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Recent Articles from Kate Andrews
UVA Health, VCU Health halt gender-affirming treatments for minors
UVA Health and VCU Health systems have suspended all gender-affirming treatments for patients under 19 years old, after receiving a written opinion Thursday from Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. In a memo from Miyares titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” the Republican attorney general referred to President Donald Trump’s executive order iss[...]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Hall of Fame Honoree
Toni Townes-Whitley became one of two Black female Fortune 500 CEOs in 2023, when she joined federal contractor SAIC. An alumna of Princeton University, she previously served as president of Microsoft’s U.S.-regulated industries, president of CGI Federal and held management roles at Unisys. At SAIC, she leads a company that reported $7.44 billion in fiscal […]
The 2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: The Achievers
Black business leaders have played a pivotal role in shaping modern Virginia’s economic and cultural landscapes and driving progress across industries and communities. From the entrepreneurial spirit of pioneers who built thriving enterprises during times of immense adversity amid segregation and civil rights battles to today’s leaders breaking boardroom barriers, their stories are a t[...]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Denise Chadwick Wright
Chadwick Wright has served in long-term care facilities for nearly three decades and joined Birmingham Green in 2017 as its CEO. She was recognized as one of trade publication McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction for improving wellness for residents and implementing telehealth during the pandemic. Chadwick Wright previously held administrative posts at senior living residences […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Xavier Beale
Beale was promoted to his current position, overseeing the state’s largest industrial employer’s HR and trades department, in 2022. He is a second-generation shipbuilder and joined HII as a pipefitter in 1991, before working in other industries. In 2004, he returned to the shipyard and is vice chair of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development. […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Lee Mariano
With more than 20 years in human resources, Mariano now heads the HR department at one of the largest regional public accounting firms, a job she has held since 2023. Before that, she started her own executive coaching firm and held executive HR positions at multiple companies, including AgEagle Arial Systems and LookingGlass Cyber Solutions. […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Regina Johnson Elbert
Elbert was named to her current post in January 2024, having held human resources and legal leadership roles at Dominion since 2011. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and law degree from Harvard and was an associate at McGuireWoods previously. Elbert serves on boards for the Center for Energy Workforce Development […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Ernisha M. Hall
Hall co-founded the Virginia Black Business Directory in 2020, which became the Virginia Black Chamber Foundation. Today, the chamber has more than 1,000 members and has held a govcon conference and the Virginia Black Business Expo & Conference. Hall has degrees in business, social work and forensic psychology and serves on the governor’s Virginia African […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Elwood Boone III
Known as Bernie, Boone moved back to Virginia from Texas, where he was CEO of San Antonio’s HCA Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, in 2012. In addition to opening a new ICU at his hospital, he helped open the VB Strong Center in 2019 following the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shootings. Boone is a Richmond native. FIRST […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Jerrine Lee
Lee joined Richmond Region Tourism in 2016 as its convention and sports services manager, and since then, she’s moved several rungs up the ladder to her current position managing sales teams who bring meetings and conventions to Richmond. Previously, she worked in corporate sales and client relations for the Richmond Flying Squirrels Double-A baseball team. […]
