Ghanim is currently president of Search for Common Ground, a $60 million nonprofit organization focused on ending global conflict, which he has led since 2018. Previously, he worked for ChildFund, formerly known as Christian Children’s Fund, as executive vice president for programs, as well as holding executive roles in Africa, Asia and the Americas. He started his career in international development with CARE Sudan, eventually working for the global organization in Somalia and India, as well as leading its regional learning program. Ghanim, who is from Sudan and received his master’s degree at the University of Khartoum, will rejoin ChildFund on March 1.
“Our decision was unanimous, and we are incredibly pleased to welcome Isam,” Lyn McDermid, ChildFund’s board chair, said in a statement. “He was a standout among the 100-plus candidates we considered, with his remarkable breadth of experience, diverse contributions, already-established credibility within ChildFund and the unprecedented growth he led at Search for Common Ground.”
The 83-year-old ChildFund, which had a $208.8 million operations budget in 2020, assisted 16.2 million children and family members in 24 countries last year, focusing on education, health care, workforce training and other initiatives. Ghanim was appointed after a six-month global search process led by Russell Reynolds, an international search firm.
“I am beyond thrilled to leave the leadership of ChildFund’s in Isam’s hands,” Goddard said in a statement. “Of course it is bittersweet, but I could not have hoped for a more fitting successor, someone who also knows and loves ChildFund. Make no mistake, though — Isam loves ChildFund enough to challenge it, and he won’t hesitate to do so. And that, especially, fills me with great hope for ChildFund’s future impact for children.”
Boyd will replace interim dean S. Douglas Pugh on July 1. She is currently associate dean for innovation, outreach and engagement, as well as the Fred T. Tattersall Chair of Finance in the Chambers College of Business and Economics at WVU. She also was associate editor of Financial Statistics and served on boards for the Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, and the Managerial Finance journal, and was a financial analyst for the chief economist at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. At West Virginia, Boyd started the Center for Financial Literacy and Education and a program that gives students the opportunity to manage an investment fund.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Naomi Boyd to VCU. Dr. Boyd is a proven leader and a visionary with a strong commitment to academic excellence, transdisciplinary innovation and student-focused, experiential learning,” Fotis Sotiropoulos, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement. “Her background, which spans academia, government, and industry, coupled with her impressive record of success in transforming student learning and supporting faculty to excel, make her the right person at the right time for VCU and the School of Business.”
A graduate of the University of Texas, Texas Tech University and George Washington University, Boyd said in a statement, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with the community of Richmond to empower the School of Business to take VCU’s explicit commitment of creativity and harness it to produce the next generation of business leaders who are good corporate citizens, well versed in emerging technologies, with strong entrepreneurial roots.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin rounded out his Cabinet picks Wednesday by announcing Angela Sailor as his choice for the state’s chief diversity, opportunity and inclusion officer, a change in title from the Northam administration’s post.
Sailor is currently vice president of the Feulner Institute at the Heritage Foundation and chief of staff to the conservative research institute’s president, Kay Coles James. She also is a member of the U.S. State Department’s Senior Foreign Service Selection Board and has spent most of her career in the federal government, including serving in the White House Office of Public Liaison during President George W. Bush’s administration. Her focus was primarily on domestic policy impacting senior citizens and Black Americans, including education, housing, health care, small business and faith-based initiatives.
In an executive order, Youngkin changed the title of the cabinet post from chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer — held by Janice Underwood from 2019 until Jan. 14 — and replaced “equity” with “opportunity.” The position will now have a “stronger and more focused role on promoting ideas, policies and economic opportunities for disadvantaged Virginians, including Virginians living with disabilities and bringing Virginians of different faiths together.”
Sailor also served as deputy chief of staff to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Rod Paige during Bush’s first term, from 2001 to 2005, when she led No Child Left Behind and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) initiatives, among other duties. She has worked for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, advised the Republican National Committee on budget and constituent services, and was director of African American affairs for Bush’s 2000 campaign. A graduate of Central State University, Sailor also holds law and master’s degrees from the University of Memphis and American University.
The Heritage Foundation established the Feulner Institute in 2019 to “reinvigorate civic culture and our national purpose,” with a focus on the nation’s founders’ values and principles, according to an announcement by James, who named Sailor as its first vice president.
The state’s DEI officer post was created in 2019 by Gov. Ralph Northam, following the blackface scandal in February of that year, and in 2020, the General Assembly passed a bill making the post a permanent Cabinet-level position, which Northam signed into law. Virginia is the nation’s first state to create a DEI post in the governor’s Cabinet.
“The people of Virginia elected the most diverse leadership in the commonwealth’s history,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Virginia is big enough for the hopes and dreams of a diverse people. Angela Sailor’s experience in government, nonprofits and the private sector will guide us as we ensure that the government is working for all Virginians across our diverse commonwealth, especially when it comes to economic opportunity for all Virginians. In addition, I will introduce and support legislation to change the name of the office to the Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion Office.”
Paul J. Wiedefeld, the general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, plans to retire in six months, the transit authority board chairman announced Tuesday.
Wiedefeld was hired in November 2015 to lead the authority, which manages the Metrorail and Metrobus transportation systems in the Washington, D.C., region.
In a statement, Wiedefeld said, “Forty-plus years in transportation teaches you that there is no set mile marker for this decision, but given the seismic shifts happening in transit and the region, Metro needs a leader who can commit to several years of service and set a new course.”
WMATA has had trials and tribulations during Wiedefeld’s tenure, particularly stemming from the COVID-19pandemic, when rider numbers plunged by 90% in 2020 and still have not recovered. Metro projects to be carrying about 75% of its former passengers by 2024. The agency also has had to sideline more than half of its rail cars since October 2021 due to a safety defect, which causes their wheels to widen from their axles and possibly run off track.
Wiedefeld also has overseen massive expansion of the Metrorail system, including the Dulles-bound Silver Line, reconstructing the platform at the Reagan Washington National Airport, building a new station at Potomac Yard and a second entrance to Arlington’s Crystal City Metro station, projects either completed or in progress. Wiedefeld said he expects to continue focusing on moving Metro’s headquarters, restoring full rail and bus service and opening the Silver Line extension. He also is credited for emphasizing safety through the SafeTrack program and developing a $2 billion annual capital program for repairs.
Before joining WMATA, he was CEO of BWI Airport and the Maryland Transit Administration.
“There is no doubt that Paul Wiedefeld was the right man at the right time to guide Metro out of very dark days,” Board of Directors Chair Paul C. Smedberg said in a statement. “Paul is an extraordinary executive, and the board deeply appreciates his effective leadership and, most recently, his collaboration with us as we worked together to overcome an unprecedented set of challenges during the pandemic.”
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner issued a statement praising Wiedefeld’s work during the pandemic and overcoming other challenges. “As the WMATA Board of Directors searches for the next general manager and CEO, it must focus on finding candidates who are equally committed to maintaining transparency, cooperating with state, local and federal partners, and most importantly, prioritizing safety.”
Smedberg said the board will conduct a national search for Wiedefeld’s replacement and will discuss succession planning publicly at the board’s meeting on Feb. 10.
A Fairfax County-based software consulting and managed services company, Intact Technology, is creating a second presence in the state with a location in Richmond, an expansion expected to create 125 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday.
According to Intact Technology CEO Jesse White, the company is exploring options in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom neighborhood. “Our application process has begun,” he added in a statement later Wednesday. “We are looking for dynamic individuals wanting to start or enhance their career in IT. The anticipated start date will be early May with eight weeks (paid) of intensive IT training. One of the unique aspects of Intact’s hiring is that it is not about the experience, not that we don’t value it, but it is about the individual and their potential — the ability to adapt to different situations and to take up the challenge to learn. We value empathy over expertise, listening over speaking, execution over analysis, and challenge over comfort. This opportunity is for people who are creative, passionate, resilient, self-motivated and strive to positively impact those around them.”
The firm, which moved its headquarters from Maryland to Reston in 2020, will invest $1.5 million in the city, the governor’s office said. In October 2021, Intact Technology announced it would expand its headquarters, creating 40 jobs. The state competed with Maryland and Washington, D.C., for the Richmond project, Northam said in a statement.
“Virginia has emerged as one of North America’s premier locations for the tech sector due to our competitive operating costs, top-ranked higher education system and skilled workforce,” Northam said in a statement. “Intact Technology’s decision to open a second location speaks volumes to the many industry advantages offered by the commonwealth, and we look forward to the company’s success in the city of Richmond with this new venture.”
Intact has been named to the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s Tech 100 list, and it also has appeared for five consecutive years on The Washington Post’s Top Workplace rankings, since 2016.
In securing the project, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the city and the Greater Richmond Partnership, and Northam approved a $350,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the city of Richmond. Intact Tech is eligible for state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Virginia Jobs Investment Program will support employee training at no cost to the company.
With an all-time high number of Virginians hospitalized for COVID-19 on Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam issued a 30-day executive order Monday to expand the number of available hospital beds, increase staffing capacity at hospitals and nursing homes, and allow public health agencies greater flexibility.
“It is painful to see the number of COVID cases rising,” Northam said at what he promised to be his final COVID press conference before leaving office Saturday, after conducting more than 70 updates over the past two years.
Although the fast-moving omicron variant of COVID is widely viewed as a less-lethal variety, the vast majority of Virginians hospitalized with the coronavirus are not vaccinated, Northam said, citing current numbers from Ballad Health that 91% of current COVID patients in its hospitals and 97% of those on ventilators have not received shots. There are more positive cases among people who are vaccinated, but in general, their cases are not severe enough to require hospitalization. Northam urged anyone who can to get vaccinated.
Last week, the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians urged Northam to declare an emergency to open more testing sites run by the Virginia Department of Health; the governor said nine sites that will be adjacent to vaccination centers will offer PCR tests, and he said a federal plan to provide free rapid tests will help satisfy current demand.
“This virus has shown that it can mutate efficiently, but humans have shown we can fight back. We’re going to have to live with this disease,” Northam said. “Everyone who can needs to be vaccinated.” He said that the decision to declare a state of emergency was made over the weekend following Friday’s single-day high of 3,329 hospitalizations reported by the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. In conversations with health systems around the state, the governor said that hospital administrators said they needed a loosening of state statutes regarding medical practice, allowing more people to be able to work in hospitals in Virginia. Many hospitals around the country are suffering from staff shortages, in part due to COVID and career burnout.
The emergency order directs the state health commissioner to waive normal bed licensing requirements, allows hospitals to increase their licensed bed capacity and mandates increased coordination between hospitals and local medical services agencies.
The order also directs actions intended to boost staff in hospitals and nursing homes. It allows providers with an active out-of-state license to practice in Virginia, authorizes physician assistants with two or more years of clinical experience to practice without a written supervisory agreement, increases provider-to-patient ratios and provides certain liability protections to health care workers acting in good faith.
Additionally, the order makes the transfer of patients to state-operated psychiatric hospitals more flexible.
Cynthia V. Bailey, counsel to the governor, noted that people with out-of-state medical licenses will be able to work in Virginia, for instance, under the state of emergency. Northam said that he has spoken to Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, who takes office at noon Saturday. A Republican, Youngkin has said that he and Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares will challenge President Joe Biden’s COVID vaccination mandates on employers, but Youngkin has also promoted vaccination and getting booster shots six months after the first two doses.
Youngkin, Northam said Monday, “has communicated too with the hospitals. We want this [transition] process to be consistent and be on the same sheet of music.”
After being stranded with hundreds of other motorists on Interstate 95 for nearly 27 hours, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine arrived at his office in Washington, D.C., just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to CNBC.
The 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday morning that he had been stuck on Interstate 95 overnight, since 1 p.m. Monday, penned between tractor-trailer trucks. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the highway was closed in both directions over a 50-mile stretch between exits 152 and 104 between Prince William and Caroline counties due to winter weather, stranding hundreds of people in cars overnight north and south of Fredericksburg.
Kaine told Washington, D.C.-area radio station WTOP, “This has been a miserable experience, but at some point I kind of made the switch from a miserable travel experience to kind of a survival project.”
“I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday,” Virginia’s junior U.S. senator wrote just before 9 a.m. Tuesday while stranded just north of Fredericksburg in Stafford County. “19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol.” He posted a photo from his vehicle showing three trucks stopped in front of him. Just before 10 a.m., a staff member in Kaine’s Senate office said he had made some progress and had hoped to be in Washington, D.C., by noon. Meanwhile, WTOP reported that hundreds of vehicles were at a “standstill” overnight, although some were making their way off southbound I-95 on Exit 152 for Dumfries Road. The snarl was caused after tractor-trailers jackknifed in the winter storm, according to Associated Press reports.
VDOT‘s Fredericksburg district Twitter account reported power outages, multiple vehicle crashes and closed lanes beginning around noon Monday, as heavy snow fell across the state. Early Tuesday, the department reported that crews were mobilizing to take people stranded on the highway to alternate routes, using exits in Garrisonville, Carmel Church and Ladysmith to move them.
“We know many travelers have been stuck on Interstate 95 in our region for extraordinary periods of time over the past 24 hours, in some cases since Monday morning. This is unprecedented, and we continue to steadily move stopped trucks to make progress toward restoring lanes. In addition to clearing the trucks, we are treating for snow and several inches of ice that has accumulated around them to ensure that when the lanes reopen, motorists can safely proceed to their destination,” Marcie Parker, VDOT Fredericksburg district engineer, said in a statement.
Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted Tuesday morning that his team has been working with multiple state agencies — including Virginia State Police, VDOT and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to respond to the situation. “State and local emergency personnel are continuing to clear downed trees, assist disabled vehicles and re-route drivers,” he wrote. “An emergency message is going to all stranded drivers connecting them to support, and the state is working with localities to open warming shelters as needed.”
People responding to Northam’s tweets described a dire situation, with one man saying he’s been stuck in his car for more than 18 hours without insulin and others asking why the Virginia National Guard has not been deployed. (Northam told WTOP Tuesday morning that the National Guard was available but had not been called.) About 8 p.m. Monday, VDOT Fredericksburg tweeted that their staff didn’t have a timetable or an educated guess on when traffic would resume on I-95.
“Please know our crews don’t stop,” the tweet read. “Crews will work 24/7 until ALL state-maintained roads are safe for travel.”
In November 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam sat down for an interview with Virginia Business, looking back at his eventful four-year term. This is a transcript of the full interview, part of which was used in the January 2022 cover story, “A dramatic shift.” The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Virginia Business: What gubernatorial accomplishments are you most proud of?
Gov. Ralph Northam: Just generally speaking, since I took office in 2018, our goal has always been to build a Virginia that works better for everyone — no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from. I’m very proud to say that we’ve done just that. As far as our accomplishments, I could talk a lot about what we’ve been able to do, but I think if you ask the average person on the street, “What’s the most important thing to you?” it’s certainly going to be a job that you can support yourself and your family with.
We’ve really focused on our economy. We’ve reached out to a lot of businesses that were growing here in Virginia and also businesses that want to come to Virginia. I just came back from a trip a few days ago to Europe, a [Nov. 7-12, 2021] trade mission. I talked to over 25 companies from five different countries. The enthusiasm, the excitement of companies wanting to come to Virginia is at a level that I’ve never seen and I don’t really think has ever been present.
They like Virginia for a lot of reasons, but certainly, our talented workforce. I had to talk about that in more detail, but we have invested in our world-class education system and companies recognize that. We’ve done so much good work with transportation. We’ve updated our port, put over a billion dollars in investments to dredge the channels, got deeper to 55 feet, and widened it to accommodate the larger ships coming out of the Panama Canal.
We’ve got billions of dollars in the queue for projects throughout Virginia. Transportation projects, a lot in Northern Virginia with the American Legion bridge and the Long Bridge, which is bringing rail and transit into Virginia more efficiently. The 95 coming down through Fredericksburg with the HOT Lanes and then all of the transportation projects in Hampton Roads, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. I could talk more of the details, as much as you want about that.
We’re expanding I-81, expanding [Route] 58 where Lover’s Leap goes through Patrick County, so a lot of transportation. That’s really important to businesses. The fact that we’re moving toward renewable energy is a big deal with companies. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of solar projects going on in Virginia and now our off-shore wind putting out about 188 more wind turbines. We’ve already got two off the coast. I just had a big announcement with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy in partnership with Dominion.
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks July 1, 2021 at the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, with U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (left) and Gov. Ralph Northam standing by as Haaland announces the start of the federal government‘s review of Dominion Energy’s offshore wind project.
We’re going to be able to service off-shore wind for all of the East Coast right out of Hampton Roads. That’s billions of dollars that we have now to pick up jobs, and so that’s a big deal. Then, a couple of other things I’ll just mention that we’ve been able to accomplish, but certainly our investment in broadband, that has been a top priority of mine since I’ve been in office. When we came in, see, Virginia was investing less than $4 million a year in broadband. A combination of what we’ve put into the state, what we got from ARPA and the private sector, we’re over $2 billion.
You contrast $4 million four years ago and now investment over $2 billion, and broadband will be universal in Virginia by 2024, so that’s a big deal. Then, health care, obviously, I’m a physician, but I worked hard to make sure that everybody in Virginia had access to affordable and quality health care. We expanded Medicaid and because of that, over 550,000 Virginians now have access to health care, and especially during a pandemic, that’s been really important.
I would say also, when we talk about what I’m proudest of and I have my background in health care, but we followed the science to keep Virginia safe during COVID-19 all while keeping our businesses open and thriving. In addition to our booming economy and it is booming right now, I’m proud that Virginia has been among the lowest case in death rates in the nation and we’re in the top 10 of all states for COVID-19 vaccination.
That didn’t happen in the past because, I think, [federal] leadership didn’t follow the science and the data in making decisions that were certainly difficult at times, but certainly keeping in mind that trying to keep Virginians as safe and healthy as we can. Then, hey, the last thing I would mention, and I’ll be quiet if you want, but I will tell you what it’s so important — and I hear it every day — is the fact that Virginia is a welcome state in terms of inclusion. We’ve done a lot to protect women’s health care in Virginia.
We’ve done a lot to prevent discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Companies have recognized that and they will not go to a state that is not inclusive, a state that doesn’t embrace diversity. I have put Virginia in a really good position. Just to sum things up, companies are excited about coming to Virginia.
VB: Is there anything particular that you have learned during your term, and what do you wish you had more time to do?
Northam: It’s a great question. As you know, I’m a child neurologist, so I believe that there’s power in every child, that every right has the right to a world-class education, and so, Pam, my wife, and I have worked very hard to make sure that three- and four-year-olds in Virginia have access to early childhood education. I don’t think the results of that we’ll be seeing this year or next year, but I think in 20 years from now people will look back and say, “Wow, that was really a big accomplishment.”
We’ve put this template, if you will, in place to make sure that all the children have access. We still need to do some funds for that. I’ll plan on doing that in my 2022 budget. There’s still some work to do there, but I think every child should have access to early childhood education. Then the fact that I ran in 2017 on the G3 program [Get a Skill, Get a Job, Get Ahead community college initiative], and we’ve been able to put that in place.
That has been very successful. A lot of Virginians just go to our community colleges not having to pay tuition and also have costs wrapped around services to include transportation and child care, so that’s a really good program. Since you’re writing for a business magazine, I’ll tell you something that companies really like is our Talent Accelerator Program.
We actually go on-site and see what the requirements are for their employees, and then come back, and we train those employees. When their business starts, they already have the workforce in place. That is something that [Virginia Economic Development Partnership] along with the Virginia Community College System worked on. This is a model for the rest of this country, so that has been very successful.
There are a couple of community colleges that we have as models, but I would like to see on-site quality child care in all of our community colleges in Virginia. A lot of our students that are being trained and retrained for their jobs, it’s really important as they pursue their education to have access to quality and safe child care. That’s something that we’ll continue to work on.
VB: I wanted to go back to February 2019, when the blackface photo in your yearbook was made public. Obviously, that was a tough time and there was a lot of turmoil. Did you ever consider resigning? If you did, what convinced you to stay in office?
Northam: That was a difficult time for Virginia. I am pleased that Virginia stuck with me. I travel around the commonwealth and listen to a lot of people. I’ve learned a lot. I think people have always heard me say, “The more I know, the more I can do.” What I learned, I was able to turn into action and I think, because of that, Virginia is in a much better place.
We’re a welcoming state. We embrace diversity, and we’re inclusive. I think that it was a difficult time for Virginia, but Virginia stuck with me. We’ve been able to learn and build, and we’re in a much better place. I think that’s reflected in our business environment. Like I said, companies want to come to Virginia because we embrace diversity, and we’re inclusive and we’re welcoming.
VB: Was there one particular person who did support you behind the scenes? Because you say Virginia stuck with you, but there were a lot of people who were calling for you to resign. Was there somebody who said, “I’ve got your back,” or just something that really made you feel like you were doing the right thing in that moment?
Northam: I think there were a lot of people that supported me. I think Virginia — I reached out and they were receptive. They supported me, and I think the rest is history.
VB: What do you think was the most important result of this event? How did it change your priorities with regard to legislation or other policies?
Northam: I’ve always been a listener, and equity has always been very important to me. It’s been a top priority of my administration. When this happened, I sat down with my cabinet secretaries. We said we still have a number of inequities in Virginia, whether it be access to health care, access to world-class education, access to business opportunities, access to voting. I asked my cabinet directly to focus on the work that they were doing, and make sure that equity was a large part of that. That’s what they’ve done, and I think that’s why we’ve been as successful as we have.
VB: I had the pleasure of talking to Janice Underwood, Virginia’s — and the nation’s — first chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. How important was it that she came on board?
Northam: She’s done a very good job. I oversee over 100,000 state employees, [and] I think it was obvious that this diversity, equity and inclusion needed to be a part of how we govern Virginia. No state has ever had a Cabinet-level position that deals with DEI. We did a job search, and we had over 30 interviews, and we were very satisfied and pleased with Dr. Underwood’s resume. I met with her a couple times before we offered her a job.
She’s come in and started the program, One Virginia Plan. It reaches out into our cabinet secretaries. It reaches out into our agencies here, into our colleges [and] universities, and she has just done an amazing job. Again, as I said earlier, Virginia is a better commonwealth, a better state because of her efforts, and because of our initiatives to make that hire.
VB: Was there one particular person or group that you heard from in 2019 that helped you create policies, maybe something that you hadn’t thought about doing, but you decided it was a high priority for you?
Northam: I pretty much went on a listening tour. I traveled around the commonwealth, met with a lot of groups, and just learned a lot and then I was able to bring that back to Richmond and turn it into action. We’ve put a lot of emphasis, for example, on the disparities in maternal and neonatal health, I’m very proud of that. We’ve offered financial aid to undocumented students. We’ve been working on tribal justice.
VB: I wanted to ask you about the past two years’ legislative agenda. As you’ve noted that Virginia has passed some of the most progressive legislation ever in the South, do you think that that led to the Republicans‘ wins in November? Do you think this was a reaction by people who just thought this is too much?
Northam: The measures and the legislations that I’ve led and we passed, it’s what the people of Virginia wanted, and we’re in a better place now.
Probably the toughest day of my four years was when I was called and heard that there was a mass shooting in Virginia Beach.
I got in the car and drove very quickly to Virginia Beach. On my way there, the number of the casualties continued to rise as well as those that were injured. We lost 12 Virginians to that tragedy. As a result, I hope you remember this, I called the legislature back to Richmond for a special session. The Republicans took less than 90 minutes and then adjourned. Nothing was done. Virginians said “enough is enough,” and so we brought back the commonsense gun pieces of legislation. They were passed. That’s a result of listening to what Virginia needed.
Another example, look at the disparities with the use of marijuana. People of color and white Virginians use marijuana at the same rate, but people of color, Black Virginians are three times more likely to get arrested and convicted than white folks are. I pushed hard on that to really deal with that disparity. I’m proud of that.
The death penalty is another example. Virginians said it was time after 400 years that we stop the death penalty in Virginia.
There’s been a lot of examples like that: We listened to Virginians, we took action. I think history will show that Virginia’s a better place. I really don’t think a lot of that had anything to do with the recent election.
VB: What do you think was the reason behind the election results, then?
Northam: It’s part of democracy. What happened is that more people voted for Glenn Youngkin against Terry McAuliffe, and so he’s the governor-elect. That’s what makes our democracy strong and again, as far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to be able to play Monday morning quarterback.
I will say that history will show that these four years that we have been in office here has been probably the most successful administration in Virginia history. That is a testament to the tremendous team that I’ve been able to put together.
VB: Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken over a lot of your term. What was the most difficult part of dealing with that and communicating to Virginians how to stay safe?
Northam: As a doctor, I follow the science in keeping children safe during COVID-19. I followed the data, and Virginia is one of the top states. We have one of the lowest case [rates] and the lowest death rates. I look at the numbers every day,. We’re having around 1,400 to 1,500 new cases a day, and 30 to 35 deaths per day.
I’ll repeat that, 30 to 35 people in Virginia are dying every day because of COVID-19, and it is totally avoidable. We have worked so hard to make sure that we have [personal protective equipment] in Virginia. We’ve worked hard to make sure that we have testing capability. Now, we have three safe and effective vaccines — the Moderna, the J&J and the Pfizer — and we have done everything that we can to make sure that we’ve taken the vaccines to the people of Virginia.
There are a number of individuals that have said, “No, I don’t want to get vaccinated. I don’t want to wear a mask. I don’t want my children wearing masks in school.” That’s been one of my largest frustrations. Virginia has done well, but we probably could have had this pandemic in the rearview mirror if everybody would be part of the solution, if everybody would look at this like a biological war, which is really what it is.
It’s not between people, it’s between us and a virus, and the science is clear. People need to roll up their sleeves and get the shot, and then we can put this behind us. That’s been a frustration for me.
Gov. Ralph Northam receives his Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the Virginia Executive Mansion on March 15, 2021. Credit: Jack Mayer/governor’s office
VB: You’ve talked about your own COVID case from September 2020 and not being able to smell or taste. Is that still the case? Do you think those senses are ever going to come back?
Northam: Yes. [laughs] If I had a crystal ball, maybe it would be helpful.
It’s a little bit more complicated than “can’t smell and can’t taste.” I can smell a little bit, but it’s not normal. I don’t want to get into all those medical reasons for that. Now, my taste has been affected as well. The bottom line is that I’m still alive, thankfully. It could have been a lot worse. I’m dealing with that, it’s not a big problem.
I just would encourage everybody else out there, don’t take the chance or you’ll lose your smell or your taste or have other long-term COVID side effects. Or worst-case scenario, you could die.
That would be my encouragement, to get out there and get vaccinated and put this behind us.
VB: Have you gotten your booster?
Northam: I have. My initial shot was the J&J, which you probably know is a one-time shot, and then a couple of weeks ago, when it was available, I got the Moderna booster. I would encourage all parents to have their children, 5 and above, vaccinated.
VB: What are your plans after leaving office?
Northam: Back in the late ’90s, I co-founded and I’m a co-owner of a group called Children’s Specialty Group [in Norfolk]. We started with about 30 pediatric sub-specialists, and I’m a child neurologist. We have pulmonologists, cardiologists, hematologists. Now, we’ve grown our group to about 100 pediatric sub-specialists. We employed around 250 people, so I’ll go back to patients. In January, I’ll go back and join my practice.
VB: The presidency of the Eastern Virginia Medical School, your medical school, is open. Have you thought about it?
Northam: Well, I’m focused right now on getting back to my practice. There’s a lot of children out there with neurological issues that hopefully could use my services. I’m looking forward to going back to my practice, working with the children and their families.
VB: We haven’t even touched on Amazon, but HQ2 was a huge deal during your term. What do you think will be the biggest impact of that deal? Are there any other economic development projects that happened during your term that you think will impact business in Virginia in coming decades, maybe something that was lower profile than Amazon?
Gov. Ralph Northam announces that Northern Virginia will be home to a new Amazon headquarters in November 2018. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Northam: Just two days ago, I was at National Landing Park [in Arlington] to celebrate the three-year anniversary of Amazon choosing Virginia as its next home. They have literally transformed Crystal City, which is now National Landing. It’s just amazing to see what is done for Virginia’s economy. When we negotiated that deal, 70% of the incentive package [for] Amazon goes right back in investment in Virginia.
We knew this was going to be necessary; a lot of it is going back into workforce development. There [will be] 31,000 additional degrees in higher education in computer science and technology, which is the groundbreaking for the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. To keep that pipeline open between the education system and the business sector is really important. A lot of those individuals will probably work for Amazon, but it’s not required, so they can work in a lot of businesses.
A large part of that 70% investment was in infrastructure in that area and also affordable housing. We have made a lot of progress — and still [have] a lot of work to do — but we made a lot of progress making sure that people have a roof over their heads, especially during COVID-19 with our Rent Relief Program.
When we talk about the site development — the permitting, the utilities, the energy, the transportation, all of those things that go into site development — we really have to continue to focus on affordable housing.
We just had that announcement in Wythe County that we’re adding 2,500 employees to a company that makes nitrile gloves. When you say, “Well, that sounds good, but those people need a place to live,” part of that site development has to be in planning for affordable housing, and I think we have a good recipe for that.
Overall, again, just to summarize things, Virginia is doing very well right now, and I’m proud of this work that we’ve been able to do. When I turn the keys over in January, I can promise you the new government [will have] financial reserves and the largest surplus in history, a booming economy with more job opportunities than ever before, and public housing. This is important; housing policies have made Virginia the most welcome and inclusive state in this country.
VB: What do you think your enduring legacy will be?
Northam: I think, as I said earlier, it’s been my goal to just really build a Virginia that works better for everyone no matter who you are or where you’re from, and so that’s overall what I’m proud of. I’m proud of the team that we put together way back during transition. My cabinet secretaries are so talented. They’ve done so much good work. It’s also the most diverse cabinet in the history of Virginia and a majority of women, so [I’m] very proud of that.
All the other things that we’ve been able to do in Virginia, I don’t know if I’d rank them one higher than the other, but again, just making a Virginia that works better for everyone. That’s what we’re proud of.
VB: I wanted to ask you about VMI and the investigation into racism and sexual harassment there. How are you feeling about that process?
Northam: I think the mission of VMI is [as] important today than it ever has been to train citizen soldiers that embrace integrity and dignity and honor, and, obviously, it’s what gave me the foundation that I’ve built my life on.
I am pleased with the new superintendent, [retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins]. He has tremendous vision. He’s obviously an alumnus, a wonderful military career.
He is working very closely with the Board of Visitors, and they have great vision and realize that the school has to reflect who we serve. They get that, and they are making VMI a more welcoming, more inclusive school, and so I think VMI is better for that. I’m very proud of the work that has been done and will continue to be done.
VB: Do you think that the students and alumni have bought into it?
Northam: No question.
VB: Is there anything else you want to talk about?
Northam: I’ve already spoken to this just a little bit, but I think this administration is probably, in the history of Virginia, the most progressive and also the most successful in Virginia history. At the same time, our economy is doing better than it has ever done. It’s proof that you can have both. We can have a progressive plan and administration, and we can have an economy that’s doing excessively well. I think that would be the legacy that I’ll leave behind.
VB: Is there anything that you wish to say to Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, any advice that you want to give him?
Northam: I’ve had a couple of really productive meetings with Gov.-elect Youngkin, and I’m really not one to give advice. I answer and I listen, answer the questions, but I’m confident that he will lead Virginia well.
Four years ago, no one would have guessed Gov. Ralph Northam would lead the most progressive Virginia administration in modern memory.
A native of Onancock on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, as well as a pediatric neurologist and Army veteran, Virginia’s 73rd governor was eyed by some Democrats with suspicion after acknowledging he’d voted twice for President George W. Bush and had been courted by Republicans to switch parties while serving in the Virginia Senate.
As Northam prepares to hand over the Executive Mansion’s keys to Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin on Jan. 15, he leaves behind a legacy of governing amid a deadly global pandemic and perhaps the most racially tumultuous period in decades.
And his tenure as governor almost ended barely a year into his term.
The date everything changed was Feb. 1, 2019. In the middle of the General Assembly session, a photo from Northam’s 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook pages depicting a person in blackface and a second person wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe first appeared on a right-wing website. Northam quickly apologized in a video statement, acknowledging he was in the photo, although he did not specify which person was him.
State and national news media crowded into the marble halls of the Virginia State Capitol, waiting for the governor to resign in disgrace. State lawmakers issued statements condemning the photo. Former Democratic Govs. Terry McAuliffe, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner all called for Northam’s resignation. Rumors flew among state government workers and politicos that the governor would be stepping down imminently.
The day after his first statement, however, Northam held a press conference, this time denying he was in the yearbook photo but acknowledging a separate occasion during which he wore blackface dressed as Michael Jackson for a party. First lady Pamela Northam prevented the governor from demonstrating his moonwalking skills for the assembled media.
Amid the political pressure, it didn’t appear there was any path forward for Northam to remain in office — but stay he did, due to a confluence of events.
“I am pleased that Virginia stuck with me,” Northam says.
But it wasn’t as simple as that. Without a separate set of circumstances, Northam would likely have been a goner.
Pressure continued to mount for Northam to resign, which would have seen Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax ascend to governor. However, in the days that followed, two women made sexual assault accusations against Fairfax, charges he denies. As it looked like Fairfax too might resign, the chaos surrounding Virginia’s top Democrats continued. Attorney General Mark Herring admitted to wearing blackface at a University of Virginia Halloween party in the 1980s.
That bought Northam extra time.
He turned to Black clergy members and other community members, meeting with them in private to listen and learn over the next couple of months.
“I reached out, and they were receptive,” Northam says. “They supported me, and I think the rest is history.”
Depending on one’s political point of view, Northam either went on to earn Virginia a reputation as the most liberal state in the South through a sincere effort to make amends, or he made a dramatic, two-year effort to rescue his political career and authored his own party’s losses in November 2021.
Cheryl Ivey Green, the executive minister of the First Baptist Church of South Richmond, recalls meeting with Northam during that early period as part of a clergy group. Northam was “refreshingly honest about what happened,” she recalls. “What he made was a commitment to make it right and do right.”
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, left, gestures as his wife, Pam, listens during a press conference in the Governors Mansion at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. At the time, Northam was under fire for a racist photo that appeared in his college yearbook. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Green is the chair of the Virginia African American Advisory Board, which Northam created in March 2019 to advise him on areas of interest to Black Virginians, particularly education, health care, public safety, criminal justice and issues impacting small, Black-owned businesses. Green says she doesn’t know if the governor would have focused as much attention on Black concerns if not for the scandal — possibly because as a white man, he had not encountered racism on a personal level.
“When God opens a window because of an issue called ‘blackface’ or whatever, it’s used to open doors for things people like me have been fighting for for years,” Green says. “I’m just grateful he used that, but it took great courage to say, ‘I want to do right.’”
In May 2019, Northam created the nation’s first state cabinet-level post to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion within state government, tapping Janice Underwood in September 2019 as the state’s inaugural chief diversity officer, a position now preserved in Virginia code.
Tragedy, and a shift
Northam did not reemerge publicly in a prominent way until Memorial Day weekend 2019, when a gunman shot 16 people, killing 12, at the Virginia Beach municipal building. Police shot and killed DeWayne Craddock in a prolonged gunfight 35 minutes after the first shots were fired.
That was probably “the toughest day of my four years,” recounts the governor. “I got in the car and drove very quickly to Virginia Beach. On my way there, the numbers of the casualties continued to rise, as well as those that were injured.”
In assuming the familiar role of comforter-in-chief, Northam was able to place his blackface scandal on the back burner. He quickly called the Republican-controlled House of Delegates and the Democratic-controlled state Senate back to Richmond for a special session to enact gun control legislation.
“The Republicans took less than 90 minutes and then adjourned,” Northam says matter-of-factly. “Nothing was done.”
In November 2019, in what Northam attributes to voters saying, “enough is enough,” Democrats won control of the state House for the first time in nearly three decades — although the victory also was likely a reaction to the deeply scorned Trump White House and demographic shifts toward younger, more liberal and racially diverse populations in Northern Virginia.
Led by a previously moderate governor who was indebted to Black leaders who had supported him following the scandal, Democrats in the General Assembly had the power to pass a slate of the most progressive legislation ever seen in Virginia.
Within two years, personal possession of marijuana was legalized, the death penalty was banned, the state created its own voting rights act, minimum hourly wages rose, and abortion restrictions were rolled back. Northam also declared he would remove the state-owned monument to Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, calling it a relic of the Jim Crow era and a symbol of white supremacy. He also launched a state investigation into racist incidents at his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, following investigative news reports in 2020.
Republican Del. Todd Gilbert, who will become speaker of the House this month after two years of Democratic control, says Northam and state Democrats overreached with their agenda, contributing to Republicans’ dramatic statewide sweep in the November 2021 elections.
A “very cordial” relationship between Republicans and Democrats at the start of Northam’s term “abruptly ended on that day when the revelations of the blackface [photo] occurred, and I don’t know that I’ve spoken to [Northam] since,” Gilbert says.
“There were things that I would never [have] thought that a more middle-of-the-road Gov. Northam would have signed into law, that he was more than willing to sign into law to try and rehabilitate his image,” Gilbert adds. “Pretty much anything that the progressive left was feeding to him, he was putting pen to paper and making it the law of Virginia.”
Northam, predictably, takes a different view, declining to analyze the reasons behind his party’s losses.
“It’s part of democracy,” he says. “More people voted for Glenn Youngkin against Terry McAuliffe, and so he’s the governor-elect. I’ve had a couple of really productive meetings with Gov.-elect Youngkin. I’m confident that he will lead Virginia well.”
Shutdown in Virginia
It’s possible that Northam and state Democrats would have made even more progressive strides if not for the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic crisis. In March 2020, when Virginia recorded its first coronavirus cases, Northam took on a new role as public health leader.
In daily news conferences, Northam reported the commonwealth’s latest case numbers and death statistics and issued a series of executive orders aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. Social distancing and mask mandates encountered some pushback, typically from Republicans following the lead of President Donald Trump, who had declared the country would be back to normal by Easter 2020. By contrast, Northam was cautious, ordering broad shutdowns of schools and “nonessential” businesses through early June.
In September 2020, Northam and first lady Pam Northam contracted COVID-19. The governor says his sense of smell has returned a “little bit, but it’s not normal,” and his sense of taste is still dulled. “The bottom line … is that I’m still alive, thankfully. It could have been a lot worse.”
Although vaccines received federal approval in fall 2020, and vaccination of frontline medical workers started in December 2020, Virginia and other states hit a severe vaccine bottleneck in January 2021. Northam had just declared that doses would be made available to everyone age 65 or older, relying on a promised federal stockpile of vaccine doses that did not materialize. The governor unexpectedly found Virginia ranked last in the nation in vaccine administration efficiency.
“We were really supply-constrained,” recalls Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator.
In early January 2021, Northam “called us into the situation room” to discuss the problem, Avula recalls. The Virginia Department of Health “was not going to solve this on its own but needed the breadth of government.” Avula remembers the governor saying that “this had to be an all-hands-on-deck approach.”
By March 2021, the supply problem eased, only to be replaced with a growing unwillingness of some people to get vaccinated.
If there was one thing that rankled the governor publicly, it was outright opposition — primarily on the part of Republicans — to wearing masks and getting vaccinated. Northam saw it as a deadly politicization of a health crisis that has resulted in the deaths of more than 800,000 Americans in less than two years.
The usually mild-mannered Northam would sometimes call people who flouted COVID mitigation measures “selfish” during news conferences, saying they were putting health care workers and the general public at risk.
Even in November 2021, when Virginia was ranked No. 10 out of the 50 states for percentage of its population who were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, Northam was still frustrated that 30 to 35 Virginians were dying per day, a “totally avoidable” toll, he says.
“Virginia has done well, but we probably could have had this pandemic in the rearview mirror if everybody would be part of the solution, if everyone would look at this like a biological war, which is really what it is.”
Economic wins
Even amid the pandemic, the blackface controversy and the Democrats’ progressive agenda, one recent feature of Virginia politics remained steady through Northam’s term: economic development wins.
In November 2018, Amazon.com Inc. announced it would be locating its $2.5 billion-plus East Coast HQ2 headquarters in Arlington, bringing approximately 25,000 jobs. CNBC cited the deal in 2019 while anointing Virginia as its Top State for Business, an achievement Virginia repeated in 2021 after a one-year postponement in the rankings due to the pandemic. A plethora of big deals from Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Siemens Gamesa and other major corporations followed.
Stephen Moret, who was president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership from January 2017 through December 2021, says Northam was always willing to meet with business executives to seal economic development deals, and the governor’s cabinet members were particularly accessible.
Northam also invested heavily in workforce training, including the state’s Tech Talent Investment Program to produce more than 31,000 computer engineering and science graduates over 20 years, and VEDP’s Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a collaboration with the Virginia Community College System to provide free job training and assistance for companies locating or expanding in the commonwealth.
“I always found [Northam] to be smart and thoughtful,” Moret says, adding that, unlike some political leaders, Northam was willing to share credit for successes. “Governors love to make the announcements, but a lot of people contribute to these projects. I see his legacy as a combination of commitment to rural Virginia — particularly broadband access — and his support for major advances in talent development.”
Northam, who plans to return to his medical practice in Norfolk after his term ends, takes pride that his administration was “probably, in the history of Virginia, the most progressive and also the most successful. Our economy is doing better than it has ever done. It’s proof that you can have both. I think that would be the legacy that I’ll leave behind.”
University of Virginia alumni Donna and Richard Tadler made a gift of $5 million that will be used to create a professorship of entrepreneurship at their alma mater, U.Va. President Jim Ryan announced earlier this month.
The gift will be matched with $5 million more from the university’s Bicentennial Professorship Fund, for a total investment of $10 million, according to U.Va.’s announcement. The Tadlers, who live part time in Charlottesville, met at U.Va. and were married there in 1979. Richard Tadler is a 1978 graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce and has worked in private equity funding for 40 years. He is presently a senior advisor at TA Associates, where he has worked since 1987, and is based in Boston. Donna Tadler is a 1979 graduate of the School of Education and Human Development, and she worked previously at CYRK Inc.
“Much of what matters to donors is the opportunity to work across schools and curriculums,” Richard Tadler said in a statement. “That’s why a university professorship is so compelling to us. Entrepreneurship is still in the very formative stages in academic circles, and we wanted to focus on something that will be transformative for a university that was so important to both of us. This is a chance to include entrepreneurship as one of 10 very significant academic fields that can be raised to a higher level at U.Va. We are honored to help make that happen.”
U.Va. started the university professorship program to award distinguished scholars whose work is interdisciplinary, allowing the recipient to teach in any discipline at the university. The president and provost will appoint the holder of the Tadler professorship.
“Nurturing an entrepreneurial culture at U.Va. requires smart investment in faculty,” Ryan said in a statement. “With this university professorship, Donna and Richard Tadler are giving students across Grounds the opportunity to learn business and life skills that will foster growth and success. Donna and Richard are active and devoted alumni, and I am incredibly grateful for their generous gift. Their thoughtful investment will yield long-lasting benefits to our community.”
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