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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: JAFFRAY WOODRIFF
In April, the University of Virginia opened the School of Data Science building, which was built using a portion of a $120 million gift in 2019 from the Quantitative Foundation, the family foundation of Woodriff and his wife, Merrill, who are both alumni. The donation remains the largest in U.Va.’s history. Woodriff started st[...]
Transportation 500: NISSIM YOCHAI
Yochai was tapped as Zim American’s president in October 2022. The U.S. company, a subsidiary of Israeli cargo shipping company Zim Integrated Shipping Services, moved to the Hampton Roads region in 2001, and last year announced it was investing $30 million to relocate and expand its U.S. headquarters, which moved from Norfolk[...]
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: 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 [...]
Living Legends 2024: MARY McDUFFIE
A Wellesley College alumna, McDuffie served as Navy Federal Credit Union CEO from 2019 until her retirement, announced in September 2023. Dietrich Kuhlmann, formerly the credit union’s chief operating officer, succeeded McDuffie on March 1. Before joining the credit union in 1999, McDuffie was senior vice president of marketin[...]
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[...]
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[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: BILL MONET
Monet leads Akima, an Alaska Native corporation that handles federal contracts for the for-profit NANA Regional business owned by Indigenous Iñupiat shareholders. Akima has more than 10,000 employees across the world. With more than 30 years of experience in modernizing processes for federal, state, local and commercial clients[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: CHRISTOPHER J. NASSETTA
Nassetta is the longtime president and CEO of one of the world’s largest hospitality companies. Hilton has a portfolio of 7,600 properties and 24 brands in 126 countries and territories, ranging from luxury brands like Waldorf Astoria to suite hotels such as Embassy Suites by Hilton. Nassetta joined Hilton in 2007 after invest[...]
Insurance 2024: FRANK LUCIA
Since 2017, Lucia has led Delta Dental of Virginia, one of the state’s largest dental benefits providers, and its holding company, Corvesta. Delta has about 250 employees in Virginia and posted $780 million in 2023 revenue. Previously, Lucia was president and CEO of Dean Health Plan in Madison, Wisconsin, and worked in finan[...]
2024 Virginia 500: Law
FARHAD AGHDAMI MANAGING PARTNER, RICHMOND OFFICE, WILLIAMS MULLEN, RICHMOND JEFFREY A. BREIT PARTNER, BREIT BINIAZAN, VIRGINIA BEACH ROBERT P. BEAMAN III VIRGINIA BEACH OFFICE MANAGING PARTNER, TROUTMAN PEPPER HAMILTON SANDERS, VIRGINIA BEACH DAVID C. BURTON REGIONAL MANAGING PARTNER FOR HAMPTON ROADS, WILLIAMS MULLEN, VIRGINIA BEACH VICTOR […][...]
