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Telecommunications: MATTHEW J. DESCH
Desch has led Iridium for 16 years and serves on its board. The satellite communications company connects clients around the globe, reporting more than 1.72 million subscribers and $614.5 million in 2021 revenue. Iridium operates 66 low earth orbiting satellites and works with partner companies to provide voice and data communic[...]
Health Care: WILLIAM B. ‘BILL’ DOWNEY
Since 2012, Downey has led Riverside Health System, where he oversees 9,000 employees and shepherds major projects to expand health care services in the Hampton Roads region. Earlier this year, Riverside broke ground on a building that will house the region’s first standalone 24-hour psychiatric emergency department, scheduled[...]
Finance/Insurance: MONIQUE S. ADAMS
Born out of recommendations from a group seeking to make Hampton Roads less dependent on federal defense spending, 757 Angels matches a network of more than 100 business and community leaders in the Hampton Roads region with Virginia-based entrepreneurs who need funding and mentoring to develop their early-stage companies. So fa[...]
Government/Politics: TIM KAINE
After the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Kaine and his congressional colleagues worked to respond with measures like passing a stimulus package, the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Act. After battling the virus himself and facing long-term effects, Kaine introduced the CARE for Long COVID Act this year. Kaine’s politic[...]
Manufacturing: ASHLEY B. SMITH
Although Smith became CEO in 2018, he did not become Smith-Midland Corp.’s board chairman until January 2022, after his father, Rodney I. Smith, stepped down after 62 years. The family company, founded in 1960 by David G. Smith (Ashley Smith’s grandfather), manufactures, licenses, rents and sells precast concrete products. T[...]
Education: GREGORY WASHINGTON
When Washington started as GMU’s president in July 2020, he made history as its first Black leader, joining during a particularly challenging time, after the COVID-19 pandemic moved classes online. Under Washington’s leadership, Mason has seen enrollment increase, and the university is expanding in Arlington, Fairfax and Pri[...]
Manufacturing: TOM HAYES
Hayes has worked at Swedish Match since 2006 and was promoted to group chief financial officer in 2018. In August 2020, he took over as president after Richard Flaherty retired. Swedish Match’s U.S. Division is based in Richmond, while Swedish Match AB is based in Stockholm. The company develops, manufactures and sells smoke[...]
Education: KARL McDONNELL
CEO of Strategic Education Inc., an education services holding company that owns for-profit Strayer and Capella universities, McDonnell was previously SEI’s chief operating officer and serves on its board of directors. He’s also served as president and CEO of Strayer University, which has an enrollment of more than 50,000 st[...]
Living Legends: J. KNOX SINGLETON
Back in 1983, when Singleton took a job as executive vice president for operations at Fairfax Hospital Association, he expected to stay only a few years. But a year later, he was made president of the three-hospital system, which he transformed into Inova Health System, now a $4 billion regional health provider with five hospita[...]
Manufacturing: PABLO DI SI
Di Si is credited as the chief architect for Volkswagen’s turnaround in Latin America, including its largest product launch, with 20 models. Amid a shakeup in leadership as the German automaker seeks to gain a foothold in the North American electric vehicle market, Di Si was named in July to succeed Scott Keogh, who has [&hell[...]
Manufacturing: R. MARCUS ‘MARC’ AMMEN
Ammen joined Universal Fiber Systems in 2000 and has served as its chief financial officer and president of its Universal Fibers Inc. subsidiary. A Clemson University alumnus, he has served as the fiber manufacturer’s CEO since 2009 and is on The Carpet and Rug Institute’s board of directors. Founded in 1969 in Bristol, Tenn[...]
Law: JONATHAN P. HARMON
Harmon is a highly sought-after and nationally recognized trial lawyer who brings in millions of dollars representing Fortune 500 companies in bet-the-company litigation actions. Harmon became the leader of Virginia’s oldest and largest law firm in 2017. Before that, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate and Gulf Wa[...]
