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Real Estate 2025: GUILLOT, JASON

Guillot is a developer focused on mixed-use projects with Class A office, retail and . He joined Thalhimer in 2007 as an office broker and developer, and he led the redevelopment of the former Westhampton Theater in Richmond into the Westhampton on Grove retail complex.

He’s now involved in larger developments, including the $2.44 billion Diamond District project in Richmond, which includes replacing the Diamond field for the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team in time for the 2026 season. As of the summer, of the $117 million-plus CarMax Park is well underway.

Thalhimer Realty Partners and its partners are developing the first phase of the mixed-use component surrounding the planned stadium and began infrastructure work in the spring. The Diamond District is expected to include 2,800 residential units, 935,000 square feet of office space, two hotels and 195,000 square feet of retail and community space.

A University of Richmond graduate, Guillot is on the VCU Trends Conference planning committee.

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Real Estate 2025: LAWSON, STEVE

Lawson has been chairman of his family’s 53-year-old company since 2016. Previously, he served as president for 17 years.

A third-generation builder and developer, Lawson has long been an advocate for equitable and affordable housing, testifying before Congress and using his leadership positions with the National Association of Home Builders to raise awareness. This passion is also reflected in the firm’s work.

In November, Lawson Cos. broke ground on Smith Ridge Commons, a 216-unit apartment community in Roanoke that will provide housing to people who make 60% or less of the area median income, and the company plans to build a $20 million, 144-unit apartment complex in Richmond.

In September 2024, the company announced Carl Hardee’s planned retirement as president and CEO. Aaron Phipps, formerly chief financial officer and senior vice president, succeeded him.

Lawson earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Duke University. He’s a director of the Lawson Family Foundation and the Nancy Bush Lawson Memorial fund, two donor-advised funds administered by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.

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Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2025: ARMSTRONG, SHERRIE

Armstrong is only the second president and CEO of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, established in 1968. She has held that position since 2015 after 26 years of leadership roles with United Way at local and national levels, including working as executive vice president of investor relations at United Way Worldwide and serving as CEO for the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg for 11 years.

The foundation is committed to accelerating regional prosperity for the Richmond region, addressing community needs and supporting local . It manages about 1,300 charitable funds with assets of some $800 million. In 2024, the foundation awarded more than $5 million to 141 organizations through its Community Impact grants program, helping individuals and families build paths to economic mobility.

Armstrong serves on the boards of directors of Venture Richmond and the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg. She has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from West Virginia University.
versity.

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Law 2025: AGHDAMI, FARHAD

Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1968, Aghdami came to the United States in 1971 when his father joined the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia as an anesthesiologist.

After graduating from the University of Virginia with a history degree, Aghdami earned his degree from Wake Forest University, and a master of laws degree in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Aghdami joined Williams Mullen in 1999 and was promoted to managing partner of the Richmond office in 2015. His practice focuses on wealth transfer tax planning, business succession planning, income tax planning and fiduciary litigation.

Aghdami sits on the board of the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, a mutual property company. He’s also board president of the Georgia-based Southern Federal Tax Institute, a nonprofit that provides coverage of tax and estate developments, and sits on the board of regents for the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

In the community, Aghdami serves as chair for Venture Richmond’s board. He’s also an ex-officio member of the board of governors of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond and a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation board.

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Insurance 2025: WRIGHT, JEFF

In 2022, Wright was named CEO for the U.S. division of the Munich-based global travel and assistance company. Last year, his title changed to managing director for Allianz Partners North America, reflecting his responsibility for Allianz’s U.S. and Canadian business units.

Allianz is a name being heard a lot lately in Richmond, where the company is name sponsor of the popular and recently opened Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront concert venue in Richmond.

Wright joined Allianz Partners USA in 2019 as chief financial officer. Previously, he was CFO for Henrico Fortune 500 insurer Genworth Financial’s U.S. division.

After graduating with a degree in business administration from the University of Richmond, Wright earned an MBA from the University of Maryland. He sits on the board of the Greater Richmond Partnership.

ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADS: Being a leader has nothing to do with whether or not you are the smartest person in the room. Most of the time you aren’t, and that’s a good thing. You should try and keep it that way.

WHAT I DO FOR FUN: Play ice hockey, wakeboarding, surfing

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Law 2025: PERDUE, WENDY COLLINS

Dean of the University of Richmond School of since 2011, Perdue has blazed plenty of trails, as she is among the 42% of law school deans who are female. In 2024, Virginia Lawyers Weekly inducted Perdue into its Hall of Fame, and in March, she announced she would step down as dean at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. Perdue plans to remain on faculty as a professor of law following a sabbatical.

A graduate of Wellesley College and the Duke University School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of its law journal, Perdue clerked for former Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy when he was a judge for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She was an associate at Washington, D.C., firm Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) before entering academia.

Prior to joining the University of Richmond, Perdue was an associate dean and professor at Georgetown University Law Center. She also served as president of the Association of American for a one-year term in 2018.

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Insurance 2025: STANCHINA, JOHN C.

Since 2011, Stanchina has led the mid-Atlantic region for Marsh McLennan Agency, which provide business , employee health and benefits, retirement and private client insurance solutions.

The region includes offices in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Stanchina oversees more than 1,100 employees.

In 1994, Stanchina went to work at Rutherfoord as a surety bond manager. In 2008, he became division president of the insurance brokerage’s Richmond office. Two years later, MMA purchased Rutherfoord.

Stanchina graduated with a degree in accounting and art from Muskingum College (now Muskingum University) in 1987. He is an emeritus board member of the Anna Julia Cooper School and is 2024-25 board president for Greater Richmond SCAN, which works to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. He also sits on the and Insurance Advisory Council at Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Law 2025: ROUNTREE, CAMERON

Promoted in 2022 to head the state bar, Rountree leads more than 90 employees who are responsible for licensing the state’s 50,000-plus lawyers. The bar is the administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and it disciplines who violate the court’s rules of professional conduct and evaluates the state’s judges.

Rountree joined the bar as deputy executive director in 2019.

Prior to that, he practiced civil and white-collar criminal defense at Williams Mullen and served as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, Rountree served as a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy.

Rountree earned his law degree from William & Mary and holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He is a board member for the Services Corporation of Virginia, which funds and oversees statewide legal aid, and the Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program.

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Insurance 2025: SPIRO, RICHARD G. ‘RICKY’

With more than 30 years of experience in and financial services, Spiro has led the Henrico County-based property, casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm since 2017.

A portfolio company of Washington, D.C.- based Carlyle Group, The Hilb Group has more than 2,400 employees. The firm celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2024 and has continued to grow, having completed more than 180 acquisitions with over 125 offices in 31 states. Its 2024 revenue was $641 million.

Last fall, the Hilb Group announced it had secured a $2 billion round of financing to refinance debt and add over $500 million of debt capacity for mergers and acquisitions. “We are excited to continue executing on our growth strategy and to build on our track record of introducing high-quality agencies to the Hilb platform,” Spiro said.

Spiro, who has an economics degree from Princeton University, served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of commercial property and casualty insurer Chubb from 2008 to 2016. Before that, he was a managing director in Citigroup Global Markets’ financial institutions investment banking group.

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Law 2025: MARSTON, K. BRETT

In addition to serving as Gentry Locke’s managing partner, Marston is president of the Virginia State Bar, a post he will hold through June 2026. A graduate of the University of Virginia and George Mason University’s school, Marston joined Gentry Locke in 1994 and specializes in law, including contract negotiations, payment disputes and matters.

He has a lengthy history of leadership in the state bar. He currently leads the bar’s executive committee and formerly served on the budget and finance committee. In July, Marston rotated off the board for the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, and he completed his three-year presidency of the Roanoke Regional Partnership board in 2024.

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT ME: I grew up in a very rural part of Virginia — Red House, on the border of Charlotte and Appomattox counties. Both sets of grandparents were tobacco farmers. This continued with my father, who not only farmed but, along with my mother, ran a grocery store in Red House.

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