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Taking shape
Peraton chief coordinates massive integration
Stu Shea, chairman, president and CEO of Herndon-based national security contractor Peraton Inc., is overseeing the integration of two recently acquired businesses that marked some of Virginia’s most significant business deals in 2021. Shea has been included in both editions of Virginia Business’ annual Virginia 500 issue, a compilation of the state’s 500 most powerful
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Breaking down barriers
Virginia Beach teacher tapped as NFL’s first Black woman official
Published
Maia Chaka, a health and physical education teacher at Virginia Beach’s Renaissance Academy, will be the National Football League’s first Black female referee, the league announced in March. A 2006 Norfolk State University alumna, Chaka has been officiating football since 2007, a journey that took her from high school games to the NCAA’s Division I,
Authority of the port
New port CEO offers vision for building on success
Published
In January, Stephen Edwards became the new CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Virginia. The former CEO of Los Angeles-based TraPac, which operates container terminals in California and Florida, Edwards succeeds John Reinhart, who retired after seven years at the authority’s helm. During his tenure, Reinhart steered
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Calling the shots
Virginia’s vaccine czar sees light at end of the tunnel
Published
When the COVID-19 crisis began in early 2020, Dr. Danny Avula was the joint director of the Henrico County and Richmond health departments, a big job placing him in charge of public health for more than 560,000 residents. However, in early January, the scope of Avula’s responsibilities widened considerably after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tapped
‘As resilient as you get’
Victor Hoskins discusses regional cooperation and economic recovery
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After sealing the deal on Amazon.com Inc.’s $2.5 billion East Coast HQ2 headquarters as Arlington’s economic development director in late 2018, Victor Hoskins took his talents to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) in August 2019. But instead of competing with his Northern Virginia neighbors when he took the helm in Fairfax, Hoskins has
Disrupting racism
Janice Underwood leads the state’s efforts to create a more equitable culture
Published
In the months after a blackface scandal threatened his governorship, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he would appoint a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer who would report directly to him — the first Cabinet-level position of its kind in any state in the nation. In September 2019, Janice Underwood took on the challenge. A
Representing the underdogs
Republican House leader aims to be ‘voice of reason’
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Although it’s hard to think way back to January 2020, a time before a year of social unrest, pandemic and economic peril, that’s when Virginia’s legislature and executive branch became majority-Democrat for the first time since 1993. However, even if some Virginians forgot about this significant shift, Republican lawmakers have not. Just before Thanksgiving, Virginia
‘No name but team’
Washington Football Team embarks on massive brand transition
Published
Marcus Stephenson is living his dream. After a nearly 15-year career in sports entertainment marketing and content (including stints with World Wrestling Entertainment and the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL team), Stephenson joined the Washington Football Team as its vice president of digital marketing and programming just one year ago — ahead of what will be the
A sense of possibility
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative’s first executive director aims high
Published
Luiz DaSilva became the inaugural executive director of Virginia’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) in March, returning to Virginia Tech after two years in Ireland, where he served as the director of CONNECT, a telecommunications research center at Trinity College Dublin involving 35 companies and 250 researchers from 10 Irish universities. CONNECT’s goal is to produce
Executive profiles
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We asked leaders in Virginia’s maritime and logistics industry for their thoughts on the Port of Virginia expansion and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on shipping. Click to expand photos. Interviews follow. VB: How will the Port of Virginia expansion impact Virginia’s economy? Adams: The Central Chapter encompasses the area around Richmond and is