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Education 2025: ABDULLAH, MAKOLA M.
A scan of Abdullah’s accomplishments since joining the public, historically Black university in 2016 makes clear why his résumé includes so many accolades, prestigious board appointments and spots on top 10 and “best of” lists — not to mention a multimillion-dollar contract to stay on as president through 2029. Under his leadership, VSU has seen […]
Education 2025: WILLIAMS, LT. GEN. DARRELL K. (U.S. ARMY, RET.)
Williams served more than 37 years in the U.S. military and in 2022 became president of Hampton University, a private, historically Black university founded in 1868 — and Williams’ alma mater. A retired Army lieutenant general, Williams was the first Black director of the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency, where he oversaw nine supply […]
Education 2025: HENRY, DONNA PRICE
Henry is the college’s first female chancellor since its founding in 1954 as a junior college with two buildings. She presides over a four-year liberal arts college encompassing 396 acres with 26 main buildings, attended by more than 1,900 students. Chancellor since 2013, Henry previously spent 16 years in a variety of positions at Florida […]
Education 2025: CONSTON, MARCIA
Conston became TCC’s sixth president in January 2020. Laser-focused on ensuring student success despite the daunting challenge, she guided the college forward with a strategic plan — Innovate 2026 — and a vision “to be the community’s first choice for education, opportunity, partnership and innovation.” The second largest college in the Virginia Community College System, [&hell[...]
Government Contractors | Technology 2025: IPSEN, LAURA K.
After 25 years in Silicon Valley as an executive for Oracle, Microsoft and Cisco Systems, Ipsen was hired to lead higher ed tech company Ellucian in 2017. With 3,800 employees worldwide, Ellucian has an annual revenue approaching $1 billion and works with more than 2,900 customers across 50 countries, serving 20 million students. Ipsen is […]
Education 2025: WASHINGTON, GREGORY
In 2020, Washington became the first Black president of Virginia’s largest and most diverse public university. He was previously dean of the University of California, Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. A first-generation college graduate, Washington holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State U[...]
Education 2025: SCHMIDT, JAMES C.
Hired in March, Schmidt became JMU’s new president in July. He was most recently chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he was recognized as a “stellar fundraiser” and brought in one of the largest gifts in that university’s history: a $70 million athletics donation. Schmidt’s 30-year career in higher education, as well as […]
Education 2025: FITZSIMMONS, TRACY
Shenandoah’s president since 2008, Fitzsimmons joined the private liberal arts school in 2001 as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. This year, the university celebrated its 150th anniversary and had its largest graduating class in history. For the sixth consecutive year, Shenandoah was named a College of Distinction and it opened its Hub […]
VCU’s business school preps students for AI economy
VCU uses AI in business education and research, preparing students for careers while tackling ethics and energy issues.
Top Five: September 2025
The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from July 10 through Aug. 10 included news of a Virginia company tapped by President Trump to build a $200 million addition for the White House. 1 | Judge blocks Youngkin university board appointees In a win for Virginia Senate Democrats, a Fairfax County Circuit Court […]
GMU president’s lawyer calls DOE findings ‘legal fiction’
George Mason University President Gregory Washington's attorney advised that Washington should not apologize.
Virginia aims to boost university startups
Virginia's Lab-to-Launch aims to double university startup spinoffs with a fast-track license and stronger private sector collaboration.
