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Recent Articles from Virginia Business
Telecommunications: DAVID WAJSGRAS
Wajsgras became CEO of Intelsat in April following Stephen Spengler’s retirement. Shortly before that, the company, which operates 50-plus satellites and has more than 1,800 employees, announced its emergence from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and financial restructuring. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Wajsgras earned his MBA at American University. He was executive vice […]
Manufacturing: WILLIAM F. ‘BILLY’ GIFFORD
Gifford has served as the tobacco products manufacturer’s chief executive for two years but has ties going back more than 25 years, having served as president and CEO of subsidiary Philip Morris USA. This year has been a challenging one for Altria, with the Food and Drug Administration announcing its intention to reduce nicotine levels […]
Manufacturing: JONATHAN JENKINS
Jenkins graduated from East Carolina University, where he was an All-American on the baseball team. After college, he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox, spending seven years pitching in the minor leagues before continuing as a coach and scout. He’s worked at Culpeper Wood Preservers, one of the nation’s largest producers of pressure-treated lumber, […]
Living Legends: WILLIAM R. HARVEY
Harvey is a higher education icon, having retired in June after 43 years as president of Hampton University. His work since arriving at what was Hampton Institute in 1978 transformed the campus, raising its profile and strengthening its academic standing. The university’s endowment grew from $29 million to more than $400 million during his tenure. […]
Agriculture: CHAD BALLARD III
Ballard helms a bivalve farming legacy that’s more than a century old. But you’re unlikely to find him in chest waders. “I am largely a desk-based farmer,” he told Washington and Lee University’s alumni magazine in 2018. Ballard graduated with a business administration degree from W&L and worked in investment banking for the former BB&T […]
Energy: ROBERT DUVALL
In 2020, Duvall returned as president of Virginia Natural Gas after serving in the role from 2014 to 2016. In between, he worked as senior vice president of customer operations for Southern Co. Gas, VNG’s parent company. In his role, Duvall is responsible for the delivery of natural gas to more than 300,000 customers in […]
Federal Contractors/Technology: ANEESH CHOPRA
The co-founder of CareJourney, which has an open-data membership service with a rating system for doctors, Chopra was the nation’s first chief technology officer under President Barack Obama and served as Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s technology secretary. In 2014, he helped found CareJourney, a year after running unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. […]
Government/Politics: JANET HOWELL
After serving as a legislative assistant in the House of Delegates for three years, Howell was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1991 and is the first woman to chair the Senate’s Finance and Appropriations Committee. She’s also served on the Judiciary Committee. As a member of the Privileges and Elections Committee, she helped […]
Finance/Insurance: JEFF GRINSPOON
Over a decade has passed since Grinspoon, along with advisers John Verfurth and Richard Weeks, left Morgan Stanley to create their own firm, VWG Wealth Management. The three decided to launch a registered investment adviser (RIA) firm following the 2008 Great Recession. RIA firms have a fiduciary responsibility to act in their clients’ best interest […]
Hospitality/Tourism: CLIFF FLEET
Fleet’s grandfather was passionate about history and his enthusiasm was contagious. “As a child, I would spend hours discussing the issues of the past and how they shape the world today,” Fleet says. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation appointed Fleet to serve as its ninth president and CEO at the beginning of 2020. Fleet’s career hasn’t […]
