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-P[...]
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 Was[...]
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 reha[...]
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 [...]
Government | Politics 2024: LUKE TORIAN
As chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Torian oversees the creation of the single biggest piece of legislation his chamber passes every year: the budget. Difficult in the best of times, the budget process in recent years has been complicated by divided state government. In 2023, with Republicans in control of the House [...]
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[...]
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, includi[...]
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 ban[...]
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[...]
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 starte[...]
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 Nor[...]
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 in[...]




















