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Arts/Entertainment/Sports: CLAY CAMPBELL
Campbell, who’s been president of Martinsville Speedway for nearly 35 years, runs the track his grandfather built in 1947. He worked at the track from a young age, mowing grass and painting walls, and started in the maintenance department after graduating from high school in 1978. The Martinsville native is a pilot and a forme[...]
Education: TIMOTHY ‘TIM’ SANDS
Having previously served as acting president, executive vice president and provost of Purdue University, Sands joined Virginia Tech as its president in 2014. Since then, the land-grant university has expanded statewide, particularly in Alexandria, where it broke ground on its $1 billion Innovation Campus in 2021. Nicknamed “th[...]
Federal Contractors/Technology: NAZZIC S. KEENE
Keene’s three-year ascent from chief operating officer to being named CEO of Fortune 500 contractor SAIC in 2019 was noted by WashingtonExec, which recognized her for the fifth time in 2022, citing her leadership in SAIC’s strategic growth. With an annual revenue of more than $7 billion, she oversees a workforce of more than[...]
Government/ Politics: WINSOME EARLE-SEARS
Earle-Sears made Virginia history last year when she was elected to the office of lieutenant governor — as the first woman to serve in the position, as well as the first woman of color and Jamaican-born person elected to statewide office in the commonwealth. As lieutenant governor, her primary duty is to break ties in [&hellip[...]
Health Care: MARK NANTZ
A relative newcomer to Valley Health, joining the Shenandoah Valley-based health care system in June 2020, Nantz is responsible for a team of 6,000 employees and six hospitals, including two in West Virginia. He previously held executive roles at Bon Secours Mercy Health, including as chief administrative officer and president o[...]
Hospitality/Tourism: CHRISTY S. COLEMAN
In late 2019, Coleman became the first woman and the first person of color to serve as executive director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the state agency that operates Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Although the pandemic briefly shut down both living-history museums, Coleman has since[...]
Law: DANIEL C. SUMMERLIN III
Summerlin joined Woods Rogers immediately after his graduation from William & Mary School of Law in 1997, and he now leads the nearly 130-year-old firm, which grew significantly larger this year after the Roanoke firm’s merger with Norfolk-based Vandeventer Black. Finalized on July 1, the merger formed what Summerlin calls[...]
Economic Development: CORRIE BOBE
Working in economic development has provided Bobe with the opportunity to be part of the significant transformation taking place in Southern Virginia. Promoted to director in 2020, she has helped the city of Danville land numerous investments, including a deal with Caesars Entertainment for a $650 million resort casino, as well [...]
Manufacturing: CHARLIE LUCK IV
Like his father and grandfather, Luck has been with his family business for most of his life, including as a trainee while attending Virginia Military Institute. He spent four years as a NASCAR driver, competing in what is now the Xfinity Series, before returning to Luck Cos., going on to become president and CEO in […]
Economic Development: WILLIAM H. ‘WILL’ PAYNE II
Under Payne’s leadership, InvestSWVA helped land Atlanta-headquartered EarthLink, which is set to create 285 jobs in Norton, part of a larger plan to market former coal-mining land for other uses. A graduate of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business’ Global Executive MBA program, Payne holds several significant[...]
Education: AIMEE ROGSTAD GUIDERA
With a background in K-12 education strategy, Guidera was the first person appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to his Cabinet, announced a month after the Republican was elected governor. Before becoming state education secretary, she ran an education consultancy, Guidera Strategy, and also founded the Data Quality Campaign, a no[...]
Education: BRIAN O. HEMPHILL
Hemphill is no stranger to building partnerships. After becoming Old Dominion University’s president in summer 2021, he helped forge a partnership between ODU, Norfolk State University and Eastern Virginia Medical School to create a regional school of public health. Later in the year, ODU, EVMS and Sentara Healthcare entere[...]
