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LAW 2025: KENDRICK, LESLIE

Kendrick became the 13th dean of the University of Virginia School of in 2024, replacing Risa Goluboff, who stepped down after eight years in the role.

A native of eastern Kentucky, Kendrick graduated from U.Va.’s law school in 2006 and became a member of the faculty two years later after clerking for former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice David Souter and for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 2017, Kendrick, whose scholarship focuses on freedom of speech and torts, won U.Va.’s All-University Teaching Award. She was previously director of the school’s Center for the First Amendment and a special adviser on free expression and inquiry to U.Va.’s former provost.

Kendrick was the law school’s vice dean from 2017 to 2021. In the early days of the pandemic, she oversaw the effort to move 139 courses online over eight days. She received her master’s degree and doctorate in English literature as a Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford.

U.Va.’s law school was ranked No. 4 in the nation in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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Insurance 2025: BROWN, TOM

In 1916, Thomas Rutherfoord launched an agency in Roanoke. Fast-forward to 1979, and Rutherfoord’s grandson, Brown, started his own insurance career at the family business.

In 1983, Brown moved from the Star City to Richmond to open a Rutherfoord office. He became president of the company in 1998 and CEO in 2004. In 2010, Brown helped to guide the company’s acquisition by Marsh McLennan.

Brown became chairman of Marsh’s mid-Atlantic operations six years later.

Marsh McLennan, which provides business insurance, employee health and benefits, retirement and private client insurance solutions, has more than 300 offices across the United States and Canada and in 2024 reported $24.46 billion in revenue, about an 8% increase over the previous year. The company has about 340 employees in Virginia.

With his sons Tucker and Thomas, Brown purchased Richmond specialty grocer Yellow Umbrella Provisions in 2020. In 2024, they added a location in the Libbie Mill shopping center. This year, the trio opened Ballast, a Scott’s Addition complex that includes a Yellow Umbrella market, a restaurant, Slack Tide Fish Co., and a Cirrus Vodka tasting room.

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Law 2025: INGLIMA, THOMAS C.

Inglima has been at Willcox & Savage for more than a quarter century. In 2021, he was tapped to lead the firm.

Inglima’s practice centers on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and securities transactions, intellectual property, licensing and technology transfers and general corporate work, including advising executives about corporate governance.

He was lead counsel to Landmark in several major sales, including Landmark’s sale of The Weather Channel to a consortium consisting of

NBCUniversal, Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. He also was lead counsel to Dominion Enterprises in the sale of ForRent to CoStar Group, which was announced in 2017.

In November 2024, the firm announced it was launching a Richmond-based government relations subsidiary, Willcox Savage Consulting, which will be focused on the state legislature.

A graduate of Duke University and Georgetown University Center, Inglima sits on the advisory council of Horizons Hampton Roads, a nonprofit for disadvantaged youth.

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Insurance 2025: McINERNEY, THOMAS J.

Genworth dropped off the Fortune 500 in 2025, slipping to No. 507. The insurer posted 2024 revenue of about $7.3 billion, down about 2.58% from 2023. Even so, McInerney, who has led Genworth since 2013, says he’s “very proud of the progress we’ve made and the momentum we’re building.”

In 2023, the company launched the CareScout Quality Network, a network of 500 long-term care providers. This year, Genworth plans to invest up to $50 million to grow the venture.

McInerney previously held executive roles with the ING Group, a Dutch financial services company. He earned an economics degree from Colgate University and an MBA from Dartmouth College. He sits on several boards, including United Way Worldwide and Virginia Learns.

BOOK I’D RECOMMEND: “The Life Cycle of a CEO: The Myths and Truths of How Leaders Succeed,” by Claudius Hildebrand and Robert Stark

ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADS: Your best next career move may not be upward in the organization. Be open to lateral opportunities or even taking a step back to build the broader business acumen that will make you a more adaptable teammate in the short term and a more effective leader in the long term.

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Law 2025: HARMON, JONATHAN P.

In 2017, McGuireWoods’ board of partners elected Harmon to be the first Black chairman of the state’s largest firm. In the role, Harmon is the faCEOf the firm, responsible for its big-picture strategy and vision.

In addition to leading McGuireWoods, Harmon continues to work as a trial lawyer known for communicating complex information to juries.

He has represented major companies including Yahoo, DuPont, CSX Transportation and UPS Ground Freight.

Before becoming chairman, Harmon led the firm’s business securities litigation department.

A West Point graduate, Harmon served as a first lieutenant in the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Desert Storm. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and joined McGuireWoods in 1995.

With more than 920 , McGuireWoods was the nation’s 62nd largest law firm by number of lawyers last year. It ranked 54th for revenue on the Am Law 200, bringing in $1.11 billion in gross revenue for 2024.

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Law 2025: HAYNES, RUDENE MERCER

In April, Hunton Andrews Kurth named Haynes managing partner of its Richmond office.

Co-leader of the servicer advance financing practice, Haynes has worked at Hunton since 1999, following her graduation from the University of Texas School of . Also a University of Virginia graduate, she has represented Ginnie Mae, the federal government’s mortgage corporation, in its multiclass and mortgage-backed securities programs.

Haynes is also deeply involved in her community, having served on boards for YWCA Richmond and the VCU Massey Cancer Center. She also was a founding member of the Richmond & Henrico Public Health Foundation board. Over the past decade, she has won professional and civic accolades, including YWCA Richmond’s Outstanding Women Award and the Valentine museum’s Richmond History Maker Award.

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT ME: That I didn’t get a real driver’s license until two weeks before starting my first job as an associate at Hunton

PERSONAL MOTTO: Those who know me well know one of my favorite quotes is that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

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Law 2025: DAVIS, JASON R.

Davis, who joined Kaufman & Canoles in 1997, became president and CEO of the Hampton Roads firm in 2024, succeeding William R. Van Buren III, who led the firm for 16 years and is now chairman.

In his practice, Davis represents and advises hospitals, long-term care facilities, physicians and other health care providers on a range of matters, including potential breaches of the Health Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Virginia, Davis received his law degree from William & Mary.

The Virginia Law Foundation inducted Davis, along with 25 other lawyers, into the 2025 Fellows Class. Away from work, Davis is a board member for the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation and the Greenwood School.

STREAMING SHOW I’D RECOMMEND: “Drops of God” — unexpectedly brilliant

HOW I DEFINE SUCCESS: Arriving at a plaCEOf equilibrium — working hard but enjoying what you do and taking time for fun, spending time with others but also alone, staying active while building in time to relax, doing things for others while paying attention to yourself.

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Law 2025: GOULD, WILLIAM F.

Co-chair of the firm’s health care and life sciences industry team, Gould’s practice focuses on government enforcement actions, internal investigations and civil litigation. He works extensively on litigation and corporate compliance matters for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Gould also advises health care and defense industry executives on risk management.

Before joining Holland & Knight, Gould was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, including at the Western District of Virginia and Washington, D.C., and he was an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of , his alma mater. As managing assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Gould oversaw the district’s offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, including approving new cases and indictments.

Gould has been a panelist at Food and Drug Law Institute events, including a discussion of the Theranos trials, and he has represented clients in cases involving the federal False Claims Act and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

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Media 2025: VANDEHEI, JIM

VandeHei co-founded Axios in 2016; it launched in 2017. Five years later, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises acquired it for a reported $525 million. VandeHei remains at the helm as CEO. software business Axios HQ became an independent company.

A University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh alumnus, VandeHei embarked on his entrepreneurial journey after spending time as a Washington, D.C.-based reporter. He covered congressional news for The Wall Street Journal from 2000 to 2003, followed by three years at The Washington Post. In 2006, he co-founded Politico, serving as its CEO until he co-founded Axios.

VandeHei has written two books: 2022’s “Smart Brevity” and “Just the Good Stuff,” published last year.

In mid-May, he wrote in an Axios piece that the company tells most employees they should be spending 10% or more of their time finding ways to use AI to double their productivity by the end of the year.

VandeHei and co-founder Mike Allen received the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate Award — the club’s highest honor — in November 2024.

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Law 2025: GOODWYN, THE HON. S. BERNARD

It’s little wonder Goodwyn’s classmates at Southampton High School handed him the “most likely to succeed” superlative. Quarterback of the football team, Goodwyn was also president of the student body and valedictorian.

After high school, Goodwyn headed to Harvard, where he played football and ran track. An economics major, Goodwyn graduated magna cum laude.

After earning his degree at the University of Virginia, Goodwyn worked in private practice in Norfolk. In 1995, he became the first Black judge appointed to the Chesapeake General District Court.

Goodwyn stayed in that role for two years, then served as a judge of the Chesapeake Circuit Court for a decade.

In 2007, then-Gov. Tim Kaine appointed Goodwyn to the Virginia Supreme Court. In 2021, fellow justices tapped Goodwyn to be chief justice.

Earlier this year, Goodwyn announced plans to retire on Jan. 1, 2026. During its annual meeting in January, the Virginia Bar Association gave the judge the Gerald L. Baliles Distinguished Service Award.

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