BOTETOURT COUNTY

Banking executive Michelle R. Austin became CEO of the Bank of Botetourt on July 1, also retaining her role as president. She succeeded former CEO G. Lyn Hayth III, who retired after nearly four decades at the bank.

A longtime member of the organization, Austin began her career with the bank as a college intern in 1991, becoming a full-time employee in 1993. She steadily advanced through key leadership roles, serving as chief financial officer for 18 years before being promoted to chief operating officer and president.

The bank credits her for guiding initiatives that strengthen customer experience, operational excellence and community impact. As of Sept. 30, the Bank of Botetourt had $778.87 million in total deposits and $898.8 million in assets.

Austin teaches financial management at the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management and will teach at The Management Institute at Roanoke College in 2026.

BRUCE BRYAN

FOUNDER AND ADVERTISING CZAR, 5POINTS CREATIVE; AUTHOR, ROANOKE

For two decades, Bruce Bryan led advertising sales departments at television stations. He was working as the general sales manager of a Roanoke NBC affiliate in 2009 when he got laid off.

Bryan didn’t want to move, so he pivoted, launching a marketing and advertising agency. “It started with me at my dining room table, and we’ve been in business now 16 years,” Bryan says.

Outside his 9-to-5, Bryan enjoys writing. His first book “40 West: Two Brothers Take the Trip to Mark a Lifetime” revolved around a cross-country journey with his brother to celebrate their late father. In September, Bryan’s book “Turning Tables” hit bookshelves. Featuring interviews from folks who waited tables and tended bar, the book shows how skills learned in food service can deliver success in other fields.

CHRIS HINMAN

CEO, THEBESTREPUTATION, WILLIAMSBURG

Chris Hinman was working as an independent contractor for an online reputation management firm when he saw content getting outsourced overseas and written by AI. He decided he could offer something better.

Hinman co-founded TheBestReputation with his wife, company President Casi Hinman, in 2021. A digital marketing, public relations and online management firm, Hinman describes his company approach as white glove and boutique-style.

TheBestReputation landed at No. 201 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, reporting 1,934% three-year growth and about $2 million in revenue. It ranked fifth among all 277 Virginia-based companies on Inc.’s 2025 list.

TheBestReputation uses a proprietary system to generate leads, sending about 1,000 email pitches daily to companies. Being able to show companies how TheBestReputation might improve their online reputation versus a competitor has “made the difference,” Hinman says.
He hopes to double the company’s size and revenue in 2026.

CATHERINE ‘CAT’ MARSHBURN

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, VIRGINIA TOURISM CORP., RICHMOND

The new vice president of marketing for the Virginia Tourism Corp., Catherine Marshburn brings 30 years of experience, most recently serving as corporate vice president of marketing for United Parks & Resorts, leading marketing efforts across 12 major theme parks, including Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Marshburn will lead the state agency’s marketing strategy and manage the brand with the goal of driving visitors to Virginia. She will also help guide organizational strategy as a member of VTC’s executive committee.

Agency CEO Rita McClenny describes Marshburn as “a strategic and visionary leader” with a collaborative spirit whose experience will help the agency connect with new audiences and strengthen partnerships.

JEAN and MIKE MATACUNAS

OWNER AND EXECUTIVE ADVISOR, QANTM CREATIVE; CEO, FIVE HILL CAPITAL, NORFOLK

Jean and Mike Matacunas are the leadership team behind Qantm Creative, a marketing and communications firm providing branding, consulting, digital marketing, public relations and other services across Hampton Roads and nationwide.

The couple spearheaded WB Marketing’s parent company’s 2023 acquisition of Meridian Group, a Virginia Beach agency. Once part of Capital One’s original team of marketers, Jean Matacunas rebranded the combined firm as Qantm in 2024 and grew it more than 300%, expanding its creative and digital capabilities. In October, she transitioned to executive advisor and appointed Nicole Newsome to succeed her as Qantm’s CEO.

Her husband, Mike, is founder and CEO of Five Hill Capital, WB Marketing’s parent company. He co-led the acquisitions that formed Qantm Creative and now serves as the company’s chairman, overseeing governance and strategy. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the retail and services industry, having previously served as chief administrative officer at Dollar Tree, president and CEO of Spar Group and founder of The Parker Avery Group. At Qantm, he advises leadership, maintains client relationships and explores new growth opportunities.

JAMIE PATTEN

ACTING HEAD AND CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, VIRGINIA CANNABIS CONTROL AUTHORITY, HENRICO COUNTY

A public servant who has spent her career working at different state agencies, Jamie Patten initially wasn’t interested in working at the Cannabis Control Authority, or CCA, the state’s “official authority for how to safely and legally engage with cannabis from cultivation to consumption.”

“I was like, ‘I don’t want anything to do with this. This is a really politically charged topic,’” Patten recalls.

When the opportunity presented itself, though, she prayed on it.

“I have nothing to do with whether cannabis in Virginia is legal or not legal,” Patten remembers telling herself. “The General Assembly is going to decide all of that stuff, but … I could have a very impactful role in ensuring that it’s rolled out well and safely.”
Patten, a mother of five, joined the CCA as chief administrative officer in 2022. This spring, she succeeded Jeremy Preiss as the authority’s acting head.

ENCARNACION PYLE

EXECUTIVE EDITOR, RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH; VIRGINIA STATE EDITOR, LEE ENTERPRISES, HANOVER COUNTY

Encarnacion Pyle joined the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginia’s 175-year-old newspaper of record, in February.

A journalist for more than three decades, Pyle oversees the Richmond newsroom and serves as Virginia editor for Lee Enterprises, which also owns The Roanoke Times, The News & Advance in Lynchburg and other newspapers across the state.

Pyle worked as a reporter for The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio, which is owned by USA Today Co. (formerly Gannett Co.), the country’s largest newspaper publisher, for nearly two decades before advancing to leadership. She took on the managing editor role in 2022. Pyle’s work includes leading investigations into the Ohio medical board’s handling of sexual misconduct by state doctors and the human toll of gun violence in the city.
Pyle comes to the RT-D at a fraught time for daily newspapers like the Times-Dispatch, which has been beset by layoffs and buyouts in recent years, including a round in September that left the newsroom with fewer than 10 news reporters.

CARTER T. WHITELOW

VICE PRESIDENT, WILLCOX SAVAGE CONSULTING, RICHMOND

Working in government relations since 2021, Carter T. Whitelow has worked for Williams Mullen and briefly with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce before landing this year as a vice president at Willcox Savage Consulting, the Norfolk law firm’s public affairs and lobbying subsidiary.

One of the multiple large-scale projects he’s worked on in recent years is the $9 billion Airports Use Agreement and Premises Lease with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which established long-term financial stability and operational frameworks for the Dulles and Reagan airports. He helped secure $160 million in the commonwealth’s budget for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Whitelow’s experience includes advancing policy for Strata Clean Energy and the Coalition for Community Solar Access. He guided regulatory affairs and policy initiatives for Novo Nordisk and the Children’s National Medical Center.

Whitelow earned his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he serves on the alumni association board of directors. He also serves on several other boards, including GraceInside, a prison chaplain service.

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