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2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Mark Johnson
Johnson’s perhaps best known as a community leader in Hampton Roads. In 2011, he started work with SunTrust, after 17 years with the United Way, and in 2019, SunTrust and BB&T merged, creating Truist. In 2023, he was promoted to his current post, helping fund nonprofit community organizations. In 2022, he was honored at the […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Toni Stubbs
Stubbs was recognized in 2022 with the annual Women in Technology Award, presented by multiple cable telecommunications organizations. At Cox, Stubbs oversees network planning, engineering and telecommunications operations across the state, but she started with the company in Texas in 2005. She’s also Virginia chapter adviser for the Women in Cable Telecommunications board. FIRST JOB: […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Rahni N. Jenkins
Jenkins has led the Geller Law Group’s operations and human resources since 2023, but she worked with the firm as a contract consultant beginning in 2020. Before that, Jenkins held leadership roles at the March of Dimes and advised Microsoft and other organizations. She holds DEI credentials from Cornell and is a doctoral candidate at […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Dana Weston Graves
In 2020, Graves joined Sentara as president of its Princess Anne Hospital, an acute-care facility in southern Virginia Beach. She was previously president and CEO of UNC Rockingham Health Care in North Carolina and has degrees from the University of North Carolina and Emory University. Graves also serves on the YMCA of South Hampton Roads […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Clyde Clark Jr.
In addition to serving in Blue Ridge Bank’s middle market banking group, Clark is assistant treasurer of the Virginia Maritime Association board, board chair of the Urban League of Hampton Roads and past chair of the Chesapeake Economic Development Authority. Clark has worked in community banks for more than 30 years. FIRST JOB: Bagger/cashier at […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Zenith Barrett
Since 2010, Barrett has worked in business and community engagement in western Virginia, both on the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board and at the regional Goodwill. In 2024, she became vice president of advancement, leading the nonprofit’s philanthropy, government affairs and engagement activities. FIRST JOB: I worked in my hometown for the Mayor’s Summer Youth […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Shaun Buford
Buford joined radio giant Audacy in 2012 as director of sales, receiving the additional title of vice president in 2022. Before joining Audacy, he was sales manager for CBS/Viacom and New Jersey-based radio station WQXR. In April 2024, Buford and Audacy stepped in for the rescheduled Something in the Water and held a music festival […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Jennifer V. Montague
In 2023, Montague was named president and COO of Columbia Gas, after serving as parent company NiSource’s senior vice president and chief customer officer. Her time in the energy industry goes back decades, having previously worked at BP and Commonwealth Edison. Montague also serves on boards for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, UNCF Richmond and […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Michael Elliott
In 2022, Elliott was named VCU Health System’s first chief operating officer, and moved to Richmond from Lynchburg, where he was chief transformation officer at Centra Health. He also worked for Sentara Health and earned a doctorate in pharmacy and master’s in health administration at VCU. In 2024, he was elected chair of the Virginia […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Roberta Tinch
Tinch has been a hospital leader for more than 15 years, including at HCA Johnston Willis Hospital in Richmond and HCA Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, and has been recognized for her volunteer work by the March of Dimes. In 2023, Tinch was named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Emerging Leaders. She joined Inova in […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Benita Thompson-Byas
Thompson-Byas joined the company started by her brother Warren Thompson right at its launch in 1992. Over the past three decades, Thompson Hospitality has grown from a group of 31 Big Boy restaurants to become the nation’s largest minority-owned hospitality business. Thompson-Byas is in charge of the company’s partnership with Compass Group, including more than […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Melissa Cade
Cade was promoted to her current role in January 2024, after 24 years with the credit union as director of its call center, director of retail, regional president of branches and senior vice president of product and innovation. She now oversees Chartway’s branch and member care teams, as well as the credit union’s multicultural initiatives. […]
