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KIM DAVIS | Executive director, Friends of Southwest Virginia, ’Round the Mountain Artisan Network and the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation
Building an inclusive creative economy in 19 counties, four cities and 53 towns requires more than vision — it demands the ability to unite communities around shared goals and to secure multimillion-dollar investments. Named executive director of a trio of entities that promote Southwest Virginia’s creative economy and t[...]
DORRIE FRANZELLO-KURTZ | Principal and client accounting and advisory services practice lead, Yount, Hyde & Barbour
With more than two decades of accounting experience, Dorrie Franzello-Kurtz focuses on attest and tax engagements for the construction industry and small businesses. She takes a strategic, forward-looking approach to her work, according to her nominator. Whether advising a client on accounting software transitions, improving wor[...]
DEBORAH GANDY | Senior managing director and wealth advisor and relationship manager, Chevy Chase Trust
The first Black cheerleader for her middle and high schools in Greensboro, North Carolina, Deborah Gandy knows a thing or two about blazing trails. In 1998, U.S. Trust (now Bank of America Private Bank) hired Gandy as a business development officer, making her the first Black person in that role in the wealth management firmR[...]
CHRISTINE GUSTAFSON | Vice president of marketing and public relations, The Breeden Co.
In 2020, Christine Gustafson joined Breeden as the first female on the real estate development company’s executive team. “That milestone wasn’t just symbolic — it marked a shift in how we approached leadership, communication and visibility as an organization,” she says. Gustafson was also the company’s fi[...]
JULIE H. GUSTAVSSON | Partner and chief operating officer, Keiter
When Julie H. Gustavsson made partner at Keiter in 2015, she was the first nonpracticing accountant to hold that role since the firm was founded in 1978. At Keiter, Gustavsson oversees the firm’s day-to-day operations and the development, planning and execution of its strategic plan. She manages Keiter’s information [...]
EMILY HARTMAN | North America general manager, Allianz Partners
Eight years ago, Emily Hartman joined Allianz Partners, a travel insurance and assistance company that’s a unit of German financial services company Allianz. After starting out as director of strategic partnerships, Hartman was later named head of e-commerce. In 2021, she became chief of Allianz’s USA business teams.[...]
NIKKI HASTINGS | Co-founder and executive director, CvilleBioHub,
Co-founded in 2016 by Nikki Hastings, CvilleBioHub works to accelerate the life sciences sector in the region by supporting biotech startups, facilitating strategic connections and building infrastructure to commercialize academic research. Hastings, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia, [...]
NANCY HELMAN | Director, Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
The first woman to lead the city’s tourism program since its inception, Nancy Helman oversees an organization that welcomes 14.1 million annual visitors, generating $3.8 billion in economic impact. In the role since 2021, Helman manages a multimillion-dollar budget and leads more than 100 full-time professionals tasked wit[...]
AMANDA HERRON | Partner and U.S. internal audit leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
As U.S. internal audit leader, Amanda Herron’s responsibilities at the Big Four firm include oversight of methodology, marketing, innovation and client management. Early in her career, Herron liked the challenge of tackling specific audits. These days, she gravitates toward big picture topics. “I get a lot of energy thin[...]
CAROLINE LAWSON | Director of M&A and corporate development, Air Control Concepts
Early this year, Caroline Lawson joined Air Control Concepts, a Norfolk-based company that partners with and supports commercial HVAC solutions providers. In that short period, Lawson executed multiple strategic acquisitions that expanded Air Control Concepts’ presence across the United States and Canada, according to her [...]
JENNIFER S. LEHMAN | CEO and managing partner, Hantzmon Wiebel
If a time traveler had visited Jennifer S. Lehman during her early days as a first-generation college student at James Madison University to reveal she would one day be the first female CEO at Hantzmon Wiebel, a Charlottesville accounting firm founded in 1928, it likely would have been a shock. Initially, Lehman planned to becom[...]
MARY N. MANNIX | President and CEO, Augusta Health
Since 2008, Mary N. Mannix has led Augusta Health, which has 2,600 employees who work at the community-owned hospital, family practices and other outpatient facilities. The health system has expanded in recent years, with Shenandoah Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and Rockingham Family Physicians joining the Augusta Med[...]
