2025 Virginia C-Suite Awards: Government

JOE BENEVENTO

PRESIDENT AND CEO, VIRGINIA INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP CORP., RICHMOND

Formerly a deputy state secretary of commerce and trade, Benevento started his career at Goldman Sachs and private equity firm THL Partners and was managing director of an investment firm. A graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Business School, Benevento was named in 2023 interim president and CEO for VIPC, a state-funded entity that supports Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The following year, he was made VIPC’s permanent leader.

During the past two years, Benevento launched a $100 million private sector investment initiative, Virginia Invests, focused on sourcing outside capital for state-based startups. Last year, VIPC also celebrated Virginia’s return to the top 10 states for venture capital investment, as the commonwealth saw $2.48 billion in VC deal value in 2023. VIPC also has helped promote the fact that there have been 10,000 high-growth startups created in Virginia since Gov. Glenn Youngkin took office in 2022.

In nominating Benevento, VIPC board member Richard Hall noted that VIPC’s CEO “constantly challenges the organization to move faster and reimagine new ways of doing things to amplify the impact we can have in the commonwealth,” as well as being a “great collaborator who works extensively with many diverse external stakeholders in a solution-oriented and nonpartisan manner.”

Benevento serves on several boards around the state, including the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, and the Alliance for Building Better Medicine. In a 2024 interview, Benevento wrote, “EQ (emotional intelligence) is just as important as IQ, and there’s no substitute for having a ‘degree’ in GSD — Getting Stuff Done.”

JOSEPH CASEY

COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY

Casey joined Chesterfield County as its administrator in 2016, but he’s been active in local government since 1990, serving as a deputy county administrator for both Henrico and Hanover counties. A graduate of the University of Richmond, he earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University in public policy and public administration.

Also qualified as a CPA, Casey began his career at KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms. As a public servant, he has held many statewide leadership roles, including serving as president of the Virginia Local Government Management Association and the Virginia Government Finance Officers’ Association. He was also a member of the national GFOA’s executive board.

Chesterfield has seen both economic and population booms in recent years, landing major projects like Lego Group’s $1 billion toy factory, Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ nearly $3 billion commercial fusion power plant, and Danish electrolyzer manufacturer Topsoe’s $400 million manufacturing plant. Meanwhile, the county saw its population rise by 8.3% between 2020 and 2024.

Chesterfield Economic Development Director H. Garrett Hart III says Casey “possesses an extraordinary blend of strategic insight and operational expertise,” as well as “ethical leadership and unwavering integrity.” Casey also has served on several boards and councils, including the Appomattox River Water Authority and the Asian & Latino Solidarity Alliance of Central Virginia.

How I create a positive culture at work: Keep engaged and smiling, create memorable stories others can then share, and laugh at yourself with humility and self-deprecating humor.

JOHN A. VITHOULKAS

COUNTY MANAGER, HENRICO COUNTY

A native of Greece who arrived in Virginia as an infant, Vithoulkas graduated from Henrico County’s J.R. Tucker High School in 1985 and began working for the county as a budget analyst in 1997. Since 2013, Vithoulkas has served as Henrico’s county manager, overseeing its operations, recommending a $1 billion operating and capital budget annually to the county board of supervisors, and leading more than 4,000 employees. In 2021, Henrico County was recognized as a top workplace by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and as one of America’s Best-In-State Employers by Forbes in 2024.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration, Vithoulkas has led multiple initiatives and programs to improve life for Henrico residents, including two bond referendums totaling more than $930 million that funded 47 capital projects.

Vithoulkas has also worked with supervisors to cap real estate taxes for older and disabled residents, and in 2023, the county opened the Henrico Sports & Events Center, which attracts sporting competitions and other events at the site of a former mall. Earlier this year, he announced plans to rebid rights to redevelop the former Best Products corporate campus into an arena-centered mixed-use development.

Best advice I ever received: My first supervisor told me, “Never fear failure. If you do not take risks, you will never fail, and if you never fail, you will never grow.” Henrico County is a laboratory for “Let’s try this,” and if something has never been done before, so much the better.