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Hospitality/Tourism: RITA McCLENNY
Nobody would describe McClenny as a job hopper. Almost a decade has passed since former Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed McClenny to head Virginia Tourism Corp. (VTC). Prior to that, the Southampton County native ran the Virginia Film Office, a division of the VTC, for more than two decades. A graduate of Fisk University in Nashvill[...]
Law: THOMAS C. INGLIMA
Inglima has been behind the scenes for multiple multimillion- and multibillion-dollar national mergers, acquisitions and sales. The Duke University and Georgetown University Law Center graduate specializes in such deals involving media, manufacturing and health care companies. His practice also handles venture capital and securi[...]
Federal Contractors/Technology: DAVID DACQUINO
Dacquino, who has overseen the $1.6 billion federal contractor with about 9,000 employees since 2017, retired as Serco’s CEO in September 2021 but retains his position as chairman. He was succeeded as CEO by Tom Watson, senior vice president for Serco’s North American defense business. In September 2021, Serco was one of 55 [...]
Agriculture: GEORGE C. FREEMAN III
Universal Corp. may be the world’s biggest supplier of leaf tobacco, but foodstuffs have helped boost the company’s portfolio recently. “Our plant-based ingredients platform is coming together nicely and is exceeding our expectations,” Freeman said in his May fiscal year annual report. Universal’s president since 2006 [...]
Education: PETER BLAKE
A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business’ executive program, Blake has led the state’s higher education council for a decade. He previously was a SCHEV research analyst and also served as the state’s secretary of education from 2005 to 2006 and as vice chancell[...]
Transportation: JOHN CUOMO
“Passion drives excellence,” says Cuomo, adding that solutions are typically found “not in your office, but on the floor with your teams … [and] on the ground with your customers.” VSE, which reported $751 million in fiscal 2021 revenue, provides aftermarket distribution and maintenance, repair and overhaul services fo[...]
Telecommunications: CHRISTOPHER FRENCH
French, who’s been with Shentel since 1988, oversaw the $1.94 billion sale last year of Shentel’s wireless business to T-Mobile — which provided shareholders a special cash dividend of $18.75 per share. Now, French is focused on the company’s growth strategy around its regional fiber optic network. Its home and business[...]
Retail/Wholesale: ARIE KOTLER
Arko Corp., a holding company for the nation’s sixth largest convenience store chain, Richmond-based GPM Investments LLC, made the Fortune 500 for the first time in 2022, ranking No. 498. That’s an especially significant achievement considering the company began trading on the Nasdaq at the end of 2020. Kotler, a native of I[...]
Federal Contractors/Technology: DeETTE GRAY
Gray’s first job out of college was teaching math and science to middle schoolers in the 1990s. She integrated computers into the science curriculum to make learning more interactive and discovered a talent for writing code, leading her to become a software developer. Those experiences led her to CACI, where she works to moder[...]
Law: MARGARET HARDY
Hardy is an artist, farmer, registered nurse and accomplished attorney who represents health care clients, local governments and various businesses. She’s also Sands Anderson’s first woman president, the managing shareholder for its Fredericksburg office, leader of its health care group and a member of the firm’s governmen[...]
Economic Development: JARED CHALK
In September, Chalk started his new position as the Hampton Roads Alliance’s chief rainmaker. It’s a good fit, considering he had been serving as executive director of the Norfolk Economic Development Authority, as well as the city’s economic development director, since 2020. (He held the positions on an interim basis begi[...]
REAL ESTATE: MATT MALONE
Malone, the son of an enlisted sailor and a telephone operator, has said his blue-collar upbringing led him to believe that the U.S. economy undervalues men and women in the skilled trades and blue-collar workforce. His goal with Groundworks, a foundation services company he started in 2016, is to give those workers a career, no[...]
