Leadership: On the move

Patrick Bain, president and CEO, The Long & Foster Cos., Chantilly

In March 2023, Bain was promoted to lead the real estate giant after joining Long & Foster in 2010 as president of its insurance and home warranty businesses. Along the way, he took the reins of the property management and rental service center branches, and in 2022, he oversaw the launch of subsidiary Insight Home Inspections.

Billy Beale, CEO, Blue Ridge Bank, Charlottesville

In May 2023, Beale was named Blue Ridge Bank’s new leader. He formerly served as CEO and president of Chesterfield County-based Community Bankers’ Bank and CEO of Union Bank & Trust. Blue Ridge has 26 locations in Virginia and more than $3 billion in assets.

Isham “Jay” Bennett, chief human resources officer, Smithfield Foods, Smithfield

Bennett became Smithfield’s inaugural chief human resources officer in March 2023. He was previously vice president of human resources for Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems business as well as Lockheed aviation subsidiary Sikorsky.

Jeremy Bridges, president, Hampton Roads Shipping Association, Norfolk

Bridges joined HRSA in May 2023 as its head, following the departure of Roger Giesinger, who led the nonprofit trade association for 28 years. Bridges was previously vice president of labor relations for CMA CGM America, and area managing director for Pacific Maritime Association’s Southern California region.

Katie Cristol, CEO, Tysons Community Alliance, Tysons

Previously an Arlington County supervisor, Cristol stepped down in July 2023 to become the first permanent CEO of the Tysons Community Alliance, a community development nonprofit that replaced the Tysons Partnership in 2022. Cristol has served on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, among other regional boards.

Amy Davis, chief security officer, Leidos, Reston

Formerly deputy chief of the National Security Agency’s Office of Security and Counterintelligence, Davis joined Leidos as its security head in June 2023, leading its corporate security and overseeing compliance with U.S. and foreign security standards. In two decades with the federal government, Davis worked in the areas of insider risk, emerging threats, physical security and crisis management.

Capt. Janet H. Days, commander, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk

In February 2023, Days became the first Black commanding officer of the world’s largest naval base, after a career in the Navy as a surface warfare officer. Norfolk’s base employs 89,000 active military personnel and 52,000 civilians. Days also served in Afghanistan as the Joint Staff-J7 liaison officer to the International Security Assistance Force headquarters.

Ken Fridley, vice president for research, Old Dominion University, Norfolk

A former University of Alabama administrator, Fridley became ODU’s vice president for research in January after serving on an interim basis since last August. He became dean of ODU’s Batten College of Engineering and Technology in 2022, a position he’s also holding until a successor is hired. Trained in engineered wood construction, performance and hazard mitigation, Fridley is a civil engineer.

Rick Fulk, president, Primis Bank, Henrico County

Fulk was promoted in October 2023 to president of Primis Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of McLean-based Primis Financial. He’s worked for the institution since 1998, most recently as Primis’ Richmond and Hampton Roads regional executive. Primis has $3.85 billion in assets and 32 branches in Virginia and the rest of the United States.

John Hagy, executive director, Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program, Roanoke

Hagy started off 2024 as RAMP’s new executive director after previously managing the Carolina Angel Network at the University of North Carolina. Before that, he was an intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as a development director at a geospatial intelligence startup and as a Deloitte strategy consultant.

Cassie Hartogs, managing partner of tax people operations, BDO USA, McLean

Previously manager of BDO’s Atlantic region, Hartogs was promoted in May 2023 to manage more than 3,800 tax professionals nationally at the U.S. member firm of BDO Global, the world’s fifth largest accounting network. Hartogs started her career at Argy Wiltse & Robinson, which was acquired by BDO in 2012. She won the firm’s Seidman Neuhausen award in 2019, which recognizes staffers for their client service, curiosity and rigor.

Debbie Irwin, managing director, Lighthouse Labs, Richmond

Irwin started in late February as the startup accelerator’s new director after serving as executive director of Shenandoah Community Capital since 2018. She replaces interim Managing Director Art Espey. A James Madison University alumna, she co-founded The Manufactory Collective, a manufacturing-focused coworking and support space in Harrisonburg.

Dr. John Jane Jr., chair and professor of neurosurgery, Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke

An alumnus of the University of Virginia and nearly lifelong Charlottesville resident, Jane became Carilion’s first head of neurosurgery in June 2023 as well as the first head of the medical school’s neurosurgery department. He works closely with researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute too, as the university aims to increase the number of trained neurosurgeons in Virginia.

Leslie Kendrick, dean, University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville

In July, Kendrick will become the second woman to lead U.Va.’s law school, succeeding Risa Goluboff, who announced late last year she would step down. A 2006 graduate, Kendrick became a faculty member at the law school two years later, becoming a professor of law and director of the school’s Center for the First Amendment. She also serves as a special adviser on free expression and inquiry to U.Va.’s provost.

Wendy Lewis, Richmond managing partner, KPMG, Richmond

In August 2023, Lewis was promoted to managing partner of the professional services firm’s Richmond office. Also chair of the Virginia Board of Accountancy, Lewis joined KPMG in 1997 as an associate and became a partner in 2010. After a three-year rotation in KPMG’s New York office, she’s worked in its Washington, D.C., and Tysons offices.

Jay Moore, senior advisor and partner, Brown Advisory, Richmond

In January, Moore joined the global investment management and advisory firm after founding his own firm,
T.J. Moore PLC, and serving as a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth, interim general counsel at Kaléo and senior vice president of strategy and business development for Altria Group. A graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Law and Darden School of Business, Moore is a longtime Richmonder.

U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, U.S. House of Representatives, Richmond

Well known as a Virginia state senator and previously a delegate, McClellan took office on Capitol Hill in March 2023 as the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia. A Democrat representing Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District, McClellan was regulatory counsel for Verizon and previously practiced law at Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth). McClellan succeeds the late Donald McEachin.

Tyrone Noel, Hampton Roads market president, Bank of America, Williamsburg

Noel took over the Hampton Roads region for Bank of America in September 2023, adding the role to his job as Merrill Lynch Wealth Management’s greater Virginia market executive. An avid volunteer for food banks and the Boys & Girls Clubs, Noel joined Merrill in 2011 as a financial adviser.

Paul Nolde, executive director, 757 Angels; managing director, 757 Collab, Norfolk

Nolde joined the innovation network 757 Collab (which includes 757 Angels) in May 2023 after having served as managing director of Richmond’s Lighthouse Labs. A University of Virginia graduate, Nolde has extensive experience in wealth management banking as well as entrepreneurship.

Chris Piper, executive director, Virginia Public Access Project, Richmond

Operating one of the state’s most visible political websites, nonprofit VPAP provides information on campaign finances, statewide races and more. Piper came to the job last June after having served as state elections commissioner under former Gov. Ralph Northam. This year, Piper says, VPAP could expand beyond the state’s borders.

Adam Riddle, chairman and CEO, Rolls-Royce North America, Reston

An executive of Rolls-Royce for more than a decade, Riddle was named chairman and CEO of its North America branch and president of its defense division in April 2023. Riddle, who graduated from West Point, is also a retired U.S. Army officer and former Boeing executive.

Danny Robinson, CEO, The Martin Agency, Richmond

After serving as The Martin Agency’s chief creative officer and chief client officer, Robinson was named CEO in January, succeeding Kristen Cavallo, who remains CEO of MullenLowe Global. Robinson has gathered many accolades, including Ad Age’s 2022 Chief Creative Officer of the Year, and Martin has been celebrated as ad agency of the year by Ad Age and Adweek over the past three years. At Martin, Robinson has overseen campaigns for UPS, Old Navy and Geico. His previous firm, Vigilante, was behind Oprah Winfrey’s famous 2004 car giveaway.

Monica Schmude, Virginia president, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Richmond

A former Cigna Healthcare mid-Atlantic president, Schmude joined Anthem in April 2023, overseeing about 9,000 employees and more than 3 million customers. After about 30 years in the health insurance industry, Schmude was named one of the region’s most influential women by Washingtonian magazine last fall. Before joining Cigna, she was manager of sales and business services for Aetna.

Jackie Thiel, president, Long & Foster Real Estate, Chantilly

When Patrick Bain was promoted to lead Long & Foster’s parent company in March 2023, Thiel was appointed to lead Long & Foster’s real estate branch. She’s been with the company since 1998 and was most recently executive vice president of its brokerage arm. Thiel is now responsible for more than 9,000 agents in eight states and Washington, D.C., and started her career in Richmond at Bowers, Nelms & Fonville, which was purchased by Long & Foster in 1998.

Shawn Tibbets, president, Armada Hoffler, Virginia Beach

In February, Armada Hoffler Chief Operating Officer Tibbetts was promoted to president of the real estate giant behind Virginia Beach Town Center, and he’s slated to succeed CEO Louis Haddad, who expects to retire in spring 2025. The Port of Virginia’s president and COO until he joined Armada Hoffler in 2019, Tibbetts is a graduate of James Madison University and William & Mary.

Sean Washington, economic development department executive director, City of Norfolk, Norfolk

Formerly interim director of development, Washington was named Norfolk’s permanent executive director of economic development in November 2023. He’s been in Hampton Roads for a while, serving as secretary-treasurer and assistant director of Norfolk’s economic development authority and as an assistant vice president for BB&T. Washington is a Hampton University alumnus.

LeAnn White, executive director, Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, Tysons

In December 2023, White became the new head of the Northern Virginia Black Chamber after previously working as assistant vice president and business development officer at FVCbank. She also served on the chamber’s board and chaired its events committee and was a past secretary of the Fauquier County chapter of the NAACP.

Katherine Williams, CEO, Framatome Inc., Lynchburg

Williams succeeded Mike Mignogna as CEO of the U.S. arm of the French nuclear reactor and fuel company in July 2023. Also the company’s chief financial officer, Williams has worked for Framatome for more than 20 years and previously held financial management positions at DuPont, Westinghouse and Duke Energy. She also serves on the Framatome Inc., Framatome Canada and Isogen boards. 

Jennifer Wold, Virginia market managing partner, Forvis, Richmond

A former Kansan, Wold moved to Richmond after being named Forvis’ top Virginia executive in June 2023. The top 10 accounting firm was formed in 2022 by the merger of BKD CPAs & Advisors and Dixon Hughes Goodman. Wold joined BKD in 2018 as an audit partner and was previously with Grant Thornton, Accenture and Ritchie Cos. Forvis has about 300 employees in Virginia.