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Tag: COO

Dominion Energy COO Diane Leopold to retire after nearly three decades

Dominion Energy Chief Operating Officer Diane Leopold plans to retire from the Fortune 500 utility this summer after working for nearly four decades in the industry.

Leopold, who will remain as COO and executive vice president until she steps down on June 1, 2025, oversees major construction projects such as Dominion’s $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project and Charybdis, the first U.S.-built wind turbine installation vessel.

In the coming months, Leopold will transfer utility and contracted energy duties to Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, and Eric Carr, Dominon Energy’s chief nuclear officer.

Leopold, who earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, got her start with Dominion as a power station engineer in 1995. Previously, she led Dominion’s gas infrastructure group, was vice president of financial management and business planning, and served as senior vice president of Dominion Transmission. Prior to joining Dominion, she held engineering positions at Potomac Electric Power.

Leopold sits on the boards of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, a mutual insurance company with headquarters in Delaware, and of Markel Group, the Fortune 500 insurance company based in Glen Allen. She is also a board member of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the World Pediatric Project.

“Diane is one of the brightest, most dedicated, and most capable people in our company and in our industry,” Dominion Energy Chair, CEO and President Bob Blue stated in a news release. “Over her 36 years in the utility industry, she’s demonstrated best-in-class performance in nearly all areas of operations, business development, financial planning [and] corporate strategy, as well as the construction of several multibillion-dollar energy infrastructure projects. … When she retires in June, she’ll leave behind a deep and capable bench of talented leaders, including Ed and Eric, due to her deliberate focus on developing her team members.”

Baine’s new title will be president of utility operations and Dominion Energy Virginia. He will continue overseeing operations of

an electric utility serving 2.8 million accounts in the commonwealth and northeast North Carolina. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, Baine will assume additional responsibilities for Dominion Energy South Carolina, which serves 800,000 electric utility accounts and 500,000 gas utility accounts. Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, will report to Baine.

Baine joined Dominion in 1995 as an associate engineer after graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech. He has held numerous leadership positions at the company, including senior vice president of distribution, power delivery group and senior vice president of power delivery for Dominion Energy Virginia.

As chief nuclear officer and now president of nuclear operations, Carr will continue to be responsible for the company’s nuclear operations at four stations in three states. On Jan. 1, 2025, Carr will take responsibility for the utility’s contracted energy business segment, which includes Millstone Power Station, a nuclear power plant in Connecticut, long-term contracted solar generation assets and a renewable natural gas portfolio.

A man wearing a gray suit and navy blue tie.
Eric Carris is president of nuclear operations and chief nuclear officer. Photo courtesy Dominion Energy.

In March, Gov. Glenn Younkin appointed Carr, who has an engineering degree from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Widener University in Pennsylvania, to the board of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority.

Carr joined Dominion Energy in 2023. Previously, he was president and chief nuclear officer for PSEG Nuclear in New Jersey. There, he oversaw 1,600 employees and operations at the Hope Creek and Salem nuclear generating stations.

Dominion Energy provides regulated electricity service to 3.6 million homes and businesses in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as regulated natural gas service to 500,000 customers in South Carolina. The company also develops and operates regulated offshore wind and solar power. Dominon Energy, which boasts 17,000 employees, reported $14.4 billion in revenue for 2023.

Flying off the glass cliff?

You’ve no doubt heard of the glass ceiling — the barrier above which women couldn’t rise professionally — but have you heard about the glass cliff?

It’s not as familiar a term as the ceiling, but the glass cliff is real. It’s what happens when a woman or someone from another marginalized group is put in charge of a failing institution.

This can serve a couple of purposes: The corporation can claim its first hire to a top position of a person representing X group, staving off negative headlines a little longer. Also, if the company is truly at the edge of a financial cliff, the stakes are lower than if the leader could actually do something to turn around the company’s fortunes. Maybe the new leader is just a convenient scapegoat.

It isn’t always evident what’s a glass cliff and what isn’t until later on.

Take Arlington County-based Boeing, for example. Ever since a Boeing 737 Jet experienced a midair panel blowout while filled with Alaska Airlines passengers in early January, the aerospace company has come under considerable federal scrutiny over its safety and manufacturing practices. The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation, and the FBI wrote letters to passengers telling them that they may be victims of a crime.

In April came the corporate fallout: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he was stepping down by the end of this year, and Stan Deal, head of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes business unit, retired effective immediately. 

Now Stephanie Pope, Boeing’s chief operating officer, has also been put in charge of the commercial planes unit — “the toughest job at Boeing,” according to The Wall Street Journal. 

This may not be a glass cliff situation. This could be Pope’s proving ground. We just don’t know yet. 

A third-generation aerospace employee, Pope led Boeing’s parts and services business  and also held several finance positions. After her promotion to COO, she was seen as a probable successor to Calhoun, but GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp and Carrier Global CEO Dave Gitlin are now favored for Boeing’s CEO, Fortune reported in April.

If hired as CEO, Pope would be the century-old Fortune 500 company’s first woman leader. Boeing’s not exactly a pioneer in terms of hiring female aerospace CEOs — in Virginia alone, we have General Dynamics Chairman and CEO Phebe N. Novakovic and Northrop Grumman Chairman, President and CEO Kathy Warden.

But Boeing never hired a woman to lead its company in good times or even less-bad times.

Now it’s in real trouble. In the first quarter of the year, Boeing delivered 83 jets, down from 157 in the previous quarter, and United told Boeing to halt production of the 737 Max 10 jets it ordered. Sales ground to a halt in January, with only three plane orders, and are still down.

Pope, in her new capacity, wrote in an email to employees last month, “This is a pivotal moment for us, and we have serious work ahead to build trust and improve our operations.”

And who’s in charge? Women.

Pope is joined by Katie Ringgold, who previously led 737 airplane deliveries at Boeing, as new head of the Max program, and Elizabeth Lund has been promoted to senior vice president of quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

They’re tasked with fixing the reputation of Boeing, starting with bringing quality control measures up to standard, most experts acknowledge. These are lessons earlier leaders didn’t learn after two Max 8 planes crashed in 2018 and 2019 incidents, claiming hundreds of lives.

Boeing stopped production of the jets and then resumed in late 2020, but C-suite leaders demanded more jets produced faster, according to a March 28 New York Times article based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former Boeing employees.

We can’t say this is a glass cliff yet. Maybe Pope and company will succeed where others (mainly men) have failed. But it’s not a job most people would want, unless they’re promised golden parachutes.

Fahrenheit Advisors announces new COO

Richmond-based consulting firm Fahrenheit Advisors has added Kris Cravey to its executive ranks.

Cravey, formerly chief people officer at Virginia Beach-based DroneUp, will be chief operating officer at Fahrenheit Advisors, the company announced Tuesday.

In his new role, he will take primary responsibility for overseeing the execution of Fahrenheit Advisors’ strategy, growth and client services delivery.

”Kris is another incredible addition to our team as we continue to grow as a firm,” Rich Reinecke, co-managing partner and co-founder at Fahrenheit Advisors, said in a statement. “His track record of building scale while maintaining the culture mirrors our values and core principles. We are excited to welcome Kris to our team and look forward to the impact he will have as we expand nationally.”

Cravey has held leadership roles including vice president of strategy and mergers and acquisitions, business development, operations and support services at Day & Zimmermann, an engineering, staffing and construction firm. He was also managing partner at Atherton Kirk Advisors (now Fahrenheit Advisors), according to his LinkedIn profile.

He started with Fahrenheit Advisors about a year ago as a consultant after serving as DroneUp’s CPO since July 2021.

Cravey earned his doctorate degree in organizational behavior and an MBA from Regent University.

Fahrenheit Advisors was founded in 2010 and consults for middle-market, Fortune 1000, nonprofit and governmental organizations. It has 140 consultants.

Armada Hoffler to name Shawn Tibbetts as next CEO

Virginia Beach real estate investment trust Armada Hoffler expects to name Chief Operating Officer Shawn Tibbetts as its CEO next spring, when current CEO Louis Haddad plans to retire. Tibbetts has been promoted to president and will remain COO, Armada Hoffler announced Thursday.

Tibbetts has been COO since he joined the company in 2019 after serving as the Port of Virginia’s president and COO. He spent nine years at the port.

Daniel Hoffler, the company’s founder and executive chairman, will relinquish his chairman role in June, and Haddad will become executive chairman, while remaining CEO, until his retirement in 2025. Pending a shareholders’ vote at the company’s 2024 annual meeting, Hoffler will continue to serve as chairman emeritus.

In his expanded role, Tibbetts will continue to oversee all aspects of the company’s operations, guiding strategic initiatives and fostering innovation, according to a news release from Armada Hoffler.

“Shawn has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and strategic vision throughout his time with us,” Haddad said in a statement. “We have full confidence in Shawn’s ability to lead our company to even greater heights. His promotion to president is a well-deserved recognition of his outstanding contributions and will undoubtedly bring continued success to Armada Hoffler.”

Under Tibbetts’ leadership, Armada Hoffler’s portfolio net operating income grew by 45%, and Tibbetts oversaw the execution of more than $1.2 billion in transactions.

“I am honored to assume this role and deeply appreciative of the support from the board of directors, including Dan and Lou,” Tibbetts said in a statement. “I am excited to continue to build upon the incredible foundation Armada Hoffler has established over the past four decades and continue to exceed the expectations of our shareholders.”

Tibbetts earned his bachelor’s in business administration from James Madison University and his MBA from William & Mary, as well as completing the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Armada Hoffler is the real estate giant behind Virginia Beach’s Town Center. The firm’s flagship project was built as part of a public-private partnership.  As of last fall, it had 51 large-scale commercial assets and had developed more than $800 million in new projects. It has operations in seven mid-Atlantic states and also provides general construction and development services to third-party clients. It was founded in 1979 by Hoffler.

Ellucian names new COO

Reston-based Ellucian has named Kelly Rogan its chief operating officer, the higher education software company announced Tuesday.

Rogan will oversee Ellucian’s global professional services, managed services, services strategy and innovation, and customer success and support.

She joins Ellucian after spending 15 years at Microsoft, most recently as corporate vice president of global systems integrators. There, she held various leadership positions and led teams driving from strategy through execution at scale, including as COO of the software giant’s U.S. subsidiary focused on seller productivity. Rogan is currently based in Washington state and will continue to reside there for now, but plans to spend a lot of time in Reston at Ellucian’s headquarters.

“Ellucian’s deep understanding of the power of higher education, and its ever-changing landscape, has enabled institutions to drive better outcomes for their students,” Rogan said in a statement. “And at the core of Ellucian’s success is an incredible team. I’m excited to join a group of talented and passionate people, while bringing my expertise in driving cloud transformation and delivering customer success to contribute to the mission.”

She started her career at Ernst & Young, specializing in large-scale system implementations and launching development centers around the world. Then, she joined CNA insurance.

“I am very excited to welcome Kelly to Ellucian and to the leadership team. Her seasoned expertise with the transformational power of the cloud at Microsoft will accelerate and enhance our SaaS delivery and customer success strategies,” Ellucian President and CEO Laura Ipsen, said in a statement. “Kelly’s passion for ensuring customer excellence, coupled with her outstanding leadership qualities and deep commitment to talent development and organizational culture, will make her an invaluable addition to the team as we continue to advance our mission of powering higher education so institutions can empower student success.”

Rogan has a bachelor’s degree in operations management information systems from Northern Illinois University.

In October 2023, Ellucian entered into an agreement to buy United Kingdom-based Tribal Group for $210 million.

Founded in 1968, Ellucian provides enterprise resource planning software products such as student information systems, data analytics tools and graduation-tracking platforms for more than 2,900 higher education customers in more than 50 countries serving 22 million students. It was acquired by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners for an undisclosed amount in September 2021.

Amyx announces new COO

Amyx has appointed Rick Schult as its new chief operating officer, the Reston-based federal contractor announced Monday.

Schult will manage more than 600 employees. He succeeds John Selman, who served as COO since 2021. Amyx announced Selman’s retirement on Thursday.

Schult joins Amyx from QinetiQ US, where he was most recently executive vice president for business development, according to his LinkedIn profile. According to a news release, he was part of the company’s team that won a $169 million Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection contract for the operations and maintenance of the Tethered Aerostat Radar System — a system that includes a helium-filled balloon and data distribution network. Before that, Schult was senior vice president for defense.

“Rick’s experience with many of the services that Amyx successfully delivers to our customers along with his passion for exceptional customer support and developing people is a perfect fit for Amyx,” Amyx President and CEO William Schaefer said in a statement. “I have had the privilege of working with Rick over the years and am excited to now welcome him to the executive leadership team at Amyx.”

Schult also worked as a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton before joining QinetiQ US’s predecessor, E3 Federal Solutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business information technology from Virginia Tech.

“I am humbled at the opportunity to join an already thriving team here at Amyx,” Schult said in a statement. “I’ve had firsthand experience working with Amyx leadership over the past decade. This, coupled with their people-first culture and unwavering commitment to customer mission requirements, is what drove me to this role.”

Founded in 1999, Amyx provides services including IT, systems engineering, cybersecurity and program management. California-based consulting and engineering services provider Tetra Tech acquired Amyx in January 2023. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

HII Mission Technology promotes two execs

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.’s McLean-based Mission Technologies division has promoted Garry Schwartz, formerly a group president, to chief operating officer on June 1. At the same time, the company also promoted Todd Gentry to president of the division’s C5ISR (command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) business group.

Schwartz joined HII in 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. He previously led and expanded HII’s largest technology-centric business groups, HII’s Mission Technologies said in a news release. He has also worked in a senior leadership positions at McLean-based Alton Science and Technology, which was acquired by HII in 2021, as well as with Reston-based Fortune 500 contractor Science Applications International Corp. Schwartz retired from the Marine Corps in 2004 after more than two decades, serving as a commissioned officer as well as in the enlisted ranks in multiple combat tours. He has a master’s degree in operations research from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Gentry was previously senior vice president of Mission Technologies’ C5ISR business group. He joined HII in 2019 and has advanced in programmatic and operational leadership roles. Gentry also served as director of the advanced aviation assessment portfolio for the Army Aviation and Missile Command. He also served in various positions in direct support of the U.S. Special Operations Command and its service component commands. Gentry retired from the Army in 2013 after a quarter century.

“To drive growth and opportunity across the division, we continue to optimize business operations and overall performance,” Mission Technologies President Andy Green said in a statement. “Garry and Todd’s proven expertise building large business operations at HII, paired with their long history of success across the defense industry, demonstrates they are the exceptional leaders to support our customers’ missions and help us achieve our growth objectives.”

“I’m excited to continue working with them to expand the division and deliver advanced capabilities to the warfighters,” Green added.

Sentara COO resigns to run Ohio health system

Mike Gentry, Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare Inc.’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, is leaving the health care system to become CEO of Kettering Health in Ohio, Sentara announced Wednesday.

Gentry has been with Sentara since 2008 and has been EVP and COO since 2016. Before he joined Sentara, he was president and CEO of Florida Hospital Memorial System for eight years. Before that, he spent a decade at North Carolina-based Park Ridge Hospital as its president and CEO.

“Mike has been an invaluable member of our team, providing exceptional leadership with a focus on our consumers and quality care in our communities. His contributions to our organization, the health care industry at large and the commonwealth of Virginia have been numerous,” Sentara Healthcare President and CEO Dennis Matheis said in a statement.  “We are grateful for his dedication and hard work during his time with us. He will be greatly missed.”

Gentry’s last day is July 1. He will start his new role in Ohio July 3. Kettering, which hired Gentry after a five-month search, has 14,000 employees, 1,800 physicians, more than 120 outpatient facilities and 15 medical centers.

“It has been an honor to be a member of the Sentara team for the past 15 years and I send my sincere thanks for the opportunity to work with wonderful colleagues who share a common mission of improving health every day,” Gentry said in a statement.

Sentara has 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina and has about 30,000 employees.

TowneBank promotes HR chief to COO

TowneBank has promoted R. Lee Clark from chief human resources officer to chief operating officer, the Suffolk-based bank announced Thursday.

In this role, Clark will continue to oversee human resources and will be responsible for bank operations. He’ll also become a member of the corporate management team.

“Throughout his career at TowneBank, Lee has led with a steady hand and calm demeanor,” TowneBank President and CEO William I. “Billy” Foster III said in a statement. “His operational experience at TowneBank, track record of consistent follow-through and commitment to our culture of caring make him ideally suited to lead our knowledgeable and experienced operations group.”

Clark partially succeeds Brad E. Schwartz, who retired as bank president and COO on Dec. 31, 2022. Foster succeeded Schwartz as president, in addition to succeeding J. Morgan Davis as CEO.

Clark joined TowneBank in 20o6 as a senior business analyst. He held leadership positions in loan administrations and banking operations before becoming chief human resources officer in 2019. Prior to joining TowneBank, Lee held varying officer roles at Bank of Tidewater and SouthTrust Corp.

Clark has a bachelor’s of business administration degree in finance from William & Mary and an MBA from Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business.

Founded in 1999, TowneBank now has more than 40 banking offices throughout Hampton Roads and Central Virginia and in North Carolina. TowneBank ended 2021 with a net income of $215.4 million, a 48% increase over 2020. Total assets were $15.38 billion on average for 2021. As of Sept. 30, 2022, TowneBank had total assets of $15.95 billion.

Chesapeake Bank CFO appointed COO

Chesapeake Financial Shares Inc. has appointed its chief financial officer, Rebecca Andrick “Becky” Foster, to the additional post of chief operating officer, the Kilmarnock-based parent company of Chesapeake Bank and Chesapeake Wealth Management announced Monday.

Foster, who has has been with the company for 27 years, has been its senior vice president and chief financial officer since 2014. Her previous roles include internal auditor, money desk manager and investment officer.

“Becky has been integrally involved in all facets of Chesapeake for a number of years and has done an incredible job. She is perfectly suited for this significant addition to her responsibilities,” Chesapeake Financial Shares Chairman, President and CEO Jeffrey M. Szyperski said in a statement.

Foster is a graduate of Christopher Newport University, the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management in Charlottesville and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

A resident of Hardyville, Foster has served on the Northern Neck Family YMCA board since 2017 and is currently its vice chair. She is also vice chair of the Upper Advisory Council of the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas. Foster has also served on the Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury board since 2017 and chairs its finance committee.

Founded in 1900 in Irvington, Chesapeake Bank has 16 branches. It reported $1.38 billion in 2021 assets.