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Recent Articles from Virginia Business
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2024: ISAM GHANIM
Ghanim returned to ChildFund International in 2022, becoming its ninth president and CEO. He previously was vice president for the Africa region, vice president of global operations and executive vice president for programs before leaving to serve as president for Search for Common Ground in 2018. ChildFund, previously known as the Christian Children’s Fund, spent […]
Telecommunications 2024: VINCE APRUZZESE JR.
Apruzzese has spent his entire career at AT&T. He was named AT&T Virginia’s president in 2010 before taking on the additional role of president of external affairs for Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C., in April 2023. In his current position, he leads AT&T’s legislative, public policy and philanthropic initiatives, working with elected and appointed officials […]
Real Estate 2024: BRIAN F. BORTELL
Since starting his career with the company as an entry-level engineer and working his way up to his current role, Bortell has had a career with Timmons Group that’s spanned over three decades. As chairman and CEO, he sets the strategic direction for the 1,000-plus-person firm, including 700 in Virginia, and oversees its four operating […]
Education 2024: MAJ. GEN. DONDI E. COSTIN (U.S. AIR FORCE, RET.)
Costin, a retired 32-year Air Force veteran who went on to serve five years as president of Charleston Southern University, became president of Liberty in July 2023 during a time of turmoil. The private evangelical university was rocked by the 2020 ouster of former President and Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., the late founder’s son, and […]
Retail 2024: WARREN THOMPSON
Thompson’s start as an entrepreneur came as a teen, when he purchased and ran his family’s hog farm in Windsor. He now heads the largest minority-owned food and facilities management corporation in the nation, which he founded in 1992 with the purchase of 31 Bob’s Big Boy restaurants. Thompson Hospitality provides dining services for more […]
Banking | Finance 2024: GWEN FAW
In April, Faw, who has worked at Wells Fargo for close to three decades, was named the regional executive for the greater Virginia market, a territory that spans from Virginia Beach to Bristol. She replaced Janet M. Tope, who worked at Wells Fargo for more than 35 years before retiring this spring. Faw, who lives […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: NEEL DESAI
Desai joined LTD Hospitality Group in 1998 as the second generation of the family-owned hotel development and management company co-founded by Desai’s father in 1983. As a managing principal, he oversees property management and the profitability of its portfolio. Following in those entrepreneurial footsteps, Desai in 2021 invested in Dallas-based fast food franchise Super Chix […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: MICHAEL GEORGE
A 40-year hospitality industry veteran, George founded Crescent Hotels & Resorts in 2001. The company operates more than 100 hotels and resorts in the U.S and Canada. Its hotel portfolio includes Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt brands, along with the Latitudes: Lifestyles by Crescent collection of independent hotels and resorts. In May, Crescent added the dual-branded […]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: WILLIAM H. ‘BILL’ DEAN
In August 2023, Dean opened the doors to a new, 168,000-square-foot building on his company’s manufacturing campus in Caroline County, completing a five-year, $63 million phase three expansion that created more than 500 jobs in Virginia. It’s just the latest development for Dean, who grew the relatively small business that his grandfather started in 1949 […]
Health Care 2024: DR. K. CRAIG KENT
Since joining UVA Health in 2020, Kent, a vascular surgeon who grew up in Nevada, has overseen significant expansion of the integrated health system. With University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, Kent helped establish the $350 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, which broke ground in late 2023. Recognizing Kent’s work, members of […]
