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What’s good for HBCUs is good for Virginia business
Earlier this year, I issued a call for the commonwealth to confront and reassess its disproportionate support of its historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). I wrote a letter to the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the respective leadership of the General Assembly. At this juncture, I have not received any acknowledgment or response […]
Sentara Healthcare hires medical director of health equity
Sentara Healthcare has hired Dr. Keith H. Newby as an independent contractor to serve as the system’s medical director of health equity. He will work on expanding plans and initiatives that improve access to health care in underserved neighborhoods, as well as on plans that promote higher COVID-19 vaccination rates among populations with lower inoculation […]
Seizing our future by creating value together
Here in Virginia and across the nation we are witnessing an unprecedented effort to create greater equity — in consideration, treatment, opportunity and investment — throughout our society. Media attention has focused intently on what governments are doing to evolve their policies, but businesses are rapidly transforming as well, confirming the effectiveness of existing practices […]
Guidehouse hires chief culture, inclusion and diversity officer
Guidehouse, a Fairfax County-based global consulting firm, has hired Dominica Groom Williams as the company’s head chief culture, inclusion and diversity officer. Groom Williams, who has more than a decade of human capital, diversity, inclusion, strategy development and leadership experience, will begin her new role June 7. She will be responsible for heading the company’s […]
VMI report released; calls school ‘traditionally run by white men, for white men’
A long-awaited state report on an alleged culture of racism at Virginia Military Institute was released Tuesday afternoon, concluding that “VMI has … traditionally been run by white men, for white men,” although the state-funded military institution in Lexington has made “incremental steps towards a more diverse, inclusive VMI.” In a statement Tuesday, Virginia Gov. [[...]
UVA Health hires chief diversity & community engagement officers
Charlottesville-based UVA Health has named Dr. Tracy M. Downs as the health system’s inaugural chief diversity & community engagement officer, effective July 1. A urologist who specializes in the surgical treatment of urologic cancers, Downs previously served as associate dean for diversity and multicultural affairs and as a professor of urologic oncology for the University […]
VMI alums and cadets report racial slurs used on ‘regular basis’
In an interim report, investigators looking into reported racist incidents at Virginia Military Institute say some alumni and current cadets have reported hearing racial slurs “on a regular basis” at the state-funded military college in Lexington. The Washington, D.C.-based law firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP, which submitted the report Monday to Peter A. Blake, director […]
Four community banks launch $1M minority business fund
The Bank of Clarke County announced Tuesday the launch of the Banking on Diversity initiative, a minority business funding program backed by Bank of Clarke County, BCT-Bank of Charles Town, The Fauquier Bank and First Bank. The four community banks have collectively committed up to $1 million in interest-free loans to help startup and existing […]
Carilion Clinic to form diversity, equity, inclusion office
Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic announced Monday it will establish an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and has named Nathaniel L. Bishop, the former Jefferson College of Health Sciences president, to lead it. The office will work with community leaders to address equity and social justice as it relates to health care in the Roanoke region […]
Wells Fargo makes $1.5M donation for small business loans
Wells Fargo & Co., Virginia’s third-largest bank by 2019 deposits, announced Thursday it has donated $1.5 million to Richmond-based nonprofit Virginia Community Capital (VCC) to help local minority and/or woman-owned small businesses stay open and save jobs amid the pandemic. During the next two years, the VCC will disburse $1 million of the funding in […]
Why the Richmond Fed has zero Black Ph.D. economists
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is one of only five Fed banks that employs zero Black Ph.D. economists, according to a New York Times report this week. Of the 12 Federal Reserve banks, seven employ only one or two Black Ph.D. economists, which Fed officials blame on lack of Black talent in the economics […]
Del. Torian elected chair of Virginia Minority Business Commission
Del. Luke Torian has been elected chair of the newly organized Virginia Minority Business Commission at its inaugural meeting on Thursday. The commission was created by the 2020-2022 biennial state budget to promote growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses in Virginia and evaluate best practices to expand minority business ownership. “This commission’s objectives will be [&h[...]
