Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: ARTHUR ‘BO’ FISHER III
Bo Fisher spoke of “the great loss of my father, partner, boss and best friend,” when his father, Art Fisher, died in 2004. Already serving as president of Fisher Auto Parts, the younger Fisher was unanimously elected to succeed his dad as CEO and chairman of the board. He also serves as chairman of Federated […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2023: ERIC TERRY
With four decades of hospitality experience, Terry has advocated for the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association’s 1,500-plus industry members since joining as president in 2014. During the pandemic, Terry led the VRLTA in persuading state legislators to allocate $250 million in federal stimulus funds for industr[...]
Education 2023: KATHERINE A. ROWE
In 2018, Rowe took the helm of the nation’s second-oldest university, William & Mary, bringing with her a diverse educational background that includes degrees in literature, graduate work in cinema and media studies, and 16 years as an English professor and department chair at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. A Shakespea[...]
Government | Politics 2023: MAMIE E. LOCKE
Locke was the Atlanta Historical Society’s archivist in 1981, when she was asked to interview for a political science teaching position at Hampton University, where 42 years later she is a professor emeritus. She served as vice mayor and mayor of Hampton before her election to the state Senate in 2004. As many of her […[...]
Real Estate 2023: ROBB ‘R.J.’ JOHNSON
With 30-plus years of industry experience, Johnson worked with The Staubach Co. beginning in 1995, ultimately serving as president for the mid-Atlantic region until it merged with Fortune Global 500 commercial real estate company JLL in 2008. Johnson has served JLL clients from offices in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washi[...]
Transportation 2023: AUBREY L. LAYNE JR.
A former state secretary of finance and secretary of transportation under two governors, Layne currently chairs the powerful Virginia Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Virginia, one of the state’s primary economic engines. His five-year term on the board runs through June 2026. And in July, he marked two years at Sent[...]
Economic Development 2023: TODD P. HAYMORE
Since 2018, Haymore has led Hunton Andrews Kurth’s global economic development wing, providing strategic advice to guide multinational and national companies to expand or relocate their businesses to Virginia. In July, he became rector of Virginia Commonwealth University. Formerly the state’s commerce and trade secretary and[...]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: ISAM GHANIM
In his second year as president and CEO at ChildFund International, Ghanim continues to advance the organization’s mission of improving the well-being of children in some of the world’s poorest places. The 85-year-old international children’s charity has assisted more than 21.1 million children and family members in more t[...]
Real Estate 2023: KIM ROY
From a young age, Roy has been interested in being a builder, and in 2017, she was appointed the first non-family member to lead the 86-year-old company that employs more than 900 workers in the commonwealth. A Virginia Tech alumna with a bachelor’s degree in construction, Roy went to work at Hitt in 1999 as […]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: TERRY RYAN
A veteran of the federal technical services market, Ryan stepped in as CEO of the global risk management firm in 2021, following his tenure as its lead director. Ryan has more than 20 years of executive-level experience in the industry, including holding CEO posts at Adroit Systems, VT Group and Tenax Aerospace. He also held [&h[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2023: THOMAS J. BALTIMORE JR.
Baltimore joined the lodging real estate investment trust in 2016, shortly before its 2017 spinoff from McLean-based Hilton Worldwide Holdings. He has led the company through some of its toughest times as the pandemic squelched business and leisure travel. Park continues to bounce back from the pandemic-related downturn, reporti[...]
Real Estate 2023: MATT MALONE
Seeking to provide job opportunities to blue-collar workers and skilled tradespeople, Malone started Groundworks in 2016. With more than 700 employees in the state and 4,300 worldwide, Groundworks provides residential foundation and water management solutions, including foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space repa[...]