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Power Reading: How to get on the Virginia 500
Welcome to the sixth annual edition of the Virginia 500 — Virginia Business’ 2025-26 list of the commonwealth’s most powerful and impactful leaders in business, nonprofits, government and higher education.
Return to uncertainty
In the wake of the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates by half a percentage point in September, the stock market has been setting records, hiring numbers are trending strong, and the inflation rate has been slowly edging downward. Nevertheless, many businesses — and workers — seem to be in a state of anxious uncertainty, awaiting […]
Beauty and the C-suite
Virginia Business’ July issue cover art represents a significant amount of time and thoughtful planning — especially in considering what image we want to convey to you, the reader. From our viewpoint, the Women in Leadership cover should express strength and confidence — attributes that this year’s 38 award winners demonstrate daily as executives. A […]
Pivot points
Earlier this year, when I was invited to speak to a Henrico County Rotary chapter, I was asked several questions commonly heard these days by journalists. Do sources pay us to appear in our magazine stories? No. As an independent media outlet, we are not pay-to-play; we decide who and what we write about and […]
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 […]
Saving grace
When Del. Don L. Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, was sworn in on Jan. 10 as the first Black speaker of the house in the Virginia legislature’s 405-year history, he also was likely the first leader of that illustrious body to have served time in federal prison. Reminiscent of the literary trials of Jean Valjean, Scott’s is […]
Pot of gold
Placing aside the morality of marijuana use, let’s consider how much money Virginia is currently leaving on the table without a regulated, taxed recreational cannabis market. In 2020, directed by the Virginia General Assembly, which was then under Democratic control, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission conducted a study on legalizing marijuana in Virginia. […]
How we assemble the Virginia 500
When I give my elevator speech about the Virginia 500, it usually starts this way: It’s like the Fortune 500, but instead of companies, it’s about people. Unlike the Fortune 500, which ranks companies by gross revenues, this is a more subjective list. Compiled via staff research, we catalog Virginia’s 500 most powerful leaders across […]
The cost of leaning in
In 1982, the comic strip “Frank and Ernest” noted that Ginger Rogers — standing in for all women — did everything Fred Astaire did but “backwards and in high heels.” Even 41 years ago, that sentiment felt like a well-known acknowledgement, and it still holds true now. This issue, in our third annual Women in Leadership […]
