While Nyerges has been director of four museums — including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for the past 17 years — he’s also a photographer. When the VMFA received more than 2,000 books focusing on American and European photography last fall, Nyerges called the gift from Barry and Gretchen Singer “a transformative donation” that will support the photography galleries planned for the museum’s current expansion. The $190 million project, adding 173,000 square feet of space and renovating 45,000 square feet, will begin construction in 2024. The new wing will be named for longtime donors Jim and Frances McGlothlin of Bristol.
In October 2022, the museum established the Joan P. Brock Education Endowment to support educational programs, named for the Norfolk philanthropist.
A native of Rochester, New York, Nyerges received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Washington University, which presented him with its Monumental Alumni Award in 2021. He also serves on the board for the French American Museum Exchange.
HOW I CHOSE MY CAREER: I first chose archaeology but realized I didn’t like dirt. So, I chose to work inside museums.
* EDITOR’S NOTE:Since this entry was written, Williams has moved with his family to Paris, where Louis Vuitton’s corporate headquarters is located. He previously had dual homes in Virginia Beach and Miami.
Williams made a worldwide splash in June when the 13-time Grammy winner debuted his first fashion collection as men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton. It included references to the Virginia Beach native’s alma mater, Princess Anne High School, and the state’s slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers.”
In April, the music superstar returned his Something in the Water music festival to his hometown, although stormy weather played havoc with the schedule. (First held at Virginia Beach in 2019, SITW moved to Washington, D.C., in 2022 after Williams expressed his displeasure with how the city government handled the 2021 police killing of his cousin.)
Meanwhile, in March, crews broke ground on Atlantic Park, the $335 million mixed-use Oceanfront surf park Williams is co developing with Venture Realty Group. Progress has stalled, however, on the partnership’s proposed $1.1 billion Wellness Circle redevelopment of Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall. The development is still under negotiation with the city, but demolition of the mall began in April.
Williams also hosted the three-day Mighty Dream forum in Norfolk in November 2022, focusing on entrepreneurship, innovation, equity and inclusion, with featured speakers from H&M Group, Google and UPS.
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art is moving from Virginia Beach’s ViBe District to Virginia Wesleyan University’s campus, with the aid of a $25 million gift, the museum and university said Tuesday in announcing the partnership.
The gift, from Jane Batten, Joan Brock and David and Susan Goode, will fund construction of the museum’s new space, Virginia Wesleyan President Scott Miller told Virginia Business. The museum, which will be about 30,000 to 35,000 square feet, is being designed by Tymoff + Moss Architects of Norfolk and Richmond-based Hourigan will serve as the contractor, Miller said. The museum could open as soon as 2025.
“This partnership will anchor us in our mission to present locally relevant, nationally resonant art that is exceptional,” Virginia MOCA President and CEO Gary Ryan said in a statement. “While Virginia MOCA remains an independent museum, our collaboration with VWU will allow us to do even more of what we do best: create groundbreaking exhibitions and engage the community in thought-provoking artistic experiences. Our mission remains the same, but we are now bolstered by our partnership with VWU and its amazing educational resources.”
Virginia Wesleyan students and instructors have exhibited at the museum in the past and MOCA has provided students with internships and work opportunities. As part of the move, which has been in the works for several months, the private university is also planning to launch a Master of Arts degree in arts management, Miller said, and other programs in arts and history could develop.
The current museum, which includes 38,500 square feet with 6,300 square feet of exhibition space, will remain open during construction of its replacement.
Virginia Wesleyan sits on the Norfolk side of the Virginia Beach border, just off Interstate 64, an entry point into the city that sees more than 31,000 cars daily, Miller said, adding that the museum’s new location will help make arts more accessible to the entire region. “The relocation to our campus actually puts it in the epicenter of the Hampton Roads community,” he said.
Batten, Brock and the Goodes have been major benefactors to the arts, educational and civic communities in Virginia and at Virginia Wesleyan, where the Jane P. Batten Student Center, the Batten Honors College, the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities, the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center and the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences bear their names.
Miller said the museum, which will be constructed adjacent to the university’s arts center, will continue to have an independent board of directors.
Construction could begin this summer on a $30 million, 7,500-person amphitheater overlooking the James River. On June 12, Richmond City Council approved a 20-year performance grant that gives Red Light Ventures LLC the green light to build its proposed amphitheater on four acres of land it will rent from NewMarket Corp. behind the American Civil War Museum at the historic Tredegar Iron Works.
With plans to host up to 35 major acts annually, Red Light Ventures says the amphitheater could be open in time for the 2025 outdoor concert season. The project was initially pitched in summer 2022 by Charlottesville-based music industry executive Coran Capshaw, founder of Red Light Management, through which he has managed the careers of Dave Matthews Band and hundreds of other major music performers. Concerts at the amphitheater will be arranged via Starr Hill Presents, Capshaw’s Charlottesville-based concert promotion company. Capshaw also developed and operates Charlottesville’s Ting Pavilion and co-partnered with concert promoter Live Nation on Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee.
The performance grant is based on incremental new real estate and admissions taxes on the venue to offset the project’s cost. The performance grant is capped at $37 million, Richmond Economic Development Director Leonard Sledge has said, adding that financial models estimate that grant’s total at $26.4 million.
As part of the deal, the development team will stage a benefit concert during the amphitheater’s first year in operation, with proceeds to be donated to a nonprofit that will address community needs. The amphitheater will also be available to the city and nonprofit groups for civic events.
The new venue fulfills goals laid out in Richmond’s growth plan about developing tourism attractions to elevate the city’s image and to “continue to delight existing and future residents, employers and visitors,” Sledge adds.
Grant Lyman, Southeast region president for Live Nation, a partner in the project, says the new amphitheater will fill a void for touring artists between Washington, D.C., and the Carolinas, and puts Richmond on the radar of more performing acts.
“The fan and artist’s experience here in Richmond will be world-class, bringing fans downtown to the riverfront with a background that showcases the city’s urban growth,” Lyman says. “Richmond can often be overlooked by big-name artists who are looking for a venue that’s large enough to meet the demand of their fan base, as well as capable of supporting their production needs.”
Master of puppets — and now master of vinyl record production, legendary heavy metal band Metallica has acquired a majority interest in Alexandria-based vinyl records maker Furnace Record Pressing.
Financial terms of the transaction, which the two entities announced Tuesday, were not disclosed.
“We couldn’t be more happy to take our partnership with Furnace … to the next level,” Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. “Their indie spirit, the passion they have for their craft … culturally, we’re kindred souls.”
Furnace has produced more than 5 million Metallica vinyl pieces since 2014. The band and records maker worked together on deluxe box set editions of “Kill ’Em All,” “Ride the Lightning,” “Master of Puppets,” “…And Justice for All,” “Metallica” — also known as “The Black Album” — and “S&M2.”
Founded in 1996, Furnace produces records in a 70,000-square-foot facility in Alexandria using 12 Pheenix Alpha presses and two Finebilt presses, making it one of the largest record pressing companies in the U.S. Last year, the records maker pressed 3.1 million records. Furnace offers standard and heavyweight pressings, color vinyl, special effect color vinyl and custom vinyl etching, and it oversees services related to the creation and packaging of records.
Furnace has 107 employees, all of whom will remain in their current roles. Three Furnace executives — founder and CEO Eric Astor, Chief Operating Officer Ali Miller and Vice President of Manufacturing Operations Mark Reiter — will continue to be equity owners and will serve on the company’s board of directors.
“Building Furnace into the dedicated and experienced family of experts that it is today has been a huge effort, but immensely gratifying,” Astor said in a statement. “Knowing our long-term future is secured while also being better able to take advantage of growth opportunities is really exciting for every member of the Furnace staff.”
Metallica last produced a studio album, “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct,” in 2016. The band gathered a lot of attention and a new generation of fans last summer when its song “Master of Puppets” was featured in the Season 4 finale of Netflix sci-fi hit “Stranger Things.” Metallica’s newest album, “72 Seasons,” will be released on April 14, and Furnace will press records of the album.
The Mellon Foundation will award a combined $3.5 million to Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Community College System, VCU announced Tuesday.
“We are excited to continue our partnership on the Mellon Pathways Program and build upon the strong history of collaboration between VCU and the Virginia Community College System,” Deborah Noble-Triplett, senior vice provost for academic affairs at VCU and co-principal investigator of the grant, said in a statement. “This award will ensure the program remains strong and provides important continuity for our Mellon Pathways Program students as we welcome our first cohort to VCU.”
The grants will extend the Mellon Pathways to the Arts and Humanities Program until May 2025. VCCS will receive $1.98 million, and VCU almost $1.52 million. The program provides resources to arts and humanities students at Reynolds and John Tyler (becoming Brightpoint) community colleges who are transferring to VCU.
The Mellon Pathways program began in March 2018 with an initial $2.3 million from the Mellon Foundation. The first cohort entered community colleges in August 2019.
The program provides:
Advising on course selection, transfer logistics and financial aid
The ability for college students to take VCU coursework in their majors and participate in VCU events before they transfer
Career development panels and workshops, and creation of a professional ePortfolio
Funding and scholarships reserved for students in the program, like a stipend for Mellon Research Fellows
The new grants will allow the program to serve more students and provide Relevant, Experiential, Applied Learning (REAL) opportunities to transferred students through internships, mentorship and undergraduate research, with a focus on career planning and readiness.
DEAN AND MARKEL FAMILIES MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH, VIRGINIA CAVALIERS MEN’S BASKETBALL, CHARLOTTESVILLE
The University of Virginia men’s basketball team fell victim to a positive COVID-19 test in March, forcing it to withdraw from the ACC Tournament — a “gut punch,” Bennett called it.
The team was cleared in time to play in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, where in 2019, Bennett had led the Cavaliers to the championship. In the unusual pandemic-era season, though, U.Va. earned a fourth seed but lost to Ohio University.
Bennett, a former backup point guard with the Charlotte Hornets, is one of only four former NBA players who have been the head coach for NCAA championship teams. He arrived at U.Va. in 2009, and he’s become a valued university asset, popular, respected and winning, with a record of 295-103 over his 12 seasons. He’s been named NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year three times, twice with the Cavaliers, and nine of his players have been selected in the NBA draft.
In 2019, Bennett turned down a raise, asking university officials to instead focus on more pay for staff and program improvements, the university reported. At the same time, he and his wife, Laurel, pledged $500,000 toward a career development program for current and former U.Va. men’s basketball players.
Bickmeier
DENNIS J. BICKMEIER
PRESIDENT, RICHMOND RACEWAY, RICHMOND
Bickmeier is entering his 10th year as president of Richmond Raceway, where roaring engines were replaced with idling ones earlier this year, when the complex’s acres of parking and exhibition space became a COVID-19 vaccination site. But Richmond Raceway will be back to full capacity for NASCAR Playoff Race Weekend Sept. 10-11, during the track’s 75th anniversary season.
The NASCAR-owned raceway is a key tourism draw, and Bickmeier is treasurer for Richmond Region Tourism. He also serves on the Henrico Police Athletic League board and teaches sports marketing as an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University.
BEST ADVICE:Never stop asking questions. The desire to learn and keep learning every day will continue to pay dividends personally and professionally.
WHAT A COMPETITOR WOULD SAY ABOUT ME:He’s a tactician. He studies things like a coach and then prepares and executes against a plan.
FIRST JOB:In high school, I worked for our town’s parks and recreation department in Bellaire, Ohio. We did everything from cutting grass at the parks to lining fields for games to operating sports leagues for the citizens. That helped spark my interest in sports management.
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “Alexander Hamilton,” by Ron Chernow
Bywater
BRIDGETTE BYWATER
VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, KINGS DOMINION/CEDAR FAIR LP, DOSWELL
You could say that theme parks are in Bywater’s blood. After all, her parents met in 1973 while working as ride operators at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri.
In January, Bywater took over as Kings Dominion’s vice president and general manager from Tony Johnson, who began his career there in 1974.
Bywater comes to the amusement park at a pivotal time. Due to the pandemic, Kings Dominion was closed last year for the first summer in its 45-plus-year history. In May, she reopened the amusement park, raising the minimum pay for seasonal employees from $9.25 to $13 per hour. Bywater announced in August that the park will debut a new jungle-themed, 112-foot-high spinning roller coaster, Tumbili, in 2022.
A native of Kansas City, Bywater received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Truman State University. Since beginning her amusement park career at Worlds of Fun in 1992, she’s held numerous leadership positions for Ohio-based Cedar Fair LP, which purchased Kings Dominion in 2006. She sits on the board of Richmond Region Tourism.
Capshaw
CORAN CAPSHAW
OWNER, RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT, MUSICTODAY, RIVERBEND DEVELOPMENT, CHARLOTTESVILLE
Capshaw has come a long way since owning the now-defunct Charlottesville bar Trax. In 1992, Capshaw gave the Dave Matthews Band its first weekly gig at the bar and then became the band’s manager, seeing it rise to international fame.
As the founder and owner of Red Light Management, he now provides management services for more than 300 touring and recording artists via a roster of more than 70 managers. Red Light’s client list includes Dave Matthews Band, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Enrique Iglesias, Dierks Bentley, Odesza, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Alabama Shakes and Phish.
The music mogul also founded entertainment marketing company Musictoday and has been involved with Bonnaroo, South by Southwest, Outside Lands, ATO Records, TBD Records and Starr Hill Presents. These efforts have landed Capshaw on Billboard magazine’s “Power 100” list.
He also has been heavily involved in real estate development in Charlottesville, including the building of the Downtown Pavilion, now the Ting Pavilion, and renovating The Jefferson Theater on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. He also owns many area restaurants.
Edmunds
ANDY EDMUNDS
DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA FILM OFFICE, RICHMOND
An accomplished musician and songwriter, Edmunds broke into the film industry through an unlikely method: by producing a music video for one of his songs that was broadcast on MTV.
That experience introduced the Virginia native to the film production industry. He worked as a film location scout before arriving at the Virginia Film Office in 1997. Since then, Edmunds has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Ridley Scott and Terrence Malick.
Even amid the pandemic, Virginia served as a shooting location for movies and TV shows. Recent projects have included the indie flick “Tapawingo,” the Lifetime film “Dirty Little Deeds,” the Hulu limited series “Dopesick,” the AMC series “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” and the Apple TV+ sports drama series “Swagger.” According to a media release from Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball, the latter three projects generated $120 million for Virginia’s economy over a nine-month period.
Edmunds serves on the board of the Virginia Film Festival and has five children, including two adopted sons from Ghana.
JUSTIN FUENTE
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, VIRGINIA TECH, BLACKSBURG
Taking over the Hokies football program from the legendary Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech’s head coach for nearly 30 years – would be a daunting task for anybody, but Oklahoma native Fuente seemed up to the challenge.
Taking the reins in 2016, Fuente, a former Murray State University quarterback and Walter Payton Award finalist, started strong, bringing the Hokies to three consecutive bowl game wins for the first time in the program’s history and being named 2016 ACC Coach of the Year.
Though Fuente and Tech agreed in 2017 to a contract extension through 2023, recent events led some to question whether his tenure would last that long. Last season, the Hokies went 5-6; in the five seasons Fuente has been coach, Virginia Tech holds a 43-32 record. Following a four-game losing streak last fall, some speculated that Fuente might be let go, according to ESPN. Last December, however, athletic director Whit Babcock said Fuente would return for a sixth season.
Lembke
KEVIN LEMBKE
PRESIDENT, BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG AND WATER COUNTRY USA, WILLIAMSBURG
Lembke’s career in theme parks began in 2000 at SeaWorld Orlando. After spending 2004 through 2013 at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s corporate offices, where he focused on retail product development and retail operations, Lembke came to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2013 as its vice president of merchandise.
Lembke transferred to Busch Gardens Tampa in 2016, then returned in 2018 to serve as president of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. He left Busch Gardens briefly in 2019 to pursue other career opportunities but came back the same year.
During the pandemic, Lembke was one of the most vocal opponents of the state government’s 1,000-person mandated attendance limit on theme parks, saying it wasn’t financially feasible. Alongside other major venue operators, Lembke served on a task force that worked with state officials to develop COVID-19 protocols for large venues. A graduate of the University at Buffalo, Lembke oversees more than
4,000 full- and part-time employees during peak tourism season and serves on the board of the Williamsburg Tourism Council.
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Buffalo Bills
FAVORITE SONG: “No Hard Feelings,” by The Avett Brothers
ONE THING I’D CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: Add a pro sports franchise.
Neil
ERIK H. NEIL
DIRECTOR AND CEO, CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART, NORFOLK
Having previously served as the director of the Academy Art Museum in Maryland and executive director of The Heckscher Museum of Art in New York, Neil came to the Chrysler in 2014 with an eye toward leading it into the digital age.
Neil was an active curator earlier in his career, working with artists including James Turrell, Carrie Mae Weems and Tony Oursler. He’s published books and essays on contemporary art and the histories of architecture and photography. Currently, he serves on the boards of VisitNorfolk, the Military Aviation Museum and the Norfolk Innovation Corridor, and he’s a member of the Southeastern Art Museum Directors Consortium and the Association of Art Museum Directors. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard.
In 2018, the Chrysler opened the Wonder Studio, an interactive gallery that provides children with hands-on art experiences and encourages them to use digital tools to create. During the pandemic, the 140-employee art museum tightened its belt but still developed new exhibitions and programs that speak to its community.
Nyerges
ALEX NYERGES
DIRECTOR AND CEO, VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, RICHMOND
In June, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced it would embark on a $190 million expansion, the largest in its history. The project will add a 100,000-square-foot wing, see 45,000 square feet of the current museum renovated and erect a standalone 40,000-square-foot collections center.
This major project will be the second such initiative since Nyerges took the helm of the VMFA in 2006. Under Nyerges, the VMFA has seen several blockbuster exhibitions, including works by Pablo Picasso and Edward Hopper; Kehinde Wiley unveiled his sculpture “Rumors of War” on the lawn of the VMFA in 2019.
A Rochester, New York, native, Nyerges is an affiliate graduate faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University. This summer, he presented “Fleeting Light,” an exhibition of his own photography at Richmond’s Reynolds Gallery.
Nyerges previously served as director and CEO of Ohio’s Dayton Art Institute and as executive director of the Mississippi Museum of Art and Florida’s Museum of Art – DeLand.
FAVORITE APP: My running app — to see how far I have gone and how fast, although that is a declining number each year!
Parnell
TODD ‘PARNEY’ PARNELL
CEO, RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS, RICHMOND
Following positions with other minor league teams in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Parnell — who’s better known around Richmond as “Parney” — came to Richmond in 2010 to serve as vice president and chief operating officer for the Squirrels.
In July 2020, Parnell replaced the retiring Chuck Domino as the Squirrels’ CEO, overseeing all aspects of the team’s day-to-day operations. Under Parnell, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants led the Eastern League in average attendance in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019 and in overall attendance in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He is a three-time Eastern League Executive of the Year winner and has received Baseball America’s Minor League Executive of the Year award.
With the pandemic canceling the 2020 season, Parnell walked the bases 125 times in April 2020 to raise money for local COVID-19 relief efforts through an event called “500 Bases of Love.” He also serves as president of the Montgomery Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
A graduate of Messiah University, Parnell volunteers with Metropolitan Junior Baseball League Inc. and serves on the boards of ChamberRVA, one Richmond Region Tourism and Flying Squirrels Charities.
Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder
DAN SNYDER
CO-OWNER, CO-CEO, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM, ASHBURN
This July, Snyder announced that he would be stepping away from day-to-day operations of the Washington Football Team following accusations last year from 15 female former employees who told The Washington Post they were sexually harassed and verbally abused at work by other executives during Snyder’s tenure, although Snyder was not accused of misconduct.
In June, Snyder’s wife, Tanya, was named as the team’s co-CEO, responsible for team operations and representing the club at all league activities. Days later, the NFL fined the team $10 million, citing its “highly unprofessional” workplace environment.
Snyder purchased the team in 1999 from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke, back when it was known as the Washington Redskins, a name criticized for decades as racist. The name and logo were retired in 2020 following pressure from corporate sponsors.
A lifelong entrepreneur from Maryland, Snyder co-founded a wallboard advertising company in 1989 with his sister, Michele Snyder, that became Snyder Communications LP. In 2000, Snyder sold the business, which employed 12,000 people, for more than $2 billion.
This year, Forbes valued the Washington Football Team at $3.5 billion, making it the world’s 19th most valuable sports franchise.
Williams
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
MUSICIAN, PRODUCER AND DEVELOPER, LOS ANGELES/VIRGINIA BEACH
Is there anything Williams can’t do? The internationally renowned music superstar behind hits like “Happy” and “Blurred Lines” has garnered 13 Grammys, but he’s also increasingly gaining admiration for his business activities in Virginia, his home state.
In 2019, Williams launched Something in the Water, a three-day music festival in his native Virginia Beach that featured the likes of Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Migos and Dave Matthews Band, among others. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but sponsors hope it will return in 2022.
Williams also is co-developing the $325 million Atlantic Park mixed-use project and surf park at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront, and he put forward a proposal to redevelop Norfolk’s former Military Circle mall.
In June 2020, Williams spoke at Gov. Ralph Northam’s news conference announcing that Juneteenth would become a state holiday. Last year, he also launched Black Ambition, a nonprofit initiative to provide support for minority entrepreneurs launching startups.
And this fall, Williams’ nonprofit, Yellow, will open an independent “micro” elementary school in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood, focusing on STEM and workforce preparation.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has hired the Detroit-based firm SmithGroup to design a new wing of the Richmond museum in a $190 million expansion and renovation project announced Tuesday.
The new wing will provide space for African art, photography and 21st-century works, according to the museum. Construction is expected to begin in 2023, with completion scheduled for 2025. This is the museum’s fifth expansion since its 1936 opening and the first since its largest expansion, which ended in 2010 following five years of construction, resulting in the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing, named for the Southwest Virginia coal magnate and his wife.
According to the VMFA, the new wing will add 100,000 square feet to the current 650,000-square-foot facility, in addition to a new, 40,000-square-foot Collections Center building that will house the museum’s conservation program and art storage. The project also will include renovations to about 45,000 square feet of the current building, including changes to the former library, which will become a photography, prints and drawing study center known as the Frank Raysor Center. There also will be a special events space with dining facilities and room for up to 500 guests, and the existing museum will have updates to its theater and the original entrance facing Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
“We are thrilled to have SmithGroup on board and excited to collaborate with their visionary team on this exciting building project,” VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges said in a statement. “The firm has demonstrated expertise in planning and designing dynamic, engaging museum environments. SmithGroup’s spirit of collaboration; their profound commitment to the same values that guide VMFA — diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; their firsthand knowledge of Richmond and Virginia; and their drive for innovation make them an exceptional choice for VMFA’s ambitious expansion and renovation project.”
SmithGroup has 15 offices in the U.S. and China, and it has designed numerous museums, including the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The firm also designed the concept for the city of Richmond’s National Slavery Museum at the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail site, a project announced last summer.
MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE
In 2019 Bennett achieved what no team had never done before — coaching his team to become NCAA men’s basketball champions in his 10th year with the program, a year after the Cavaliers fell during the first round of the tournament. Cementing his reputation as a well-liked and generous coach, Bennett refused a raise when signing a new contract after the championship and donated $500,000 to a career development program for current and former players. In 2019, he was named one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in Fortune magazine, and he was chosen NCAA Division 1 Coach of the Year three times, including twice while at U.Va.
A Wisconsin native, Bennett played basketball for his father, Dick Bennett, who coached the Phoenix at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and went on to play three seasons for the Charlotte Hornets. Before taking the helm at Virginia in 2009, Bennett was head coach at Washington State. The NCAA basketball season was cut short this spring due to the coronavirus, so the Cavaliers remain the national champions into 2020, although in a way few would have predicted.
DENNIS BICKMEIER
Bickmeier. Photo Courtesy Richmond Raceway
PRESIDENT, RICHMOND RACEWAY, RICHMOND
Bickmeier became president of Richmond Raceway in 2011, and although NASCAR is still his main business, he also launched Virginia Credit Union LIVE!, a 6,000-seat concert space, part of a $30 million renovation of the raceway.
He previously was vice president of consumer sales and marketing at Michigan International Speedway and worked with the Anaheim Angels baseball team, the National Hockey League’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Rams. Bickmeier also taught communications and public relations at the University of San Francisco’s Sports Management Program, and in Richmond, he started the charity Richmond Raceway Cares, providing $25,000 in funds for local nonprofit organizations.
An Ohio native, he graduated from Ohio University and interned with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2020, with high school graduations upended by the coronavirus, the raceway invited Henrico County high school seniors to take “victory laps” on the racetrack to celebrate their achievements.
Fuente
JUSTIN FUENTE
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, VIRGINIA TECH, BLACKSBURG
Oklahoma native Fuente stepped into big shoes in Blacksburg in 2016, when he succeeded legendary Coach Frank Beamer, who retired after nearly 30 years as the Hokies’ head coach. He had previously been the head football coach at the University of Memphis. However, the former Murray State quarterback and Walter Payton Award finalist has proved himself worthy, bringing the team to three consecutive bowl game wins for the first time in the program’s history and being named 2016 ACC Coach of the Year. In 2017, he and Tech agreed to a contract extension through 2023.
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi,” by David Maraniss
FIRST JOB: Worked as a security guard in Tulsa
PERSON I ADMIRE: My wife, Jenny, and all coaches’ wives. They make so many sacrifices for our families and really take care of everything at home so we can do what we love — coaching football and helping young people grow.
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Diet Mountain Dew
ONE THING YOU’D CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: My family loves living in Blacksburg. I’d make it mandatory that you should visit Virginia Tech on a fall football Saturday!
TONY JOHNSON
Johnson
VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, KINGS DOMINION/CEDAR FAIR ENTERTAINMENT CO., DOSWELL
Johnson, a veteran of Cedar Fair, which owns 11 amusement parks in the U.S. and Canada, took the reins in 2018 at Kings Dominion, where he had his first theme park job in 1974 as a tower guard for the Lion Country Safari. A graduate of the University of North Carolina and the Rappahannock Criminal Justice Academy, Johnson also held security and operations leadership roles at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, and California’s Great America in Santa Clara, as well as at Cedar Fair’s corporate offices. He serves on the global security committee of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. This year has been especially challenging for Kings Dominion, which did not open for the first time in 45 years due to the pandemic.
PERSON I ADMIRE: My mom. She reared five children while working the family farm, but always had time for us.She taught us the value of hard work, self-sufficiency and education among many other life skills.
NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE RECENTLY: I’m trying to do a better job of balancing work and family life. I have six grandchildren and my goal is to be the best granddaddy ever. The key is getting them out of the house and away from their mobile devices and the TV.
Lembke
KEVIN LEMBKE
PRESIDENT, BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG AND WATER COUNTRY USA, WILLIAMSBURG
Lembke left Busch Gardens briefly in 2019 to pursue other career opportunities, but he was back last November as president of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA, both owned by SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.
Of course, 2020 didn’t wind up as anyone would have expected, particularly for Virginia’s major amusement parks, which had not reopened as of late July. Lembke was a vocal critic of the state government’s 1,000-person mandated attendance limit for theme parks, saying it wasn’t financially feasible. Busch Gardens reopened in August on a very limited basis for its Coasters and Craft Brews event series.
Before joining Busch Gardens Williamsburg as president in 2018, Lembke was vice president of merchandise and culinary at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and vice president of merchandise at the Williamsburg park. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo and has worked for SeaWorld Entertainment in various capacities since 2000. Lembke also serves on the board of directors for the Williamsburg Tourism Council, the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance and the Historic Triangle Collaborative and has coached youth hockey.
ARVIND M. MANOCHA
Manocha
PRESIDENT AND CEO, WOLF TRAP FOUNDATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, VIENNA
A lifelong music devotee, Manocha joined Wolf Trap as its leader in 2013, overseeing the year-round performing arts program, which extends from pop bands to opera, at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Frequent performers at the park’s distinctive, yellow pine-ceilinged Filene Center have included Ringo Starr, Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello.
Before moving east, Manocha was chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and worked at the Hollywood Bowl. He currently serves on the board of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and as a trustee of Levine Music, a music education center in the Washington, D.C., region. A native of Ohio, Manocha has launched digital streaming of Wolf Trap Opera productions and expanded Wolf Trap’s early childhood arts education model.
EDUCATION: Cornell University (B.A.) and University of Cambridge (M.A.)
NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE RECENTLY: Like so many during this pandemic, we’ve recently adopted our first pet, a cat.
FIRST JOB: Sales clerk in a bookstore during
high school
BEST ADVICE: If you’re under 30 and have the opportunity to live abroad for any length of time — for any reason at all — do it.
Neil
ERIK H. NEIL
DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT, CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART, NORFOLK
Neil joined the Chrysler Museum in 2014, leading it into the digital age, including launching its first interactive gallery in 2018. Before arriving in Norfolk, he was director of the Academy Art Museum in Maryland and executive director of the Heckscher Museum in New York. He has curated exhibits and worked with artists including Carrie Mae Weems and James Turrell, and published works on architecture, photography and contemporary art. Neil also serves on the VisitNorfolk Board of Directors and is active in the Society of Architectural Historians and the Association of Art Museum Directors.
EDUCATION: Princeton University (B.A.) and Harvard University (M.A., Ph.D.)
HOBBY/PASSION: I love to go to the movies. We have a wonderful place in Norfolk called the Naro with independent films and documentaries that we visit frequently.
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears,” by Dinaw Mengestu
SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN:
Eat jellyfish
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU’D CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA? Increase funding for museums and
art education.
ALEX NYERGES
Nyerges
DIRECTOR AND CEO, VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, RICHMOND
Nyerges came to VMFA in 2006, having served as director and CEO of the Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute for 14 years. Since arriving in Richmond, Nyerges has overseen a major expansion of the museum and several blockbuster exhibitions, including works by Pablo Picasso and Kehinde Wiley (whose celebrated “Rumors of War” statue was installed on the VMFA’s front yard in 2019), and the Terracotta Army, ancient life-size clay figures from the First Emperor of China’s burial site. A Rochester, New York, native, Nyerges is an affiliate graduate faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University, a member of the Forum Club in Richmond and the former co-chair of the Mayor’s Tourism Commission, among other civic organizations.
EDUCATION: George Washington University (B.A., M.A.)
NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE RECENTLY: Becoming a grandfather. What a pure joy!
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: A great bottle of Virginia Meritage (from Michael Shaps Wineworks in Charlottesville)
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA? Grant all African American and Native American Virginians equity, equality and prosperity. They’ve given 400 years of their blood, sweat and tears to make us the great state that we are today.
Parnell
TODD ‘PARNEY’ PARNELL
CEO, RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS, RICHMOND
Parnell is a recognizable figure at Squirrels baseball games, wearing loud pants and going by the nickname “Parney.” His career started in 1989 as director of sales and marketing for the Phillies farm team in Reading, Pennsylvania, and took him to Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Kannapolis, North Carolina, before he moved to Richmond to oversee the Squirrels in 2010, their inaugural season in Richmond, as vice president and chief operating officer. In July, he was promoted to CEO, replacing Chuck Domino, who retired. In 2019, Parnell was named the Class AA Eastern League Executive of the Year. Over the last decade, Parnell has welcomed more than 400,000 fans in one season, hosted the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Week in 2019, sent the team’s mascot, Nutzy the Squirrel, to hundreds of public events around Richmond and launched charitable initiatives, including “Renovating Richmond’s Recreation,” created to revamp 14 area baseball fields. This year’s season was canceled due to the coronavirus, but Parnell walked the bases a total of 125 times in April, raising money for local COVID-19 relief efforts during an event called “500 Bases of Love.”
LISA SIMS
Sims
CEO, VENTURE RICHMOND, RICHMOND
Sims became Venture Richmond’s leader in 2017 after she proved her mettle in an interim role. She also serves as executive director of the Richmond Folk Festival, the largest annual music festival in the state. A Nashville native, Sims was hired in 2006 as director of events and oversaw the 2nd Street Festival, TEDxRVA and the opening of the 2015 UCI World Championship cycling competition, among other signature events. This year, Sims announced that the folk festival would not be held in person this October due to concerns about the coronavirus, although she promised that there would be a virtual version of the festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of music fans to the capital each fall. Before moving to Richmond to work for what is now Richmond Region Tourism, Sims was executive director of the Asheville, North Carolina, Convention and Visitors Bureau and worked for Opryland USA and the Country Music Foundation/Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. She volunteers on several boards, including the Massey Cancer Center Advisory Board and the Richmond Region Tourism board of directors.
Snyder
DAN SNYDER
OWNER, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM, ASHBURN
Snyder is best known for purchasing the former Washington Redskins from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke in 1999, declaring in 2013 he would “never” change the name of the team, which has been criticized as racist for decades. But under pressure from FedEx and other corporate sponsors, Snyder announced in July that the Redskins name and logo would be retired in 2020. That news was followed by an exclusive report in mid-July from The Washington Post that 15 female former Redskins employees said they were sexually harassed and verbally abused at work by other executives during Snyder’s tenure, although Snyder was not accused of misconduct. Snyder hired a Washington-based law firm to review the organization’s conduct, and several executives were let go days before the report came out. A Maryland native, Snyder is a lifelong entrepreneur. He founded a wallboard advertising company in 1989 with his sister Michele, which became Snyder Communications LP. After going public, the business expanded to $1 billion in annual revenue and 12,000 employees by 2000, when Snyder sold the business for more than $2 billion. Forbes valued the Washington team at $3.4 billion this year, making it the world’s 14th most valuable sports franchise, although its 2019-20 season was a less-than-stellar 3-13.
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Williams
MUSICIAN, PRODUCER AND DEVELOPER, LOS ANGELES/VIRGINIA BEACH
Williams, known for his Grammy-winning career as a pop and hip-hop performer (including 2014’s smash hit “Happy”) and producer and his forays into fashion design and movie production, also has focused his attention on his hometown of Virginia Beach in recent years. Something in the Water, a three-day music and arts festival on the oceanfront, debuted in April 2019 with music superstars Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Migos and Dave Matthews Band, among others. The second festival was scheduled for April 2020 but was canceled due to the coronavirus, although it’s set to return in April 2021. Williams also is part of a group developing the $325 million Atlantic Park surf park and entertainment venue on the former Dome site. In June, he paid a surprise visit to Richmond for Gov. Ralph Northam’s announcement that Juneteenth would become an official state holiday, marking June 19, 1865, the day that the last group of enslaved Americans were told they were free. Among other charitable initiatives, Williams has offered internships to 114 Harlem, New York, high school students and started a foundation that runs after-school programs in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Commonwealth University announced Monday that Carmenita D. Higginbotham will become dean of the School of Arts, starting Sept. 15. Nancy Scott, who served as interim dean , will remain until Higginbotham arrives.
Higginbotham currently serves as chair of the McIntire Department of Art at the University of Virginia. At U.Va., she has also served as an assistant and associate professor in the McIntire Department of Art. She joined the faculty in 2005 with U.Va.’s Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies.
Considered one of the country’s leading Disney experts, she has been a scholar and consultant for documentaries, including the 2015 “American Experience” documentary about Walt Disney and CNN’s “The Movies” last year. She authored “The Urban Scene: Race, Reginald Marsh, and American Art,” which addresses ways race is addressed in American art.
She recently was quoted in The Washington Post, discussing The Walt Disney Co.’s choice to develop content with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose kneeling during the National Anthem sparked protests and civil rights activism.
“What Disney has to do is figure out how to make itself matter, how to get in front of audiences in very different ways than it has in the past,” she told the Post. “Because the previous rules — of gathering a lot of people in one place, of just riding safely down the middle of American society — won’t apply for the next 12 months. And maybe a lot longer.”
“Dr. Higginbotham is the right leader at the right time as we navigate this pivotal point in VCU’s history,” Gail Hackett, VCU provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement.
Higginbotham is also a peer referee for The Art Bulletin, Art Journal and the Journal of Urban Cultural Studies and has worked with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, the College Art Association and digital journal The Space Between: Literature and Culture, 1914-45.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and art history from the University of Minnesota, her master’s degree in art history from the University of Massachusetts and her doctorate in history of art from the University of Michigan.
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