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Government Contractors | Technology 2025: LEVY, DAVID

In 2023, Levy was tapped to lead Amazon Web Services’ worldwide public sector business, overseeing contracting activities for Amazon.com’s cloud computing subsidiary, as well as business for educational, nonprofit and organizations.

In 2024, AWS recorded $107.6 billion in net sales, increasing 19% year-over-year from 2023 and surpassing $100 billion for the first time.

In January, AWS and McLean-based Fortune 500 government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton announced a partnership to speed digital transformation for U.S. federal agencies, including enhancements using artificial intelligence in national security and deterring cyberattacks. That comes as the Trump administration has sought to improve government efficiency while slashing costs.

Levy previously served as AWS’ vice president of U.S. government, nonprofit and health care business. Before joining AWS, he spent 12 years at Apple, leading teams that helped the U.S. government adopt new mobile technologies. Levy also worked for Monster.com, started Empire Capital

Management and co-founded Sulla Technology Group, where he served as chief operating officer.
Earlier this year, the Texas Tech University alumnus made Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 Awards list for the sixth time.

Government Contractors | Technology 2025: GRAY, DeETTE

After starting her career as a middle school math and science teacher, Gray became interested in coding, which led her to IT, where she worked as a software developer. A former executive at Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, Gray has won the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International Women’s Appreciation Award for promoting STEM and women in the workplace. In 2025, Gray appeared for the ninth time on Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 list of top contracting executives.

Gray joined Fortune 500 contractor CACI in 2017 as president of its U.S. operations, then was president of business and IT solutions starting in 2019. In 2024, CACI announced she would once again be president of U.S. operations. The company employs roughly 23,000 people and generated $7.65 billion in 2024 revenue.

In addition to major contract wins worth billions of dollars in 2024, including with the Air Force and NASA, CACI made two acquisitions in the latter part of the year. Those purchases included Fairfax County-based Azure Summit Technology in an all-cash $1.3 billion deal as well as an all-cash purchase of Reston-based Applied Insight.

Government | Politics | Lobbying 2025: EARLE-SEARS, LT. GOV. WINSOME

Earle-Sears is a woman of firsts: the first Black woman and immigrant to hold statewide office in Virginia and the commonwealth’s first female lieutenant governor, serving as president of the state Senate and occasionally casting tiebreaking votes. This year, she seeks to be Virginia’s first female governor as the Republican nominee.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former state delegate, the Jamaican-born Earle-Sears took an unusual path to the Virginia State Capitol in a career that has included owning an appliance, plumbing and electrical company and managing a homeless shelter. In addition to her support for gun rights, she has been a vocal advocate for school choice programs, including taxpayer-funded educational savings accounts and charter schools.

Earle-Sears has criticized President Donald Trump in the past, but as a gubernatorial candidate, she has vocally supported him. She also has tracked to the right of Gov. Glenn Youngkin on some social issues, opposing abortion after six weeks and guaranteed access to contraceptives. Facing lagging polling and fundraising, Earle-Sears swapped campaign managers this summer in her race against Democrat Abigail Spanberger. She also pivoted her campaign to focus more on the military and veterans.

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Health Care 2025: LUTES, MICHAEL

Lutes joined Bon Secours in 2022 as Richmond market president. The health system created his state president role this year; he now oversees the Richmond and Hampton Roads markets, including about 14,000 employees across the state.

In May, the health system opened its approximately $80 million, 100,000-square-foot Harbour View Center in Suffolk. The same month, Henrico County supervisors approved a permit for Bon Secours’ planned $370 million renovation and expansion of St. Mary’s Hospital, which will include a 200,000-square-foot tower. Construction is expected to begin this year.

Meanwhile, the hospital system started construction on a new medical office building in Chesterfield County, set to include an outpatient surgical center. The project is expected to be finished in late 2026.

Before joining Bon Secours, Lutes served in leadership roles for Atrium Health in North Carolina. He’s served on the Virginia Hospital & Association’s board since 2022.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University and a master of health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.

FIRST JOB: Worked at a movie theater in concessions

TRAITS I ADMIRE: Honesty, work ethic, humor

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Government | Politics | Lobbying 2025: KAINE, U.S. SEN. TIM

Labeled by supporters as “America’s Dad” for his level-headed, folksy and sometimes wonky demeanor, Democrat Kaine has been a fixture in Virginia since his 1994 election to Richmond City Council. From there, he became Richmond mayor, then Virginia’s lieutenant governor and governor. His 2006-10 term in the Executive Mansion was marked by both the Great Recession and the Virginia Tech shooting that left 32 dead.

The Kansas City native and attorney became Virginia’s junior senator in 2013 and was re-elected for a third term in 2024. In 2016, Kaine was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in her unsuccessful presidential bid.

In the Senate, Kaine serves on the Armed Services, Budget, Foreign Relations, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committees. With fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, Kaine has taken aim at President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, as well as federal employee layoffs and cuts to services, including Medicaid. In May, Kaine’s resolution that would have blocked Trump’s global tariffs narrowly failed in the Senate.

A Catholic, Kaine has said he is personally against abortion but has voted to support women’s reproductive rights.

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Government | Politics | Lobbying 2025: CULLEN, RICHARD

Richmond insider Richard Cullen was an early pick by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to serve on the political newcomer’s cabinet when he took office in 2022, and he has remained a prominent figure in the executive branch since.

Before joining the Youngkin administration, Cullen was a senior partner at McGuireWoods, Virginia’s largest law firm. There, he served as chairman for more than a decade and represented a slate of high-profile clients, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Gov. Doug Wilder, former

Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, and Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the businessman whose relationship with former Gov. Bob McDonnell led to a federal corruption conviction later overturned by the
U.S. Supreme Court.

Cullen’s service hasn’t only been in the private sector, though. From 1991 to 1993, he was the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and he spent seven months as attorney general of Virginia in the late 1990s after then-Attorney General Jim Gilmore stepped down to run for governor.
A graduate of Furman University and the University of Richmond School of Law, Cullen is the immediate past board chair for the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

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Government | Politics | Lobbying 2025: SCOTT JR., DEL. DON

After bumping longtime Del. Eileen Filler-Corn from the top House role in a 2022 shakeup, Scott became Virginia’s first Black speaker in 2024 when Democrats retook the chamber. It wasn’t the only unexpected turn in his history: In 1994, as he was finishing up his law degree, Scott was arrested on federal drug charges. He would serve more than seven years in prison. In January, he received a pardon from outgoing President Joe Biden.

While Scott, now a well-regarded defense attorney, has faced sporadic attacks from Republicans over his criminal record, he is forthright about his past and has made criminal justice reform a priority.

First elected to the General Assembly in 2019, he quickly got attention for his progressive and sharp tongue. As speaker, he has negotiated a working relationship with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, although Scott criticized the governor for not standing up to President Donald Trump over federal job cuts.

A former executive at KRA, Scott is a partner at the law firm of Breit Biniazan. He is seeking his fourth term in the House of Delegates.

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Energy 2025: HEWA, JOHN D.

In 2017, Hewa joined the member-owned utility as vice president and chief operating officer. Three years later, he took the helm of the Rappahannock Cooperative following the retirement of Kent Farmer, who’d worked there for more than four decades.

In addition to leading the cooperative that today provides electricity to nearly 182,000 connections across parts of 22 Virginia counties, Hewa is also CEO of Hyperscale Services, an REC affiliate that serves large data center members, and president and CEO of BrilliT, an REC subsidiary that provides cybersecurity, data analytics and IT services to REC and other cooperatives.

Earlier in his career, Hewa worked at cooperatives in Florida and Texas. He also served as the vice president of research, engineering and technical services at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Arlington County.

In addition to an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Tennessee, Hewa earned a doctorate in engineering from George Washington University.

Hewa serves on the boards of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

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Government Contractors | Technology 2025: MONET, BILL

Monet leads Akima, an Alaska Native corporation that handles federal contracts for the for-profit NANA Regional business owned by Indigenous Iñupiat shareholders. Akima has approximately 10,000 employees across the world.

With more than 30 years of experience in modernizing processes for federal, state, local and commercial clients, Monet is chief operating officer of NANA in addition to his duties as CEO and president of subsidiary Akima. A Virginia Tech alum, Monet has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a master’s degree in science from George Washington University. This year, he was named to Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 list of top contracting executives for the sixth straight year.

In November 2024, Akima opened a location in Tampa, Florida, to provide support to MacDill Air Force Base, which is home to two four-star combatant commands: U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. The company also moved its Huntsville, Alabama, location to a larger office.

Energy 2025: COSBY, CHRIS

Cosby signed on to lead ODEC in February, succeeding John C. Lee, who retired after leading the cooperative since 2023. He joined the cooperative in 2018 as a director of asset manager and most recently served as chief operating officer.

Incorporated in 1948, Old Dominion Cooperative is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative owned by 11 members — like Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and Southside Electric Cooperative — serving consumers “in 70 counties along 59,000 miles of distribution lines.”

To get the job done, ODEC owns 100% of a generation facility in Maryland and natural gas peaking facilities in Louisa and Fauquier counties. Additionally, ODEC owns 50% of the coal-run Clover Power station in Halifax County and 11.6% of the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station in Louisa County. The membership cooperative has also entered into long-term power purchase agreements for wind and solar operations.

Previously, Cosby held different positions at General Electric, Dominion Energy and Alstom Power. Before launching a career in the utility industry, he served on active duty in the U.S. Navy as an officer and pilot, flying the P-3 Orion, for 10 years.

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