Virginia Business Announces Inaugural C-Suite Awards

Virginia Business has selected W. Taylor Franklin, Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Group as an inaugural Virginia C-Suite Awards recipient.

The Virginia C-Suite Awards celebrate top corporate executives who consistently demonstrate remarkable leadership skills, integrity, values, vision, commitment to excellence, company performance, and community engagement. The honorees must have their primary work office in Virginia and hold a top corporate executive position (such as CEO, COO, CFO, etc.) or equivalent job (executive director, owner, etc.).

A list of winners is below.

“Virginia Business congratulates this year’s honorees. Our 2025 C-Suite Awards winners are outstanding leaders who demonstrate impressive resumes and lead their companies to success, making a positive impact on the lives of others. They are trendsetters who empower those who work with them in a professional setting and in the community,” said Richard Foster, associate publisher of Virginia Business. “They are examples to all, and their leadership is growing the next generation.”

Virginia C-Suite Awards honorees will be recognized on June 5 at a celebration at The Jefferson Hotel, 101 W. Franklin Street, in Richmond.  Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m. followed at noon by a luncheon and awards celebration. The event hashtag is #VBevents.

Attendance is limited. There are various sponsorship levels available, which include the right to use the event logo, multimedia marketing, a table to share with co-workers and guests at the event, and much more. Tables are only available with sponsorship. If seats are available after the sponsorship deadline, a limited number of individual tickets will go on sale. To secure a sponsorship to ensure you and your guests can celebrate together, contact your account manager or Toni McCracken at tmccracken@va-business.com.

Winners will be recognized in the June issue of Virginia Business and online at VirginiaBusiness.com.

The Presenting Sponsor for the Virginia C-Suite Awards is YHB. For more information and the most updated listing of sponsors, visit https://virginiabusiness.com/event/c-suite-awards/.

About Virginia Business

Virginia Business is the only publication in Virginia dedicated to covering economic activity in every sector and region of the Commonwealth. The magazine has established a reputation as a must-read for those who want to stay abreast of commercial events in Virginia and attracts a diverse group of readers, including business leaders who hold managerial and financial positions and fill a host of C-suite positions. Virginia Business hosts several annual events to recognize excellence and provide leadership opportunities and facilitates thoughtful discussion with market leaders through its webinar series. Its Digital Marketing Solutions helps customers with social media, search engine marketing and optimization, retargeting, email marketing and more. Virginia Business is part of BridgeTower Media, the authoritative voice for insights and marketing solutions across 40+ brands in five key sectors across the United States. For more information, visit VirginiaBusiness.com.

2025 C-Suite Awards Winners

Government

Joe Benevento, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)

Dr. Joseph Casey, Chesterfield County

John A. Vithoulkas, Henrico County

Higher Education

Marcia Conston, Tidewater Community College

Bret Danilowicz, Radford University

Scott D. Miller, Virginia Wesleyan University

Nonprofit with less than $10 million in annual revenue

Peter Allen Schmidt, Norfolk Botanical Garden

Bryan K. Stephens, Hampton Roads Chamber

Michel Zajur, Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Nonprofit with more than $10 million in annual revenue

Sean T. Connaughton, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association

Melinda Hancock, Sentara Health

Elizabeth Ann McClanahan, Virginia Tech Foundation

Becky Sawyer, Sentara Health

Private company with 50 or fewer employees

Rebecca Geller, The Geller Law Group

Private company with 51-149 employees

Robby Demeria, Phlow

Hannah Pollack, Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches

Angela Reddix, ARDX | Envision Lead Grow | The Mustard Seed Place

Kim Snyder, KlariVis

Private company with 150-499 employees

Joe Caliri, SimVentions

Timothy A. Faulkner, The Breeden Company

Woody Fowler, Williams Mullen

Craig Halliday, Unanet

Whitson Huffmann, Capital Square

Joseph R. Schmuckler, Cary Street Partners

​Private company with more than 500 employees

Taylor Franklin, Franklin Group

Brad Hobbs, Air Control Concepts

Brian Schools, Chartway Credit Union

Julian Setian, SOSi

Evan Shriver, Atlantic Constructors

Public company with less than $500 million in annual revenue

Paul W. Nester, RGC Resources

Public company with more than $500 million in annual revenue

Kimberly A.C. Enochs, Marsh McLennan Agency

William Foster III, TowneBank

Shawn Tibbetts, Armada Hoffler