On the move

Ralph Alee, vice president for philanthropy, Carilion Clinic, Roanoke

Alee joined the Roanoke-based health system in October 2021 as its first vice president for philanthropy, a position created to lead the Carilion Clinic Foundation and provide strategic planning for Carilion’s $100 million capital campaign. Alee previously was executive director for medicine philanthropy at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Rand Blazer, president, ASGN Inc., Fairfax County

Previously president of ASGN subsidiary Apex Systems LLC, Blazer was promoted in January to become president of ASGN, the Henrico County-based Fortune 1000 provider of IT and professional staffing services. He joined Apex in 2007 after spending nearly 30 years with KPMG US.

Erin Burcham, executive director, Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council, Roanoke

In June 2021, Burcham became the first woman to lead RBTC, joining the organization after serving as director of talent solutions at the Roanoke Regional Partnership. A Galax native, Burcham is also an adviser for the Virginia Tech Foundation’s GO Virginia Biotech Innovation Cluster Growth project.

Amy F. Carrier, president and CEO, Centra, Lynchburg

Carrier left the Bon Secours Mercy Health system, where she was Hampton Roads market president, to lead the Lynchburg-based health system in September 2021. A health care veteran, Carrier now oversees 50 facilities and more than 8,000 employees for Centra, which serves 500,000 patients in Central and Southern Virginia.

Francisco “Frank” Castellanos, Hampton Roads region president, Bank of America, Williamsburg

A former foreign service officer for the State Department, Castellanos is a native of Cuba and worked in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia during six tours over 20 years. In September 2021, he joined Bank of America after serving as Virginia market director for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

Elizabeth Chu, chief transformation officer, Virginia ABC, Richmond

Chu was named Virginia ABC’s first chief transformation officer in October 2021, a position created to focus on project management and diversity, equity and inclusion priorities. She previously was a partner with Richmond-based Thought Logic Consulting and also worked with Ernst & Young, Deloitte and Global Lead Management Consulting.

Roy Corby, general manager, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Portsmouth

In November 2021, casino developer and operator Rush Street Gaming named Corby to run its forthcoming $300 million resort in Portsmouth, one of four Virginia casinos approved by voters in 2020 and now under construction. Corby comes to Virginia after serving as senior vice president of operations for Global Gaming Solutions LLC, where he supervised three casinos. He started his career as a dealer and slot attendant in Atlantic City.

Stephen Cummings, state secretary of finance, Richmond;  Caren Merrick, state secretary of commerce and trade, Richmond

Cummings and Merrick were among the first Cabinet-level appointments announced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, spotlighting a focus on business. Cummings is the retired president and CEO of the U.S. branch of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan’s largest bank.

Merrick, a Fairfax County native, was CEO of Youngkin’s nonprofit Virginia Ready Initiative, started a software company and served on several companies’ boards.

Bret S. Danilowicz, incoming president, Radford University, Radford

Provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Atlantic University, Danilowicz will become Radford’s eighth president in July, the university announced in December 2021. He earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University and previously was dean of Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Kimberly Davidson, ombudsperson,George Mason University, Fairfax

A Williamsburg native who served as Oberlin College’s ombudsperson, Davidson joined Mason, where she leads an office tasked with settling disputes among university stakeholders, in February. Davidson will draw on her experience in alternative dispute resolution and social justice mediation in the newly created position.

Timothy Faulkner, president and CEO, The Breeden Co., Virginia Beach

After more than 60 years, Breeden Co. founder Ramon W. Breeden Jr.
stepped down as president and CEO in January, and Faulkner was promoted from chief operating officer to leading the real estate development company. Faulkner joined Breeden more than 20 years ago and was president of property management before becoming COO in 2011. Before his career in real estate, Faulkner was a U.S. Army officer.

Rodney Ferguson, executive vice president of gaming and resort operations, HeadWaters Resort & Casino, Norfolk

A Hampton Roads native, Ferguson is overseeing the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s casino venture, which is expected to be open by late 2023. The $500 million project was one of four casinos approved by voters in 2020. Ferguson, who was CEO and general manager of a large Milwaukee casino, has worked in the gaming business for three decades.

Paul E. Fletcher, executive director and CEO, The Virginia Bar Association, Richmond

After more than three decades as publisher and editor-in-chief of Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Fletcher became the VBA’s executive director and CEO in September 2021. A longtime member of the bar association, which is a voluntary professional organization for lawyers, judges and law students, Fletcher was an attorney in Abingdon and Bristol, and earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University.

Brian O. Hemphill, president, Old Dominion University, Norfolk

In July 2021, Hemphill became ODU’s ninth president and its first Black president. He had served as Radford University’s president since 2016 and was previously president of West Virginia State University. Hemphill saw Radford reach record enrollment in 2019 and 2020, and oversaw Radford’s merger with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences to form Radford University Carilion.

Carrie Hunt, president, Virginia Credit Union League, Richmond

Hunt became the state trade association’s head in June 2021, succeeding Richard Pillow, who retired after 40 years. A top federal lobbyist, Hunt served as the executive vice president of government affairs and general counsel for the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, managing its legislative and regulatory divisions, among others. Most of her career has focused on consumer finance and financial services law.

Kathryn B. McQuade, board chair, Altria Group Inc., Henrico County

McQuade, who was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. before retiring in 2012, is the first woman to chair Altria’s board of directors. She was elected to the post in May 2021, replacing the late Thomas F. Farrell II, who was Dominion Energy Inc.’s executive chair. McQuade previously chaired the board’s Nominating, Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee.

Eric Moeller, chief transformation officer, state of Virginia, Louisa County

Serving in a newly created post, Moeller joined Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s staff in mid-January after working as a partner at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Moeller has focused on guiding transformational change at companies in the areas of performance and organizational health, delivering financial improvements of up to
$1.5 billion a year.

Bill Mosher, vice president of operations, Blue Star NBR LLC, Wytheville

Based in McLean, Mosher is leading the nitrile glove producer’s expansion in Wythe County, a $714 million project announced in October 2021 that is expected to create 2,500 manufacturing jobs by 2028. His father, Ken Mosher, founded the company, which aims to strengthen the U.S. production of rubber medical gloves, mainly produced in Asia.

Alison Rogish, Central Virginia marketplace leader, Deloitte, Richmond

In January, Deloitte appointed Rogish, who has worked for the Big Four accounting company since 1998, as its first female top executive in Central Virginia. She succeeds Dan Hudgens, who served as Central Virginia managing partner for 13 years and is transitioning to serving clients on the West Coast. Responsible for 300 employees with clients in Richmond and Hampton Roads, Rogish manages strategy, business development and corporate citizenship initiatives.

Matthew Ryan, CEO, Soli Organic Inc., Rockingham County

A former Starbucks Corp. chief marketing officer and head of brand management for The Walt Disney Co., Ryan was hired as CEO of the indoor agriculture company (previously known as Shenandoah Growers Inc.) in June 2021, replacing Tim Heydon, who led the company for 20 years. The company, which provides herbs and greens to 20,000 retailers, is in a growth phase, having broken ground for a new facility in South Carolina.

Tom Ryan, CEO, Langley Federal Credit Union, Newport News

In October 2021, Langley announced its merger with Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union, which is expected to be completed by April 1, creating a $4.1 billion institution. Ryan will serve as the entity’s CEO, leading 21 branches with 310,000 members. Ryan joined Langley in 2012, after 26 years at the Digital Federal Credit Union. Langley is one of Virginia’s five largest credit unions.

Gary Sladic, deputy chief financial officer, Noblis Inc., Reston

Sladic, who was previously vice president of finance and accounting for the not-for-profit federal contractor, will become Noblis’ CFO in July, succeeding Mark Simione, who announced in November 2021 that he was retiring after 25 years. Sladic joined the company in 1996 and has served in its finance and merger and acquisitions departments.

Mark Spadoni, managing director, Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs

Arriving in Bath County last year after serving as general manager for a golf resort in Savannah, Georgia, Spadoni is overseeing a $120 million overhaul of the 1766-era resort. Before his time in Savannah, Spadoni was a general manager for Westin hotel properties in South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, New Orleans and Florida.

Tom Wilson, Northrop Grumman Corp. president of space systems, Falls Church

A longtime aerospace executive, Wilson was promoted to lead the Fortune 500 defense contractor’s space business in January, succeeding Blake Larson, who retired after 40 years at Northrop Grumman. Wilson has worked there since 2018, when the company acquired Dulles-based Orbital ATK Inc. He previously was general manager of Northrop Grumman’s strategic space systems division in the space systems sector.

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington

Named interim superintendent in November 2020, Wins was appointed permanent head of the nation’s oldest state-run military college in April 2021 by the VMI board of visitors. A 1985 alumnus, Wins is VMI’s first Black superintendent, returning at a challenging time. A June 2021 state-ordered study found a culture of “institutional racism and sexism” at VMI, according to 1981 alum Gov. Ralph Northam. Wins served 34 years in the Army, retiring as first commanding general of the Combat Capabilities Development Command.