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Nonprofits/Philanthropy: JENNIFER MORRIS
Morris has spent roughly 25 years working to protect the environment, most recently as CEO for The Nature Conservancy; before that, she was president of nonprofit Conservation International. She recently weighed in on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling curbing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. “This case may be comple[...]
Real Estate: KIM ROY
When Roy was a child, her mother had a post-church Sunday ritual: eating chocolate doughnuts and touring model homes for fun. That piqued an interest in building in Roy, who went on to take drafting classes in high school and studied building construction in college, setting her on her life’s path. With a degree in […]
Real Estate: CARL L. HARDEE
Hardee has been with Lawson more than half of its 50 years, becoming president and CEO in July 2016. He oversees a 198-employee company with 4,600 apartment units across Virginia, with 1,200 units in development. Hardee graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1987. A U.S. Army veteran, he serves on TowneBank’s Portsmouth[...]
Manufacturing: JOHN W. STREET
Street launched his nearly 50-year career with Ethyl Corp. as vice president of health, safety and environment in 1975 after he graduated from Mississippi State University. Although he left in 2007 for a comparable role with Ethyl’s sister company, Afton Chemical Corp., Street returned to Ethyl after three years. Since 2015, [...]
Arts/Entertainment/Sports: PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Virginia Beach’s city manager and mayor were unable to persuade Grammy-winning star Williams to keep his Something in the Water Festival in the city where it debuted in 2019, with $24 million in economic impact. In June, Williams moved the three-day music festival to Washington, D.C., citing his dissatisfaction with how Virgin[...]
Education: DONNA PRICE HENRY
In addition to serving as chancellor of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (a post she has held since 2013), Henry teaches in its biology department. She also launched the school’s largest fundraising campaign, aiming to raise its endowment by $100 million. Additionally, a 2019 state law opened in-state tuition ra[...]
Government/Politics: L. LOUISE LUCAS
If you didn’t recognize Democratic Party stalwart Lucas for her bright wardrobe and the fact that she’s been in the Virginia State Senate for 30 years, you may recognize her as one of the biggest online critics of Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other Virginia Republicans. The first woman and Black person to serve as the […[...]
Health Care: DR. ERIC EDWARDS
Edwards and his team at Phlow are pursuing a monumental goal. In May 2020, just four months after Edwards co-founded Phlow, the Trump administration awarded the company $354 million to create a domestic supply chain for COVID-19 drugs and other essential drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients in short supply. Phlow has partnered w[...]
Transportation: DAVID C. WHITE
White’s best advice is to follow the Golden Rule, a lesson handed down to him by his parents. He joined the VMA in 2003 and advocates for its 500 member companies before state and federal leaders. The association’s priorities include encouraging investment in education and training, increasing the inventory of shovel-ready s[...]
Law: JOHN ‘JACK’ LAVOIE
Lavoie leads the Reston office of an international law firm that employs 1,500 attorneys in 17 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe. The location puts this office in the “technology hotbed in Northern Virginia,” says Lavoie, who heads the firm’s real estate practice group. Lavoie’s clients include institutional [...]
Law: COURTNEY MOATES PAULK
Paulk is a construction lawyer who has led Hirschler’s 90 attorneys since 2018 as the firm’s first woman president. Her focus has been on growing the firm, known for its real estate and construction law practices. In addition to leading the firm, Paulk also heads Hirschler’s litigation section. The University of Mary Washi[...]
Real Estate: LAURA DILLARD LAFAYETTE
Lafayette has been with the Richmond Association of Realtors for nearly 16 years, representing more than 6,800 Realtors in Central Virginia. She also serves as CEO of the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service. An advocate for affordable housing, Lafayette previously was executive director of regional nonprofit The P[...]
