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Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2024: ANGELA F. WILLIAMS
President and CEO of United Way since 2021, Williams is the first Black woman to lead the organization. Previously, she was president and CEO of Easterseals and executive vice president at YMCA of the USA. United Way Worldwide and its four partners in the Power Forward Communities coalition received a $2 billion, seven-year Nati[...]
Retail 2024: DALE FARINO
A former board vice chair, Farino was named CEO of Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority in April, succeeding Travis Hill, who led the agency for nearly a decade. Farino was executive vice president of Sandston-based Breakthru Beverage Virginia, a wine and spirits wholesaler and brokerage company, and previously worked a[...]
Health Care 2024: DR. MICHAEL J. DACEY
Dacey has stayed busy since January 2023, when the Riverside Health System president added CEO to his title and responsibilities. Riverside has more than 9,500 employees and operates seven hospitals in Newport News, Williamsburg, Hampton, Yorktown, Gloucester and Onancock, as well as 110 medical offices in the region. In May, Da[...]
Retail 2024: JERRY MURRELL
As a young student in Michigan, Murrell’s academic struggles prompted a warning from a nun at his Catholic school: He would end up flipping burgers. It took a few years, during which he earned an economics degree from the University of Michigan, worked in life insurance, got married twice and had five sons. But eventually [&he[...]
Real Estate 2024: LOUIS J. ROGERS
Since Rogers founded Capital Square in 2012, the real estate investment company has completed more than $7.8 billion in transaction volume and grown from handling mainly Delaware Statutory Trust 1031 Exchange offerings to launching a real estate investment trust and developing and operating multifamily properties across the nati[...]
Manufacturing 2024: CHRIS KEFFER
Keffer, who took over leadership of U.S. operations in August 2023 for German chainsaw and power tools manufacturer Stihl, has been leading Stihl’s transition toward battery-powered equipment, a $60 million-plus investment that included conversion of 84,000 square feet of warehouse space to battery tool manufacturing. He joine[...]
Education 2024: AIMEE ROGSTAD GUIDERA
In 2021, Guidera was the first secretary appointed by newly elected Gov. Glenn Youngkin. A proponent of charter schools and parental involvement in education, Guidera is responsible for leading the state’s public schools and has significant influence on postsecondary institutions, including the Virginia Community College Syste[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: MAHFUZ AHMED
In the mid-1990s, Ahmed founded what’s now Dexian as a side venture while working as a consultant for Northrop Grumman and a senior technical manager for Mobil Oil. Today, the McLean-based provider of staffing, IT and workforce solutions employs about 12,000 workers across 70 locations worldwide. Originally known as Digital In[...]
Insurance 2024: THOMAS S. GAYNER
Gayner has led the Fortune 500 insurance company as sole CEO since early 2023, after serving more than six years as co-CEO with Richard Whitt III, who retired last year. Before joining Markel in 1990, Gayner was vice president of Davenport & Co. Markel reported operating revenues of $15.8 billion in 2023, an increase from [&[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: KAREN DAHUT
In October 2022, Dahut became CEO of Google Public Sector, a subsidiary of the tech giant focused on government and educational contracting. Before joining Google, Dahut led Booz Allen Hamilton’s $4 billion global defense business. Dahut served in the U.S. Navy for six years, including at the Navy Medical Research Institute in[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: CRAIG P. ABOD
Since Abod founded Carahsoft in 2004, the privately owned IT and cybersecurity solutions provider has grown to land the No. 45 spot on Forbes’ 2023 list of the nation’s largest private companies, with $11 billion in revenue and 2,470 employees. Abod is a University of Maryland alum who previously worked for DLT Solutions and[...]
Retail 2024: ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ MYERS BORCHES
Founded in 1924 by Borches’ great-grandfather, Carter Myers Automotive is Virginia’s fifth largest car sales group, with 24 dealerships selling 18 brands. It currently ranks No. 87 on Automotive News’ Top 150 Dealership Groups list, down 12 spots from 2023. Borches became CEO in 2012. The company employs more than 1,000 pe[...]
