2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Carlos M. Brown

Brown assumed his current posts in January 2024 but joined the Fortune 500 utility as a senior counsel in 2007. Previously he was a managing partner at Brown Martin and practiced law at McGuireWoods. With two degrees from the University of Virginia, Brown currently serves as U.Va.’s vice rector and chairs the Virginia Museum of History and Culture’s board.

FIRST JOB: Sales associate in the hardware department at Sears

WHY I CHOSE MY PROFESSION: I wanted to be an attorney because attorneys have broad influence in society. Attorneys touch all aspects of our society, whether it be in the courts, government, business or finance.

HOW I GIVE BACK: I try to give back by both being available to serve and accessible to mentor. One of my greatest joys was coaching football and my kids’ Destination Imagination teams.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE MY MENTOR GAVE ME: Mr. Roy, the trustee of the Charles B. Cross Citizenship Award for the City of Chesapeake, told me as he was giving me the college scholarship award, “Over the course of your life, people will say a lot of great and nice things about you. All of it will probably be true. However, no matter what you do, don’t let yourself believe it.”

PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Leading the legal team that assisted Dominion Energy in executing a successful business review, where we divested over $21 billion in assets in five separate transactions in less than
12 months.

FAVORITE PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: Ghana