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Federal Contractors/Technology: LYNN MARTIN
Martin joined Google Cloud in December 2021 after spending eight years as vice president of government, education and health care at another cloud services provider, VMware Inc. In June, Google announced the creation of Google Public Sector, a subsidiary focused on bringing Google Cloud technologies, including artificial intelli[...]
Finance/Insurance: VICTOR BRANCH
The first Black president of Bank of America’s Richmond market is intent on chipping away at some of Richmond’s toughest problems. In March, Virginia Union University announced Bank of America had given $1 million to fund a financial literacy and financial services workforce development program that will serve both students [...]
Retail/Wholesale: CHARLES E. TYSON
In 2022, Tyson is overseeing a rapid acceleration of LL Flooring, expecting to open between 20 and 25 new retail locations by the end of the year, in addition to the chain’s existing 431 stores. Previously known as Lumber Liquidators, LL Flooring moved its headquarters from Toano to Richmond in 2019. Tyson, who joined the [&he[...]
Economic Development: STU SOLOMON
Solomon spent 30 years at Accenture before leaving in 2017 as location managing director for metropolitan Washington, D.C., and forming Connected DMV two years later. The public-private nonprofit regional economic development organization promotes collaboration between Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. In June, Connected [...]
Law: KEN RANDALL
Randall became dean of the Antonin Scalia Law School in 2020 following his success as dean of the University of Alabama School of Law. During his 20-year tenure, UA’s ranking rose from 96th to 21st on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Schools list. Randall also launched the first online Master of Laws degree […]
Transportation: ADAM COHEN and ELAN COHEN
The body that oversees ships flagged from the west African nation of Liberia is not the country’s government, but a company based in Virginia. Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry, founded by Yoram Cohen and run by his sons, totals more than 5,000 vessels, comprising more than 200 million gross tons, and repres[...]
Health Care: WILLIAM B. ‘BILL’ DOWNEY
Since 2012, Downey has led Riverside Health System, where he oversees 9,000 employees and shepherds major projects to expand health care services in the Hampton Roads region. Earlier this year, Riverside broke ground on a building that will house the region’s first standalone 24-hour psychiatric emergency department, scheduled[...]
Education: KARL McDONNELL
CEO of Strategic Education Inc., an education services holding company that owns for-profit Strayer and Capella universities, McDonnell was previously SEI’s chief operating officer and serves on its board of directors. He’s also served as president and CEO of Strayer University, which has an enrollment of more than 50,000 st[...]
Manufacturing: ASHLEY B. SMITH
Although Smith became CEO in 2018, he did not become Smith-Midland Corp.’s board chairman until January 2022, after his father, Rodney I. Smith, stepped down after 62 years. The family company, founded in 1960 by David G. Smith (Ashley Smith’s grandfather), manufactures, licenses, rents and sells precast concrete products. T[...]
Telecommunications: MATTHEW J. DESCH
Desch has led Iridium for 16 years and serves on its board. The satellite communications company connects clients around the globe, reporting more than 1.72 million subscribers and $614.5 million in 2021 revenue. Iridium operates 66 low earth orbiting satellites and works with partner companies to provide voice and data communic[...]
Transportation: STEPHEN A. EDWARDS
At what everyone hopes is the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no longer a surprise to read another headline declaring that the Port of Virginia has shattered a previous cargo record. The port did so again in May 2022, when it handled more than 340,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), breaking the previous record set [&helli[...]
Transportation: W. SHEPPARD ‘SHEP’ MILLER III
A lifelong Norfolk resident, Miller was appointed state transportation secretary by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in January. He was previously appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam to serve on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, a body he now chairs. In 2017, Miller retired as chairman of Virginia Beach defense contractor KITCO Fiber Optics[...]
