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Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: CRAIG P. ABOD
As president of Carahsoft, the privately owned IT and cybersecurity solutions provider, Abod prefers staying out of the media spotlight. It’s enough that everyone in the government contracting industry knows him. A University of Maryland alumnus who founded Carahsoft in 2004, Abod previously worked for DLT Solutions and Falcon[...]
Education 2023: MAJ. GEN. DONDI E. COSTIN (U.S. AIR FORCE, RET.)
A retired 32-year Air Force veteran who served as the branch’s chief of chaplains at the Pentagon, Costin became president of Liberty, one of the nation’s largest Christian universities, in August. Costin, who received master’s degrees in counseling and religion from Liberty, retired from the Air Force in 2018 to become pr[...]
Manufacturing 2023: NEIL D. WILKIN JR.
Under Wilkin’s leadership, Optical Cable made a strong finish at the end of fiscal year 2022, with $69.1 million in revenue, up nearly $10 million from the previous year. A three-time graduate of the University of Virginia, with undergraduate, MBA and law degrees, Wilkin was an attorney at McGuireWoods and Kirkland & Ellis[...]
Transportation 2023: JOSEPH P. ‘JOE’ RUDDY
In 2021, Ruddy was tapped a second time to be COO for the Virginia Port Authority’s nonprofit affiliate that operates the Port of Virginia, one of the state’s chief economic drivers. Ruddy, who held the same job from 2011 to 2014, is responsible for operations, information technology, safety, security, capacity expansion pro[...]
Finance | Insurance 2023: VICTOR K. BRANCH
A self-described “continuous learner,” Branch found his passion for banking right out of college, steadily ascending to his current role, which he has held since 2015, overseeing about 2,000 employees at 25 locations, while remaining active in his community. The William & Mary sociology graduate is chairman-elect of the [...]
Real Estate 2023: GARY BOWMAN
Bowman was a principal for 15 years at Urban Engineering before founding Bowman Consulting, which started as a five-person company at its inception in 1995. The publicly traded engineering services firm now has about 1,700 employees and 80 offices nationwide, including eight in Virginia. The company moved up 31 spaces to No. 87 [...]
Real Estate 2023: RYAN T. McLAUGHLIN
One of the largest regional Realtor associations in the United States, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors represents approximately 13,000 real estate professionals transacting more than $18 billion in sales annually in the Washington, D.C., metro area. McLaughlin became its CEO in 2015, after serving as CEO of Greater[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: DELBERT PARKS
In 2021, Parks joined Micron as site executive for its Manassas manufacturing lab. The facility’s 2019 expansion remains the largest economic deal in state history, with more than $3 billion in investments and 1,000 new hires planned by 2030. Parks worked as an electrician during high school before earning his bachelor’s and[...]
Energy 2023: JOHN D. HEWA
In late April, residents in Louisa and Goochland counties were connected to broadband internet through a partnership between Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Firefly Fiber Broadband and the two counties. The project’s completion marked significant progress in state efforts to digitally connect rural, underserved regions. Hew[...]
Manufacturing 2023: ROB WERGE
Werge became president and CEO of Cadence, a contract manufacturer of medical and drug delivery devices, last year. He has more than 30 years of experience in technology-driven contract manufacturing, including leadership positions at Nypro (now Jabil Healthcare), where he led its consumer and electronics business for the Americ[...]
Finance | Insurance 2023: JEFF BENTLEY
Bentley runs the sixth largest credit union in Virginia, but over the course of his career, he’s learned that leaders can control only so much; sometimes you must “go with the ebb and flow of life.” Northwest marked $4.1 billion in assets during fiscal year 2022, down slightly from 2021’s $4.35 billion. The credit union [...]
