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Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2025: LAWRENCE A. ‘LARRY’ SELZER

Selzer has led The Conservation Fund since 2001, helping to protect vital lands and waters in the United States to provide greater access to nature, strengthen local economies and enhance climate resiliency. The environmental nonprofit, which is chartered for both conservation and economic development, has protected 9 million acres across all 50 states in the past 40 years.

A recent success is the $60 million acquisition of a proposed deep earth mine site near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, helping protect North America’s largest blackwater swamp from mining.

Closer to home, the organization in April transferred nearly 1,000 acres along the Rappahannock River’s shoreline to the Rappahannock Tribe, which is co-stewarding the land with the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

Selzer began his conservation career researching marine mammal and seabird populations at Massachusetts’ Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Before being named president of The Conservation Fund, he led the organization’s efforts to integrate economic and environmental goals.

A Wesleyan University and University of Virginia graduate, Selzer has served on the board of forest products company Weyerhaeuser since 2016. He also is chairman of the American Bird Conservancy’s board.

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Professional Services 2025: RYAN, PATRICK

In July, Ryan became KPMG’s national managing partner of advisory strategy and markets. He’s responsible for building a profitable growth strategy for the Big Four firm’s advisory business.

Ryan remains D.C. metro office managing partner and U.S. federal business leader, roles he has held since June 2024. He has more than 4,000 employees in the region and leads market strategy. As federal sector leader, Ryan oversees the firm’s federal audit and advisory practices, supporting more than 2,000 employees.

The James Madison University graduate began his career in 2000 at KPMG’s D.C. audit practice before serving as senior director for SEC reporting at InPhonic and vice president for accounting and valuation services at Integral Financial Group. He returned to KPMG in 2011 as a partner in the firm’s audit practice, serving federal and commercial clients. Ryan was appointed U.S. and Americas leader for accounting advisory services in 2020.

In the past year, KPMG, which posted global revenue of $38.4 billion in fiscal 2024, has launched an AI platform called KPMG Workbench as well as a law firm, making it the first owned by a Big Four firm in the U.S.

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Media 2025: O’SHAUGHNESSY, TIMOTHY J.

O’Shaughnessy was named president and CEO of Graham Holdings in November 2015, taking over from his father-in-law. He had been elected to the board a year before, joining Graham Holdings to guide the company in a new direction following its 2013 sale of The Washington Post.

Co-founding LivingSocial in 2007, O’Shaughnessy served as its CEO before coming to Graham Holdings. During his time as CEO, the e-commerce and marketing company grew sales to nearly $2 billion.

Graduating from Georgetown University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, operations and information management, O’Shaughnessy now serves as a board vice president for the nonprofit Federal City Council.

Graham Holdings owns a mix of education, home health and hospice care, , news, car dealerships, manufacturing and hospitality companies. Among its recognizable brands: Kaplan, Slate magazine, Society6, Roanoke’s WSLS-TV and Clyde’s Restaurant Group. The company’s 2024 revenue was $4.79 billion, up 9% from 2023. Revenues increased in the education, TV broadcasting, health care and automotive sectors but decreased in manufacturing and other businesses.

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Professional Services 2025: SPROUSE, LAURA

In 2024, Sprouse was named CEO of Brown Edwards, the firm where she has spent more than 25 years of her career. She succeeded Jason Hartman, who retired after 38 years.

Sprouse’s expertise focuses on accounting information system services. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance and decision support systems from Ferrum College and is a CPA. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Forbes recognized her this year as a best-in-state CPA.

Brown Edwards had approximately $88 million in fiscal 2024 revenue and has more than 450 employees. In 2024, he firm ranked No. 69 in Inside Public Accounting’s Top 500 CPA firms ranking, which is based on net revenue. Forbes named it to the 2023 America’s Best Tax and Accounting Firms list.

Additionally, Brown Edwards received a client experience award in the 2025 BDO Alliance Awards.

MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “Radical Candor,” by Kim Scott

INTERESTING PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: My husband and I traveled to Italy for our 25th anniversary.

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Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2025: CAMPBELL, CLAY

Campbell’s life has taken him off to the races for as long as he can remember. Grandson of Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles, who built the paperclip-shaped speedway in 1947, Campbell has worked at Martinsville since he was a child. He worked in maintenance, concessions and souvenirs before moving up to vice president and general manager, finally taking over as track president in 1988.

A longstanding fixture in Virginia motorsports, Campbell also has driven in some Late Model, K&N East and ARCA races. When the family racetrack was sold to International Speedway in 2004, and later absorbed by , Campbell remained with the track as president, and in 2021 was named president of NASCAR’s mid-Atlantic region. Every spring and fall, Martinsville Speedway hosts NASCAR Cup Series races. It’s the only track on the circuit that has hosted NASCAR Cup Series races since 1949.

In June, NASCAR and FloSports announced a partnership adding $50,000 to the purse for the Virginia Triple Crown, composed of three races ending with the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in September. The overall champion will now receive $20,000.

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Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2025: CAPSHAW, CORAN

The Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront, a max-7,500-capacity outdoor venue from Red Light and Live Nation Entertainment, opened in downtown Richmond in June. The $30 million amphitheater will host about 30 events per year and is expected to bring top-name artists to the greater Richmond region. Additionally, it will serve as a space for graduation ceremonies, city festivals and local events.

Headed up by and real estate mogul Capshaw, Red Light manages dozens of major acts, including Dave Matthews Band, Chris Stapleton, Lionel Richie, Sabrina Carpenter and Phish. Capshaw’s journey in the music world began in the late ’80s when he began managing Dave Matthews Band, and in 1991, he founded artist management company . The company has since expanded into other ventures, including music festivals, branding, event production and management.

Capshaw also founded Starr Hill Presents and Musictoday and was instrumental in the success of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee. He developed the Ting Pavilion on ‘s Downtown Mall and co-founded independent record label ATO Records with Dave Matthews.

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Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2025: LEMBKE, KEVIN

On May 16, Busch Gardens hosted a parkwide celebration for its 50th anniversary, complete with 75-cent beer, a 1970s cover band, a fireworks finale and a “lookback presentation” from Lembke.

One week later, the park launched its newest attraction:   The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge, an homage to the original roller coaster that closed in 2009. The inverted coaster with 2,500-plus-feet of track travels up to 40 miles per hour.

Lembke became president of & Water Country USA in 2018 and has been part of the amusement park industry since 2000, when he started at SeaWorld Orlando. Busch Gardens and Water Country USA are owned by United Parks & Resorts, a name change for SeaWorld Entertainment, effective February 2024. The company owns 12 parks in the United

States and a 13th park in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Lembke serves on the board of Visit Williamsburg. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo, after which he interned at the marketing sales department of the Buffalo Bills NFL team before joining SeaWorld.

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Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2025: NYERGES, ALEX

Nyerges is now in his 19th year as director of the . Free to all visitors, the museum opened in 1936 and has more than 545,000 square feet of galleries, event space and dining. In the works is a 173,000-square-foot, $261 million expansion to be named for the late philanthropist Jim McGlothlin of Bristol and his widow, Frances. The project will also renovate about 45,000 square feet of existing gallery space. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025, and the VMFA plans to open the wing in 2028.

The new wing will include more space for African, American and Native American art and contemporary art exhibits, as well as a special exhibition gallery suite and a 500-seat event space.

Ongoing is Rewind<<Fast/Forward, a series of immersive contemporary art installations.

Coming in November 2026 is an impressionist exhibit from the Dallas Museum of Art. A photographer, Nyerges holds a master’s degree in museum studies from George

Washington University and serves on the board of the university’s museum.

FIRST JOB: Delivering newspapers

FAVORITE TEAMS: Depending on the season, 1) Football: Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams, and 2) : Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers

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Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2025: ROTHROCK, BEN

Becoming COO in 2023, Rothrock is now the highest-ranking Virginia- based boss of the Double-A team, although he shares leadership with Brendon Porter, the team’s president, who spends part of his time in Alabama. Rothrock also held the title of general manager from 2017 until this year, when the team announced Anthony Oppermann, who was chief marketing officer in the 2024 season, would assume the role.

While Oppermann oversees the club’s day-to-day operations, Rothrock is focused on construction of CarMax Park, the Squirrels’ new ballpark starting with the 2026 season. The 8,000-seat stadium with capacity for about 2,000 additional people standing replaces the aging Diamond and is expected to cost at least $110 million. Construction officially began with a ceremonial groundbreaking in September 2024. The Richmond Economic Development Authority’s board in August 2024 approved a 30-year lease and stadium development agreement in which the Squirrels will pay $3.2 million in annual rent for the next 10 years, with the rates decreasing after that point.

A former linebacker on the Liberty University Flames football team, Rothrock has a degree in management.

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Agriculture 2025: WIGNER, PRESTON D.

Wigner took the helm at Universal in October 2024, succeeding George C. Freeman, who retired after 16 years of running the world’s leading supplier of leaf tobacco.

Wigner, who joined Universal in 2003, was appointed the agriproducts company’s senior vice president in 2023, as part of a succession planning process. Previously, he’d served as the company’s vice president, general counsel and secretary.

For fiscal 2025, Universal Corp. reported $2.9 billion in revenue, a 7% increase over the previous year. “As we move into fiscal year 2026,” Wigner said in a late May statement, “we foresee continued strong demand for tobacco and larger tobacco crops shifting global markets to more balanced tobacco supply positions.”

In 2024, Universal completed a $30 million expansion of a Pennsylvania manufacturing campus of subsidiary Shank’s Extracts. The project added beverage-focused extraction and aseptic processing technology to the existing facilities.

Wigner has a degree in marketing from James Madison University and a law degree from the University of Richmond. Before joining Universal, Wigner was an associate at Williams Mullen law firm.

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