The 2024 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards
This February, during Black History Month, Virginia Business is pleased to honor 17 distinguished leaders from across the commonwealth in our second annual Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards. This year’s cohort of honorees represent industries ranging from advertising, architecture, defense contracting, finance and health care to higher education and nonprofits. Our editors chose this year[...]
Va. Tech names chief of staff for university operations
Virginia Tech has named Brennan Shepard its chief of staff for university operations. Shepard was most recently director of financial planning in the the university’s Office of Budget and Financial Planning and has served in various roles in the finance division over the past 15 years. He officially began his new role on Aug. 25 […]
Microsoft Federal sees leadership change
Microsoft Corp.’s federal arm has new leadership, after its former president, Rick Wagner, left the company to pursue “new opportunities.” Wagner had run Microsoft Federal, now based in Rosslyn, since 2020. Candice Ling announced in a LinkedIn post this week that she had accepted his former job. Microsoft’s federal team works with the civilian and […]
Wonder women
At an early June networking reception to celebrate this year’s Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards winners, many in attendance pointed out how unusual it was for dozens of women executives from across various industries to join together in the same room. Held at law firm Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP’s Richmond office, the event […]
TowneBank hires chief risk officer, senior EVP
Suffolk-based TowneBank appointed Ernest Piccioli as senior executive vice president and chief risk officer, the bank announced Monday. Piccioli is based at TowneBank’s headquarters. As chief risk officer, he will be responsible for governance of the company’s risk programs and oversee risk management, vendor management, credit review and appraisal services. “Having Ernest aboard as chief [&[...]
Hampton Roads Shipping Association taps new president
The Hampton Roads Shipping Association has named Jeremy Bridges its new president, effective May 1. Bridges will succeed Roger Giesinger, who has led the nonprofit, Norfolk-based trade association for the past 28 years. Giesinger, who announced his retirement last year, will stay on as president emeritus for a brief transition period. Bridges comes to HRSA […]
The 2023 Heavy Hitters list
Virginia Business’ annual list of the commonwealth’s 50 most powerful and influential leaders provides our editors’ take on the heaviest-hitting of heavyweights in business, government, nonprofits and higher education. Think of it as an executive committee for the leaders populating our annual Virginia 500 issue — the top 10% of the state’s power elite. And […]
Aument to step down from AECOM leadership role
Jennifer Aument, AECOM’s transportation chief executive, plans to step down from her job this spring, a decision she reached after surviving breast cancer. Based in Arlington County, Aument said in an interview this week with Virginia Business that she is now healthy, while adding, “It it hard to fully recover and get back your strength […]
Cox expands Myers’ role to East Coast
Cox Communications Inc. has expanded Virginia executive J.D. Myers II’s’ role so that he now oversees much of the East Coast. Myers, who is based in Chesapeake, previously had oversight of operations and business growth in Virginia. As senior vice president and region manager of Cox’s East Region, he now has oversight of the cable […]
AISHA BOWE
The daughter of a Bahamian immigrant who worked as a taxi driver in Michigan, Bowe was told by a high school counselor to become a cosmetologist. She decided instead to listen to her father’s advice and took a math class at a local community college. Somewhat to her surprise, she excelled and earned degrees in […]
CATHY T. WILLIAMS
In her two decades at the U.S. subsidiary of British heating and cooling supply distributor Ferguson plc, Williams has made the economic inclusion of women and minorities her mission. “I’m most proud of knowing I had a hand in their success,” she says of those that she has brought into the Ferguson fold of about […]
MARCIA CONSTON
Conston saw early on the value that education has for marginalized communities. She knew her goal was “to become someone to effect change in the lives of young people. And I knew that education would be the path to do that.” Conston began her career as a college administrator at her alma mater, Mississippi’s Jackson […]