Inside Business reveals Power List 2024 and Top 25

Inside Business creates its annual Power List to showcase who’s who in terms of moving the needle for the economy in Hampton Roads, whether they be the decision-makers, the influencers or those working behind the scenes.

This year, we organized the Top 25 by types of influence or power rather than a numerical ranking. We then listed another 55 power players from various backgrounds and sectors. In researching movers and shakers, we looked at last year’s list and then looked at the newsmakers of the past year. We factored in major milestones or current events to determine who to highlight instead of creating a directory of anyone who’s held power over the years.

We understand not everyone making a difference for our region is on this list, and we are open to learning more about who truly wields the power in Hampton Roads. Please email your suggestions to tbozick@dailypress.com or inside.business@insidebiz.com.

Read more about the selection process in our introduction to the list.

View the Power List’s 55 power players.

View the Emeritus List of longtime community shapers.

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The power of legislative clout

Louise Lucas 

This past General Assembly session, Louise Lucas’s profile cover photo on X said it all. It showed 80-year-old Portsmouth native and Democratic state senator wearing boxing gloves, ready to duck a blow or land a punch.

The image is an apt metaphor of Lucas’ power over the state’s political priorities. As chair of the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and the top budget negotiator, Lucas landed an all-but-knockout blow to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s $2 billion plan to relocate the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to Alexandria with a new arena and development complex. Lucas refused to hold a vote on the deal, which required legislative approval.

Weeks later, Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser penned a deal to keep the teams in the district using $515 million in public funding.

Lucas, the first female shipfitter for Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, held fast in her opposition to the arena, saying in a post on X she was prioritizing toll relief and money for Hampton Roads public schools. In another post, she said the arena proposal wasn’t ready for prime time and accused Youngkin’s administration of not operating in good faith.

In comments to the media after a Youngkin press conference on the arena proposal, Lucas, president pro tempore of the Senate, said she was fine with being described as a roadblock.

“The reason why it’s necessary is because I do not believe we ought to put the full faith and credit of the commonwealth behind a project that’s going to further enrich billionaires,” she said. “If they want this project, (they can) pay for it themselves.”

Youngkin and the legislature will consider a revamped state budget at a May 13 special session. In addition to the shipyard, Lucas served on Portsmouth City Council and taught at Norfolk State University.

— Staff writer Trevor Metcalfe

Don Scott

Don Scott became the first Black speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in its 405-year history after the November elections gave Democrats control of the state legislature. His clout in the House grew quickly, as he joined the General Assembly in 2020 and championed reproductive rights, criminal justice reform and uplifting working families.

As speaker, Scott is chair of the rules committee. He serves on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board, Commemorative Commission to Honor the Contributions of the Women of Virginia, Virginia State Crime Commission and Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

He was recognized as a 2024 Legislator of the Year by Virginia Education Association for being instrumental in shaping policy and budget advancements for public schools. He’s received multiple leadership, civic and humanitarian awards.

Scott had built a reputation as a strategic trial lawyer and now works at Breit Biniazan as a partner and personal injury attorney. He started his own law firm in 2015 and quickly began representing high-profile clients. His time in the Navy, serving as the legal officer for the destroyer John Hancock while deployed, led him to pursue a law career. He came to Portsmouth in 2005 when working for a workforce development company. He is married to Dr. Mellanda Colson Scott, who practices dentistry in Norfolk.

Scott is a member of the Portsmouth Bar Association, the Old Dominion Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar Association, the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. He is also the former chair of the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority and former president of the Southeastern Employment and Training Association. He is also a member of the Eureka Club and holds lifetime memberships in the NAACP, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 993 and American Legion Post No. 190.

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The power to shape cities

Phillip Jones

Phillip Jones made history when he was elected mayor of Newport News in November 2022, becoming the youngest Black mayor in city history.

Jones, a Marine Corps veteran and businessman, ran on bringing a new energy to the city, according to Daily Press reporting. Voters and donors told the Daily Press they supported his spirit of inclusiveness and consensus-building. He said those principles have guided his time in office.

“It all comes down to teamwork and collaboration amongst City Council members to make Newport News the best place to live, to work and to raise your family,” Jones said.

During his time in office, Jones said his proudest accomplishments thus far include plans to improve Jefferson Lab and the downtown area. In December, the city transferred possession of the Applied Research Center on Jefferson Avenue to Jefferson Lab, which will become a visitor center and science education center for the federal science facility.

Additionally, under Jones’ tenure, city leaders are also investigating ways to improve the downtown with the help of a Harvard University program. The Navy could also invest up to $400 million to provide housing for sailors in downtown Newport News, pending a state budget allotment. The funding could potentially include beautification and infrastructure improvements to downtown, according to Daily Press reporting.

Jones recently announced a plan to reduce city gun violence and homicides by 15% over the next 18 months. His plan would establish a city office of community safety and investigate creating a hospital-based violence intervention program.

Jones also met with federal officials at the White House to learn best practices from the new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. In an interview, Jones said leveraging state and federal funding and resources was a key aspect of his approach to the office.

— Staff writer Trevor Metcalfe

Kenny Alexander

Kenny Alexander, who has been Norfolk’s mayor since 2016, continues to promote several development projects and tourism initiatives in the city.

In his latest State of the City address, the city’s first Black mayor unveiled a potential vision for the redevelopment of MacArthur Center, including a 400-room military-themed hotel, 518,000 square feet of high-rise apartment space and a 2½-acre pedestrian walkway with more than 172,000 square feet of retail space. He also announced the former Greyhound bus station in the Neon District is undergoing a transformation into Houndstooth, a 220-unit apartment complex.

Maintaining public safety has been one of his top priorities. His administration took a hard-line stance against downtown gun violence in 2022, resulting in the shutdown of multiple nightclubs, increased police patrols and the installation of several mobile surveillance cameras. He is also dedicated to growing the city’s innovation sector and building coastal resilience.

Under his city leadership, Norfolk International Airport is expanding its infrastructure, including plans for a hotel, and Carnival Cruise Line will call on the downtown terminal year-round in 2025.

The continued redevelopment of former public housing complex Tidewater Gardens into mixed-income community Kindred in the St. Paul’s area near downtown is helping to address affordable housing needs. Residents began moving into Reunion, a senior living community there, this year.

Prior to serving as mayor, Alexander was a state senator and delegate in the Virginia General Assembly. He also became chancellor of Centura College in 2021.

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The power of campus culture

Scott D. Miller 

Scott D. Miller, starting his 34th year as a college president this year, has led Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach since 2015. His accomplishments include transitioning Virginia Wesleyan to university status and elevating its reputation nationally, establishing the Batten Honors College, adding a campus in Tokyo, more than doubling the endowment and investing millions in campus infrastructure.

Now, Miller is guiding the university into a historic partnership with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art to become MOCA’s home with a new facility on campus. In addition to serving as a cultural landmark for the region, it will help the campus become a hub for creativity and innovation while improving programming opportunities for the public. Construction is expected to start later this year with an opening scheduled for early 2026.

Under his leadership, the university concluded a $210 million capital fundraising campaign with the endowment reaching $120 million last fall, ranking Virginia Wesleyan in the top 10% of private educational institutions nationwide.

Hampton Roads Community Action Program is recognizing Miller as a Community Builder this year. Miller was also recognized at the 2024 UNCF Virginia Mayors’ Masked Ball with the M.A.S.K.E.D. award for fostering hope and opportunity for deserving students and the broader community. In 2022, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities named him as a Humanitarian of the Year for his efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion at Virginia Wesleyan and throughout higher education.

He is board president of Virginia Beach Vision and the past board chair of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia. He also serves on the boards of the Hampton Roads Chamber, Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, the Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center.

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The power of gaming

Roy Corby

As the general manager for Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Roy Corby is helping to establish a new hospitality and tourism asset in the region. He oversees more than 1,100 employees with Portsmouth residents comprising 32% of the workforce, contributing to the city’s economy.

The casino, operated by Rush Street Gaming, has welcomed more than 2 million guests from all 50 states and generated over $42 million in new state and local tax revenues. The casino, which includes Admiral’s Steak and Seafood, a fine dining restaurant, has attracted Grammy-winning performers.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth was recognized as one of the most community-minded companies in the region and named a Civic 50 honoree by Volunteer Hampton Roads and Points of Light — the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. Under Corby’s leadership, the business embraces a culture of philanthropy, donating more than $861,000 to nonprofit organizations that align with its corporate giving pillars focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; public health; education; economic and community development; workforce development; veteran support; and public service. Through Rivers Gives, employees have dedicated over 1,000 volunteer hours to local charitable organizations.

The casino has supported several local charitable organizations, including the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, the Urban League of South Hampton Roads, the Portsmouth Police Athletic League and Portsmouth’s Safety Town. The casino is underwriting costs to construct a miniature police station as part of the city’s efforts to teach children safety measures through interactive experiences.

The Portsmouth casino was recognized as a 2024 Best Place to Work by CoVa Biz magazine within its first 12 months. Corby brings more than three decades of casino gaming and operations experience to Hampton Roads. He most recently served as Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s assistant general manager. Before joining Rush Street, Corby was senior vice president of operations for Global Gaming Solutions with oversight of three full-service casinos.

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The power of Amazon

Lindsay Winter

As head of Virginia public policy for Amazon, Lindsay Berry Winter works on the front lines of Amazon’s continued economic and community investments in the state and Hampton Roads. The e-commerce giant reports investing more than $109 billion across the state since 2010 in fulfillment, cloud infrastructure and compensation for its 39,000 Virginia employees.

Winter was closely involved in the launch of Amazon’s newest fulfillment center and delivery station in the region in two Virginia Beach facilities, with the delivery station slated to open late this year and the multi-story robotics fulfillment center to start operations next year.

In her role, she advances the company’s priorities before state and local policymakers, working to support Virginia’s pro-business climate while protecting competitive advantages, like the economy supported and driven by the Port of Virginia. She is also deeply involved in the company’s education and workforce development efforts.

Winter created Amazon’s Future Engineer Robotics Camp to inspire and encourage Hampton Roads high school students to explore science, technology, engineering and math fields. She also leads engagements for Amazon Future Engineer, a comprehensive childhood-to-career program aimed at increasing access to computer science education for students from underserved and underrepresented communities. She also serves a conduit for Amazon Career Choice, leading engagement with several local higher education institutions, including Tidewater Community College, Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University. Career Choice is Amazon’s education benefit program that pre-pays tuition for degrees and skills development.

The Hampton Roads native resides in Virginia Beach. She worked with a number of influential regional leaders through her previous work at Kaufman and Canoles law firm and at Amerigroup. Winter serves on the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority board, the Virginia Telehealth Network board, as deputy for the Virginia Business Council and as co-chair of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation and Technology Executive Committee.

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The power of the maritime industry

Jennifer Boykin 

President Jennifer Boykin leads Newport News Shipbuilding, a $6 billion company and major regional employer of more than 25,000 workers. She became the first woman to lead the Newport News shipyard in 2017.

The 138-year-old shipyard is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, responsible for designing, building and maintaining nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines for the Navy. Newport News Shipbuilding opened a Norfolk campus on Jerry Miller’s Fairwinds Landing development this past year.

Newport News is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines for the Navy. And in the coming years, Newport News Shipbuilding could work with partner General Dynamics Electric Boat to build three to five Virginia-class submarines as part of an Australia-United Kingdom-U.S. agreement in which the U.S. could sell the ships to Australia in the 2030s as the country ramps up construction at its shipyard in Adelaide with U.S. technology and support.

In April, the Newport News shipyard delivered USS New Jersey, the first submarine built to include women, to the Navy. The New Jersey is the 11th Virginia-class submarine to be delivered by the shipyard. It also delivered its first Columbia-class submarine stern to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Rhode Island in January. The delivery is a major milestone for what will be the lead ship of a new ballistic missile submarine class. The company also completed the USS George Washington aircraft carrier’s midlife refueling and maintenance overhaul in May last year after six years.

Boykin is committed to workforce development and is a strong advocate for science, technology, engineering and math programs. She is a founding member of Old Dominion University’s Women’s Initiative Network and First 10 Forward, which are both aimed at empowering girls and women. She serves on a number of community boards, including as board chair of The Mariners’ Museum and Park and on the board of RVA757 Connects.

Stephen Edwards

Stephen Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, ensured Hampton Roads terminals were in a position to receive cargo diverted from the Port of Baltimore after the Key Bridge collapse blocked shipping traffic this year. The Port of Virginia projected its state-run terminals would process 18,000-20,000 rerouted containers in April.

The port had just announced its wider shipping channel was open for two-way passage of ultra-large container vessels in March. The channel widening is part of the port’s $1.4 billion in strategic infrastructure investments. The port is also working to deepen channels to at least 55 feet and to 59 feet deep at the ocean approach. After dredging is complete in the fall of 2025, the port will have the deepest, widest channels on the East Coast.

The port is a major regional and statewide economic development tool and is often cited as a reason why companies expand to Hampton Roads. It’s been a major draw for the burgeoning regional offshore wind industry and the port is investing $220 million to develop the East Coast’s first offshore wind logistics hub. Portsmouth Marine Terminal is the staging area for Dominion’s offshore wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach and hosted monopiles, steel tubes that will serve as the turbine bases, for the start of construction this year.

Under Edwards’ leadership, the port met its goal of using 100% clean electricity this past year, meaning the authority purchases all of its power used for port operations from renewable energy sources. The port has set a goal of going fully carbon-neutral by 2040.

Edwards’ duties include running Virginia International Gateway, Newport News Marine Terminal, Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Richmond Marine Terminal and the Virginia Inland Port. He is an ex officio member of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership board of directors. Edwards brought nearly three decades of experience in the shipping industry when he took the reins of the port authority in January 2021.

Jerry Miller 

Jerry Miller, the founder and CEO of The Miller Group, is a visionary leader with a successful career in the ship repair and maritime industrial sector.

His backgrounds in the military and maritime industry combined with his experience since 1998 as a real estate developer to culminate in his latest project: Fairwinds Landing, a $600 million planned development aimed at establishing a maritime operations and logistics hub spanning 134 acres on the Norfolk waterfront. This initiative is set to support Hampton Roads’ offshore wind, defense and transportation sectors, showcasing Miller’s commitment to driving growth and innovation in the region. Newport News Shipbuilding opened a Norfolk campus at Fairwinds Landing this past year.

The Miller Group also developed the 250-acre Oceana East Industrial Park in Virginia Beach. Miller is a 2024 recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Graduate Award from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1977 as an engineering major. He served as a surface warfare officer for seven years before transitioning into the business world. In 1985, he co-founded Earl Industries and then acquired the company in 1989, guiding its growth and eventual acquisition by General Dynamics in 2012. With remaining assets after that sale, Miller founded Fairlead, a shipyard company in Hampton Roads that supports construction programs for submarines, aircraft carriers and other Navy warships.

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The power of offshore wind

In Hampton Roads, Dominion Energy relies on a team of three leaders to advance its offshore wind farm, ready to start construction 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach after achieving its federal permitting milestones.

Kevin M. Carroll, Jerry R. Barnes and Michael B. Lewis

Kevin M. Carroll became the offshore wind operations and maintenance manager, responsible for the pilot project’s two turbines, in 2021. He joined the company in October 2020 as senior construction project manager for offshore wind and worked on the permitting and design of the commercial project, planning for 176 turbines. He is working closely with the construction team on its development. Carroll previously spent 26 years in the Coast Guard, performing marine inspections, investigations, oil spill response, maritime law enforcement, and search and rescue before retiring as captain and commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia, including the port, in September 2020. Carroll serves on the Virginia Maritime Association board.

Jerry R. Barnes is Dominion’s senior strategic adviser for offshore wind, a licensed engineer focused on obtaining the federal, state and local permits for the commercial project and managing associated risk. Before joining the company in November 2021, Barnes spent over 29 years in the Coast Guard, both on active duty and in a civilian role. During his career, Barnes oversaw operations involving prevention and marine transportation systems management in the mid-Atlantic region, including the missions of marine safety, aids to navigation, marine environmental protection and ice operations. He was responsible for regional marine planning, represented Coast Guard interests in the siting of offshore renewable energy facilities and directed a variety of studies to improve safe navigation and the efficiency of the marine transportation system.

Michael B. Lewis works as the senior project construction manager for marine affairs tasked with building connections with maritime stakeholders and creating the marine safety framework for the commercial project, ensuring it follows all maritime regulatory standards. He came to Dominion after a 23-year career in the Coast Guard, where he specialized in commercial vessel compliance and port management, emergency response operations, law enforcement and marine science operations. He is actively involved in various maritime-focused workgroups at the local and national level.

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The power of experience

Aubrey Layne

Aubrey L. Layne Jr. worked as the Virginia secretary of finance under Gov. Ralph Northam and the state secretary of transportation under Gov. Terry McAuliffe. He left the public sector in July 2021 to work for Sentara Health where he is now executive vice president and chief administrative officer. Layne oversees several Sentara teams, including legislative affairs, real estate, construction, supply chain, security, compliance, internal audit and privacy. Sentara, longtime partner and funding supporter of EVMS, has been involved in the pending merger of Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School.

In 2022, Layne became board chair of the Virginia Port Authority amid significant infrastructure investments and the burgeoning offshore wind industry.

Under Northam, Layne was responsible for overseeing the commonwealth’s annual revenue forecasts and administering the roughly $140 billion biennial state budget. He advised the governor on all significant financial contracts entered by state agencies. As the secretary of transportation, he chaired the Commonwealth Transportation Board and oversaw seven agencies with over 10,000 employees and a combined budget of more than $6 billion.

Layne also previously worked as interim president of An Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News, president and principal broker of Great Atlantic Properties in Virginia Beach and as president of Hofheimer’s Inc. in Norfolk. He began his career as a certified public accountant with KPMG.

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The power of redevelopment

Jonathan Provost

Jonathan Provost, owner of Provost Construction, stimulated momentum in downtown Newport News redevelopment by encouraging the designation of the area as a historic district so he could continue projects using historic tax credits. He had already invested in establishing another office for his firm downtown and transformed a row of empty warehouses along 23rd Street in Newport News into apartments and restaurants, including pizza place Benny Cantiere’s and a gastropub. Another of his past projects also hosts Coastal Fermentory, a brewery next to Ironclad Distillery.

Led by the private sector with support from the city’s Economic Development Authority, the downtown district received its state and national historic designations last year. And as it turns out, other developers, including those specializing in historic renovation, saw the potential opportunities, too, and began eyeing or investing in downtown properties. Provost partners with the city to host a series of block parties with food trucks, drinks and live music to help brand the up-and-coming area as The Yard District.

He is redeveloping the former Youth Challenge Men’s and Women’s Shelters at 332 34th St. and 223 29th St., which are under construction, along with a third property on 29th Street into three apartment buildings aimed at attracting more residents to downtown. Provost is also working with the EDA on a rehabilitation project at 2510 Jefferson Ave. for office and retail space.

Provost, who lives in Chesapeake, started in the business in 2009 as the youngest class A contractor in Virginia. The company now operates in more than 40 states. His commitment to Hampton Roads has led him to become part of several community organizations, such as the Railroad District Business Association and the Ghent Business Association. He is also a member of Associated Building and Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America and International Council of Shopping Centers.

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The power of celebrity

Pharrell Williams

Virginia Beach native and pop culture star Pharrell Williams is keeping busy, bringing production of a movie musical based on his childhood to Richmond and Hampton Roads this year. The film’s production could bring a total estimated statewide economic impact of about $84 million, according to the Virginia Film Office.

Williams brought his Something in the Water music festival back to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in late April last year. The festival was expected to take place later in the year this year but there is no word on when. The festival brings tens of thousands of attendees who pack the beach for performances and spend money in the region.

Williams is also part of the development team for the under-construction surf park, part of the Atlantic Park $335 million mixed-use development at the Oceanfront. Williams’ public backing of the surf park helped keep the project on the table after years of planning. The development at the old Dome site will feature a lagoon with machine-generated waves, a live entertainment venue, restaurants, retail, offices, residential and more.

Williams also debuted his Louis Vuitton fashion line, with nods to his Hampton Roads origins, at Paris Fashion Week.

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The power of a smile

Kathy Magee

Kathleen “Kathy” Magee co-founded Operation Smile in Norfolk in 1982 with her husband, Dr. William “Bill” P. Magee Jr., and currently serves as its president and CEO. The Magees established the nonprofit medical service organization’s global headquarters in Virginia Beach in 2013.

Operation Smile, one of the region’s best-known charities, provides free surgeries to help children with cleft lips and palates. Since its start, it has provided care to more than 400,000 surgical patients. In 2022, the Magees marked the organization’s 40th year by announcing a 10-year Love and Leadership campaign to increase access to care for 1 million patients with cleft conditions and other essential and emergency surgical conditions.

Consumers may know the Smile with Lay’s campaign, which raised $1 million each year for three years through 2020, even featuring Kathy Magee on one of the specially designed chip bags. The bags featured the lower half of a smiling face that consumers could hold up to their own.

The Magees and Operation Smile have received significant recognition, including the first $1 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 1996. In 2007, the U.S. Agency for International Development presented the Magees with the President’s Call to Service Award from then President George W. Bush.

Kathy Magee believes in creating environments that educate, empower and elevate women to achieve gender equity to create health equity. She attended the first entirely female surgical program in Morocco in 2020. She is deeply involved in Operation Smile student programs, which provide opportunities for students to volunteer, engage and support the nonprofit. She has built relationships with a variety of partners, including academic institutions like the University of Southern California through an international family study and with the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the University of Rwanda to help advance public health in Rwanda and beyond. She also advocates for corporate partnerships.

Magee is a mother of five and grandmother to 14, all of whom participate in Operation Smile.

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The power couple of ministry

Kim W. Brown and Valerie K. Brown

Kim Walter Brown and Valerie Kay Brown lead one of the region’s growing megachurches and go above and beyond to support the community in numerous ways, including influencing regional leadership and helping people achieve financial prosperity. Their outreach has included sending youth to summer camps and providing scholarships and a nurturing environment at The Elder’s House Youth Empowerment Center.

Bishop Kim Brown is the presiding prelate of The Mount Global Fellowship of Churches and has served as the senior pastor for over 30 years. The Portsmouth native, taking an innovative approach to ministry, has grown the Fellowship from 75 members in 1990 in one location to over 14,000 members in eight locations across Virginia and North Carolina. He served 14 years, several as chairman, on Chesapeake Hospital Authority’s board. Brown was appointed by two governors to serve on Norfolk State University’s board of visitors, including as vice rector, and served on Elizabeth City University’s board of trustees as chairman. His community efforts have resulted in numerous honors, including First Citizen of Chesapeake in 2017, Elizabeth City State University Chancellor’s Legacy Award, 900 Men Strong Community Service Award, Urban League of Hampton Roads’ Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award and the Finney Foundation Community Service Award.

Valerie Brown, a Chesapeake native known as Elder Valerie, works in partnership with Bishop Brown as executive pastor of the Fellowship. With a background in accounting, she is gifted with executive and administrative leadership and financial acumen that served the church organization in its phenomenal growth. A founding member of CIVIC Leadership Institute, she has served on a number of boards, including YWCA, Chesapeake Economic Development Authority, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, SunTrust Bank advisory board and Hampton Roads Community Action Program. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and served two terms as rector of Virginia State University’s board of visitors. Valerie Brown was recently honored by the Alpha Phi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity with the Annie Coleman Singleton Award. She was also an Inside Business Women in Business honoree and received the YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award and the Urban League’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award.

The Browns were honored in November with the dedication of the Bishop Kim Walter and Elder Valerie K. Brown Interfaith Chapel inside Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. They were recently honored for the 2024 M.A.S.K.E.D. Award during the UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball for consistently demonstrating compassion and commitment and serving as a beacon of hope for deserving students. They are both known for their benevolence and stepping up to support worthy causes.

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The power of regional leadership

Nancy L. Grden

Nancy L. Grden is president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable, a group of CEOs from the region’s largest employers and community leaders seeking to expand the region’s economy, create more and higher paying jobs and leverage entrepreneurship and innovation. The roundtable is the region’s management organization for the statewide GO Virginia economic development program.

Grden previously worked as associate vice president for Old Dominion University’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. In that capacity, she led two major economic development initiatives to advance the region’s maritime innovation ecosystem by serving as the inaugural executive director for the Hampton Roads Maritime Collaborative for Growth & Innovation and as co-convener for the ODU Maritime Initiative Leadership Group, which developed a strategy and plan for ODU’s Maritime Initiative and School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations.

An executive, entrepreneur and change agent, Grden founded/co-founded companies such as Medicaid/Medicare services company Amerigroup (acquired by Anthem/Elevance), biotech company Genomind, behavioral health care company Lifescape and fractional CEO services company Avenir. She has served in C-suite strategic planning, development and marketing roles with predecessor banks to Bank of America, as well as major health care companies, including ValueOptions, now part of Anthem/Elevance. She has public sector and government relations experience with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and National Conference of State Legislatures.

She is the inaugural chair of 757 Collab for the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and a past chair of 757 Angels. She serves on boards for Innovate Hampton Roads, Norfolk Innovation Corridor, The Norfolk Forum, Hampton Roads Alliance and RVA757 Connects. She is a board member for Envision Lead Grow, a national nonprofit that breaks the cycle of poverty for girls from underserved communities through entrepreneurship, and where she received the first Trailblazer Award in 2018.

Dennis Matheis

In 2022, Dennis Matheis became president and CEO of Sentara Health, leading 30,000 employees. He is also co-chair of the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable, a group of seasoned executives and community leaders who will set the agenda for regional economic development.

Sentara is one of the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country with 12 hospitals. Under Matheis, the system continues to invest in innovation. The system is supporting a joint School of Public Health between Old Dominion University, Norfolk State and Eastern Virginia Medical School. Sentara, along with EVMS, is participating in research for the Cancer Screening Research Network, a new clinical trials network launched by the National Cancer Institute. The health system also became a founding member of Virginia Coordinated Clinical Research Network, focusing on clinical trial research and medical treatment advancements that will contribute to Virginia’s biotechnology sector.

Under Matheis’ leadership, the health system continued its community support, including a new food bank in Norfolk, Community Feed at Berkley. Sentara Cares awarded nearly $12 million in grants in the fall and spring to partner organizations committed to addressing social drivers of health. Sentara and its employees also raised a record of nearly $2.3 million for the United Way of South Hampton Roads in its latest workplace campaign. Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center recently became the first certified sensory-inclusive hospital in Virginia.

Matheis, who has spent 28 years in senior leadership roles within health care, previously worked as executive vice president for the health system and led Sentara Health Plans, which provides insurance for more than 1 million members. During that time, he led the largest health plan acquisition in Sentara’s history, resulting in more than 400,000 new health plan members and nearly 1,300 employees joining the organization.

Before joining Sentara, he spent 13 years in leadership roles at Anthem Inc. with a background as a certified public accountant before entering the health care industry. He is on the boards of America’s Health Insurance Plans and Dario. He is also on the state Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.

Cliff Fleet

Cliff Fleet, president and CEO of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, is heavily involved in regional leadership as co-chair of the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable.

The Virginia native is also the foundation’s Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell distinguished presidential chair. A corporate executive, teacher, community volunteer, board member and consultant, he has enjoyed a broad and deep career with leadership roles across a variety of disciplines and organizational sizes. Notably, he has earned four academic degrees from William & Mary, including graduate degrees in history, business administration and law.

Under his leadership, Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios is aiming to build the world’s largest virtual museum about early American history. CW is building a new archaeology center, which will house the foundation’s more than 60 million artifacts. The center is one of the foundation’s signature projects leading up to the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Colonial Williamsburg recently convened stakeholders in multistate planning efforts for the anniversary. The foundation is also restoring and interpreting one of the nation’s earliest Black Baptist churches and moved the Bray School, likely the oldest surviving building in the United States dedicated to the education of Black children, from William & Mary to the historic area.

Fleet teaches at William & Mary and is a board member of the Omohundro Institute, the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and state GO Virginia board. Previously, he served as chair of the William & Mary Foundation, he led the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation as president and worked as president and CEO of several companies.

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The power of building connections

Ryan Banas

Ryan Banas, an associate vice president at HNTB Corp., has leadership over the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project, the largest transportation infrastructure project in Virginia history.

He oversees daily management and coordinates efforts with Chris Hall, the Hampton Roads district engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Banas moved to Hampton Roads in 2011 and has led or played an integral role in high-profile East Coast projects. He previously worked on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel expansion. For the HRBT expansion, he leads about 110 professionals between VDOT and consultants and has oversight of the Hampton Roads Connector Partners team, the construction joint venture that is building the project that employs roughly up to 1,000 workers at any given time. The project is slated for completion in 2027.

The project completed digging the state’s first bored roadway tunnel when the boring machine, named Mary, broke through to the north island in Hampton in April. Mary is now digging a second tunnel back toward Norfolk.

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The power of team-building

Patrick Cavanagh

Since Patrick Cavanagh’s acquisition of the Norfolk Admirals in 2019, the team’s performance transition has been unprecedented both on and off the ice. With Cavanagh as CEO, the Admirals have experienced a 300% attendance growth, secured an NHL affiliation with the Winnipeg Jets and have qualified for the ECHL playoffs in the 2023-24 season. The Admirals attendance boom continued in the playoffs as the team advanced to the divisional finals, aiming for its first championship since 2012.

For decades, Cavanagh, a former Admiral, has supported youth sports and has been an advocate for grassroots youth hockey development in the U.S. Cavanagh grew the Hampton Roads Whalers youth hockey organization from a skills development program to a junior hockey level of play with the acquisition of a junior league hockey franchise in 2006. Junior hockey prepares athletes for advancement into college and professional hockey ranks. The strengthening of Whaler Nation has generated a devoted hockey culture in Hampton Roads.

An entrepreneur and investor, Cavanagh successfully transformed the failed Arc Ice Sports in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake into Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex in 2003. He also acquired and overhauled the former Hampton Roads Iceplex in York County into a Chilled Ponds rink while incorporating a county resident participation program. He also transitioned the Whaler Nation youth hockey program and the Tidewater Figure Skating Club to its location. The renovation and reprogramming of the aging complex earned Chilled Ponds and Cavanagh the Distinguished Business of the Year honor from York County.

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The power of science

Stuart Henderson

Stuart Henderson, an internationally recognized expert in particle accelerators with a doctorate in physics from Yale University, has been director of Jefferson Lab, a world leader in nuclear physics research, since 2017. The Department of Energy national lab features a large-scale superconducting accelerator that enables the research of more than 1,900 scientists worldwide.

Empowered by Henderson’s leadership, Jefferson Lab was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to host the lead infrastructure in a $300 million-plus high performance data facility hub in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory this past year. The computing facility will accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by enabling the access and application of data from a wide range of sources, including artificial intelligence tools, in real time. University partnerships are expected to expand as the facility develops. The proposal was supported by Jefferson Lab’s partner colleges and universities throughout Virginia, including Old Dominion University, William & Mary, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner called it “the single biggest technology investment in Hampton Roads ever.” The move bolsters the region as a national leader in data and analytics.

This past year, the national science lab also expanded its campus with the addition of the city’s 122,000-square-foot Applied Research Center building, set to become the new gateway to Jefferson Lab with a visitor center and science education center.

Henderson had been working with scientific and industry partners to expand and diversify the lab’s scientific mission. Last year, the lab established a Biomedical Research and Innovation Center to boost collaborative research to further biomedical, human health and environment applications. Its Research and Technology Partnerships Office aims to work with community partners in Hampton Roads to expand the lab’s unique benefits to local organizations and interest groups.

Jefferson Lab scientists are also helping in the design and construction of the electron-ion collider to be built at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven Lab in New York. Henderson is the governor’s distinguished CEBAF (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) professor at Old Dominion University and advises facilities around the globe.

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The power of resilience

Marjorie Mayfield Jackson

Marjorie Mayfield Jackson is the founding executive director of the Elizabeth River Project, which has catalyzed regionwide efforts to restore the health of the Elizabeth River and promoted environmental stewardship as a business standard. The organization is also a pioneer in ecological education and on-the-ground environmental restoration for urban rivers. The nonprofit organization operates the oldest continuous pollution prevention program for industries on the Chesapeake Bay and was recognized by the Stanford Innovation Review in 2011 as a rare world model of collective impact.

Jackson was one of four volunteers who hatched the idea of the project in November 1991 at a time when the river was widely presumed dead after four centuries of neglect. Jackson quit her job as a reporter at The Virginian-Pilot to commit to daytime volunteering, officially launching the nonprofit in 1993. Under Jackson’s leadership, the nonprofit has grown to a staff of about 40 with an annual operating budget of about $4 million, funded with multiple grants and the core support of some 2,000 individual and corporate members.

Since convening stakeholders and building collaboration, the river has rebounded to earning a C grade from area scientists. River otters, dolphins, brown pelicans and eagles are now a common sight. The project achieved buy-in through its River Star Businesses program for documenting significant, voluntary results. The program currently recognizes 164 organizations, including the Port of Virginia, Norfolk Southern, BAE Shipyard and Naval Station Norfolk. River Star Businesses together have reduced or avoided more than 370 million pounds of pollution.

ERP led several firsts: the first voluntary restoration of a wetland next to Larchmont Library in Norfolk in 1997, the first voluntary cleanup of contaminated sediments at Money Point in Chesapeake in 2009 and restoring oyster reefs in the Lafayette branch of the river in 2012, achieving the first tributary to the Chesapeake Bay fully restored for oyster habitat. The Money Point cleanup reduced cancer six-fold in the indicator fish, the mummichog.

Under Jackson’s leadership, the organization also led the way regionally with the construction of “living shorelines” or approaches to shoreline stabilization that mimic nature, restoring marsh and oyster habitat. This approach is now the preferred approach of the state. Jackson has galvanized wide support of residents, with more than 6,600 households committing to ERP’s seven steps for environmental stewardship at home, earning a free signature yard flag as River Star Homes. The Elizabeth River Project’s Dominion Energy Learning Barge, dubbed “America’s Greenest Vessel,” won more than a dozen national awards for its green design with the University of Virginia and routinely books at least 6,000 students a year for hands-on field trips. Another 4,000 children a year either take part in nature-based learning at Paradise Creek Nature Park or conduct environmental projects at school with ERP help.

In her pioneering spirit, Jackson is guiding the organization to tackle sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change. The organization’s Ryan Resilience Lab opens June 1 as a global model for how to continue to live, work and play on an urban waterfront as sea levels rise. The building and grounds demonstrate sustainable practices, from giant cisterns that collect rainwater for flushing the toilets to solar power, green roofs and living walls. The Ryan Lab was constructed as part of a $15 million capital campaign, which also funded expansion of the ERP’s River Academy at Paradise Creek Nature Park in Portsmouth, with a goal to expand the nonprofit’s impact regionwide since the Elizabeth River flows through Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. This 40-acre park on the border with Chesapeake represents the organization’s 2012 achievement to create Portsmouth’s third largest public park, providing public access to one of the state’s largest restored wetlands in a partnership with the Port of Virginia. The Elizabeth River Project continues to operate the park’s education and volunteer programs along with continual revitalization of the native forest.

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The power of health

Amy Sampson

Amy Sampson, who became president and CEO of Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters health system in June, was a driving force in the development of its 14-story Children’s Pavilion that changed the Norfolk skyline. It opened in 2022 with inpatient psychiatric beds where children suffering from anxiety, depression, eating disorders and a host of other mental health challenges can find compassionate care close to home.

Her early recognition of an unprecedented crisis in the mental health of children led to the launch of CHKD’s mental health initiative years before the declaration of a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Sampson was personally determined to bring the right people together to answer a need that could not be ignored, assembling a team of world-class clinicians and researchers to transform children’s mental health services in Hampton Roads and beyond. And to fund the mental health initiative, she spearheaded a campaign that has raised millions of dollars to meet the ever-escalating mental health crisis facing our youth.

The expansion of mental health services is the latest in a long list of achievements during her 34 years at CHKD, which also include leadership in marketing and communications, government relations, strategic planning and business development, patient experience and community outreach efforts. She leads Virginia’s only freestanding children’s hospital.

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The power of affordable housing

Steve Lawson 

A third-generation builder, Steve Lawson is chairman of The Lawson Cos., a real estate firm specializing in the development, construction and management of multifamily homes in Virginia. In 2022, the company celebrated 50 years of building and operating affordable and market-rate housing. As chairman, Lawson oversees a team managing roughly 5,100 apartment units and $50 million in annual construction and development. The company has built or renovated 35 apartment communities throughout Virginia. It has also constructed and sold more than 800 single-family homes and townhomes representing over $130 million in sales.

For more than two decades, Lawson has promoted strong national affordable housing policy through multifamily leadership positions with the National Association of Home Builders and service on the board of the nonprofit HousingForward Virginia and on the Rental Advisory Council of Virginia Housing, the statewide housing finance agency. He has also provided expert testimony to Congress on three occasions and briefed the last three chairs of the Federal Reserve concerning ongoing challenges facing the industry.

Lawson was recognized by the Urban League of Hampton Roads with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leader Award in 2023 for his longstanding contributions to affordable housing in the region. In 2019, he received a Human Rights Award from the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission for his work building inclusive housing in the resort area. This community, Seaside Harbor, not only provides much needed affordable housing but also serves clients with developmental disabilities and mobility impairments. Seaside Harbor was later featured in a Department of Housing and Urban Development case study demonstrating innovation in affordable housing.

A more recently constructed affordable community, Market Heights Apartments in Norfolk, provides similar services for residents with developmental disabilities and includes on-site resident services provided by Hope House and Volunteers of America Chesapeake and Carolinas. Grants provided by LISC Hampton Roads, supported by Sentara Health, fund an accessible fitness center with wellness classes, private telehealth booth and mobile food pantry at the community. Market Heights received the CoStar Impact Award, Coastal Virginia Building Industry Association Coastie Award for Best Affordable Apartment Community and Novogradac Developments of Distinction Honorable Mention and was recognized as a finalist in the 2024 National Association of Home Builders Pillars of the Industry Awards. Lawson was also recognized in 2022 by the General Assembly with a House resolution commending the company on achievements associated with the creation and advocacy of affordable housing in Virginia.