Health Care 2024: AMY SAMPSON
For more than a year, Sampson has led the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, where she oversees 4,000 employees, but she has worked for the pediatric health system for nearly 35 years. Established in 1961, CHKD offers special units for neonatal and pediatric intensive care, cancer care, acute inpatient rehabilitati[...]
Insurance 2024: MONICA SCHMUDE
Schmude doesn’t hesitate to tussle with health care executives. In April, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare distributed a statement complaining that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield had paid the hospital 25% less than other hospitals in Hampton Roads. By the next month, Schmude had fired off an editorial to The Virginian-Pilot[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: THOMAS J. BALTIMORE JR.
After completing major renovation projects at several properties in 2023, Park Hotels & Resorts reported higher first-quarter 2024 revenue per available room and occupancy compared to the same period in 2023. The company reported almost $2.69 billion in 2023 revenues, up from $2.5 billion in 2022. Park Hotels & Resorts a[...]
Law 2024: COURTNEY MOATES PAULK
Paulk has led Hirschler since 2018, when she became the first female president of the now-78-year-old firm, which has more than 90 attorneys in offices in Fredericksburg, Richmond and Tysons, and is the state’s seventh largest law firm. Paulk also heads Hirschler’s litigation section. After graduating from Mary Washington [...]
Banking | Finance 2024: RICHARD FAIRBANK
After earning an economics degree and an MBA from Stanford University over a decade, Fairbank landed at Virginia’s Signet Bank, where he co-created the business that became Capital One, the Fortune Global 500 credit card giant. Fairbank became CEO in 1994 during Capital One’s initial public offering. In 2023, the bank report[...]
Real Estate 2024: PATRICK BAIN
Bain joined Long & Foster Cos. in 2010 as president of its insurance and home warranty businesses. Berkshire Hathaway affiliate HomeServices of America acquired Long & Foster in 2017, and in 2018, Bain took on oversight of Long & Foster Property Management and Long & Foster Rental Service Center. Bain rebranded t[...]
Telecommunications 2024: DAVID WAJSGRAS
Wajsgras was named CEO of Intelsat in April 2022, shortly after the company’s emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and financial restructuring. Merger discussions between Intelsat and competitor SES stalled in 2023, but in April, the McLean-based satellite-services provider announced an agreement where it will be acquired by i[...]
Law 2024: MARGARET F. HARDY
Hardy became the first female president in Sands Anderson’s then-175-year-old history in 2017. The trajectory that took her to the top at the state’s ninth largest firm has been far from a straight line. A graduate of Johnston-Willis Hospital School of Nursing, Hardy worked as a registered nurse for 15 years, including a sti[...]
Education 2024: MAKOLA M. ABDULLAH
A scan of Abdullah’s accomplishments since joining the public, historically Black university in 2016 makes clear why his résumé includes so many accolades, prestigious board appointments and spots on top 10 and “best of” lists — not to mention a multimillion-dollar contract to stay on as president through 2029. Under h[...]
Real Estate 2024: DONNA MacMILLAN-WHITAKER
MacMillan-Whitaker has a history of working on major projects. As the development partner to Virginia Beach-raised music and fashion superstar Pharrell Williams, she’s been in the news most recently for the Atlantic Park project near the Oceanfront, the largest public-private partnership in Virginia Beach’s history. The $350[...]
Manufacturing 2024: TOM HAYES
Hayes began working for the tobacco products manufacturer in 2006, serving as chief financial officer and senior vice president before becoming president of Swedish Match in 2020. Swedish Match manufactures and distributes chew bags, moist snuff, cigars, tobacco-free nicotine pouches, matches and lighters. Among its notable bran[...]
Real Estate 2024: GEORGE B. CLARKE IV
In 1982, Clarke didn’t just graduate from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering; he also founded MEB General Contractors, a full-service construction firm and master builder. Launched with a handful of employees as a small federal govern-ment contractor serving military installations across the Hampton [...]