Banking | Finance 2024: WAYNE F. WILBANKS
Wilbanks developed an interest in stocks and bonds at the age of 14. As a 16-year-old, he formed an investment partnership with other students. “I was hooked,” Wilbanks wrote on a Virginia Business survey. A graduate of Duke, Wilbanks co-founded Norfolk’s Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management in 1990, serving as[...]
Manufacturing 2024: WILLIAM F. ‘BILLY’ GIFFORD JR.
Joining the company at its subsidiary Philip Morris USA in 1994, Gifford became CEO of Fortune 500 tobacco products manufacturer Altria Group in 2020. He has held various executive posts at Altria for nearly three decades. Among Altria’s operating companies, in addition to Philip Morris USA, are U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, Joh[...]
Transportation 2024: JERROLD ‘JERRY’ MILLER
Founder of The Miller Group, the developer for Fairwinds Landing, Miller is guiding the development of the 111-acre project at Norfolk Southern’s Lambert’s Point Docks in Norfolk. The $500 million development will transform the former docks into a marine logistics center supporting the growth of offshore wind, shipbu[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: STU SHEA
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shortly after the 2024-25 Virginia 500 was released, Shea announced he would step down as of Sept. 9. He is being succeeded by Steve Schorer, former CEO of Alion Science and Technology. Shea has been a fixture in the national security industry for decades. Since taking the helm when it was formed in [&hellip[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: SCOTT McINTYRE
McIntyre was retained as chairman and CEO after Guidehouse, a federal contractor and global provider of technology and consulting services, was acquired by a Bain Capital Private Equity affiliate for $5.3 billion in December 2023. Guidehouse had been owned by Veritas Capital since 2018. Employing more than 17,000 people in 55 lo[...]
Real Estate 2024: DONALD E. STONE JR.
Bringing more than 25 years of engineering and architecture industry experience, including 10 years of corporate operational leadership, Stone joined Dewberry in 2008 as the company’s chief operating officer. In 2010, he became CEO. Stone came to Dewberry from O’Brien & Gere, where he held several corporate leade[...]
Banking | Finance 2024: SHANE McLAUGHLIN
In his role, McLaughlin oversees 88 branch locations and more than 750 employees. A Virginia Tech alumnus, McLaughlin joined Wachovia in 2004, working as a licensed financial specialist in Richmond. He quickly climbed the ranks, first taking a position as a financial specialist sales leader and, later, becoming West End distri[...]
Retail 2024: RICK DREILING
Dreiling’s first year as Dollar Tree’s CEO has seen a continuation of some of the tumult that preceded his time leading the Fortune 500 discount retailer. The chain reported $30.6 billion in revenue in fiscal 2023, but a $1.7 billion loss in the fourth quarter. Following that poor performance, the company announced i[...]
Energy 2024: ROBERT DUVALL
In his second stint at the helm of Virginia Natural Gas, Duvall is responsible for delivering natural gas to more than 310,000 customers across southeastern Virginia. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Clemson University, Duvall began his career in 1984 as a distribution engineer at Atlanta Gas Lig[...]
Real Estate 2024: TIMOTHY A. FAULKNER
Named CEO in 2022, Faulkner previously served as chief operating officer and president of property management for Breeden, which has about 425 employees in Virginia. Previously, Faulkner was president and COO of Lawton Lumber, and also worked for American Coating Technologies and Procter & Gamble. As Breeden’s CEO, he [...]
Education 2024: TROY D. PAINO
UMW had its most successful fundraising year so far in 2022-23, raising more than $21.36 million in gifts and pledges, including a portion of a $30 million bequest from a 1959 alumna to support undergraduate research and scholarships, announced in March 2023. Last year, Paino received the National Association of Student Personne[...]
Banking | Finance 2024: CECILIA A. HODGES
Hodges has worked in the banking industry for more than 37 years. Leading the greater Washington, D.C., and Virginia regions since 2018, Hodges manages teams in more than 60 branches, and she’s also well known for her community service, including for the Washington, D.C.-area Easterseals chapter and Women Giving Back, wh[...]




















