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2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Yvonne Allmond

Allmond joined in 2005 and has more than three decades of experience in banking and finance. Although she moved around in her youth as part of a military family, Allmond is today settled into civic life, having served on boards for , Norfolk State University Foundation and the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.

FIRST JOB: Editorial assistant at the FDIC while in college

WHY I CHOSE MY PROFESSION: My position at the FDIC provided me with financial information that I knew my parents and family did not have. I was inspired to learn this information to assist them. I am still doing that.

HOW I GIVE BACK: I sit on many boards and am able to provide a different point of view on many issues affecting those of us who did not grow up with wealth. Board members are well-meaning who want to do the right thing, and while giving financial support is very helpful, knowing the recipients of your mission is also key.

PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: I am proud to have mentored so many young men and women, as well as businesses.

BOOKS I’D RECOMMEND: John Hope Bryant has great advice for creating legacies through financial literacy. His information can be life-changing to communities. “I’m Not Yelling: A Black Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace,” by Elizabeth Leiba, is a great book that I share with young women of color in the workplace.

HOBBIES: I love science fiction movies, new and the old black-and-white movies. I also like to put things together, such as furniture and toys. I have my own tools!

The Virginia Home plans $128M campus in Hanover

The Virginia Home plans to build a $128 million, 75-acre campus in , according to a Thursday announcement by the , which serves adults with irreversible physical disabilities. The current facility in will be sold, a spokesperson said.

At its location overlooking Richmond’s Byrd Park, houses 130 residents who have conditions like quadriplegia and muscular dystrophy. The new campus will serve 160 residents, increasing capacity by more than 20%.

“Since 1894, we’ve had one dream at The Virginia Home — to create a richer life for adult Virginians with irreversible physical disabilities,” Douglas Vaughan Jr., president and of the nonprofit, said in a news release. “Now, our dreams quite literally need a bigger home.”

Located off Interstate 295, the new campus will offer residents outdoor space and could accommodate future expansions, which might include multi-person cottages for residents who are able to live more independently, according to The Virginia Home.

In a news release Friday, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer said The Virginia Home purchased 75 acres on Bell Creek Road near Pole Green Road for $8.65 million from Big Oak Development Co. Shield Land Trust. Jeffrey Cooke handled the sale negotiations on behalf of The Virginia Home.

The new, one-story facility will be 196,000 square feet, an increase over the current 125,000-square-foot building. With construction expected to begin in July, the new facility could open to residents in the fall of 2027, according to a spokesperson for The Virginia Home.

All rooms at the new facility will feature outdoor views and natural light. They will be larger than rooms at the current facility (an increase from 164 square feet to 250 square feet). The facility will also offer smaller bathroom configurations with more individual storage, a change from the current congregate facilities. Residents will not need to navigate elevators or stairs.

“The new campus will not only allow us to welcome more individuals and families into our community, but it will also feature beautiful, modern design and technology that supports greater independence, dignity and comfort for everyone we serve,” Vaughan said in a statement.

Additionally, the new campus will allow The Virginia Home to launch a day program that will serve 55 to 60 participants, individuals who are on a waiting list for a residential opening or who do not require full-time care.

White House decisions weigh heavily on Va., Hampton Roads economies, experts say

While federal workers ponder taking a buyout offer from President Donald and a now-rescinded federal funding freeze memo caused confusion and worry over the status of major projects in Virginia, economists at Old Dominion University say uncertainty in Washington, D.C., is the major factor affecting the state’s and ‘ economic futures right now.

“In the best-case scenario, not much changes in terms of trade, immigration, tax and spending in 2025, and the United States and Virginia economies continue to experience real gross domestic product growth around 2.5%,” said Bob McNab, director of ODU’s , which released its annual economic forecast for the state and the Hampton Roads region Wednesday. “In the worst-case scenario, higher coupled with immigration actions accelerate inflation, and the national and commonwealth economies could plunge us into recession in the latter half of 2025.”

Speaking about the Hampton Roads region’s , Dragas Center Deputy Director Vinod Agarwal said he expects defense spending to grow during the , a boon for Hampton Roads, where it accounts for 40% of all economic activity. However, higher tariffs and fewer federal workers could hurt the region’s economy, Agarwal said.

“As of yesterday, there are incentives in place to entice federal workers to retire. The question is, how effective is it going to be? What effect it will have, especially in the commonwealth?” he said, referring to Trump’s announcement this week to offer buyouts of eight months’ salary to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by next week. However, some attorneys and federal employee unions, as well as U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, are urging federal workers not to resign. 

Meanwhile, a memo sent Monday by the acting director of the federal Office of Management and Budget that would have frozen more than $3 trillion in federal led to widespread confusion among government agencies, businesses, nonprofits and citizens, as well as a flurry of lawsuits, a temporary court injunction and, ultimately, the Trump administration’s rescission of an executive order. Among other impacts, the freeze raised questions about what could happen to major economic development projects in Virginia that were awarded federal dollars under the Biden administration.

Trump’s actions of the past week aside, McNab said overall that the state’s outlook is positive. Job growth continued statewide in 2024, and job openings signal strong demand for labor this year. Continued job and income growth this year will likely make consumers feel more positively about the economy, although sentiment is lower than in 2019, McNab said.

He expects that the state’s GDP will increase by more than 2.5% in 2025, as long as federal spending increases in the commonwealth and if there are no “significant disruptions due to shifts in immigration, trade or fiscal policy,” and if the H5N1 bird flu continues to not pose a threat to public .

However, if Trump pushes forward with threatened 10% or 25% tariff increases against China, Mexico and Canada — inviting retaliatory tariffs from those countries — McNab anticipates inflation will grow above 4% this year. Also, the narrowly Republican-controlled Congress may not be able to extend the debt ceiling and fully appropriate the fiscal 2025 budget. Previous standoffs, he notes, have “increased bond yields, lowered the U.S. credit rating and led to declines in equity markets.”

Another factor, McNab said, is that bond markets are anticipating higher inflation as a result of federal spending changes and tax policy, in addition to uncertainty over tariffs. Bird flu, and whether it becomes a major outbreak, is a “wild card” factor, he added.

Agarwal said that for Hampton Roads, existing home sales have decreased by 36% since 2021, and while he expects sales to stabilize this year, median prices are expected to continue increasing. Prices rose from $255,000 in 2020 to $336,000 in 2024, he reported. Also, “size and type of reduction in the federal workforce and increases in tariffs … will remain to be a major concern for the health and growth of the regional economy.”

In sum, said McNab, “any forecast would require heroic assumptions on what policies come into play in 2025.” 

Altria Group names new board member connected to Hasbro

Hasbro board chair and the toymaker’s former interim Richard S. Stoddart will join the Monday, the -based, Fortune 500 tobacco manufacturer announced Thursday.

Stoddart will serve as a member of the board’s nominating, corporate governance and social responsibility committee, as well as on the audit and innovation committees.

Also Thursday, Altria reported its full-year results for 2024. was $24 billion, a 1.9% decrease from the previous year. The company attributed the drop to lower revenues in the smokeable products segment, but noted that higher revenues in oral tobacco products segment helped to offset the loss.

In 2024, Altria, which has about 6,400 employees, completed a $3.4 billion share repurchase program, repurchasing 73.5 million shares. The company’s board has authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program that it expects to complete by the end of 2025.

Among Altria’s operating companies are USA, , and .

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Stoddart was president and CEO of InnerWorkings, a Chicago marketing firm, from 2018 until 2020 when the company was acquired by HH Global, the British marketing provider. Previously, Stoddart ran Leo Burnett North America, the Chicago-based advertising agency, for 11 years as CEO and president, and became CEO and global president of Leo Burnett Worldwide in 2016.

Stoddart joined the board of toymaker Hasbro in 2014. Following the 2021 death of the company’s longtime leader Brian Goldner, Stoddart served as interim CEO for several months and then stepped into the role of board chair in 2022.

Herndon contractor to acquire NG division for $327M

Herndon tech and management contractor Inc. has agreed to acquire ‘s mission training and ground network communications software business (MT&S) for approximately $327 million.

, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Serco Group, announced the deal Wednesday, which is expected to close in mid-2025.

MT&S provides the U.S. military with advanced mission training services, as well as software that makes satellite ground networks more efficient. It supports programs for the Army, Space Force, Air Force, Navy, Combatant Commands and international partners.

“This is an important next step in our strategic journey and underscores Serco’s dedication to growth and innovation in mission-critical solutions,” Serco Inc. Tom Watson said in a statement. “The integration of this enhanced portfolio of work will expand our footprint within the defense market.”

The MT&S business’s portfolio of U.S. defense service contracts yields approximately $300 million in annual revenues. Serco expects the acquisition to grow its North America business to more than $2 billion in .

The nearly 1,000 employees of Northrop Grumman’s MT&S business will join Serco, bringing expertise in digital engineering, software development, satellite ground communications software and mission simulation.

MT&S provides simulation-based training and mission rehearsal capabilities through live, virtual and constructive immersive environments. It owns and develops the Distributed Mission Operations Network, which allows aircrews in different locations to train together in a virtual environment.

The business also gives Serco space operations and services capabilities.

“We have approximately doubled revenue and more than trebled profit in Serco’s North America business in recent years through a successful combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. MT&S provides an excellent opportunity to continue that success,” Serco Group CEO Mark Irwin said in a statement.

Serco reported 1.36 billion pounds — equivalent to approximately $1.7 billion as of Thursday — in 2023 revenue for North America. Its parent company, Serco Group, reported 4.87 billion pounds — about $6 billion — in 2023 revenue. Serco Group has more than 50,000 employees in more than 20 countries, about 9,000 of whom are employed in the Americas.

Kaine, Warner respond to Trump White House rescinding spending freeze memo

The budget office on Wednesday rescinded a controversial memo issued Monday that froze spending on more than $3 trillion in federal financial assistance, including and loans backing economic development and infrastructure projects across the nation.

In the two-sentence memo issued Wednesday, , acting director of the Office of  Management and Budget, wrote: “OMB Memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded. If you have questions about implementing the President’s Executive Orders, please contact your agency General Counsel. ”

U.S. Sens. Tim and Mark , both Democrats, quickly responded. In a message posted to X around 2:21 p.m., Kaine called the Office of Management and Budget’s rescission  “good news.”

“We pushed hard for a day,” Kaine said in a video that he noted was filmed shortly after 1 p.m. “They’re backing up, but this ain’t over. We’re going to have to keep battling, and I’ve got your back.”

By 1:40 p.m., Karoline Leavitt, the new White House press secretary, posted on X that the memo was not a rescission of the federal freeze. “It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo,” she stated.

The point, she added, is to end confusion created by a federal judge who on Tuesday temporarily blocked Trump’s freeze on federal spending until at least Feb. 3.

The president’s executive orders on federal funding “remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented,” Leavitt wrote.

During a media call at 2:15 p.m., Warner didn’t mince words describing how he thinks the first days of the new presidential administration are going.

“He’s introduced chaos at a level that even makes the first term look organized,” he said.

Warner’s staff has heard concerns about the freeze, he said, from leaders in Virginia’s local governments, contractors who work for the state and nonprofit leaders.

“The idea that you’re going to freeze funding for 90 days means a lot of these operations have to fire a lot of folks,” Warner said.

The senator also appeared to call out leaders who’ve been quiet about the freeze.

“I just wish some of my Republican friends at the state level, the federal level, everywhere, would step up and say, ‘This doesn’t affect just red states or blue states. It affects the whole United States, and this will have draconian effects on ‘s lives,’” Warner said.

A call to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office was not immediately returned Wednesday.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, issued a statement about the pause of federal financial assistance.

“This temporary pause is meant to give agencies time to identify and review these programs and ensure compliance with law,” Griffith stated. “This is a prudent review by the new to be careful stewards of taxpayer money.”

Trump’s freeze prompted questions about what happens to huge pending economic development projects in Virginia from Microporous, Micron Technologies and LS GreenLink, all of which were awarded hundreds of millions of federal dollars for projects expected to employ thousands of workers.

Virginia’s U.S. senators released a statement Tuesday eviscerating the freeze.

“In every corner of Virginia alone, there are enormous, game-changing economic developments projects happening right now that depend on federal spending appropriated by Congress. Whether it’s Helene recovery in Southwest [Virginia], … semiconductor manufacturing in Northern Virginia… pharmaceutical jobs in … renewable energy in coastal Virginia… or the expansion in Southside – every one of these projects is in part the result of federal funding from laws we fought tooth and nail to pass in Congress, and could now be endangered thanks to President Trump’s mess.”

Fairfax casino bill moves forward in Va. Senate

A bill that could bring a to won a vote in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, pushing it forward to a full Senate vote later in the Virginia session.

If passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, voters would have the opportunity to vote on a casino referendum on this fall’s ballot.

Sen. Scott Surovell, SB 982’s chief sponsor, released a statement: “I am pleased my colleagues voted to advance Senate Bill 982 out of the Senate Finance Committee, where it died in the 2024 Regular Session. Positive action reflects that many of the concerns that have been raised about the project were in fact addressed by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report on casino in the commonwealth, and that this project presents a huge opportunity to fund school construction in the commonwealth.

“The majority of the Fairfax County delegation to the General Assembly supports giving Fairfax
County’s locality government the authority to let voters decide if they support an entertainment district in the County. The critics of the project have identified no alternative means to maintain our high quality public schools while closing a $300 million recurring gap in the Fairfax County budget other than to keep raising real estate taxes on Fairfax County’s homeowners, renters and small businesses.

“Virginia residents are already sending billions of dollars per decade to Maryland in the Northern Virginia region by patronizing the MGM National Harbor Casino just over the Maryland state line. It is time to bring that money back to benefit our state and Fairfax County while building a world-class performing arts venue, a convention center, and creating thousands of union jobs so everyone who works in the county can live in the county. This bill will allow the voters of Fairfax County to decide whether or not the project should move forward.”

However, there are many opponents to the project, including a group of former federal defense and intelligence officers who say the proximity of a Tysons casino to the CIA headquarters and the nation’s hub of government contractors with top-secret clearances could pose a national security risk. The group known as National Security Leaders for Fairfax sent a letter expressing concerns to Fairfax County and state officials earlier this month, The Washington Post reported.

Under current state law, only five cities in Virginia are allowed to host one casino each: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Petersburg and Portsmouth. Voters in each city have passed casino referendums on their ballots, and three are now open in Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth, while Norfolk’s resort is under construction.

Last year, Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, sponsored a bill that would add Fairfax County to the list of localities that could host a casino, and the original proposed location was in Reston — a plan backed by developer Comstock Cos., which is developing Reston Station near the Dulles Toll Road. But plans changed to adjust the location near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons after senators received pushback from community members. Ultimately, the bill failed in a Senate Finance Committee vote.

The 9-6 Finance Committee vote Tuesday was bipartisan, and Surovell’s bill will next be scheduled for a vote by the full Senate.

Trump’s pause on $3T in federal funding could impact Va.

Update, 7:30 p.m. A federal judge temporarily blocked President ‘s on federal spending until at least Feb. 3, but the did not immediately respond to the judicial order.

On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze on more than $3 trillion in federal financial assistance, including grants and loans backing economic development and infrastructure projects across the nation, according to news reports. That raises questions about what happens to huge economic development projects in Virginia from Microporous, Micron Technologies and LS GreenLink, all of which were awarded hundreds of millions of federal dollars to move forward on projects expected to employ thousands of people.

Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, sent an internal memo to federal agencies Monday set to go into effect Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m., first reported by freelance journalist Marisa Kabas.

According to the memo, “Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending ‘wokeness’ and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again.”

It calls for all federal agencies to review federal financial assistance programs and “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance, and other relevant agencies that may be implicated by the executive orders, including but not limited to financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology and the green new deal.” The memo also sets a Feb. 10 deadline for all agencies to submit to the OMB information on any programs or projects subject to the pause, including “issuance of new awards [and] disbursement of federal funds under all open awards.”

Vaeth wrote that the OMB “may grant exceptions allowing federal agencies to issue new awards or take other actions on a case-by-case basis.” However, the memo says that each federal program must be assigned to a “senior political appointee” to ensure that the project “conforms to administration priorities.” If they are not, the agencies are “to the extent permissible by law, cancel awards already awarded that are in conflict with administration priorities.”

U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, released a statement Tuesday eviscerating the freeze: “President Trump’s reckless and illegal order to stop all federal grant and loan programs will have an immediate and profound negative impact on Americans all over the country.

“In every corner of Virginia alone, there are enormous, game-changing economic developments projects happening right now that depend on federal spending appropriated by Congress. Whether it’s Helene recovery in Southwest [Virginia], … semiconductor manufacturing in Northern Virginia… pharmaceutical jobs in Richmond… renewable energy in coastal Virginia… or the expansion in Southside – every one of these projects is in part the result of from laws we fought tooth and nail to pass in Congress, and could now be endangered thanks to President Trump’s mess.”

As listed in Warner and Kaine’s statement, Virginia projects have been awarded significant federal under former President Joe Biden’s administration, but in some cases, do not have the cash in hand.

On Jan. 16, Tennessee-based Microporous announced it had been formally awarded $100 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, part of which is set to go toward a new $1.36 billion battery separator manufacturing plant in Pittsylvania County expected to employ more than 2,000 people.

The grant was expected to start April 1 and run through March 31, 2028, and during that time, Microporous would submit expenses for reimbursements and receive payments from the . Now, that’s uncertain.

According to the DOE’s website during the end of the Biden administration, Microporous had pledged to create 282 permanent jobs in Pittsylvania for “double-distressed coal and Justice40 communities,” an initiative started by the Biden administration that 40% of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing funding flows to disadvantaged communities — an element that is likely to run afoul of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance.

A Microporous spokesperson said Tuesday that the company’s leadership was discussing the matter.

In Manassas, semiconductor company Micron announced at the end of the year it will invest $2.17 billion to expand its facility, creating 340 jobs and bringing its production of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips for automotive, aerospace, defense and industrial markets from Taiwan to Virginia. In December 2024, the company was awarded $275 million in federal funding, after the U.S. Department of Commerce signed a preliminary, nonbinding agreement for the funding as part of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. It’s not clear whether this funding will be permanently impacted by Trump’s order.

Micron did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Another major project, LS GreenLink USA’s $681 million subsea cable factory in Chesapeake, was awarded $99 million in advanced energy project tax credits from the Department of Energy in April 2024. However, LS GreenLink Managing Director Patrick Shim said Tuesday that tax credits appear to be exempt from Trump’s order.

“We’re moving forward as planned,” he said. “We’re breaking ground in April,” with plans to be open in the third quarter of 2027 and fully operational in the first quarter of 2028.

Aside from the freeze on federal funding, Shim said that his company is in good stead under the new administration. Raw materials used to produce the cables, which are specifically engineered for offshore wind farms, will be sourced inside the United States, which will protect the company from paying high on materials from China or other countries targeted by Trump.

Also, Shim noted, LS GreenLink’s parent company, South Korea-based LS Cable & System, has a significant backlog of wind energy projects from outside the United States, so its business shouldn’t be affected by Trump’s ban on future offshore wind farms in the U.S.

Aside from these three major projects, other big economic development deals and infrastructure projects across the state have benefited from federal financial assistance, including the following:

  • Topsoe, a Danish electrolyzer manufacturer, is building a $400 million manufacturing plant in Chesterfield County, and was awarded $136 million in federal tax credits.
  • The was awarded $380 million by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October 2024 for its Clean Ports grant program, to purchase electric equipment and upgrade infrastructure.
  • The Richmond-Petersburg Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing cluster and its connected businesses and organizations, including and Civica Rx, have received significant federal funding under the 2023 CHIPS and Science Act. On Jan. 14, Warner and Kaine announced $3.9 million in federal funding for the Community College Workforce Alliance in Disputanta to expand workforce training programs for the hub.
  • Mack and Volvo Trucks were awarded $208 million in federal funding in September 2024 to sustain jobs in the United States, including 3,600 jobs in Dublin, where Volvo Trucks is the second largest employer in the New River Valley.

 

“This is a five-year project for which we have not yet received any disbursements. It’s unclear to us at this point whether the funding will be impacted,” said Janie Coley, director of public relations for Volvo Group North America. “We’ve been informed that the DOE will be in touch to discuss modifications, but to our current knowledge the project will continue. That is all we know for now.”

The Port of Virginia released a statement: “The grant agreement was executed on Dec.13, 2024, and this obligates the federal funds to the projects we have planned. Though this funding is considered committed, we are continuing to collaborate with our partners at the state and federal levels. This effort is being undertaken to ensure a wider understanding of the larger commercial interest, or value, of this grant to the Port of Virginia.”

Topsoe also sent out a statement Tuesday: “We are closely following the developments. We look forward to ongoing engagement with the new administration and Congress on how federal tax and energy policies can best support energy security, resiliency and economic growth in the U.S.”

Virginia Business has contacted Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Phlow and Civica Rx for comment.

Va. Chamber of Commerce reveals next president and CEO

Cathie J. Vick will be the new leader of the Virginia of Commerce, starting April 1.

The business advocacy organization with more than 30,000 members announced on Tuesday her appointment as president and . Vick is currently vice president of corporate and government affairs at Transurban, one of the world’s largest operators and developers of toll roads.

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the work of the and its colleagues to serve our members and drive economic prosperity in the commonwealth,” Vick said in a statement. “I am fully committed to advancing the chamber’s mission as the Commonwealth’s Voice for Business.”

Vick succeeds , who has headed the -based chamber since 2010 and announced in September 2024 his intent to retire in early this year. DuVal will serve as senior adviser to Vick and the chamber’s for the remainder of 2025.

In a statement, DuVal congratulated Vick, adding that her “extensive experience, leadership skills and deep understanding of the Virginia business community make her an ideal fit to drive the next phase of growth for the Virginia Chamber.”

Prior to joining Transurban, Vick served as the ‘s chief development and public affairs officer for a decade. She was a Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards winner in 2022 and was the first woman to join the port’s leadership team.

Vick previously served the Virginia Chamber as a member on its board of directors and on its Blueprint Virginia executive committee. The chamber presented Blueprint Virginia 2030 — a long-term plan for the state — in December 2021 and is now developing Blueprint Virginia 2035.

Vick holds bachelor’s degrees in communications and political science from James Madison University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She earned a law degree with honors from Georgia State University’s College of Law and an MBA with honors from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

McCammon Group conducted a national search for DuVal’s successor. Former PBMares CEO Alan Witt, who is also dean of Christopher Newport University’s Luter School of Business, chaired the executive search committee.

Carilion CEO appoints chief of staff

Clinic has named Chris Turnbull chief of staff for Steve Arner, the -based care system’s president and , according to a Monday announcement.

Joining Carilion as a senior advisor in public relations and in 2014, Turnbull went on to become senior director of corporate communications in 2020, according to his LinkedIn page.

Carilion credits Turnbull with building the ‘s corporate communications team and serving as part of a leadership team that navigated the pandemic, adding that he’s “often involved in addressing complex challenges across the health system.”

Turnbull launched his career as a public relations account manager at John Lambert Associates, a Roanoke firm. He went on to provide strategic risk management and crisis management advice to executives as an analyst at the Tabb Group, a New York financial markets research and strategic advisory firm, and as a senior business continuity officer for the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Turnbull has a degree in English from  and a master’s degree in management, with a focus on leadership communication from the University of Maryland Global Campus. 

He sits on the board of Cardinal News, a nonprofit news site covering Southwest and Southern Virginia.

A nonprofit organization serving nearly 1 million in Virginia through hospitals, outpatient specialty centers and primary care practices, has more than 13,000 employees. In October, the health system broke ground on the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center, a six-story building on the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus.