From architecture to construction, these are the professionals who are building Virginia’s future and leaving legacies in steel, brick and glass.
Clayborne
Corey Clayborne
Executive vice president, American Institute of Architects Virginia
Richmond
Corey Clayborne confesses that he did not make all A’s in his architecture design studio as a college student at Virginia Tech, but he’s working to make an A-plus impact on the architecture profession as executive vice president of the American Institute of Architects Virginia. In December, Clayborne will attend a Washington, D.C., ceremony honoring his 2020 induction into the American Institute of Architects’ prestigious College of Fellows. Passionate about using his platform to bring people together, Clayborne recently launched the Blueprint for Better Communities dinner series to promote relationship building between architects and government leaders. “Iron sharpens iron,” says Clayborne, a mentor with 100 Black Men of Central Virginia and a member of the 2021 class of Lead Virginia. “The more awesome people you can surround yourself with, it has no choice but to impact you.”
Lionberger
Samuel L. Lionberger III
CEO, Lionberger Construction Co.
Roanoke
As a young man, Samuel Lionberger III dreamed of life as a professional golfer. When he discovered he needed money to pay for his car while a student at Virginia Tech, he settled for a job as a laborer at his family’s business, Lionberger Construction Co. Slowly, he fell in love with the industry. “There’s nothing like it,” says Lionberger, who ascended to CEO after his father, Samuel Lionberger Jr., retired in 2010. “It’s a very rewarding career to create.” Founded by Lionberger’s great uncle John C. Senter, the company will celebrate 100 years in business in 2022. Currently, Lionberger Construction is restoring the 1700s-era Warm Spring Pools at the Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County.
Georgie Márquez
President, Andre Marquez Architects Inc.
Norfolk
Georgie Márquez has always been fascinated by drawing and creating spaces. She left her native Puerto Rico for New York to study architecture at the Pratt Institute, where she met her husband, Joel André. In 1993, the couple opened their architecture firm in Norfolk. “Many people think architecture is the building, but it’s really about designing space,” she says. One of the firm’s biggest projects is designing above-ground buildings for the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project. “It’s kind of amazing that a little firm like ours is involved in a project of that size in our region,” Márquez says. A member of the 2021 class of Lead Virginia, Márquez was appointed to the Norfolk mayor’s Advisory Commission on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in 2018 and has worked on the technical advisory committee for the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan. She also serves as vice chair of diversity for the Hampton Roads Chamber’s executive committee.
Ranked as CNBC’s Top State for Business for two consecutive years, Virginia earned the distinction in part for its “wealth of colleges and universities.” These are some of the educators and leaders who are helping to grow that national reputation for academic excellence.
Bergmeister
Suzanne Bergmeister
Executive director, Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship
at James Madison University
Harrisonburg
After working for the past 15 years as the University of Louisville’s full-time entrepreneur-in-residence and for the past four years as assistant director for its entrepreneurship center, Suzanne Bergmeister moved to Harrisonburg this summer to lead James Madison University’s Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship. “I was able to sell my house and buy a house here and move and get most of my stuff unpacked and start work all in about two weeks,” says Bergmeister, who has a background in venture capital. She’s not starting small with her JMU to-do list. “We are trying to instill an entrepreneurial mindset and get people … excited about innovation and creativity, because entrepreneurs change the world.”
Cipriano
Pamela Cipriano
Dean, University of Virginia School of Nursing
Charlottesville
The pandemic has laid bare how essential nurses are, as well as their sacrifices, says Pamela Cipriano, who earned her first nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania more than 40 years ago and has been a prominent voice for nurses for decades. “They take on the emotional burdens of the work, [and] they exhaust themselves doing everything that they can that they know a patient and family needs,” she says. Aside from overseeing U.Va.’s nursing school curriculum and its combined 800 undergrad and graduate students, Cipriano started her four-year term as president of the International Council of Nurses, which spans 130 countries, in November. She also advises Time’s Up Healthcare, a national initiative to end sexual harassment and gender-based inequality in the field.
Clement
Whitt Clement
Special counsel,
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP; rector, University of Virginia
Richmond
A Danville native and former seven-term state delegate who helped launch Hunton Andrews Kurth’s state government relations practice and served as chair of the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia and the state Bar Association, Whitt Clement began his two-year stint as U.Va.’s rector in July. A Double ’Hoo (with degrees from the university and its law school), Clement is focused on providing more financial assistance for students, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, and maintaining safety during the lingering pandemic. Clement also is working closely with Charlottesville on an affordable housing initiative in the city’s 2030 master plan. Additionally top of mind, he says, is U.Va.’s history with regard to race. “We have a checkered past like other educational institutions,” Clement says.
Doerzaph
Zachary Doerzaph
Executive director, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Blacksburg
Zachary Doerzaph has been a car geek since playing with Hot Wheels as a child. He restored his first car, a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle, at age 14. But now he’s not just playing with cars. In October, he became the executive director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which has conducted pioneering research in the fields of smart highways and autonomous vehicles. A California native, Doerzaph has worked for Tech for 21 years. “I would say my mindset has expanded,” he says. “As a kid, I was really into sort of the car itself, and as I entered graduate school and really thought about what it is I wanted to do and I grew up …let’s just say broadening of my area of interest occurred, and safety is kind of a real core piece to me.”
Hall
James Emerson Hall
Manager, Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center
Fishersville
At the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center, a state-run facility that provides occupational training and rehabilitation services to people with disabilities at a scenic college-like campus nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, James Hall leads four departments — each revolving around vocational evaluation and education or a combination of the two. Hall joined the Wilson Center in 2016 after working as a special education teacher and public school administrator for several years. “We get to take [clients] from a place of nonemployment to a place of employment, which is life-changing, not only for them, but also for their families and their communities as a whole and really for the commonwealth.”
Matlock
David Matlock
Executive director, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
Abingdon
“I’m in the opportunity business,” says David Matlock. His higher education center provides “kindergarten through career” educational opportunities for the Southwest region’s residents, including a K5 STEM Academy, hybrid and online degree programs from 10 colleges and universities, a college for older adults, and professional and recreational learning classes. “We are a great place doing great things because of great people, and I’m just the lucky person that gets to be the talking head,” he says. Additionally, Matlock and his wife started The Justin Foundation, which provides scholarships and leadership training to public school students in their town of Damascus. It’s named for a local 19-year-old who died from a methadone overdose.
Morrissey
Sharon Morrissey
Senior vice chancellor of academic and workforce programs, Virginia Community College System
Richmond
Sharon Morrissey co-chaired a task force that created a six-year strategic plan, adopted in March, for Virginia’s 23 community colleges. “By the year 2027, we won’t have any equity gaps in terms of race, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic status for our students’ learning outcomes and success,” she says of the plan’s goals. Morrissey rose through the ranks in North Carolina’s community college system, starting as an English instructor and working her way up to chief academic officer, before moving to Virginia in 2014. A 2021 Lead Virginia class member, Morrissey’s current focus is “how can we quickly ramp up to produce the workforce that Virginia needs, but all the while doing it with an eye toward making sure that we are not leaving any students behind.”
Partridge
Steven Partridge
Vice president of strategy, research
and workforce innovation, Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale
At family dinners, it’s not unusual for Steven Partridge to ask his three sons — a fourth grader, a high schooler and a Virginia Military Institute cadet — if they’d sign up for a certain workshop or a new program if it meant they’d be more likely to snag a well-paying job down the line. “They’re my guinea pigs,” says Partridge, who arrived at Virginia’s largest community college in 2016. He often collaborates with business, government and nonprofit leaders, ensuring that tomorrow’s workers meet the needs of the region’s major employers. Another top priority: making sure every NOVA student understands how to find a promising career. A member of Lead Virginia’s 2021 class, Partridge has focused his career on economic development and workforce education.
Perrigan
Keith Perrigan
Superintendent, Bristol Virginia Public Schools
Bristol
Bristol Virginia Public Schools Superintendent Keith Perrigan hasn’t taken his foot off the gas. On top of starting the Region VII Virtual Academy with 16 other school divisions, being on the state’s Commission on School Construction and Modernization and advocating as president of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia to the General Assembly for funding needed improvements to school facilities, Perrigan started the school system’s Bearcat Bridge program. The career and technical education initiative connects high school seniors to mentors and apprenticeships, and a group of business leaders speaks to students monthly. Some students receive donated cars (which auto mechanic students work on) as scholarships to ensure their transportation to work. Students receive a “Work Ready” diploma seal from the Bristol Chamber of Commerce.
Sparkman-Key
Narketta Sparkman-Key
Academic affairs director for faculty diversity and retention, Old Dominion University
Norfolk
Some of us watched Netflix’s “Tiger King” during the start of the pandemic; Narketta Sparkman-Key learned how to design handbags and has launched a business — Belinda Bea, named for her aunt and grandmother — selling three styles of “boss bags.” Sparkman-Key is a boss herself, running ODU’s initiative to recruit and retain more faculty of color. Although ODU is not perfect, she says, “we’re in this place of change, requiring authenticity and transparency, not just lip service.” The Detroit native has been at ODU since 2012, where she’s spent a significant amount of energy promoting inclusion and diversity, including developing a website that spells out ODU’s values for prospective faculty members.
High achievers all, these Virginians are well-rounded leaders in their fields and their communities, sharing their expertise and moving the needle for growth and progress.
Barefoot
Buffy Barefoot
President Virginia Beach, TowneBank
Virginia Beach
Born and raised in Hampton Roads, Buffy Barefoot hasn’t strayed far from the ZIP code she grew up in. After attending Virginia Tech, she spent 18 years with Bank of America and the past nine with TowneBank. “I just like working with different companies in the community and assisting them with their financial needs in order to help them achieve their goals and dreams,” says Barefoot, who oversees the bank’s largest region, with five branches and almost 30% of the market share in Hampton Roads. A member of Lead Virginia’s class of 2021, Barefoot loves the community aspect of her job. “We make decisions based upon the needs of our community and our decision-making process is localized. We know the folks that we are doing business with. They are our neighbors.”
Bennett
Jeremy Bennett
Director of intergovernmental affairs, Virginia Association
of Counties
Richmond
As director of intergovernmental affairs for the Virginia Association of Counties, Jeremy Bennett works to find common ground among Virginia’s counties, from Accomack to York. It’s helpful that local government issues tend to be bread-and-butter ones like school funding, which Virginia splits between state and local governments. Local governments appropriate about $4 billion above what is required by Virginia for education, and state funding has not returned to what it used to be before the Great Recession, says Bennett, a member of Lead Virginia’s 2021 class. This General Assembly session, Bennett will advocate for counties to receive increased education funding or to be granted funding methods beyond property taxes, particularly for school construction and modernization, given that about half of Virginia public schools are more than 50 years old.
Cardaci
Michael Cardaci
CEO, HRTec and FedHIVE
Alexandria
A George Mason University graduate who has worked in information technology for more than two decades, Michael Cardaci leads cloud computing company Human Resources Technologies Inc. (HRTec) and FedHIVE, a network of IT experts who help government agencies and contractors navigate FedRAMP and other public sector tech programs. “I’ve always been in IT from school on, and trying to help folks solve problems,” says Cardaci, a member of the 2021 class of Lead Virginia. “You get a particular enjoyment from getting folks ‘fixed.’” That instinct carries over to Cardaci’s personal life. “I want to leave the community better than I found it,” says Cardaci, who coaches girls’ basketball and mentors Northern Virginia Community College students interested in cloud computing and cybersecurity.
Carey
Ron Carey
Founder and CEO, Tilt Creative + Production
Richmond
Tilt Creative + Production is making magic, says founder and CEO Ron Carey. “What I love about [content production] is the fact that you have the potential to have a very positive impact on society in terms of … the messaging that you put in front of people,” says Carey, whose agency produces advertising and promotional content for clients including Capital One, Walmart and Audi of America. Attracting good people and a diverse team is key to success, says Carey, a Henrico County native who played football at the University of Virginia. Following COVID-19’s acceleration of technology usage, Tilt can grow with remote teams outside of Richmond, and the all-in-one production company now offers remote video production, allowing clients to see what’s happening in the studio.
Ford
Stephanie Ford
Director, Warren Whitney
Richmond
Richmond native Stephanie Ford has been with management consulting firm Warren Whitney since 2004, following an earlier career in commercial banking. Although she works in several areas — strategic marketing, business development, financing and administration — Ford says her primary job is helping small and midsize businesses grow. “I’m just a real believer in doing what’s right for the client,” she says. During the pandemic, a lot of her advice has focused on managing cash flow and helping businesses budget and forecast during uncertain times. Outside of work, Ford is a fan of the James River, hiking, gardening and photography. A member of the 2021 class of Lead Virginia, she’s also a member of the Virginia Council of CEOs board and James Madison University’s Honors Advisory Council.
Griggs
Damon Griggs
CEO, Dovel Technologies
McLean
A passion for purposeful problem-solving drives Damon Griggs’ business and personal philosophy. Griggs is CEO of Dovel Technologies, a McLean-based software technology company that works with clients across a variety of sectors, from public health to emergency management and community development grants. Griggs, who this year was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the mid-Atlantic, says he’s not the stereotypical entrepreneur, having picked up the “bug” later in his career. Outside of Dovel, Griggs is an avid soccer fan who has attended at least five World Cups.
Hayslett
Rus Hayslett Jr.
Vice president of operations, Virginia Natural Gas
Smithfield
Portsmouth native Rus Hayslett Jr. grew up hearing about the natural gas industry around the dinner table from his mother, who led customer service operations for a local gas company. Hayslett, who holds a civil engineering technology degree from Old Dominion University, started working in the industry himself at age 18, taking an entry-level position on a crew truck. “I probably connect with our field folks more than anybody else because I’ve been there,” says Hayslett, who joined Virginia Natural Gas in 2010 after working for three other gas companies. A member of Lead Virginia’s 2021 class, Hayslett serves on the executive committee for the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and is on the executive advisory board for ODU’s Batten College of Engineering and Technology.
After 13 years as Richmond commonwealth’s attorney, Michael Herring resigned in 2019 to become a partner at McGuireWoods, the state’s largest law firm. In August, he became managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office. Herring decided to re-enter private practice because he believes that turnover is healthy, he says, and thought it was time to pass on the prosecutorial mantle. Though he misses having a broader impact on Richmond and advocating for policy change, he appreciates not worrying that the decisions he makes will be interpreted through a political lens. Another shift is his practice area, which focuses on property rights and business disputes rather than criminal law. From all accounts, McGuireWoods appears to be the right place for him: “I like to tell folks they’ll have to drag me out of here.”
Jones
Herb Jones
Co-founder and CEO,
Pyramid Technologies LLC
Providence Forge
Herb Jones says that joining the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in college was the single best decision of his life, leading to a decade serving in the U.S. Army, where he learned “how to follow and how to lead” during two tours in Iraq. He and his brother Michael then formed Pyramid Technologies, a federal contracting technology business based in Providence Forge. A former three-term New Kent County treasurer, Jones was appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam to the Virginia Military Advisory Council and serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including Virginia NORML, Advancing Community Excellence and Roanoke Area Ministries. A Lead Virginia 2021 class member, Jones unsuccessfully ran for a state Senate seat as a Democrat in 2019 and plans to run again in 2023: “I am at the point in life where it is important to prepare the way for future generations.”
McDaniel
Vanity McDaniel
Senior payments business advisor,
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Richmond
Having begun her career at the state Auditor of Public Accounts, Vanity McDaniel now oversees regional Payments Advisory Councils for the Richmond Fed and serves as a key adviser to executive leadership on strategic initiatives such as FedNow, an upcoming service that will enable financial institutions to deliver end-to-end instant payments to customers. McDaniel is a member of the 2021 class of Lead Virginia, through which, she says, she’s learned the value of open-mindedness in breaking down silos for the community good. She notes that it’s an exciting time for the Fed due to innovations “such as cryptocurrency, mobile payment apps [and] cross-border payments.” In 2022, she’ll be closely watching initiatives related to faster payments, central bank digital currency and collaborations between financial tech companies and financial institutions on payment initiatives.
McRoberts
Scot McRoberts
Executive director, Virginia Council of CEOs
Richmond
It can be lonely at the top for a CEO, but the nonprofit Scot McRoberts heads up provides peer support to top executives. McRoberts helped found the Virginia Council of CEOs 21 years ago and now the organization is setting its sights for statewide expansion beyond Central Virginia, with hopes of doubling the organization’s size in five years. McRoberts has helped set up CEO roundtables in Charlottesville, Roanoke and Northern Virginia and is planning one for Hampton Roads. The council provided a lifeline for CEOs during the pandemic, says McRoberts, a 2021 Lead Virginia class member. Instead of meeting once a month, groups of CEOs would talk weekly, helping each other, trying to figure out what would happen next. The organization restarted smaller in-person events over the summer and held its first large event again in September. But the group is also looking at how to integrate more virtual and targeted events, saving time for busy execs.
Middleton
Cecilia “Cricket” Middleton
Director of North American contract management, Accenture
Warrenton
“I tell people I worked from home before it was cool,” says Cricket Middleton, who oversees a legal team across the United States and Canada, an endeavor necessitating a lot of virtual communication. During the start of the pandemic, Middleton instituted a nonmandatory “drop-in” virtual call for her employees to bring questions. It proved so popular, it’s become permanent, she says. A native of Florida, Middleton worked for many of the largest government contractors — Harris Corp., Northrop Grumman and Boeing — before joining Accenture, where she focuses on contract management. She and her husband live in Warrenton with two hybrid English sheepdog-poodles, Willoughby and Miss Moneypenny, and spend a lot of time outside. Middleton is in Lead Virginia’s 2021 class.
Miller
Kelley C. Miller
Partner,
Reed Smith LLP
Ashburn
Named one of the most influential female federal tax law attorneys in the nation by Law360 in 2019, Kelley Miller is a partner at Reed Smith’s Washington, D.C., office, where her clients include Fortune 25
companies and privately held corporations worth more than $1 billion. Also an adjunct professor who teaches federal partnership tax at Georgetown University Law Center, she loves tax work because it’s challenging, noting that she majored in literary classics as an undergrad. “Federal income tax code is encyclopedic, very dense. … Classical authors [were too].” One of very few lawyers nationwide with expertise in cannabis law, she expects the field to grow in 2022 — pun intended. A member of Lead Virginia’s 2021 class, Miller is a recipient of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation’s Janet Spragens Pro Bono Award and the Thomson Reuters Everyday Hero Award.
Ohmsen
Mike Ohmsen
Vice president of operations and electronic tolling, Faneuil Inc.
Hampton
Mike Ohmsen is proud of his Virginia heritage, which goes back hundreds of years on both sides of his family. A Chesapeake native, he lives in the neighborhood he grew up in. He’s always been interested in sales, customer service and taking care of people. A member of Lead Virginia’s class of 2021, Ohmsen likes to say that Faneuil is a fairly large company you’ve never heard of, and that’s by design. The company contracts with tolling companies such as E-Z Pass to provide customer service at call centers and it has contracts up and down the East Coast. Ohmsen, who studied finance at James Madison University, worked for Bank of America for about 25 years. But many people also know Ohmsen for being a nationally ranked water-skier and a past president of the Virginia Water Ski Federation.
Russell
Kyle Russell
CEO, Virginia Health Information
Richmond
There’s never been more demand or interest for health care data, says Kyle Russell, who was promoted to CEO of Virginia Health Information in October. VHI partners with state government to collect and disseminate health care-related data, a mission that became even more important for informing public health decisions amid the pandemic. Russell has been with VHI for eight years, starting as a data analyst. VHI’s biggest focus right now is an emergency department care coordination program that links together hospital emergency departments and inpatient facilities with insurance plans for real-time data transfers. A Richmond-area native, Russell also teaches a class on health care analytics at Virginia Commonwealth University and is a member of Lead Virginia’s 2021 class.
Shaw
L.G. Shaw
CEO, Wave Riding Vehicles (WRV)
Virginia Beach
L.G. Shaw’s nickname comes from a popular 1980s wetsuit brand model. It makes sense, considering that he grew up working in a family business that’s the largest East Coast manufacturer of surfboards and a major retailer of surf products in Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks, where WRV’s five-dolphins/wave logo is a familiar sight. Shaw, who became CEO this year, taking over from his father, also serves as president for Friends of the Creative District, which promotes and supports Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, snowboarding and fishing. “At the end of the day, we just want to surf and enjoy
Sturgis
Monica Sturgis
Chief human resources officer, Virginia Port Authority
Norfolk
Mississippi native Monica Sturgis has worked for a variety of major companies, including Bridgestone, BASF, Pfizer and Diageo, before joining the Port of Virginia about a year ago. Her wide-ranging background has helped her understand the importance of supply chains and logistics to business operations, she says. The Port of Virginia stands out for its excellence in service, as well as the key role the port plays as an economic driver, says Sturgis, adding that her true passion is people. “My core — human resources — [the] beat of my heart, if you will, is to … help people find jobs and the resources they need to sustain their livelihood.” Sturgis is a member of the 2021 class of statewide leadership program Lead Virginia.
From helping the Washington Football Team rebrand itself to safeguarding the legacy of a beloved painter for a new generation to launching a $1 billion university campus, these are the people who lend their faces and voices to high-profile endeavors.
Fitterer
Franki Fitterer
Director of communications and marketing, Virginia Tech Innovation Campus
Alexandria
Franki Fitterer became Virginia Tech Innovation Campus’ director of communications and marketing on Aug. 25, three weeks before the groundbreaking on the $1 billion campus. The position is right for her, she says, as it lets her apply her prior experience with opening American University’s Washington College of Law, while also pursuing her interest in the tech industry. “I get to do something different almost every day,” says Fitterer. “I work with a variety of audiences, ranging from students to alumni to faculty and board members, all of whom require different communications methods.”
Jarvis
Brandon Jarvis
Editor, Virginia Scope
Colonial Heights
This has been the year of the email newsletter, with many high-profile columnists and other writers decamping from legacy publications to self-run email missives focused on a cornucopia of topics. Brandon Jarvis is Virginia’s go-to General Assembly interpreter, “taking these crazy processes and boiling them down” to a newsletter format that makes sense to the layperson. He also keeps about 6,000 newsletter subscribers informed about statewide political races. The Virginia Commonwealth University grad had an epiphany when an editor rejected a freelance story pitch, deeming it “too local.” Jarvis says “too local” is exactly what some readers want in their coverage, so he launched Virginia Scope in July 2020. Next year, he’ll be focusing on Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s new administration, and hot topics such as commercial marijuana.
Koehler
Ha Koehler
Managing partner, On Point Transportation PR
Virginia Beach
Ha Koehler is like a translator, but the language she speaks is the technical jargon of complicated infrastructure projects around the commonwealth. About three years ago, she and her business partner founded On Point PR, which specializes in handling marketing and public relations for infrastructure, transportation, transit, stormwater and construction projects around Virginia. “We found that there is a little bit of a need in helping to translate to the public what’s going on,” says Koehler, who is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to promote its massive, $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project. A lot of her work requires breaking down technical jargon into easier-to-understand terms. Next year, she hopes to expand On Point’s focus across the state.
Misselbrook
Will Misselbrook
Chief creative and digital officer, Washington Football Team
Ashburn
A U.K. native who built a marketing and branding career at The Wall Street Journal, Coach and Condé Nast, Misselbrook now is responsible for the rebranding of the Washington Football Team, which he joined in May as the first chief creative officer in NFL history. Washington’s new name and logo — replacing the generic, interim “Football Team” name instituted last year after the team dropped its racially offensive Redskins moniker — will be revealed at an as-yet-undisclosed date in 2022, he says. In the meantime, Misselbrook is working on day-to-day content during the NFL season and growing his marketing team into a “fully fledged branded studio,” which will involve hiring additional people in the next six to 12 months before the reveal. A fan of soccer and, now, American football, Misselbrook splits his time between Northern Virginia and Los Angeles, where his fiancée lives.
Strohl
Sarah Strohl
Executive assistant, Bob Ross Inc.
Herndon
When Sarah Strohl watched the Netflix documentary “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed” this summer, she was surprised to spot herself on screen. Strohl oversees social media accounts for Herndon-based Bob Ross Inc., which carries on the legacy of the beloved landscape painter, who died in 1995 but lives on via reruns of his “Joy of Painting” episodes. Strohl often advises her bosses on licensing deals — her successes include the popular Funko Pop! figure of Ross — and has also facilitated loans of Ross’ paintings and artifacts to institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The documentary painted a fairly negative portrait of Bob Ross Inc., which was sued by Ross’ son over intellectual property rights, but Strohl says the film hasn’t impacted her day-to-day life. “I haven’t had anyone come up to me yet and ask, ‘Are you that person?’”
These are Virginians who feed and delight us, nourishing body and soul through arts and entertainment, media, food, hospitality and tourism.
Bouie
Jamelle Bouie
Opinion columnist, The New York Times
Charlottesville
Growing up in Virginia Beach, Jamelle Bouie didn’t dream of being the next Carl Bernstein. “I came very late to this,” explains Bouie, who writes about politics, history and culture for The New York Times’ opinion pages. About a year after Bouie’s 2009 graduation from the University of Virginia, he was considering applying to law school but instead won a fellowship at The American Prospect magazine, launching his journalism career. Bouie went on to cover politics for The Daily Beast and Slate before joining the Times in 2019. For fun, Bouie also reviews cereal for foodie website Serious Eats, but he’s quick to stress that Lucky Charms aren’t a mainstay of his diet. “It really is exclusively for these little fun videos,” he says.
Bugg
Sylvia Bugg
Chief programming executive and general manager for general audience programming, PBS
Arlington
The pandemic underscored the importance of being able to adapt to current circumstances, as PBS — and everyone else — faced COVID-19 and other challenges, including widespread racial reckoning and cultural shifts, Sylvia Bugg says. With a lot of people marooned at home, the network pulled tape from its archives and produced new content to “to help our audiences navigate these challenging times,” Bugg says. A Virginia native who enjoys traveling and reading, Bugg was promoted to her current role in October 2020, after returning to PBS as vice president of general audience programming last February. The Old Dominion University alum previously served as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s vice president of diversity and TV content, as well as working in programming for Discovery Communications.
Henderson
Wayne Henderson
Musician and luthier
Rugby
Wayne Henderson started building guitars and other instruments as a kid in Southwest Virginia out of necessity. Now, he’s made more than 800, some of which have been played by guitar royalty, including Eric Clapton, who asked for one years ago. Henderson worked as a mail carrier for
37 years but has played Carnegie Hall, was named a National Endowment of Arts fellow, and his audiences have included President Bill Clinton and Queen Elizabeth II. An annual music festival in Grayson County that bears his name raises scholarship money, and the Wayne C. Henderson School of Appalachian Arts in Marion offers a guitar-making workshop, a class Henderson says he could have benefited from: “Boy, I wish something had been going when I was a kid.”
Rabia Kamara crafted an ice cream with brownies, salted caramel and blondies to win Ben & Jerry’s “Clash of the Cones,” a contest aired on Food Network in September. It’s a mixture that she says reflects her own family’s racial diversity. The Virginia Commonwealth University alum is pursuing a dream of building a frozen desserts empire. She started Ruby Scoops as a pop-up ice cream shop six years ago and opened a brick-and-mortar parlor in Richmond’s North Side in November 2020. Kamara opened Suzy Sno, a shop featuring New Orleans-style “sno-balls” in November, and plans to have a truck or trailer in 2022. In five years, she hopes to have at least three storefronts. Having returned to Virginia from Maryland, Kamara says, “Richmond is supportive of Black-owned businesses.”
Lewis
Cathy Lewis
Host, “The Cathy Lewis Show”
Norfolk
In May, Cathy Lewis left “HearSay,” the daily talk show she hosted for 25 years on Hampton Roads public radio station WHRO FM. The pandemic gave her time to reflect, and she decided it was time to make room for new on-air voices. In January, she’ll launch “The Cathy Lewis Show,” a subscription-based weekly podcast, after a delay of a few months. A former WAVY-TV anchor and reporter, Lewis says she hopes the show will help people connect and discuss political issues that have caused deep divisions. “I’m hoping to connect people who feel strongly about these issues so that we can create a little community that might be able to evaluate ideas or evaluate opportunities.” She’s also a community liaison for Old Dominion University.
McLendon
Matthew McLendon
Director and chief curator, Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Charlottesville
At the University of Virginia’s art museum, no two days look the same, director Matthew McLendon will tell you. One afternoon, he’ll deliver a talk; the next day, he’ll take a key supporter to lunch. The variety, he says, “really keeps me on my toes and keeps me energized and motivated.” Nearly five years have passed since the Florida State University and University of London alum arrived in Charlottesville from Florida, where he worked as curator of modern and contemporary art at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, but he still gets a thrill strolling through the exhibits. “When I see people in the galleries, especially young people, that reminds me how lucky I am to have this job,” he says.
Robinson
Elliott Robinson
News director, VPM
Richmond
Elliott Robinson joined Richmond-based VPM, Central Virginia’s NPR and PBS affiliate, in September. A Hampton native and Christopher Newport University alum, Robinson was previously news editor of nonprofit journalism site Charlottesville Tomorrow. Robinson sees his role at VPM’s TV, radio and digital platform as “filling gaps” left by the shrinking number of news reporters and editors in today’s media landscape. “The pandemic made people appreciate the news even more,” he says. “People really do appreciate stories that take a step back and look at what things mean.” Early in 2022, he will oversee the launch of “VPM News Focal Point,” a weekly regional news show. In his spare time, Robinson travels and writes fiction. He also takes care of his 15-year-old dog, Missy, and serves as a board member of Virginia’s Society of Professional Journalists chapter.
Ross
Leah Ross
Executive director,
Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Bristol
Known as the “Big Bang” of country music, the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings featuring the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers put the twin cities on the map and launched a new art form. As executive director of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, which opened in 2014, Leah Ross is guardian of that historic legacy. Ross, whose first concert was Three Dog Night, became executive director of the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion music festival in 2006, which merged with the museum in 2012. The festival and museum draw tens of thousands of visitors to Bristol annually. Boarded-up storefronts have turned into restaurants, women’s clothing shops, boutique hotels and comedy clubs. “You can come downtown to Bristol anytime, any day of the week or night and there’s people everywhere,” says Ross.
Ryan
Gary Ryan
CEO and director, Virginia Museum
of Contemporary Art
Virginia Beach
Gary Ryan joined Virginia MOCA three years ago as its executive director and was promoted to CEO in April, a move she likens to winning the lottery. In April 2022, the museum will open an exhibit featuring the works of Maya Lin, the architect and artist best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Titled “Maya Lin: A Study of Water,” the solo show will focus on the artist’s representation of water — also highlighting a locally relevant issue. “The artworks presented will provide thematic connections to the complex beauty and challenges of the waterways of Hampton Roads,” says Ryan, who previously held executive roles at New York’s Katonah Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera.
Spadoni
Mark Spadoni
Managing director, Omni Homestead Resort
Hot Springs
After 20 years of running the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Georgia, Mark Spadoni moved to Bath County in April to serve as the Omni Homestead Resort’s managing director, just as the historic 1766 resort embarks on an extensive $120 million restoration. Spadoni enjoyed his first summer in the Allegheny Mountains, noting his appreciation of Hot Springs’ clean air and dedication to Southern hospitality. “From a standpoint of being able to be at an iconic property like this, particularly with all of the repeat guests and generations of family members who have come to visit here, it was pretty exciting,” he says. “Obviously, our goal is that the property is there for the next hundred years.”
Twiggs
Cliff Twiggs
Director of operations, TopGolf
Henrico County
Cliff Twiggs points to his 3-year-old dreadlocks as an example of Dallas-based TopGolf’s culture of care for employees: “In the past, I just never did anything like that, but … once I joined TopGolf, I started seeing how freely this company supported you being who you are.” The sports entertainment company, which employs about 1,300 people across its three Virginia locations, values “fun, excellence, edgy spirit, one team and caring,” he says.
On top of guiding the Henrico location’s September 2019 opening and June 2020 pandemic reopening, Twiggs chairs TopGolf’s Black Associate Network Group, which supports the recruitment, advancement and retention of Black employees. TopGolf recently rewarded his leadership with a trip
to Ohio’s Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Yancey
Dwayne Yancey
Editor, Cardinal News
Fincastle
Dwayne Yancey could have just retired from journalism, having logged nearly 40 years as an award-winning journalist at The Roanoke Times before leaving as its editorial page editor this year. Instead, in September, he launched Cardinal News, a nonprofit, digital news service covering Southwest and Southern Virginia. “We’re finally at the journalism part,” he says, laughing. “Getting the thing started was educational,” especially finding funding sources. Yancey leads a staff of two full-time reporters and a few freelance writers and also oversees a weekday newsletter. With fewer reporters covering the region — part of a national trend — “we see ourselves as filling a void,” says Yancey, who’s also a playwright and is staging shows in Toronto and the United Kingdom in coming months.
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Georgie Márquez
