Real Estate 2024: SHAWN TIBBETTS
Tibbetts added the role of president to his chief operating officer position in February, when Armada Hoffler also announced it expects to appoint him as CEO in spring 2025 upon current CEO Louis Haddad’s retirement. Haddad will then serve as executive chairman for a year. A real estate investment trust that operates acros[...]
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[...]
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 [...]
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[...]
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[...]
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. Und[...]
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[...]
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. [...]
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[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: BRUCE L. CASWELL
Caswell joined government contractor Maximus in 2004 and has served as president since 2014; he became CEO in 2018. He started his career at what’s now PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving on to IBM, where he served as vice president of state and local government and education, as well as director of federal business devel[...]
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 […][...]
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 government contractor serving military installations across the H[...]




















