Hospitality | Tourism 2023: NEIL AMIN
As CEO of one of Virginia’s largest hotel operators, Amin brings a mix of hands-on experience and MBA expertise to the company his Indian immigrant father and uncle started in the 1970s. Amin lived with his family in one of their hotels in Chesterfield County until he was 12, pitching in with maintenance and handling […[...]
Law 2023: BROOKS M. SMITH
A leader in the energy and environmental law arena, Smith has been employed at the national law firm since 2013, after co-chairing Hunton Andrews Kurth’s global environmental practice. Named managing partner of Troutman Pepper’s Richmond office in 2019, he specializes in litigation, enforcement defense, project development a[...]
Real Estate 2023: JACKIE THIEL
Thiel was appointed president of Long & Foster Real Estate in March, replacing Larry “Boomer” Foster. She has been with the company since 1998 and was executive vice president of general brokerage operations before her promotion. Thiel oversees the company’s more than 200 offices and 9,000 agents across eight states an[...]
Finance | Insurance 2023: SIMON R.B. HAMILTON
Hamilton’s first job as a teen was mowing lawns — or, rather, running his own lawn-mowing business, with his brother as his first employee. That enterprising spirit has taken him a long way, first to a perch as vice president of investments at Baltimore-based advisory firm Ferris, Baker Watts, and then to Wise Investor Group[...]
Education 2023: GREGORY WASHINGTON
A first-generation college graduate, Washington became the first Black president of Virginia’s largest and most diverse public university in 2020. Trained in mechanical engineering at North Carolina State University, Washington was elected in February to the National Academy of Engineering. He was previously dean of the Univer[...]
Change management
Hands down, the most unintentionally funny of the alarmist stories about remote work must be the June “news” articles warning that by 2100, teleworking would result in a generation of obese, hunchbacked, prematurely aged people with swollen eyes, their hands permanently stuck in clawing gestures from using a mouse. Lest you [...]
2023 Virginia 500: Nonprofits | Philanthropy
Sherrie Armstrong PRESIDENT AND CEO, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR A GREATER RICHMOND, RICHMOND Dr. Elizabeth Cherot PRESIDENT AND CEO, MARCH OF DIMES, ARLINGTON COUNTY Jack Dyer “J.D.” Crouch II PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, ARLINGTON COUNTY Deborah M. DiCroce PRESIDENT AND CEO, HAMPTON ROADS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, NORFOLK […][...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: DOUG WAGONER
LMI has been busy making deals since Wagoner joined the government defense and consulting firm in 2020. It expanded its presence in the fast-growing space defense industry with the 2022 purchase of Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Synaptech and got a foothold in the public health sector with the 2021 acquisition of Suntiva. In M[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: JOHN HELLER
When Heller was named CEO of federal contractor Amentum in March 2022, he had just spent seven years directing growth strategy for Falls Church-based PAE, taking it from a $1.6 billion company to one valued at $2.76 billion. Amentum purchased PAE for $1.9 billion in cash in 2022 and moved its headquarters from Germantown, Maryla[...]
Law 2023: JOHN P. FISHWICK JR.
As founder of Fishwick & Associates, a trial law firm with a focus on personal injury, civil rights and federal criminal law, Fishwick stays busy. He also has a significant profile as a legal expert for the national media, appearing on CNN, MSNBC and Fox Business Network, as well as being quoted by The New […]
Health Care 2023: MICHAEL J. FRIEDLANDER
Friedlander is among the top leaders in Virginia focused on growing the biomedical research industry. Since he founded the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion a decade ago, the institute has doubled its lab facilities in Roanoke and expanded to new laboratories on the Children’s National Research &am[...]
Transportation 2023: JUDY BARRETT
The second woman president in the Virginia Maritime Association’s 102-year history, Barrett is a prominent face in the area’s banking, maritime and sailing communities. A banking executive with more than 30 years of experience, she has been with TowneBank for over 16 years. Barrett also serves as board president of Norfolk F[...]