Educators

When Virginia regained the No. 1 ranking on CNBC’s annual Top States for Business list this year, one of the factors that put the Old Dominion over the top was our “wealth of colleges and universities,” lauded by CNBC as “the best in the nation.” These are some of the educators, researchers and administrators who helped the commonwealth earn that reputation.

Mark Blanks, Director, Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, Blacksburg

Mark Blanks holds a private pilot’s license and has worked in a variety of roles, including aircraft technician, in the aviation industry. But his career has taken off in the development of unmanned flight. He leads Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, an FAA-designated test site that works as a bridge between regulators and industry to advance the use of drones. One example is the launch this fall of the nation’s first residential drone package delivery system in Christiansburg, a partnership with Google’s parent company that makes deliveries typically “in less than 10 minutes from time of order.”  •

Shannon Blevins, Vice chancellor, Office of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Wise

In 2020, Shannon Blevins has plenty going on, from the college’s fifth SWVA Economic Forum in May to the opening of the Clinch River Ecological Education Center. A 2008 Lead Virginia graduate, Blevins works to bring economic opportunities to the Southwest region. Next summer, the recently opened Oxbow Center will host its first cybersecurity accelerator program. Southwest Virginia is often depicted as having a lack of jobs and opportunity, but Blevins says that the economic forum is “a celebration of place” and the talented people and assets that make the region unique.  •

Mary Lou Bourne, Director, technology information and economic development, James Madison University, Harrisonburg

Mary Lou Bourne didn’t expect to come back to Harrisonburg, where she grew up, because her husband, Jeff, works in college athletics, a notoriously transitory field. But since he became JMU’s athletic director, she has found a home for her work as an entrepreneurial eco­system “quarterback,” encouraging new businesses to grow in the Shenandoah Valley. She started as an entrepreneur herself and has served on numerous economic development organizations, including GO Virginia and Virginia’s University-Based Economic Development. “Connecting people is my favorite part of the job,” she says. “I’m very careful about the introductions I make.” •

Tom Dingus, Executive director, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Blacksburg

The literal road to the future runs through Blacksburg, where the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has become a major research hub for auto safety, smart roads and self-driving vehicles. The institute has been around for 30 years, and for three-quarters of that time, it’s been led by Tom Dingus, who holds an endowed chair in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics. Dingus brings a background in psychology, engineering, human factors and computer-aided design — a perfect combination for transportation technology. In a welcome note about the institute, Dingus touts its 500 employees, $110 million infrastructure, $45 million in research each year and “the largest group of driving safety researchers in the world.” •

Gregory Fairchild, Associate dean for Washington, D.C., area initiatives and academic director of public policy and entrepreneurship, University of Virginia, Arlington

Named the Poets & Quants 2017 MBA Professor of the Year, Gregory Fairchild has left the classroom at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business to oversee U.Va. programs in the Washington, D.C., area. He’s not at liberty yet to discuss specifics but does say there will be “exciting new developments” in 2020 in Northern Virginia, where Darden opened a facility in Arlington’s Rosslyn neighborhood. Also in the works is a School of Medicine campus at Inova Fairfax Hospital, expected to open in 2021.  •

Mark Gignac, Executive director, Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Danville

Mark Gignac operated businesses in Danville for 30 years before taking that experience to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The state-supported institute collaborates with academia and industry to diversify Southern Virginia’s economy. Initiatives range from workforce development programs such as GO TEC to the new Plant Endophyte Research Center, which studies beneficial soil bacteria to find sustainable agricultural solutions. In 2021, a 51,250-square-foot Center for Manufacturing Advancement is scheduled to help launch new or expanding manufacturing companies. The diversity of IALR’s work is reflected in a recent event titled “Unraveling the Mystery of Hemp Testing.” • 

Graham Henshaw, Executive director, William & Mary’s Alan B. Miller Entrepreneurship Center, Williamsburg

An entrepreneur turned educator, Graham Henshaw thinks it’s important for students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset regardless of their career goals. It takes more than domain expertise to change the world, he says. That’s why William & Mary’s Miller Center has added a new central campus location for its entrepreneurship hub to engage and encourage more students to learn to think like entrepreneurs. The center also will manage Launchpad, the regional business incubator for James City and York counties and the city of Williamsburg, offering a shared environment that he says will produce unique learning experiences resulting from “collisions between these two audiences.”  •

Karen Jackson, Interim executive director, New College Institute, Martinsville

The New College Institute, funded by the state, works to boost access to higher-education opportunities for students in Southern Virginia. Leading the charge anew is Karen Jackson, who served as secretary of technology under Gov. Terry McAuliffe. NCI’s board of directors appointed Jackson in June as interim executive director. How good is she? “We have found Babe Ruth,” state Sen. Bill Stanley, the board’s president, said of her qualifications, the Martinsville Bulletin reported. Jackson is a graduate of Christopher Newport University and holds a master’s in business administration from William & Mary. She also serves as president of the technology consultancy Apogee Strategic Partners. •

Dr. Karen C. Johnston, Associate vice president for clinical and translational research, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Dr. Karen C. Johnston helps take laboratory research findings “from bench to bedside” to improve patient care. The neurology professor at the School of Medicine oversees translational research at U.Va. and is part of a team that will take those efforts statewide. Translational research, she says, “is any research that takes some type of discovery and uses it to improve human health.” The Integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV) was awarded a National Institutes of Health grant to put new science and data science tools into the hands of researchers across the state. In addition to U.Va., the team includes Inova Health System, Virginia Tech, Carilion Clinic and other partners. “We are supporting the most innovative research that will improve the health of the people of the commonwealth,” she says. A classic example of this work, she says, “is taking a discovery in the laboratory — such as a new compound — to research in patients.” • 

Latitia D. McCane, Director of education, The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News

Latitia McCane is looking to Generation Z to transform shipbuilding for the digital age. The Apprentice School partnered with New Horizons Regional Education Centers in August to pilot a pre-apprenticeship program called Youth Builders. The program provides math enrichment, workplace mentoring and other trade-related training for high school students to increase their chances of qualifying for a paid apprenticeship. McCane was named last year to lead the school, which has about 800 students, and to craft a strategic vision for a second centennial that will include “a new era of i-Apprenticeship” for future shipbuilders.•

Brandy Salmon, Managing director, Virginia Tech Innovation Campus; associate vice president for clinical and translational research, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg and Alexandria

In a university setting, the possibilities for collaboration between researchers, startups and industry can be fruitful but complicated. Brandy Salmon, who oversees Virginia Tech’s LINK and LAUNCH programs, helps to make the connections. She brings Tech innovators together with investors and entrepreneurs and, as the interim managing director of the school’s planned $1.1 billion Innovation Campus in Alexandria, will mediate collaborations between students, faculty and neighboring Amazon.com Inc., among other companies. •

Travis Williams, Chief flight instructor, Averett University, Danville

Travis Williams grew up in the sky. His grandfather was a pilot who owned a plane, and Williams learned to fly at a young age. His aviation students at Averett University probably didn’t have that immersive experience, so they need a good teacher. Under Williams’ oversight, the flight school’s record is impressive, with dozens of graduates who are now working pilots in a field that is experiencing shortages. Averett recently partnered with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium to host the Flightways Flight Academy, teaching local high school students how to fly, too. •