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Banking | Financial Planning | Venture Capital | Investments
Banking | Financial Planning | Venture Capital | Investments
Virginia Business// August 29, 2020//
PRESIDENT AND CEO, ATLANTIC UNION BANKSHARES, RICHMOND
A Radford native, Asbury transitioned from a career with large financial institutions to help build a regional bank. After successful mergers in 2018 and 2019, Atlantic Union expanded its footprint in Northern Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, making it the largest regional bank headquartered in Virginia. With 149 branches and 1,933 employees, it took in $649.6 million in revenue last year, and $193.5 million in net income.
Asbury’s leadership was instrumental in navigating Atlantic Union through the challenges of the pandemic. With the launch of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, it launched a digital platform for its customers to apply, helping more than 11,400 small businesses obtain PPP loans totaling more than $1.7 billion.
In June, Asbury was named chairman of the board of directors for the Virginia Bankers Association.
EDUCATION: Virginia Tech (B.S.), William & Mary (MBA)
HOBBY/PASSION: My lifelong passion is flying — my youthful dream was to be a military pilot but I was disqualified due to my eyesight. I did eventually earn my private pilot certificate, though I am now inactive. One day I hope to return to this!
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, TOWNEBANK, PORTSMOUTH
An industry veteran, Aston co-founded TowneBank in 1999, and helped it grow to become one of the biggest banks in the state and the largest regional bank in Hampton Roads.
Starting out at Citizens Trust, Aston moved on to become president of Commerce Bank. His board positions and philanthropic work have included serving as a director for the GO Virginia Foundation and the Hampton Roads Business Roundtable, as well as vice chairman of Reinvent Hampton Roads and director and chairman of the board of trustees for the Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.
With 42 offices throughout Virginia and North Carolina and 2,800 employees, TowneBank had $11.95 billion in total assets at the close of 2019; its revenue for fiscal year 2019 was $658 million.
In July, TowneBank and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters purchased the former Norfolk Southern Tower in downtown Norfolk for $30 million.
BEST ADVICE: Your worth is determined by the value you bring to others.
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “The Founder’s Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth,” by Chris Zook and James Allen
PRESIDENT AND CEO, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF RICHMOND, RICHMOND
A native of Tampa, Florida, Barkin leads the Fed’s Fifth District, which includes Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and part of West Virginia. His responsibilities include monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services. He came to the Fed in 2018 after retiring from global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
Barkin has made it a priority for the Fed to bridge the economic gap between rural and urban areas. Last fall, he sponsored a multistate conference series on the topic, focused on education, workforce development, community investment and broadband expansion.
In June, Barkin was part of a virtual panel
hosted by Virginia Tech that discussed the role
of higher education institutions in rebuilding the economy. In August, he wrote an essay affirming the Fed’s commitment to finding solutions to racial economic disparities.
He serves on the Emory University board of trustees, U.S. Golf Association Executive Committee and the Greater Washington Partnership.
EDUCATION: Harvard University (B.A., J.D., MBA)
FAVORITE APP: Chick-fil-A
FAVORITE SONG: At work, “Money, Money, Money,” by ABBA; at home, anything by Flo Rida
PRESIDENT AND CEO, NORTHWEST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, HERNDON
Bentley began his career at Herndon-based Northwest Federal in 2014 as the senior vice president of lending/chief lending officer, bringing 30-plus years of experience in consumer and commercial lending, accounting, sales and third-party management.
He introduced several strategic initiatives to Northwest Federal, including an indirect lending program that resulted in significant growth, and the Community Partners program, which has expanded the credit union’s philanthropic activities.
As the fourth-largest credit union in Virginia and one of the top 60 credit unions in the nation, Northwest Federal has nearly 250,000 members and $3.5 billion in assets.
Last year, Northwest Federal finalized its merger with Constellation Federal Credit Union, adding $223 million in assets, a full-service branch in Reston and a limited-access branch in Bethesda, Maryland. This year, Northwest Federal expanded by opening its ninth and tenth branches in Arlington and Loudoun counties, respectively.
As of early June, Northwest Federal had secured $59 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans for the small businesses it serves and had another $58 million pending.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, RICHMOND MARKET PRESIDENT, BANK OF AMERICA, RICHMOND
Bank of America’s Richmond market president since 2015, Branch is the multinational investment bank and financial service company’s leader in the area.
He also leads Bank of America’s local social responsibility work to help the area address social and economic challenges, managing an annual
$4 million corporate foundation and marketing sponsorship budget.
Branch serves on the William & Mary board of visitors, serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Gateway Economic Development Alliance and serves on the executive committee for Housing Opportunities Made Equal.
With $91.2 billion in revenue, 66 million clients and 210,000 employees worldwide, Charlotte-based Bank of America is the second-largest banking institution in the country and is ranked 25th on the Fortune 500. In the first quarter of 2020, Bank of America posted a net income of $4 billion, with revenue for the quarter coming to $22.8 billion.
EDUCATION: William & Mary (B.A.)
WHAT A COMPETITOR WOULD SAY ABOUT YOU: “Victor is tough but fair. He is determined and resilient.”
FAVORITE SONG: “Greatest Love of All,” by Whitney Houston
CEO, FREDDIE MAC, MCLEAN
Last year, Brickman, who grew up in New York City, was named CEO of Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. A public government-sponsored enterprise, it is one of the nation’s largest providers of mortgage financing. Ranked No. 41 on the Fortune 500, it’s also the company with the highest revenues in Virginia, bringing in $75.1 billion in 2019.
Previously, Brickman was Freddie Mac’s president, responsible for its single-family, multifamily and capital markets, as well as the information technology and operations areas that support them. Before then, Brickman presided over a period of major growth as its head of multifamily, raising annual production from $16 billion in 2010 to almost $80 billion in 2018.
Brickman is the key architect of Freddie Mac’s multifamily financing products, including its Capital Markets Execution and K-Deal program, Reference Bill ARM, fixed-to-float suite of products, and Performance-Based PC, for which he holds a U.S. patent.
In the first quarter of 2020, Freddie Mac stabilized liquidity in its mortgage market, but pandemic-related losses drove its income down. It produced $622 million in the first quarter of 2020, down from nearly $2.5 billion in fourth quarter 2019 and almost $1.7 billion from a year ago.
ROANOKE MARKET PRESIDENT, TRUIST FINANCIAL CORP., ROANOKE
Camden, Truist’s regional president for the Virginia-West region, is the company’s senior leader in the market.
A 33-year veteran of the banking industry, Camden previously served as president and CEO of the Savannah, Georgia, region for SunTrust Bank. Camden joined SunTrust in 2010 after serving as a top executive at Wachovia Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. While in Savannah, Camden served on the board of directors of America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia and Goodwill Industries of Coastal Empire.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is the nation’s largest financial services holding company and sixth-largest bank, serving approximately 10 million clients and operating more than 2,000 branches in 15 states. Truist is ranked 217th on the Fortune 500. It was created last year by the $66 billion merger of Atlanta-based SunTrust and Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based BB&T. The merger was completed in December, but operations will continue under the BB&T and SunTrust names until the banking systems are combined, which could take as long as two years.
FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, REVOLUTION LLC, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Case will forever be best known as the former chairman and CEO of the pioneering publicly traded internet company America Online, which he co-founded in 1985. AOL merged with Time Warner Cable in 2000 — a deal valued at $350 billion — and Case served as executive chairman of Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) until 2005.
That’s when the native Hawaiian co-founded Washington, D.C.-based investment company Revolution LLC, which has funded Sweetgreen, Tempus, Tala, DraftKings and Clear. Since its inception, Revolution has invested nearly $1 billion in growth-stage companies.
Revolution is known for its annual Rise of the Rest $100,000 pitch competition, which tours several cities in the nation, seeking a startup that will receive a $100,000 investment from Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.
Case and his wife, Jean, founded the Case Foundation in 1997, which invests in organizations focused on internet and entrepreneurial approaches. Jean Case is a native Virginian and chairman of the board for the National Geographic Society.
In 2018, the Cases sold their McLean estate, the childhood home of Jackie Kennedy, which they bought in 2005 for $24.5 million. The Cases still own Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison.
CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEW RICHMOND VENTURES, RICHMOND
Chandler, along with Jim Ukrop and Bob Mooney, in 2011 founded startup investment firm New Richmond Ventures (NRV). During its first five years, NRV raised approximately $54 million, and in 2017 the firm launched the $33 million NRV Early Stage Growth Fund LP to invest in high-growth companies.
A University of Richmond School of Law grad, Chandler started his career with Richmond-based law firm Williams Mullen, where he worked for more than 22 years. Before co-founding NRV, he was president and CEO of LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., one of the largest title insurance groups in the U.S. In 2008, the insurance giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and several of its subsidiaries were acquired.
Chandler has served on the boards of several NRV investment companies, including WealthForge, Territory, ICX Media, Ario, Moonlighting, Red’s All Natural LLC and Health Warrior.
He currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, the University of Richmond School of Law, the Richmond Performing Arts Center and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He also co-chairs the RVA + Hampton Roads Collaborative, which focuses on infrastructure and economic development in the regions.
PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA WEST REGION, WELLS FARGO & CO., CHARLOTTESVILLE
Chandra, who formerly served as Wells Fargo’s Charlottesville regional president, took his current position overseeing Ashland, Mechanicsville and Western Henrico, as well as markets in Charlottesville, Roanoke, Blacksburg and Lynchburg, in 2017.
He serves on the boards of the Virginia Bankers Association, the Brooks Family YMCA and SCAN of Northern Virginia.
Ranked 30th on the Fortune 500, Wells Fargo is the world’s fourth-largest bank in the nation by total assets.
During the pandemic, Wells Fargo struggled to get applications open for its customers during the first round of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program loans. Eventually, the bank made PPP loans available to 179,000 customers, totaling $10 billion. In July, Wells Fargo announced that it was donating $400 million from its PPP processing fees to support small businesses.
EDUCATION: California State University, Northridge (B.A.)
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Japanese whisky and bourbon on the weekends, flavored sparkling water all the time!
SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN: I will never eat meat again.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GREATER WASHINGTON MARKET PRESIDENT, BANK OF AMERICA, WASHINGTON D.C.
Di Rita, a close aide to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, was named Bank of America’s Washington, D.C., market president in May 2019.
Di Rita joined Bank of America in 2006 after a career working on Capitol Hill and for the Department of Defense in military and civilian assignments. He is a board director for the Rumsfeld Foundation and the U.S. Navy Memorial. He also sits on the boards of The Economic Club, the U.S.
Navy Memorial, the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Atlantic Council.
With $91.2 billion in revenue, 66 million clients and 210,000 employees worldwide, Charlotte-based Bank of America is the second-largest banking institution in the country and is ranked 25th on the Fortune 500. In the first quarter of 2020, Bank of America posted a net income of $4 billion, with revenue for the quarter coming to $22.8 billion.
EDUCATION: U.S. Naval Academy (B.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (M.A.)
HOBBY/PASSION: My family, reading, squash (the sport, not the vegetable), biking
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: The World Series Champion Washington Nationals should be everyone’s favorite team.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, VIENNA
McDuffie, formerly Navy Federal Credit Union’s chief operating officer, was named CEO of the world’s largest credit union in 2018.
The credit union serves more than 9 million clients at 300 branches worldwide. Its net income in 2018 was $1.55 billion. Last year, Navy Federal was ranked 29th on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Since joining Navy Federal in 1999, McDuffie has held various executive roles and was instrumental in developing the credit union’s government shutdown paycheck loan relief program. Espousing a “digital first” mindset, she also oversaw the launch of the credit union’s first mobile banking app.
The Wellesley College alum has worked with a wide array of clients, including the U.S. Marine Corps, IBM, Kodak, Unilever and Freddie Mac. Prior to joining Navy Federal, McDuffie worked for electronic payment network Star Systems and began her career at
J. Walter Thompson ad agency.
In 2018, Navy Federal announced partnerships with the National Hockey League and ESPN, and in early 2019, the credit union passed a milestone of $100 billion in assets.
In her New Year’s message, McDuffie said that the credit union had grown by more than 1 million members in 2019 and opened 20 new branches. She said Navy Federal planned to open 20 more in 2020.
FOUNDER, EDELMAN FINANCIAL ENGINES, FAIRFAX
In 1987, Edelman and his wife, Jean, founded Edelman Financial Engines, which offers financial planning and investment management services and employs more than 1,500 people worldwide, with 250 employees in Virginia.
Edelman is a New York Times best-selling author of 10 books about personal finance, including “Rescue Your Money” and “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Wealth.”
Edelman produces his own radio show, “The Ric Edelman Show,” and hosted a 2011-13 PBS syndicated television show, “The Truth About Money,” covering financial and economic topics ranging from investment planning to retirement planning.
As a figure in the investment world, Edelman has been named the No. 1 U.S. independent financial adviser by Barron’s and in 2016 Forbes named him one of the nation’s top 10 financial advisers. He currently serves on the boards of the Stanford Center for Longevity and the Milken Institute.
In 2017, the Edelmans donated $25 million to nonprofit XPRISE for Alzheimer’s research and two years later donated $10 million to their alma mater, New Jersey’s Rowan University, to launch a scholarship program for its College of Communication & Creative Arts students. The couple have contributed more than $36 million to the university.
CEO, ALLIANZ PARTNERS, HENRICO COUNTY
Henrico County-based travel insurance company Allianz Partners in June promoted Edwards to CEO of the German company’s U.S. business unit. The company employs approximately 1,000 people in the Richmond region.
Edwards joined Allianz Partners in 2019 as the U.S. branch’s general manager. Before leading Allianz, she held executive positions at Richmond-based insurance company Genworth Financial and had a 30-year career at General Electric companies, including 17 in the insurance industry.
Allianz Partners has operations centers in 35 countries, with 45 million customers each year in the U.S. The company also offers tuition insurance, event ticket protection, registration protection and travel assistance services. Allianz Partners is a subsidiary of Munich, Germany-based insurance company Allianz SE, which had the equivalent of more than $2.5 trillion assets under management in 2019.
In the Richmond area, Edwards has volunteered on several nonprofit boards and is a vice president of the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation Board. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Union College.
CO-FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORP., TYSONS
Fairbank, a billionaire businessman and co-founder of Capital One, grew the American bank holding company from a startup to become the 11th-largest bank in the country by assets 26 years later.
Ranked 97th on the Fortune 500, Capital One is one of the largest publicly traded companies in the nation, specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking and savings accounts. Though revenues climbed by more than 4% in 2019, Capital One’s earnings fell 8% from the previous year. Fairbanks stood by the figures, calling them “solid results,” and touted his company’s investment in digital offerings as a sign of its future success.
Since the pandemic hit, Capital One has weathered blistering criticism for its delayed and uneven initial rollout in issuing Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses. The company rolled out its PPP application nearly two weeks after the program began, on the same day that the U.S. Small Business Administration said it had exhausted its initial $349 billion allocation from Congress. As of July, Capital One had processed an aggregate of 15,062 PPP loans.
CEO, WEST CREEK FINANCIAL, GLEN ALLEN
Finnegan in 2017 was named CEO of the Henrico County-based financial technology firm focused on consumer leasing. West Creek Financial specializes in leasing furniture, appliances, electronics and other items for retail partners across the U.S. It uses big data and artificial intelligence to optimize underwriting. In late 2019, Pollen Street Capital made a $150 million credit facility (long-term loan) to West Creek, which brought the company’s lending capacity to $250 million. In 2019, the firm had more than $200 million in revenue.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, he worked as a systems engineer for Mitre Corp. In 1994, however, he joined Capital One Financial Corp. (the year it was founded), serving in several executive leadership roles, including head of decision sciences.
For nearly eight years prior to West Creek Financial, Finnegan was managing partner of Richmond-based 2nd Order Solutions, which builds machine learning models to develop credit strategies for companies. He co-founded West Creek Financial and was a board member before becoming CEO.
GENERAL PARTNER AND CO-FOUNDER, BLUE DELTA CAPITAL PARTNERS, MCLEAN
In 2009, Frantz co-founded the McLean-based growth capital firm, which serves federal government clients. He has been involved with the firm’s largest investments, including 42Six (acquired by CSC), Pacific Architects and Engineers (acquisition by Platinum Equity) and KTSi (acquired by Scitor Corp.).
He was also a member of the board for CRSA Holdings Inc., which was acquired by General Dynamics Corp. in 2018 for $9.7 billion. He currently serves on the board of ASGN Inc., which operates professional service companies such as Apex and ECS Federal.
Before his time with Blue Delta, he worked with several investment companies, including The Carlyle Group, In-Q-Tel and RedShift Ventures. Locally, he has co-chaired the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s annual cybersecurity summit.
The University of Pittsburgh law grad also previously served as associate director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for President George H.W. Bush and as the economic and technology policy adviser to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge.
CO-CEO, MARKEL CORP., GLEN ALLEN
Gayner oversees investing activities for the Markel Corp., a Glen Allen-based Fortune 500 holding company for insurance, reinsurance and investment operations around the globe. He also oversees investing for Markel Ventures’ wide range of industrial and services businesses.
In 1990, Gayner joined Markel to form Markel Gayner Asset Management, which provided equity investment counsel to Markel Corp. and outside clients. Prior to joining Markel, Gayner served as vice president of Davenport & Co. and as a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
He serves as the chairman of the board for Davis Series Mutual Funds as well as on the boards of the Colfax Corp., Graham Holdings and Cable One. He is a trustee of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond and a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Virginia Retirement System.
Markel had a banner 2019. Not only did revenue for fiscal year 2019 rise 39.2% over the previous year to $9.53 billion, but Markel jumped 106 spots on the Fortune 500, from No. 441 to No. 335.
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND PARTNER, VWG WEALTH MANAGEMENT AT HIGHTOWER ADVISORS, VIENNA
Grinspoon in 2011 started the Vienna-based firm, which manages $1.3 billion in custodied assets. In his role as managing director and partner, he works with business owners and executives to manage liquidity and execute wealth transfers.
With more than 20 years of experience, Grinspoon started his career with Legg Mason as a financial adviser and worked with Morgan Stanley for more than 10 years. He, along with Rick Weeks and John Verfurth, left Morgan Stanley in 2011 to form VWG Wealth Management after seeing a major shift in wealth management services following the 2008 Great Recession.
This University of Maryland graduate now serves on the board of advisers for his alma mater’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. His philanthropic work is focused on fundraising for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
This year he was ranked on Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisor list and has made Barron’s Top 100 Independent Advisors list three times.
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND PORTFOLIO MANAGER, BAIRD/THE WISE INVESTOR GROUP, RESTON
With more than 25 years of experience, Hamilton is one of Baird/The Wise Investor Group’s three partners, overseeing the team’s portfolio management department. He specializes in investment policy, security selection, asset allocation and client management decision making. He joined Baird/The Wise Investor Group in 2007. Prior to that, he was vice president of investments at Smith Barney and in 2003 served in the same role with Baltimore-based investment banking firm Ferris, Baker Watts.
FAVORITE APP: CellarTracker. I’ve started a light wine collection over the past few years and this app helps search and review wines.
FIRST JOB: Busing tables at Phillips Seafood at the Harborplace in Baltimore
FAVORITE SONG: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” by The Rolling Stones
HOBBY/PASSION: I have three daughters and I’m heavily involved in supporting their passion for soccer. I’ve coached youth soccer for the past 10 years and have been on the board of Vienna Youth Soccer for seven years.
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER, HARRIS WILLIAMS, RICHMOND
In 1991, Harris co-founded global investment banking firm Harris Williams, which specializes in merger and acquisition advisory services.
Harris has assisted clients locate buyers in areas including consumer products, health care, building products, industrial manufacturing, natural resources and media. Today, Harris Williams has 10 dedicated industry groups and employs more than 350 people in its eight offices in the U.S. and Europe.
Aside from his investment work, Harris serves on the board of petroleum additives giant NewMarket Corp. The former Hampden-Sydney College football player has served on the board of his alma mater — and instead of pursuing a professional football career, attended Harvard Business School. Harris has also served on boards for many Virginia organizations, including Hampden-Sydney College, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, the University of Richmond and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HAMPTON ROADS MARKET PRESIDENT, BANK OF AMERICA, NORFOLK
Henderson, a West Virginia native who’s lived in Hampton Roads for four decades, has long held his position as president of Bank of America’s Hampton Roads market, and is also in charge of
its charitable arm.
A graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, Henderson is a trustee of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and a board member of the Virginia Bankers Association.
With $91.2 billion in revenue, 66 million clients and 210,000 employees worldwide, Charlotte-based Bank of America is the second-largest banking institution in the country and ranks 25th on the Fortune 500.
EDUCATION: Hampden-Sydney College (B.A.), Virginia Bankers School of Retail Management, Stonier Graduate School of Banking
SOMETHING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: Encourage more collaboration among municipalities to unleash the enormous potential of our commonwealth
RECENT NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE: The recent birth
of my first grandchild
GREATER WASHINGTON AND VIRGINIA REGIONAL PRESIDENT, PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP INC., SPRINGFIELD
In August, Johnson started his new position as the head of Greater Washington operations for Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc. He has big shoes to fill, taking over the post from Richard Bynum, a prominent D.C.-area business leader who this year was promoted to a larger corporate role.
Johnson joined PNC in 2005, following positions at Bank of America and GE Healthcare. In his previous role at PNC as executive vice president and market manager for Corporate Banking in Greater Richmond and Greater Maryland, Johnson led large corporate and government contracting segments.
In his new position, Johnson will oversee community affairs, community development banking and corporate social responsibility, as well as diversity and inclusion initiatives. It is his responsibility locally to implement PNC’s $1 billion commitment to end systemic racism and support economic empowerment of African Americans and low- and moderate-income communities.
Ranked No. 151 on the Fortune 500, PNC is the ninth-largest bank in the country by assets, with more than $430 billion. It has nearly 2,500 branches, more than eight million customers and more than 52,000 employees.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, FRANCHISE GROUP INC., VIRGINIA BEACH
It’s been a transformative year for Franchise Group, which changed its name from Liberty Tax Inc., in September 2019. It signaled a strategic shift for the company, which now focuses on buying and investing in franchises and franchise-able businesses.
Kahn, who became CEO a month later, not only leads Franchise Group (which reported $2.1 billion in 2019 revenue), but also has a stake in it through the Orlando-based equity firm he founded in 1998, Vintage Capital Management, where he serves as managing partner.
Vintage Capital invests in the consumer, defense and manufacturing sectors — and last year reportedly offered more than $460 million to buy Red Robin. That didn’t happen, and Vintage has dropped its stock in the burger chain from about 12% to 5%.
As for Franchise Group, the company ramped up for its new direction by acquiring Buddy’s Home Furnishings and announcing a $208 million acquisition of The Vitamin Shoppe and its more than 750 stores. It also bought Sears Outlet and American Freight stores, rebranding approximately 300 stores this year into American Freight – Furniture, Mattress and Appliance.
Kahn, a graduate of Harvard University, also serves as director of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises.
GREATER WASHINGTON REGION PRESIDENT, TRUIST FINANCIAL CORP., WASHINGTON, D.C.
Lee oversees the D.C. region, including much of Northern Virginia, for Truist. She previously worked at SunTrust for 19 years and served as senior vice president and head of senior living/aging services for the wholesale banking practice.
A founding member of the DC International School, Lee served as board chair and then as treasurer and continues to sit on the public charter school’s finance and facilities committees. She is also past treasurer of the board of the World Affairs Council of D.C.
Last year it was announced that Atlanta-based SunTrust was merging with Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based BB&T to create the nation’s sixth-largest bank in a $66 billion deal. The merger was completed in December, but operations will continue under the BB&T and SunTrust names until the banking systems are combined, which could take as long as two years.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Fortune 500 company is the nation’s largest financial services holding company, serving approximately 10 million households and operating more than 2,000 branches in 15 states.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, DELTA DENTAL OF VIRGINIA INC., ROANOKE
After more than 10 years of leading Dean Health Plan Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin, Lucia moved to Roanoke in late 2017 to head up Delta Dental of Virginia Inc., which offers dental plans to more than 2 million members across the state. Lucia also has served on the board of directors of the Delta Dental Plans Association, which includes 39 Delta Dental member companies providing coverage to a total of 68 million people.
Before his time with Dean Health Plan, Lucia worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers, WR Grace Inc. and Cigna Corp., including Cigna Dental. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Binghamton University and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami. Outside of work, Lucia serves as a board director for the Valleys Innovation Council, which works to help New River Valley and Roanoke businesses grow.
Through its nonprofit foundation, Delta Dental of Virginia in May donated $3 million to 4,500 dentists in its network to cover expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic, including personal protective equipment.
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PBM CAPITAL GROUP, CHARLOTTESVILLE
In the wake of the pandemic, Charlottesville-area businessman and investor Manning donated $1 million to the University of Virginia to establish The Manning Fund for COVID-19 Research, which will support the university’s efforts to commercialize coronavirus-related research projects. Manning is a longtime donor to the university, having made several $1 million-plus donations in the past.
Manning also has served on the U.Va. Strategic Planning Committee, the U.Va. Health Foundation, the U.Va. President’s Advisory Committee and the university’s Honor the Future campaign executive committee.
Manning founded Charlottesville-based private equity firm PBM Capital Group LLC in 2010, funding it with proceeds from the $800 million sale of his infant formula company, PBM Products LLC, which supplied store-brand infant formulas to national retailers. The company was sold in 2010 to Perrigo, a Dublin, Ireland-based pharmaceutical company. Manning served on Perrigo’s board of directors after the sale.
Manning also has sat on the board of PBM Capital, which includes AveXis, Dova Pharmaceuticals and Verrica Pharmaceuticals in its investment portfolio.
PRESIDENT, OPTIMA HEALTH PLAN; EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SENTARA HEALTHCARE VIRGINIA BEACH
After serving as senior vice president and other executive roles at Anthem Inc. in St. Louis, Missouri, Matheis became president and CEO of Optima Health, the insurance division of Sentara Healthcare, in 2018. The plan serves more than 850,000 members and includes 26,000 providers.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Matheis worked as a CPA before entering the health care industry. In addition to his duties at Optima, he serves as an executive vice president at Sentara. In July, Matheis joined the board of DarioHealth Corp. and is on the executive committee of the Virginia Association of Health Plans and the board of directors of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
He is also involved with the nonprofit Norfolk Forum. Earlier in the year, Optima Health announced it would waive costs of coronavirus testing and treatment from April through June 7, and last year, Optima bought an 80% stake in VCU Health System’s Virginia Premier insurance provider.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, GENWORTH FINANCIAL INC., RICHMOND
McInerney leads Fortune 500 insurance holding company Genworth Financial Inc. After getting his start in the business as an insurance underwriter at Connecticut-based Aetna Inc., McInerney held a variety of senior and leadership roles at Aetna Financial Services and Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation ING Groep NV.
In 2012, McInerney was named president and CEO of Genworth as the company’s U.S. mortgage insurance business was still struggling from the housing downturn. He serves on the board of the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance and is a member of the American Council of Life Insurers, where he has served on its CEO steering committee and board.
Recently, McInerney has been at the helm during Beijing-based China Oceanwide Holdings Group’s long-delayed attempts to acquire Genworth.
Since Oceanwide agreed to buy Genworth for $2.7 billion in 2016, the acquisition’s closing has been delayed 15 times, in part due to federal and state regulatory hurdles. Genworth, which sells home mortgage and long-term care insurance, announced in June that the deal would be delayed again. In July, Genworth agreed to pay $775 million to settle a dispute with French insurer AXA.
REGION BANK PRESIDENT, NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGION, WELLS FARGO & CO., LEESBURG
McLaughlin is responsible for territory that stretches through Fairfax County to Loudoun, Culpeper and Winchester, comprising 65 branches and 740 employees.
Having previously served for 13 years at Wells Fargo as an area president, financial sales leader and financial specialist, McLaughlin has held his current position since 2017. He’s a Leadership Greater Washington alum and serves as an adviser for Bright Beginnings Inc., a nonprofit preschool learning center for children of families undergoing housing crises.
Ranked 30th on the Fortune 500, Wells Fargo is the world’s fourth-largest bank by market capitalization and the fourth-largest bank in the nation by total assets.
EDUCATION: Virginia Tech (B.S.)
FAVORITE APP: Waze, to beat the Northern
Virginia traffic
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “How to Be an Antiracist,” by Ibram X. Kendi
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: I may never get the opportunity to spend time with my three daughters like I have over the past three months.
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INVESTMENTS, THE OPTIMAL SERVICE GROUP OF WELLS FARGO ADVISORS, WILLIAMSBURG
Montgomery joined the $13.6 billion practice in 1975, heading up its Williamsburg office.
As a regular on Barron’s top financial advisers list, Montgomery in 2019 was added to the Barron’s Advisor Hall of Fame — open only to those who have been recognized as a Top 100 adviser for 10 years running. This year he was named No. 1 in Virginia on Forbes’ Best State Wealth Advisors list.
Despite his financial acumen, Montgomery started out pursuing a career in football. A former All-American William & Mary football team captain, Montgomery played center under the legendary coach Lou Holtz, who went on to coach the New York Jets. Montgomery himself was invited to the Philadelphia Eagles training camp but didn’t make the team’s final cut.
In 2017, Montgomery received the prestigious Gerald R. Ford Legends Award, recognizing former collegiate or professional centers who have gone on to make significant contributions in football and/or business. He was president of W&M’s Society of the Alumni and a member of the W&M board of visitors.
He serves on the boards of the Virginia Capitol Foundation, the Virginia Retirement System and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEW RICHMOND VENTURES, RICHMOND
In 2011, Mooney, along with Jim Ukrop and Ted Chandler, founded startup investment firm New Richmond Ventures (NRV). During its first five years, NRV raised approximately $54 million and in 2017 the firm launched the $33 million NRV Early Stage Growth Fund LP to invest in high-growth companies.
Before co-founding NRV, Mooney was chief financial officer at Richmond-based fuel additive company Ethyl Corp. In the early 2000s Mooney also founded an electronic marketplace for chemical companies, which raised $35 million in startup capital and was quickly acquired by a Texas company.
As chair of CenterStage Foundation, Mooney was integral in the renovation and expansion of Richmond’s Carpenter Theatre, now part of the Dominion Energy Center. He and his wife, Sally, are longtime arts supporters, involved with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation. (Mooney met art luminaries such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein on several occasions.)
Before his career with Ethyl, Mooney worked for 30 years with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), making partner in less than a decade. He was also the chief financial officer for William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting.
CO-FOUNDER, MANAGING PARTNER, QED INVESTORS, ALEXANDRIA
In 1994, Morris co-founded McLean-based Capital One Financial Services with Richard Fairbank, serving as the bank’s first president and chief operating officer until he left in 2004. Today the banking giant employs 48,800 workers and reported $28.2 billion in 2019 revenues.
Morris, a native of England, went on in 2007 to co-found Alexandria-based fintech venture capital firm QED Investors, which has invested in large fintech companies including Credit Karma, NuBank, Avant and SoFi. In February, QED completed a $350 million round of funding and announced that Credit Karma was being bought by Intuit Inc. for $7.1 billion.
Morris has served on the boards of Capital One, The Economist, Brookings, National Geographic, Klarna, Braintree, TransUnion and London Business School (from which he earned his MBA). Today, he is chairman of ClearScore and Mission Lane, and serves on the boards of Red Ventures, AvidXchange, MediaMath, Prosper and Zopa.
A graduate of the University of East London and London Business School, Morris also serves as a senior adviser at General Atlantic, a New York-based growth equity firm that provides support for global growth companies.
CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, COURT SQUARE VENTURES, CHARLOTTESVILLE
In 2000, Murray co-founded Court Square Ventures, a Charlottesville-based venture capital firm that specializes in telecommunications, information technology and media technology investments. Before co-founding Court Square, he was the founder, chairman and managing director of Columbia Capital of Alexandria, which now manages more than $3 billion in investments.
In the Charlottesville area, Murray is highly involved with his alma mater, the University of Virginia, and currently serves as rector on its board of visitors. In 2012, he co-founded the President Precinct, a nonprofit collaboration among U.Va., William & Mary and other organizations to host leadership programming on topics including economic opportunity and civic engagement. Murray also has served on the board of visitors for W&M (from which he earned his law degree) and was its vice rector from 1993 to 1994.
Murray also served on the advisory board of the Export–Import Bank of the United States and was its chairman from 2010 to 2011. Currently, he also is managing partner of timber investment management Greenmount Timber Partners LLC.
RICHMOND MARKET PRESIDENT, TRUIST FINANCIAL CORP., RICHMOND
O’Neill, Truist’s regional president for Virginia-East, oversees banking operations from Hampton Roads to Central Virginia. Having previously served as SunTrust’s mid-Atlantic region president and president of its Greater Washington and Maryland division, O’Neill was named to his current position in December. He has more than 33 years of banking experience, with 28 of those years at SunTrust.
O’Neill is an active member of numerous boards, including the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Bankers Association.
FOUNDER AND CEO, PAGNATOKARP; CO-CHAIRMAN, CRESSET ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, RESTON
Ranked the top wealth adviser in Virginia for two years running by Forbes, Pagnato started out as a microbiologist working for NASA and McDonnell Douglas on efforts to seek microbial life in outer space.
When E.T. didn’t phone, he switched careers and worked at Merrill Lynch for nearly 20 years, establishing its Washington, D.C.-based private banking and investment office. He founded PagnatoKarp during the Great Recession, he says, “in reaction to the lack of transparency in the industry. Our desire was to create a new paradigm for wealth management by democratizing the family office.”
In June, Chicago-based Cresset Asset Management LLC acquired PagnatoKarp, which now has $9.5 billion in assets under management. Pagnato became co-chairman of Cresset during the acquisition. At his firm, he works with CEO founders, entrepreneurs and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Frequently interviewed by media outlets such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, Pagnato also founded the TrueFiduciary Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to provide digital financial education to students, individuals and advisers.
He serves on several boards, including the Institute for the Fiduciary Standard, FAU Foundation, Envel and TrueFiduciary Institute.
CEO, E-TRADE FINANCIAL CORP., ARLINGTON
Pizzi, who formerly served as chief operating officer for the financial services company, took the helm of Arlington-based E-Trade Financial Corp. in August 2019. He is also a member of its board of directors and president of E-Trade Bank.
Before joining E-Trade, a bank that offers an electronic trading platform for financial assets, Pizzi worked in asset/liability management at Lehman Brothers and First Maryland Bank. He joined E-Trade in 2003 and has served in several executive roles there, including chief financial officer and chief risk officer.
In February, New York City-based wealth management company Morgan Stanley announced that it would acquire E-Trade under a $13 billion definitive agreement expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020.
At that time, E-Trade had 5.2 million client accounts and more than $360 billion in retail client assets; Morgan Stanley had 3 million accounts and more than $2.7 trillion in client assets. As of June 30, 2019, E-Trade’s subsidiary online trading platform, E-Trade Bank, had the second highest amount of deposits among Virginia banks at $40.7 billion.
PRESIDENT, ANTHEM BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD Virginia, RICHMOND
A Richmond native, Ricketts was named president of Anthem in Virginia in 2017, but he’s been with the insurance company since 1984 and previously served as regional vice president of sales. Aside from work, he’s kept a busy volunteer schedule serving on Venture Richmond, the Virginia Business Council, as chair of his March of Dimes chapter and on the executive committee of the Virginia Association of Health Plans. Ricketts has also gone on volunteering trips to Ecuador and India, and in April, Anthem’s foundation committed $1.9 million to Virginia COVID-19 economic relief.
EDUCATION: James Madison University (B.A.)
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “The Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives,” by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Beer — IPAs (the hoppier the better)
FIRST JOB: Painting houses. I had my own paint contracting company. It was a great job that helped me pay for college, but I’m glad I chose a different path.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, LANGLEY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, NEWPORT NEWS
Ryan, president and CEO of Langley since 2012, previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Marlborough, Massachusetts-based Digital Federal Credit Union. With more than 30 years of credit union experience, he has seen Langley’s assets grow from $1.7 billion to $3.5 billion during his tenure.
The fifth-largest credit union in Virginia, Langley has more than 20 branches in the Hampton Roads area. Its membership has grown from 165,000 to 280,000 since Ryan took over.
One of the 100 largest federal credit unions in the country, Langley will celebrate its 85th anniversary in 2021. In January 2019, Norfolk-based Old Dominion University Credit Union completed its merger with Langley, bringing on more than 3,000 members.
Late last year, Langley formed a joint venture with Newport News-based Garrett Realty Partners to form Garrett Mortgage. The goal of the joint venture is to offer homebuyers a seamless process in buying and financing a home.
Ryan serves on the board of directors for Langley for Families Foundation, a community charity launched by the credit union in 2014, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula’s board, Credit Union Student Choice and Callahan & Associates Inc.
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER, SWAN & LEGEND VENTURE PARTNERS, LEESBURG
Schaufeld in 2006 co-founded investment firm SWaN & Legend, which invests in consumer brands, content, digital commerce, retail, restaurants and wellness companies. He is also a partner in Monumental Sports and Entertainment (which owns the Capital One Arena and teams including the Washington Capitals and Wizards); the Washington Nationals; e-sports company Team Liquid and the Professional Fighters League.
Before founding SWaN, Schaufeld founded and led NEW Corp., which was acquired by cell phone warranty company Asurion Corp. (now NEWAsurion) in 2008. NEWAsurion reported approximately $6 billion in revenue in 2019.
Schaufeld sits on the boards of retail companies including The Noodle Cos., Custom Ink and Framebridge. He also is a member of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and the Schaufeld Family Heart Center of the Inova Loudoun Hospital is named for his family’s donations.
Schaufeld and his wife, Karen, ran into roadblocks when they purchased a dilapidated Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, hotel for $10 million in 2007 and tried to renovate it, a move opposed by some neighbors. The couple plans to move forward with the project this year after the state passed a law overriding land-use regulations in the small town.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, PENTAGON FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, MCLEAN
Schenck, an Army veteran, has led PenFed’s asset growth from $17 billion when he started as CEO in 2014 to more than $25 billion, and increased its membership from 1.3 million to 2 million. He has also generated $856 million in net worth — a 45% increase — in his first five years at the helm of the nation’s second-largest federal credit union.
In 2017, Schenck was elected the National Credit Union Hero of the Year; the following year he earned the Large Business Philanthropist of the Year Award for greater Alexandria. He’s also CEO of the PenFed Foundation, which has raised more than $35 million to help military veterans.
PenFed has 2,700 employees worldwide and had a fiscal year 2019 revenue of $1.03 billion. In honor of reaching its two million members milestone this year, PenFed donated $2 million to local charities and veterans.
EDUCATION: U.S. Military Academy at West Point (B.S.), Harvard Business School (MBA)
HOBBY/PASSION: During his military career, Schenck flew Black Hawk helicopters in Korea and trained other Army aviators as a night vision goggle instructor pilot. Schenck is still an avid pilot and recently completed an orientation flight in an F-16 fighter jet.
CEO, ELEPHANT INSURANCE SERVICES LLC, GLEN ALLEN
Schiavon, a native of Venice, Italy, previously worked for Elephant’s United Kingdom-based parent company Admiral Group before coming to Henrico to head up marketing and pricing at Elephant in March 2017. Schiavon was named CEO of the direct-to-consumer insurance company eight months later. He oversees 675 employees at the auto, motorcycle and home insurer. Recently, Elephant expanded its services to drivers in Ohio and will soon insure drivers in Georgia. During the pandemic, Schiavon sent 95% of his employees home to telework.
EDUCATION: University of Padova, Italy (B.S.); Manchester Business School, England (MBA)
FIRST JOB: My very first job was tutoring young students in math. It was very rewarding to see them learn new skills, gain confidence in their abilities and improve their scores.
HOBBY: Virginia has amazing state parks. My wife and I love to spend our weekends hiking in these parks, breathing fresh air and relaxing in the beauty of nature.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, VIRGINIA CREDIT UNION, RICHMOND
Shockley was named CEO in 2016 after joining Virginia Credit Union in 2003 as senior vice president of member services. The Roanoke native previously worked for 14 years in retail banking in Virginia and North Carolina, beginning his career as a bank teller during college.
Shockley, who lost his sister to multiple sclerosis, serves on the board of trustees for the Virginia-West Virginia chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He also serves on the boards of the Virginia Council on Economic Education and the YMCA of Greater Richmond.
Virginia Credit Union is the state’s third-largest credit union, with more than 300,000 members and $3.7 billion in assets.
In 2019, Virginia Credit Union acquired Joyner Fine Properties, expanding its real estate options and homeowner services. The credit union also announced it would donate $5 million to fund two endowments at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, promoting financial wellness.
Recently, the credit union has been involved in a dispute with the Virginia Bankers Association over whether the credit union can offer membership to the Medical Society of Virginia’s 10,000 members. In July, the SCC heard the case, which could be appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
CEO, DISRUPTOR CAPITAL, CHARLOTTESVILLE
During the early months of the pandemic, serial entrepreneur Pete Snyder and his wife, Burson, founded the Virginia 30 Day Fund, which makes forgivable $3,000 “lifeline” loans to small businesses struggling with the 2020 economic crisis. The couple seeded the fund with $100,000, which grew to more than $2 million as of mid-June.
Snyder is also the CEO of angel capital investment company Disruptor Capital, which has invested in Virginia businesses including Alexandria-based advertising testing company Echelon Insights and Richmond-based men’s clothing brand Ledbury. Before Disruptor Capital, Snyder was the CEO and founder of social media marketing firm New Media Strategies.
The former Republican Party of Virginia finance chairman in 2013 lost the Republican primary convention for Virginia lieutenant governor but is considering a 2021 run for governor.
FAVORITE APP: Spotify (I’m a music junkie.)
SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN: Encourage an eating competition while at dinner with Kobayashi (the six-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest winner). It happened. I lost. Never again.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Good decisions have exponential impact, whereas bad decisions compound themselves. Every. Single. Time.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, MARSH & MCLENNAN AGENCY – MID-ATLANTIC LLC, RICHMOND
Stanchina joined Marsh & McLennan subsidiary Rutherfoord in 1994 as division manager of Rutherfoord’s Richmond office. Stanchina eventually became president of the Richmond division and, in 2011, he became president of Rutherfoord, which specializes in risk management and insurance brokerage.
In 2019, Marsh & McLennan Agency reported $16.7 billion in revenue — an 11% increase from the previous year. It employs 76,000 people and advises clients in 130 countries. Stanchina is responsible for the firm’s 11-state mid-Atlantic hub and is a member of the firm’s strategic steering committee.
In the Richmond community, Stanchina is involved with the Young Presidents’ Organization, Greater Richmond SCAN and The Valentine museum, for which he previously served as chairman of the board of trustees. He is also a founding director of Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School in Richmond.
FIRST JOB: Newspaper delivery person
FAVORITE APP: The Wall Street Journal, Instagram
HOBBY/PASSION: Golf, hunting, cooking,
family, farming
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: You can never know enough, and you need a diverse set of opinions to arrive at the best decision.
PRESIDENT, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, PRA GROUP INC., NORFOLK
In June 2017, Stevenson became the president and CEO of Norfolk-based PRA Group Inc., which in 2019 had a record-breaking year with $1 billion in total revenue. This was a 12% increase from the previous year. As one of the largest debt buyers in the world, PRA employs approximately 4,500 people in 18 countries. In 2015, the company invested $2 million to expand its Norfolk headquarters by 100 additional employees. The company now spans four buildings in Riverside Corporate Center. In June, PRA opened a new location in Danville, where it is investing $11 million and creating at least 300 jobs in the near future.
Stevenson co-founded PRA Group in 1996, serving in a number of roles, including executive vice president, chief financial and administrative officer, treasurer and assistant secretary. He was president and chief administration officer before his promotion. Prior to joining PRA Group, he held controller positions with Household Recovery Services and Household Bank.
In Eastern Virginia, Stevenson has served on the boards of the Greater Norfolk Corp., Equi Kids and the Sandler Center Foundation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ohio State University.
REGION BANK PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA EAST, WELLS FARGO & CO., RICHMOND
The former greater Richmond area president for Wells Fargo, Tope became president for parts of the Richmond, Peninsula and Hampton Roads regions in 2016.
Tope has held positions in retail banking, business banking, credit and small business. She has served on numerous boards, including Communities in Schools of Richmond.
Ranked 30th on the Fortune 500, Wells Fargo is the world’s fourth-largest bank by market capitalization and the fourth-largest bank in the nation by total assets.
EDUCATION: Florida State University (B.S.)
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: James Patterson books
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Florida Gators
ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: Nothing. Virginia is a great place to raise children and has so much to offer as far as recreation, culture, arts, restaurants, business and diversity. I could think of no better place to live.
CO-CEO, MARKEL CORP., GLEN ALLEN
Whitt oversees insurance and reinsurance operations as co-CEO at Markel Corp., a Glen Allen-based Fortune 500 insurance holding company with 73 offices in 21 countries. Previously, he served as Markel’s president and co-chief operating officer.
After beginning his professional career with KPMG International Cooperative, Whitt joined Markel in finance in 1991. Three years later, he was promoted to controller of Markel Corp., then in 2001, he became vice president, treasurer and controller. He then served as executive vice president and chief administration officer for Markel’s international operations for two years in London before returning to Richmond in 2005 to become Markel’s CFO.
Over the past 20 years, Markel has been highly active in mergers and acquisitions and Whitt has been centrally involved in all major transactions. In 2012, he spearheaded the $3.2 billion acquisition of Bermuda-based insurer Alterra Capital Holdings Ltd.
Whitt serves on the board of the Richmond World Affairs Council.
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, QUANTITATIVE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, CHARLOTTESVILLE
A University of Virginia alum, Woodriff in 2003 co-founded $3 billion hedge fund Quantitative Investment Management, which uses data science to manage investments. Woodriff also invests in startups through his Charlottesville-based Felton Group LLC family office.
In 2019, he and his wife, Merrill, a fellow Wahoo, pledged $120 million to U.Va. (the largest private gift in the university’s history) through the Quantitative Foundation to launch the U.Va. School of Data Science. It will build on degree programs previously offered by U.Va.’s Data Science Institute.
As an angel investor, Woodriff has supported more than 60 startups, 40 of which are based around Charlottesville. Most of the companies he invests in are focused on clean energy, machine learning and scalable technology.
On Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, the Woodriff Center of Developing Entrepreneurs is under construction, with completion scheduled for summer 2021. It will include 170,000 square feet of office and retail space and an auditorium that can seat up to 225 people. The building is expected to host more than 600 people in early-stage tech startups, coworking spaces and larger business headquarters.
