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Manufacturing 2023: JEREMY HOFF
Hoff joined Hooker Furniture in 2017. He served consecutive terms as president of the upholstery, case goods and then legacy brands divisions before being named its first nonfamily CEO in 2021, the same year the company rebranded as Hooker Furnishings. Hoff serves as treasurer for the High Point Market Authority and is a board member […]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: LT. GEN. JAMES B. LASTER (USMC, RET.)
Toys for Tots is far more than a Christmastime charity. During its 2022 campaign, the foundation distributed more than 24.3 million toys, books and games to a record 9.9 million children in need during its 75th year. “There are approximately 11 million children in the U.S. who live at or below the poverty level,” says […]
Professional Services 2023: CASSIE HARTOGS
In May, Hartogs was promoted to managing partner of tax people operations, a position in which she’s responsible for more than 3,800 tax professionals nationwide at professional services company BDO USA, the U.S. member firm of BDO Global, the world’s fifth largest accounting network. Based in McLean, Hartogs previously served as BDO’s Atlantic region managing […]
2023 Virginia 500: Education
Makola M. Abdullah PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, ETTRICK Javaune Adams-Gaston PRESIDENT, NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY, NORFOLK Jonathan R. Alger PRESIDENT, JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY, HARRISONBURG Peter Blake DIRECTOR, STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA, RICHMOND Lance R. Collins VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA TECH INNOVA[...]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2023: KEVIN W. LEMBKE
Lembke has spent his entire career in the amusement park industry, starting at SeaWorld Orlando in 2000, and he’s been president of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA since 2018 (except for a brief break in 2019). In preparation for the park’s 2023 season, he oversaw the opening of two new rides: DarKoaster, an […]
Education 2023: MICHAEL RAO
In his 14th year at VCU, Rao has had a year of ups and downs. VCU opened its $125 million STEM building in April, and in May it announced an $18 million donation from Washington, D.C.-based real estate analytics company CoStar Group to build an academic building for arts and innovation. However, VCU Health made […]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: MEHUL P. SANGHANI
A Virginia Tech graduate, Sanghani runs one of the fastest growing federal contractors in Virginia’s tech sector. In December 2022, IBM announced it would purchase Octo from Arlington Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum, and Octo is now a part of IBM Consulting’s U.S. public and federal market arm. Born in India, Sanghani was raised […]
Health Care 2023: LT. GEN. TELITA CROSLAND
Previously deputy surgeon general for the U.S. Army, Crosland became director of the Defense Health Agency in January, following her confirmation last year by the U.S. Senate. With a staff of nearly 140,000 civilians and military personnel and a budget of more than $54 billion, the decade-old Defense Health Agency is responsible for providing medical […]
Manufacturing 2023: ASHLEY B. SMITH
Smith, the third generation of his family to lead the precast concrete company, became CEO in 2018 and board chairman in 2022. The Fauquier County business was started by his grandfather, David G. Smith, in 1960 as Smith-Cattleguard, named for its concrete cattleguard innovation. By 1995, Smith-Midland was a publicly traded company. Today, the company […]
Manufacturing 2023: JOHN M. STEITZ
A global manufacturer of plastic films and aluminum extrusions, Tredegar is a 1989 spinoff of Richmond fuel additives company Ethyl. Steitz was named president and CEO in 2019 following the retirement of John D. Gottwald, who had served in the role for 30 years. Steitz had served on Tredegar’s board of directors since 2017 while […]
Education 2023: JAVAUNE ADAMS-GASTON
Rising in prominence since Adams-Gaston became its leader in 2019, Norfolk State now ranks regularly in the top 20 historically Black colleges and universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. In 2021, Norfolk State received its largest single-donor gift, $40 million from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The […]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: JENNIFER BOYKIN
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and a master’s in engineering management from George Washington University, Boykin began her career at Newport News Shipbuilding in 1987 in the nuclear engineering division, moving up the ranks, before becoming president in 2017. She’s the first woman to lead the […]
