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Execs taking on new roles across the state
Kate Andrews //February 28, 2025//
AdobeStock
AdobeStock
Execs taking on new roles across the state
Kate Andrews //February 28, 2025//
B. Marc AllenCEO, Electra.aero, Manassas
Allen joined the aviation startup in August 2024, after having served as Boeing’s chief strategy officer and president of Boeing International. A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, Allen clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. He is a private pilot and serves on Procter & Gamble’s board.
Dr. Danny AvulaMayor, City of Richmond, Richmond
A pediatrician who served as the state’s COVID vaccination coordinator and led the Virginia Department of Social Services, Avula became Richmond’s 81st mayor on Jan. 1. The honeymoon didn’t last long; on Jan. 6, the city’s water system failed for four days after a brief power outage at the water treatment plant. During the crisis, Avula delivered multiple public updates and has since ordered a third-party investigation.
Chief ethics and compliance officer, Smithfield Foods, Smithfield
Chief marketing officer, Smithfield Foods, Smithfield
In February 2024, Bouldon and Smith were hired to fill significant roles at the nation’s largest pork product manufacturer and hog producer. Smith was most recently chief marketing officer for New Realm Brewing and Distilling, but this is his second time as CMO at Smithfield. Bouldon came from Wolters Kluwer, where she was managing counsel for its North America business. Owned by China’s WH Group, Smithfield launched its initial public offering Jan. 28 on Nasdaq.
President and CEO, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, Glen Allen
In February, Cosby took the reins at ODEC, succeeding John C. Lee, who retired. Based in Henrico County, ODEC is a cooperative with 11 member electric distribution cooperatives that supply power to 1.5 million people in 70 counties in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Cosby was previously chief operating officer of the cooperative, and he worked at General Electric and Dominion Energy. He also was a Navy officer and pilot for 10 years.
President, The Lester Group, Martinsville
In December 2024, Cowart was named president of the Southern Virginia building materials and real estate development company, coming from Washington state. He previously was vice president of acquisitions and of sales and marketing for TAL Building Centers and worked at OrePac Building Supply in Oregon.
Jason R. DavisPresident and CEO, Kaufman & Canoles, Norfolk
In April 2024, Davis succeeded former President and CEO William R. Van Buren III, who is now the Hampton Roads law firm’s chairman. Davis joined the firm, the sixth largest in the state, in 1997 and co-chairs its health care team. He is also president of the Norfolk Forum’s board. Davis earned degrees from the University of Virginia and William & Mary’s law school.
Janet H. DaysEconomic development director, City of Suffolk, Suffolk
Days retired as a Navy captain in August 2024, after serving as commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base. In February, she starts work leading Suffolk’s economic development authority, its tourism division and the Suffolk Executive Airport. An Old Dominion University alum, Days served in the Navy for 37 years and received two Legion of Merit medals and the Defense Meritorious Service medal.
Chief revenue officer, Appian, McLean
In October 2024, Dorsey, who has worked for more than 25 years in tech, joined the McLean cloud computing and software company. Most recently, he was senior vice president of sales at Alteryx, an analytics software company and previously worked at Oracle as senior vice president of enterprise cloud sales.
Kjell GrunerPresident and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Reston
In December 2024, Gruner joined VW to succeed Pablo Di Si, who became the German automaker’s Americas head in 2022. Gruner came from Rivian Automotive, where he served as chief commercial officer and president of business growth. The two companies are working together to produce a five-seat SUV, Rivian’s R2, in 2026, and the following year, VW will launch its own vehicles with Rivian’s electric architecture and software technology stack.
CEO, Visit Williamsburg, Williamsburg
Also known as the Williamsburg Tourism Council, Visit Williamsburg hired Harris in May 2024 as it gears up for the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026. Harris has plenty of experience in attracting history-minded tourists, having worked in Pennsylvania as president and CEO of Discover Lancaster and as chief marketing officer for the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board.
Chief AI officer, Leidos, Reston
Keesing joined the Fortune 500 federal contractor in 2004, and in that time, he founded the Leidos AI Accelerator and served as senior vice president of technology integration. In July 2024, he became the company’s first chief AI officer, a role in which he will anticipate tech trends and use artificial intelligence to support customers. He previously worked for Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) and NASA.
Jason W. KonvickaPresident, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, Richmond
Richmond’s 115-year-old personal injury law firm tapped Konvicka in April 2024 to succeed Edward L. Allen as president. He joined Allen & Allen in 2000 as a trial attorney and became a shareholder in 2006. Konvicka specializes in personal injury and wrongful death cases related to medical malpractice, defective products and vehicle crashes. He’s also on the board of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Jamie LuceroProject director, Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture, Blacksburg
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a record $80 million grant to Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Lucero became the resulting alliance’s head in 2024. Lucero was previously the agriculture college’s director of alumni relations, and she oversees climate-friendly practices at farms and ranches in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia.
President, Luck Cos., Goochland County
Goochland’s century-old family-owned construction aggregates and decorative stone producer named Luck its president in November 2024. The son of Chairman and CEO Charles Luck IV, Richard Luck is the fourth generation of the Luck family to lead the company. As President, he oversees finance, HR and growth, as well as the Luck Stone division.
CEO, ReAlta Life Sciences, Norfolk
Marek was hired as CEO of the Norfolk biopharma company in August 2024, after having served as CEO of Myovant Sciences, which was bought out by Sumitovant Biopharma for $1.7 billion. ReAlta’s focus is on rare and acute inflammatory diseases. Marek was previously with WebMD Health, Amgen, Axsome Therapeutics and Eli Lilly, among other health care companies.
President, Peterson Cos., Fairfax County
In September 2024, McCahan joined the real estate developer as President, coming from Madison Marquette, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate investment firm where he was chief operating officer. A graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina, McCahan managed Madison Marquette’s 3 million-square-foot portfolio and work as co-developer of The Wharf.
Carrie MillerPresident, Bon Secours Hampton Roads Foundation, Norfolk
Miller received a promotion in October 2024 to oversee health care system Bon Secours’ charitable giving in the Hampton Roads region. She previously worked for nearly a decade as senior gift officer at the Hampton Roads foundation, raising money to benefit community health programs, including the Care-A-Van medical service that assists the uninsured.
CEO, Ballston Business Improvement District, Arlington County
A resident of the Ballston neighborhood, Nguyen was named to lead the BID in December 2024, representing commercial property owners who have more than 8.3 million square feet of office space, 1 million square feet of retail space and 9,000 residential units. Formerly managing director of the Maryland Women’s Business Center, Nguyen also worked for Fairfax City as deputy director of economic development.
Todd O’LearyPresident and CEO, Visit Alexandria, Alexandria
In July 2024, O’Leary moved east from California to take the reins at Alexandria’s tourism marketing organization. The Wisconsin native previously worked with Sonoma County Tourism in Santa Rosa, California, the San Francisco Travel Association and Visit Milwaukee.
Director of development, Thalhimer Realty Partners, Richmond
In August 2024, Pechin joined Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer’s real estate development, acquisition and management subsidiary, where she works on the developer’s $2.44 billion Diamond District baseball stadium project in Richmond. She’s quite familiar with the development, which she was involved with on the city’s side as deputy director for the office of equitable development. CarMax Park, the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ new home, is set to open for the 2026 baseball season.
Senior vice president and chief financial officer, Lawson Cos., Norfolk
Last year, Carl Hardee, president and CEO of the residential real estate development and construction company, announced he would retire at the end of 2025. Phipps is expected to succeed Hardee, Lawson Cos. said in its October 2024 news release. A real estate veteran who specializes in accounting and financial reporting, Phipps joined Lawson in 2013 as CFO. He is a graduate of Purdue University.
Shannon O. PierceCEO-elect, Virginia Natural Gas, Virginia Beach
Robert Duvall will retire as CEO of Virginia Natural Gas in April, the utility announced in October 2024, and Pierce has been named to succeed him. Last year, she stepped into the roles of VNG’s president and senior vice president of Southern Company Gas, VNG’s parent company. A graduate of the University of Virginia and its law school, Pierce previously worked for McGuireWoods and joined Southern Gas in 2004.
Ezmeralda SagerExecutive vice president and chief transformation officer, Acentra Health, McLean
The technology and health care services company, founded in 2023, hired Sager in January to guide improvements in development and delivery of products to its state, federal and commercial health care clients. Previously, Sager was vice president of global transformation at Johnson Controls, and she worked for Booz Allen Hamilton and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC).
Director, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News
Sawyer joined the Jefferson Lab as its new director in August 2024, after having served as deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer at Argonne National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. She also worked for Lockheed Martin. She succeeded Stuart Henderson as the Jefferson Lab’s director as it leads the High Performance Data Facility hub.
Capt. Matt SchlarmannCommander, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk
In August 2024, “Squeeze” Schlarmann became commander of the world’s largest naval station, which has 89,000 active-duty military personnel and more than 50,000 civilian employees. Before assuming the top post upon Capt. Janet Days’ retirement, Schlarmann was executive officer of Naval Station Norfolk. He also has served as a naval flight officer since 2002 and was principal deputy legislative assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President and CEO, Centra Health, Lynchburg
Tugman was named the Lynchburg health system’s interim leader in March 2024, and Centra made it permanent in October. Earlier, he was CEO of Piedmont Community Health Plan, a health insurance subsidiary of Centra that is winding down its business this year. Tugman was also vice president and general counsel for Lynchburg’s Fleet Laboratories.
President and CEO, QinetiQ US, McLean
A longtime defense executive who served in the Navy and was president of Raytheon International, Vecchiolla was named the QinetiQ Group PLC subsidiary’s head in January, succeeding Shawn Purvis. The business, which has more than 6,000 employees, reported $1.3 billion in total contract awards in fiscal 2024.
