People – August 2018

EASTERN VIRGINIA
Claudia Cotton was named  CEO|government relations, Tidewater Builders Association. Cotton was manager of current planning for Newport News. Joyce Hearn was named the association’s chief operating officer. She has held various management positions with the organization. (Inside Business)

Jenny Leigh has been named chief human resources officer for Mid-South region, CBRE|Hampton Roads. She previously was a human resources director for Sentara Healthcare. (News release)

Gov. Ralph Northam has appointed W. Sheppard Miller III to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. He is president and CEO of Trident Utility Contracting in Norfolk. (News release)

Marisa Porto, the editor-in-chief and publisher of the Daily Press Media Group, was named executive editor of The Virginian-Pilot. The appointment came just weeks after Daily Press’ parent company, Tronc, acquired the Pilot. Porto replaced Steve Gunn, who left the paper. Porto said she will integrate operations but maintain two separate newspapers. (Daily Press)

Margaret-Hunter Wade has been named director of public affairs, Cox Communications Virginia. Wade joined Cox in 2007 as a public affairs specialist and was promoted to public affairs manager in 2013. (News release)

SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Woodward S. Bousquet, professor of environmental studies and biology at Shenandoah University, has been named president of the Virginia Academy of Science. He will serve until May 2019. (News release)

Gov. Ralph Northam has appointed Maggie A. Ragon, commissioner of the revenue for Staunton, to the James Madison University board of visitors. (News release)

CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Timothy P. Connolly has been named executive vice president, operations & supply chain-global solutions, at Hanover County-based Owens & Minor Inc. Connolly was senior vice president, operations, for Uline. (News release)

Jim Godwin, senior vice president of human resources for the Bon Secours Virginia Health System, has been named to the board of directors of UMFS, a Virginia-based, social service organization for children and families. (News release)

Julie H. Gustavsson, CPA, has been named among the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and CPA Practice Advisor’s 2018 Most Powerful Women in Accounting. She is a partner and the chief operating officer at Keiter, a Richmond-based certified public accounting firm. (News release)

Justin Julian has joined JPMorgan Chase’s Mid-Atlantic Middle Market Banking & Specialized Industries team in Richmond as a commercial banker serving the Virginia marketplace. Before joining JPMorgan Chase, Julian was a business relationship manager at Wells Fargo. (News release)

NORTHERN VIRGINIA
SAIC has announced two promotions. Christopher Donaghey is now senior vice president of corporate development. He was senior vice president of finance. In addition, Tom Eldridge has been named senior vice president of strategic development and communications. He also will continue to oversee SAIC’s Government Affairs office. (VirginiaBusiness.com) 

Mike McKinney has been named chief solutions officer at Fairfax-based government contracting firm Sevatec. He comes to Sevatec from Leesburg-based Marick Group, where he was chief technology officer from 2012 to 2015. (Washington Business Journal) 

Lawrence Prior is joining The Carlyle Group, a private-equity firm, as an operating executive consultant for the aerospace, defense and government services team. Prior was executive vice president and general manager for Computer Science Corp.’s North American Public Sector division, which spun off in November 2015 and merged with Fairfax-based SRA International Inc. to create CSRA Inc. Falls Church-based CSRA eventually was sold to General Dynamics. (Washington Business Journal) 

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
A Danville travel agency has changed its name and brought on a new partner. David Giffen, a CruiseOne franchise owner, announced Patty Shields as a new business partner for Dream Vacations-Giffen, Shields & Associates. Shields will specialize in cruises, honeymoon planning, Disney travel and resorts in the Caribbean, U.S. and Europe, according to a news release. (Work It, SOVA)

Heather Lee Krajewski has been named vice president for college advancement at Hampden-Sydney College. Krajewski comes to Hampden-Sydney from the University of Richmond, where she was assistant vice president for advancement. (News release)

Dr. Arthur T. Silvers and his staff have merged with Danville Dental Associates. Two new dentists have also joined Danville Dental Associates: Nikki Hartline and Andrew J. Hessler. Both are relocating from Ohio. (Danville Register & Bee)

Sandy Strayer has been named acting superintendent of Henry County Public Schools. She was assistant superintendent of operations and administration. (Martinsville Bulletin) 

Keven Todd, the general manager/advertising director for the Danville Register & Bee, has also been named general manager of the Martinsville Bulletin. Both newspapers are owned by BH Media. (Work It, SOVA)

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
Kevin Kruse has been named general manager of The Bristol Hotel, the first boutique hotel in Bristol, slated to open in the fall. Kruse brings more than 30 years of international hospitality experience to the Bristol community. (News release)

Dr. James Stone, Wytheville’s longest practicing physician, hung up his stethoscope in July. Stone, a doctor with Carilion Clinic Family Medicine on West Ridge Road, retired after treating local patients for 45 years. (SWVAToday.com) 

ROANOKE/NEW RIVER VALLEY
The Roanoke Higher Education Center Foundation approved the appointment of the following new board members: Robert Archer, Jeanne Armentrout, Kevin Bloomfield and Melissa Maybury Lubin. (The Roanoke Times)

Joyendu “Joy” Bhadury is the new dean of Radford University’s College of Business and Economics (COBE). Bhadury was dean and professor at the School of Business and Management at State University of New York (SUNY) – The College at Brockport. (News release) 

Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia will induct two regional business leaders into the Southwest Virginia Hall of Fame. N.L. Bishop, the president of Jefferson College of Health Sciences since 2010, and Vinod Chachra, the founder of VTLS Inc., will be honored for their business and community contributions at the 28th annual Business Hall of Fame dinner Nov. 14 at Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. They will join 57 other individuals in the Hall of Fame, according to a news release. The event will also honor Victor Iannello, CEO and founder of Radiant Physics Inc., and Synchrony Inc. as the entrepreneur of the year. (The Roanoke Times)

Frith & Ellerman has promoted Lauren Davis to partner and changed the name of the firm to Frith Ellerman & Davis Law Firm PC. (The Roanoke Times)

Keith Hartman has joined the Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center (RRSBDC) as its director. Hartman was most recently a regional executive for Vistage Worldwide, where his responsibilities included business development, member services, facilitator coaching, community relations and enhancing market visibility. (News release)

A new era in Radford city government began July 2. David Horton was sworn in as city mayor, while Jessie Critterton and Naomi Huntington were seated on the City Council. Dick Harshberger, another current council member, was re-elected vice mayor, and the council made various appointments to city offices during a short reorganizational meeting. (The Roanoke Times) 

Tom LaPlant, a veteran newspaper circulation manager, has been appointed regional circulation director for The Roanoke Times. LaPlant, who has 37 years’ experience in a variety of circulation management roles, will manage and direct all home delivery and single copy sales for the Roanoke newspaper, as well as sister papers in Martinsville and Rocky Mount. (The Roanoke Times) 

Vinod Lohani, professor of engineering education in the College of Engineering and director of education and global initiatives in the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech, has been named the W.S. “Pete” White Chair for Innovation in Engineering Education by the Virginia Tech board of visitors. (The Roanoke Times)

Christina Miller has been named director of alumni relations in the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Miller most recently served as associate director of alumni relations at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. (News release)

Chad A. Reed is the new vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Radford University. He previously was the university’s associate vice president for budget and financial planning. He succeeds Richard Alvarez who retired in June after almost 10 years in that role. (News release)  

Natasha Saunders has been named director of the Student Opportunity and Achievement Resources program in the Virginia Tech Office for Inclusion and Diversity. (News release)

Amy Woods has been named the new chief nursing officer at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. Woods was interim chief nursing officer at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany. (News release)