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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 […]
Energy 2025: BAINE, EDWARD H. ‘ED’
Raised on a Lunenburg County tobacco farm, Baine attended Virginia Tech, earning an electrical engineering degree. Starting out as an associate engineer, Baine has worked for Fortune 500 utility Dominion Energy for 30 years. Baine became president of Dominion Energy Virginia in 2020. Since January, following the retirement of Diane Leopold, Dominion Energy’s former executive […]
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 […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2025: TERRY, ERIC
With four decades of hospitality experience, Terry has advocated for the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association’s 1,500-plus industry members since joining as president in 2014. VRLTA and Virginia Tourism Corp. announced in June that the 2026 VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit — an annual gathering of 500-plus tourism professionals — will be at the Kalahari […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2025: COLEMAN, CHRISTY S.
As head of the foundation administering two museums of early American history, Coleman is at the forefront of educators weaving a nuanced and inclusive story of American history. She is the first woman and the first person of color to serve as executive director of the state agency that operates Jamestown Settlement and the American […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2025: KNIGHT, JUSTIN
As CEO of Apple Hospitality, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, Knight oversees more than 220 hotels, mainly Hilton and Marriott brands, across 37 states and Washington, D.C. He joined the company in 2000 and took over from his father, founder Glade Knight, in 2014. The elder Knight serves as the REIT’s executive chairman. […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2025: JAIN, AKHIL
Jain has run Landmark Hospitality Group for over a decade. With nearly 500 employees, the hospitality company manages, owns and develops hotels in North Carolina and Virginia under brands such as Marriott, Hyatt and Radisson. The company also expanded into housing in 2021, developing a 287-unit luxury apartment complex in Hampton. As part of the […]
Health Care 2025: ROSNER, DR. MITCHELL
A nephrologist who joined the University of Virginia’s medical school as a professor in 2005, Rosner stepped in as interim executive vice president for health affairs in February. His predecessor, Dr. K. Craig Kent, resigned after an investigation into allegations in a letter of “no confidence” signed by 128 physicians in 2024. Despite Kent’s departure, […]
Health Care 2025: LUNN, DR. WILLIAM
In 2023, Lunn was promoted to president of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA’s Capital Division, which includes 19 hospitals across three states, including Virginia. In October 2024, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Christiansburg opened a $14 million, 10,000-square-foot freestanding emergency room. In December, the Reston Hospital Center opened an inpatient cancer care unit with eight rooms as[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2025: HARDIE, MOLLY AND ROBERT
H7 Holdings is a private family investment company that owns and manages Keswick Hall and Golf Club in Albemarle County and the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Venture capital firm Level One Partners invests in the health care and life sciences sectors. The couple also runs the H7 Foundation, supporting educational and nonprofit endeavors, and […]
Health Care 2025: NEWMAN, DR. CHRISTOPHER
Newman took over as president and CEO of the regional health system in March, after serving as its chief operating officer and chief medical officer since 2019. Mary Washington Healthcare began as an eight-room hospital in Fredericksburg in 1899 and now encompasses two hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 80 health care facilities. Before […]
Health Care 2025: THOMAS, RONY
Under Thomas’ leadership since 2004, LifeNet Health has continued to grow since its 1982 founding as the Eastern Virginia Tissue Bank. Today, the nonprofit that provides organ, tissue and cell transplants has approximately 1,500 employees globally. In 2024, the organization worked with a record 299 people donating 857 organs for transplant, a 25% increase from […]
