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Media 2025: TILL, KELLY

After 24 years as an executive with Tribune ‘s The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press, Till became the first female publisher in the 175-year history of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2022. She also serves as regional vice president of sales for the newspaper’s parent company, Lee Enterprises. Till joined Lee Enterprises in 2020 as vice president of sales for the Richmond Times- Dispatch and Lee’s Virginia markets.

Till serves as a mentor for the Women’s Initiative Network at her alma mater, Old Dominion University, whose alumni association named her a Distinguished Alumni Honoree in 2022. The mother of five also chairs the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation and is a board member for the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg, and Virginia Arts Festival. Till was the keynote speaker for ODU’s December 2024 commencement.

In the spring, the Richmond Times-Dispatch moved from its downtown Richmond location, where it had operated since 1923, to its printing plant in Hanover County.

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Media 2025: KERGER, PAULA

The longest-serving president and CEO in PBS’ 56-year history, Kerger has served as the public broadcaster’s leader since 2006, and in 2024, PBS’ board extended her contract five more years. She has grown it from traditional TV to multiplatform , with 330-plus member stations.

Before joining PBS, Kerger was chief operating officer for WNET parent Educational Broadcasting Corp. Before that, the University of Baltimore alumna was the Metropolitan Opera’s principal gifts director.

Kerger has received the Giants of Broadcasting and Electronic Arts Award as well as the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site’s Advancing American Democracy Award.

She’s a board member of the Dana Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, where she formerly served as chair.

This year, despite Kerger’s efforts to rally support for federal funding of public , President Donald Trump signed into law in July a bill that clawed back $1.1 billion in previously allocated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private entity that funds PBS, NPR and member stations. As a result, CPB announced Aug. 1 it would cease operations in early 2026.

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Media 2025: SWAIN, JAYME

Swain leads VPM, a network of television, radio and outlets across Central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley that reaches nearly 2 million people. The foundation manages its endowment.

Before joining VPM in 2019, Swain spent nearly a decade as senior vice president of strategy and operations at the Arlington- based Public Service. With more than 20 years of experience, Swain has developed content, digital products and social media strategies for PBS, CNN, FOX Sports, U.S. News & World Report and other recognizable brands.

A University of Virginia graduate, Swain serves on the boards of ChamberRVA and the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. She is in her second three-year term on the PBS Board of Directors. VPM began construction on its 53,000-square-foot headquarters in downtown Richmond in August 2024 and expects to move from its roughly 60-year location in Chesterfield County in early 2026.

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT ME: I’m a competitive swimmer and occasional triathlete.

NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE: In January, I spent a week in South Africa on safari. Being up close with wild animals in the breathtaking landscape was awe-inspiring.

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Media 2025: CARPENTER, JON

Since July 2022, Carpenter has been chief executive for Comscore, an analytics company that measures audience and consumer behaviors, along with impact, across platforms.

Carpenter started his career at Comscore as chief financial officer in 2021, moving up to CEO. Previously CFO for Publishers Clearing House, Carpenter also served in senior divisional CFO roles for Nielsen, Sears Holding and NBCUniversal after beginning his career at General Electric. In June 2024, Carpenter joined Comscore’s board of directors.

Comscore reported $356 million in 2024 revenue, down from $371.3 million in 2023. Content and ad measurement revenue declined 2.8% from 2023, and research and insight solutions revenue dropped 10.6%. The company projects its 2025 revenue will range from $360 million to $370 million.

In March 2024, Comscore announced a multiyear deal with Tysons-based Tegna, the nation’s largest owner of NBC-affiliate TV stations, and in December 2024, Cox Media Group announced a multiyear deal with Comscore for CMG’s 14 TV stations.

Comscore announced some C-suite changes in January, appointing Frank Friedman as chief data and analytics officer and head of measurement and Jackelyn Keller as chief marketing officer.

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Insurance 2025: GAYNER, THOMAS S.

Gayner has led the Fortune 500 holding company as its sole CEO since 2023, after serving more than six years as co-CEO with Richard Whitt III, who retired.

Gayner oversees about 22,000 employees and three divisions: insurance, investments and Markel Ventures, which owns controlling interests in a portfolio of about 20 businesses. The CEO waxed philosophical about business in this year’s shareholders letter, stating, “Satisfaction can breed rot. We must balance celebration and accomplishments with the correct dose of paranoia.”

One could debate the healthiness of paranoia, but the philosophy seems to be working: Markel reported operating revenues of $16.6 billion in 2024, a roughly 5% increase from 2023.

In June, Markel Insurance launched a new product designed to help insurtech businesses “navigate the complex landscape of cyber threats, crime and financial liabilities.”

In 2023, Gayner and his wife, Susan, launched the University of Virginia’s Gayner Family Sustainable Investment Fund, which uses revenue from student-directed investments to fund scholarships.

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Professional Services 2025: METNICK, DAVID

Metnick leads Accenture’s health and public service sectors business across Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. In that role, he is responsible for advancing the Fortune Global 500 company’s work with government, education and nonprofit clients in the region. He joined Accenture as a senior manager in 2001.

In July, Metnick represented Accenture in its collaboration with the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce to release an economic road map for the region. The report calls for investments in workforce, AI and providing affordable housing to reimagine the regional economy in the face of federal layoffs and contract cuts.

This year, he joined the board of Lead Virginia, a statewide executive leadership program that focuses on strengthening Virginia’s business community and economy. Metnick is a 2023 alumnus of Lead Virginia and is Accenture’s executive sponsor for The Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network, which links employers, academia and the public and private sectors. He also serves on the board of ArtsFairfax.

Metnick graduated from George Washington University with a business degree and earned his MBA from Johns Hopkins.

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Professional Services 2025: SWEET, JULIE

CEO of Fortune Global 500 firm Accenture since 2019 and its chair since 2021, Sweet is ranked No. 11 on Fortune’s 2025 list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business. She’s also been on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business list since 2016, ranking No. 2 for 2025.

Sweet leads Accenture’s 770,000-person global workforce from offices in Maryland and Arlington. She joined Accenture in 2010 as its general counsel and served as its North American CEO from 2015 to 2019. Prior to joining Accenture, Sweet was a partner with law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

Accenture’s fiscal 2024 revenue was $64.9 billion, including about $1.8 billion generated from AI, which Sweet has made central to the company’s growth strategy. In June, Sweet said Accenture would fold five business units — Strategy, , Song, Technology and Operations — into one: Reinvention Services, focused on developing solutions faster and embedding data and AI.

In January, Sweet was a speaker at the Consumer Technology Association’s CES conference and joined a panel at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, discussing AI’s potential in both instances.

A World Economic Forum trustee, Sweet is a board member and past chair of women’s advocacy nonprofit Catalyst.

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Professional Services 2025: WALL, KATIE

In 2024, Wall became Richmond market managing partner for Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

She oversees approximately 175 employees and is part of a network of managing partners nationally and regionally who help PwC run its local businesses. Wall joined PwC in 2006 as an assurance director before making partner in 2021.

PwC’s Richmond office has signed a lease and plans to move in summer 2026 to the Sauer Center on West Broad Street.

For fiscal 2024, PwC reported revenues of $55.4 billion, employing about 370,000 people across 149 countries. Last year, PwC announced a deal to become the largest customer and first reseller of OpenAI’s enterprise product, ChatGPT Enterprise, a version of OpenAI’s chatbot geared towards large companies. Over the past year, PwC has laid off about 3,300 workers, or roughly 4% of its U.S. workforce, in part as a response to “historically low attrition.”

A University of Richmond graduate, Wall serves on the YWCA Richmond’s board.

WHAT MAKES ME HAPPIEST: Being a sports mom to my two boys

TRAITS I ADMIRE: Kindness, curiosity and determination

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Professional Services 2025: WALLACE, GARY G.

Accounting firm Keiter’s managing partner since 2019, Wallace has more than three decades of finance experience. He oversees the firm’s growth strategy and tax services for corporate clients.

With approximately 200 employees, Keiter was named a firm to watch this year by Today. Keiter was the 125th largest accounting firm in the U.S. by net revenue in 2024, with $42.8 million, according to Accounting Today.

Wallace previously served as tax department leader and a member of Keiter’s teams for state and local tax, international tax, mergers and acquisitions, manufacturing, and retail and distribution. Before joining Keiter in 2010, he was CFO for The Riverstone Group and a partner at KPMG.

Wallace holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Virginia. He serves on the board for the Richmond chapter of the American Heart Association and is a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

FIRST JOB: Courtesy clerk at Ukrop’s

FAVORITE TEAM: U.Va. Go Hoos.

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Professional Services 2025: TAYLOR JR., JOHNNY C.

Since 2017, Taylor has led SHRM, an association that represents nearly 340,000 HR professionals in 180 countries.

Named one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy magazine, Taylor frequently testifies before Congress about issues impacting American workers. He also authored “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval,” which was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books in 2021.

Taylor previously served as president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and as an HR exec for IAC, Paramount Parks and Blockbuster Entertainment. He also led McGuireWoods’ HR business as a partner.

Taylor has master’s and law degrees from Drake University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami. He is a trustee for United Way Worldwide and serves on the corporate boards of XPO, Flores & Associates and Guild Education.

ON INTEGRATING AI: Integrate AI early, and do so intentionally. Use it to drive innovation and efficiency, but do it with guardrails.

HOW I DEFINE SUCCESS: Success is servant leadership in action— driving results while lifting people up.

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