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Economic Development 2023: STEPHANIE LANDRUM
Economic growth in Northern Virginia continues surging with the ongoing construction of the $1 billion Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard. In February, development reached a milestone when officials raised a steel beam to the 11th floor of the campus’s anchor building. The 300,000-square-foot structure is expected[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: STU SHEA
A fixture in the national security industry, Shea has led the expansion of a 6-year-old private company into a major defense contractor through a series of acquisitions, including the 2021 purchase of Northrop Grumman’s federal IT and mission support services business. The growing company recently moved its headquarters from H[...]
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[...]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: SHERRIE ARMSTRONG
The Community Foundation for a greater Richmond has been committed to improving the quality of life for residents in the Richmond region for more than 50 years. Last year the foundation awarded more than $4.6 million to 125 local organizations through its annual Community Impact grants program, helping individuals and families b[...]
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[...]
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[...]
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[...]
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[...]
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 […[...]
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: LAURA D. LAFAYETTE
Established in 1874, RAR is Central Virginia’s largest trade association, serving more than 5,000 Realtors in the region. A Richmond native and a champion for affordable housing, Lafayette has been with the association for more than 16 years and also serves as CEO of the region’s Multiple Listing Service. In 2022, Lafayette [...]
Telecommunications 2023: MATTHEW J. DESCH
Iridium launched five spare satellites in May, completing its plans to upgrade the resilience of its constellation of communication satellites. It now has 66 operational crosslinked satellites and 14 spares. Iridium’s mobile voice and data satellite communications network is used in ships, planes and land vehicles and for Inte[...]
