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Banking | Finance 2024: LAWRENCE ‘LARRY’ BERNERT III
After Clearstead Advisors, an Ohio-based financial advisory firm, acquired the assets of Norfolk-based Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management in April, Bernert’s job evolved from principal and portfolio manager to senior managing director for Clearstead Advisory Solutions, which is a division of Clearstead. Previously,[...]
Law 2024: BRADLEY J. LINGO
In the U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 ranking of the nation’s best law schools, Regent University ranked No. 108 — rising 17 places from the previous year. Part of the private conservative Christian university founded by the late televangelist and cable TV magnate Pat Robertson, Regent’s law school prioritizes �[...]
Professional Services 2024: JULIE SWEET
CEO of Fortune Global 500 firm Accenture since 2019 and its chair since 2021, Sweet has been on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business list since 2016 — ranking No. 2 for 2022 and 2023 — and was named one of Time’s Time100: The Most Influential People of 2024. She also made Forbes’ 2023 list […]
Professional Services 2024: JOHNNY C. TAYLOR JR.
The Society for Human Resource Management’s leader since 2017, Taylor is a lawyer and human resources executive in charge of an association that represents nearly 340,000 member HR professionals in 180 countries. Named one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by African American business a[...]
Real Estate 2024: W. TAYLOR FRANKLIN
Franklin became CEO in 2023, succeeding his father, Wendell, who is now chairman of the real estate development, management and investment firm. Previously chief operating officer, Franklin oversees approximately 700 employees, as well as a portfolio of 200 properties in 10 states and Washington, D.C. In 2013, Franklin, his fath[...]
Real Estate 2024: ALLISON WEINSTEIN
Weinstein leads a multifamily real estate development and management company founded by her father, Marcus Weinstein, in 1952. She joined the company in 1994 with her husband, Ivan Jecklin, who serves as co-president. Weinstein Properties began as a developer of single-family homes in Richmond in the 1950s, expanding into apartm[...]
Living Legends 2024: DAVID BALDACCI
In his March-released thriller, “A Calamity of Souls,” Baldacci tackles justice, racism and the power of partnerships. Those concepts don’t just permeate the global bestselling author’s writing; they also reflect his values. A Richmond native, Baldacci frequently creates tales centered around justice, often incorporating[...]
Banking | Finance 2024: JAMES SCHENCK
Over the course of his military career, Schenck flew Black Hawk helicopters in Korea and trained others as a night vision goggle instructor pilot. He also served on the Army staff in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, a post with responsibilities for overseeing the flying hour program, which [&hell[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: JANE KAMENSKY
Named president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in October 2023, Kamensky started work in January. The nonprofit owns and operates Monticello, the mountaintop plantation of the third U.S. president. Kamensky previously served as the Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard University and as the Carl and Lily[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: CANDICE LING
Since taking the lead of Microsoft’s federal arm in July 2023, Ling has focused on forging partnerships and advancing artificial intelligence, cloud computing and emerging technologies for federal customers. This year, Ling announced that Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI generative AI tool would be available to federal customers thr[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: TOM WALKER
DroneUp in March unveiled its new autonomous drone ecosystem, presenting a leap forward in last-mile delivery logistics. This system combines automated ground infrastructure where workers can deposit packages with autonomous pickup and delivery by drones. The drones are capable of operating at speeds up to 60 miles per hour over[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: TONI TOWNES-WHITLEY
In October 2023, Townes-Whitley took the reins of federal contractor SAIC, becoming one of two Black female Fortune 500 CEOs and leading a company with fiscal 2023 revenue of $7.7 billion. She told USA Today that she wanted people to move beyond focusing on a CEO’s race and gender, but added, “If there is a […]
