Mr. Edward h. "ed" baine

Mr. Edward H. “Ed” Baine of Richmond, Virginia, is senior vice president–Distribution, Power Delivery Group, of Dominion Energy. He is responsible for all facets of Dominion Energy’s regulated electric distribution business that provides electricity to about 2.6 million customer accounts in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Mr. Baine joined the company in 1995 as an associate engineer and has held numerous engineering, operational, and management positions within the company. In 2006, he was named director–Electric Distribution Operations Centers. He was promoted to vice president–Shared Services, effective July 1, 2009, and was named vice president–Fossil & Hydro Merchant Operations in January 2012. He was named vice president–Power Generation System Operations in July 2013 and senior vice president–Transmission & Customer Service in June 2015. He assumed his current post in February 2016. Mr. Baine is a member of the boards of directors of the Dominion Energy Credit Union, ChamberRVA, Venture Richmond, and the Capital Region Collaborative. He also serves on the board of the Chesterfield Public Education Foundation and is a member of the Executive Advisory Council of the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond. In addition, he serves on the boards of directors of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund, MEGA Mentors, and the American Association of Blacks in Energy, and the Valentine, as well as the EEI National Response and AEIC Power Delivery Executive Committees. Mr. Baine earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and completed the advanced management program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

MS. Greta Harris

Ms. Harris of Richmond, Virginia, is President and CEO of the Better Housing Coalition.  Before joining BHC, she was vice president for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national non-profit community and economic development corporation. Prior to that role, she was the senior program director for Virginia LISC, based in Richmond, which supported local organizations in developing more than $250 million in real estate in Central Virginia.   Ms. Harris was appointed to the Virginia Tech Foundation Board in 2016 and also serves on the Board of the Virginia Housing Alliance. She has served on the boards of the City of Richmond’s Economic Development Authority, the Federal Reserve Bank’s Board of Governors’ Consumer Advisory Council, the Virginia Housing Coalition, the Richmond Community Development Alliance, and Seven Hills Boys Middle School. Ms. Harris is a member of Leadership Metro Richmond’s Class of 1995. She was named the Virginia Tech Black Alumni Association’s 2016 Philanthropist of the Year and was recognized as a 2014 Outstanding Virginian by Equality Virginia. Ms. Harris earned her bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Virginia Tech and holds a master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University.

Mr. Charles T. Hill

Mr. Charles “C.T.” Hill, of Midlothian, retired from SunTrust Bank in 2012 as both chairman for the Mid-Atlantic banking operations and consumer banking executive. His 42-year career with SunTrust and its predecessors also included serving as chairman, president, and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic banking group, as well as head of the company’s retail line of business.  Hill attended Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond, and later graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers and the National School of Real Estate at Ohio State. He also completed the Executive Program at the University’s Darden School of Business.  Hill has served on boards for the Massey Cancer Center, the Richmond Performing Arts Center, and the Metropolitan Business Foundation. He is a member of the management roundtable and a past chair of Venture Richmond, the Virginia Bankers Association, the Forum Club, and the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges. From 2007-2011, Hill represented Virginia’s 7th District on the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, chairing that organization in 2011.

Mr. Dennis H. Treacy

Mr. Treacy is Senior Counsel at the Reed Smith LLP law firm in its Government Relations and Administrative Law Group in Richmond. He retired as President of the Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods. Previously, Mr. Treacy served as Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Smithfield Foods, where he directed many areas within the company, including government affairs, corporate communications, environmental programs, sustainability initiatives, and the legal department. Mr. Treacy also serves or has served on dozens of state and national boards and commissions. Prior to joining Smithfield Foods in 2002, he served as director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. He also served as assistant attorney general in the natural resources section of the Virginia Attorney General’s office. He is a 2010 “Distinguished Environmental Law Graduate” from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, where he graduated in 1983. He completed his undergraduate degree in Forestry and Wildlife at Virginia Tech in 1978, and currently serves as Rector on its Board of Visitors.

Ms. letitia a. long

Ms. Letitia A. Long is the Chairman of the Board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and currently sits on the boards of Raytheon Company, Urthecast Corporation, Noblis, Inc., Sonatype, and D-Wave Government Systems. Additionally, she is on the boards of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs, and the Virginia Tech Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology. She is also an Executive-in-Residence with Brookings Executive Education. Ms. Long served as the fifth Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and was the first woman to lead a major US intelligence agency. Her career has spanned all aspects of organizational leadership, business functions, and global operations. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2017 Virginia Tech Distinguished Achievement Award, the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, two Presidential Rank Awards of Meritorious Executive, two Department of Defense Medals for Distinguished Service, and three National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medals. Ms. Long earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1982 and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Catholic University of America, and she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Strategic Intelligence by the National Intelligence University.

Ms. Anna James

Ms. Anna James of Suffolk, Virginia, is the Director of Business Development and Academic Affiliation at Sentara Healthcare. A Virginia Tech alumna, she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management in 2002 before continuing on to complete her M.B.A. at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010. After graduating, she became Director of Government Relations for Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System. From there, she assumed the role of Manager for State Government Affairs for Troutman Sanders Strategies, before serving as Special Assistant to Governor Mark Warner. While working with Governor Warner, Ms. James established the Governor's Healthy Virginians initiative, and advised the Governor on issues such as teacher quality, K-12 education, procurement, capital outlay, healthcare and higher education. She subsequently was named Policy Director to Governor Terry McAuliffe, a position she held from 2014 to 2016.

Mr. mehmood kazmi

Mr. Mehmood Kazmi is a partner with Share Investment Company, a real estate investment fund located in Greenbelt, Maryland. His career history includes executive and management roles at Tipton Equity Partners, AIC Associates, and America Online.  Kazmi is an M.B.A. graduate of Harvard Business School, and he earned his undergraduate degree from George Washington University, where he held a Presidential Honors Scholarship.  He also is an alumnus of the Political Leadership Program of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, and he serves as a commissioner on the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission.

Mr. Robert j. mills, jr.

Mr. Robert J. Mills, Jr. of Callands, Virginia, is the President of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services. A first-generation farmer, Mr. Mills bought his first farm in 1998, the same year that he received his associate degree in agricultural technology from Virginia Tech. Since then he has received many awards in agriculture, including the Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmers Achievement Award and Environmental Stewardship Award. Most recently, he was named the 2017 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year, as well as the 2017 Farmer of the Year by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. His farm, Briar View, received a clean water award by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation due to his environmentally sustainable farming practices. Mr. Mills has been an active participant in Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau, Callands Young Farmers, Pittsylvania County Cattlemen’s Association, Pittsylvania County Soil & Water Conservation District, USDA-Farm Service Agency county committee, and Olde Dominion Agricultural Foundation. He has also served on the Virginia Farm Bureau’s board of directors and some of its committees, as well as on the advisory board for the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Ms. Deborah Petrine

Ms. Deborah Martin Petrine, of Hardy, earned her bachelor’s in business administration from the Virginia Tech in 1978. She is president and chief executive officer of CCR (Commonwealth Care of Roanoke Inc.), which owns and operates 12 long-term-care facilities in Virginia. Petrine founded the company in 2001, and also is a former president of Longleaf Senior Living LLC, which managed 32 assisted living facilities in North Carolina.  Petrine serves on the boards of directors for the Virginia Tech Foundation and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She is a member of the cabinet of the Pamplin Advisory Council and also is a member of the Roanoke Valley Hokie Club.  Petrine has served on the advisory board for the management department of Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. She also has served on the advisory board for the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology. In 2005, Petrine received the Virginia Health Care Association’s James G. Dutton Award for lifetime achievement in the long-term-care field in the commonwealth. She received the Pamplin Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011.

Mr. chris petersen

Mr. Petersen of McLean, Virginia, is a principal at Arbor Strategies, LLC.  His practice concentrates in legal and compliance services relating to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), privacy, state small-group and individual insurance reform regulation and the interaction between state and federal law.  Mr. Petersen also advises clients on legal matters pertaining to minimum standards for supplemental and individual insurance products, association business, managed care, as well as other compliance issues. He also assists his clients before state insurance departments and provides representation before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”), Congress and federal agencies.  Mr. Petersen chairs the firm’s privacy group.  He previously served as the Vice President of the State Affairs/Legal Department of the Health Insurance Association of America. Mr. Petersen has spoken extensively on insurance reform matters and also has testified before Congress on insurance reform and privacy issues.  Mr. Petersen is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, a member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (“PIMA”) and received their President's Distinguished Service Award.  He served on Governor-elect McAuliffe’s transition team and presently serves as the treasurer of Common Good VA, Governor McAuliffe’s political action committee. He is also presently serving as the president of Northam for Governor, Inc.  Mr. Petersen earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington University and holds a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University.

Mr. mehul sanghani

Mr. Mehul Sanghani is the founder and CEO of Octo Consulting Group – a nationally recognized and award winning technology-solutions firm located in Northern Virginia and serving the federal market. Octo specializes in providing agile software development, data visualization, data analytics, and strategy services for the classified U.S. intelligence community and the government health information-technology market. Since its founding in 2006, the firm has received multiple awards and recognitions, including being named the 23rd fastest growing business in the country by Inc. magazine, winning the Vanguard Award presented by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce to the state’s fastest growing firm, and receiving separate Government Contractor of the Year Awards from the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and Northern Virginia Technology Council.  Octo also was named the 2014 Corporate Philanthropist of the Year by the Washington Business Journal and nominated for the National Jefferson Awards for Public Service based on the firm’s charitable efforts and engagement with numerous community outreach activities.  Mr. Sanghani serves on the boards of directors for the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Tech Science and Engineering Regional Growth Enterprise.  He is a member of the Pamplin College of Business Advisory Council, the Pamplin Finance Advisory Board, and Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region Leadership Council.  A native of Blacksburg, he is a member of Virginia Tech’s Class of 1998 and has earned separate bachelor’s degrees in industrial systems engineering and psychology.

Mr. horaCio valeiras

Mr. Horacio Valeiras, of La Jolla, California, is the Chief Executive Officer, Partner of Frontier Global Partners. He  was the principal of HAV Capital LLC and worked at Allianz Global Investors Capital LLC as managing director, chief investment officer, portfolio manager, and member of the management board.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Valeiras developed and oversaw the global core equity and European tactical asset allocation programs at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. From 1992 to 1996, he was a partner at Miller, Anderson & Sherrerd, responsible for international equities and asset allocation. He began his career in the investment management industry as the European technology analyst and non-U.S. strategist at Credit Suisse First Boston.  Mr. Valeiras is a C.F.A. charter-holder. He earned a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech, a master’s in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of California, Berkeley. A former chairman of the Virginia Tech Foundation Board, he serves on the boards of directors for the San Diego Foundation, the Scripps Research Institute, and InHand Electronics. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Frontier Market Asset Management.

Mr. Preston m. White

Mr. Preston M. White of Virginia Beach, Virginia, is CEO of Century Concrete. Just three years after graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in building construction, Mr. White founded and has served as chief executive officer of Century Concrete since 1966. The company specializes in structural concrete for high rise buildings and infrastructure, concrete paving for airfields and industrial applications, sound barrier walls, all concrete for steel frame buildings, and various concrete foundation systems. Mr. White currently serves on the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-HR Leadership Council, and on the executive council of Virginia Tech’s Myers Lawson School of Construction. In 2009, he was appointed to the Christopher Newport University Board of Visitors and served as rector for three years. He is currently a member of the board of trustees for The New E3 School in Norfolk, Virginia. In 2008, Mr. White and his wife, Catharine, established an endowment in support of the Myers Lawson School of Construction to support the Preston and Catharine White Faculty Fellowship Program.

Mr. jeff E. veatch

Mr. Veatch of Alexandria, Virginia, is a successful entrepreneur, businessman, community leader, and philanthropist.  Mr. Veatch co-founded Apex Systems, what is now a billion-dollar business primarily in the field of IT staff augmentation.  Apex Systems has more than a 1200 full time employees, with over 60 offices, employs close to 30,000 IT consultants a year, and is now a division of the largest publicly traded IT Staffing and Services firm in America. Over the course of his career, Mr. Veatch has been recognized as the Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, selected to the Philanthropic 50 by Washington Life magazine, is a member of the Board for On Assignment (ASGN), served as a founding member of the effort to bring the Olympics to the Washington DC region, and holds board positions with Inova Health System as well as other leadership and board positions throughout the community.  As an active philanthropic investor, he formed the Veatch Charitable Fund which focuses on education, healthcare, and the community. Just recently, he, along with the other Apex Systems founders, established the Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business (Apex CIE).   He earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Virginia Tech in 1993.

mr. robert sebek

Mr. Robert Sebek is the Discovery Services Specialist for the University Libraries, where he has worked for 22 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Wake Forest University. Mr. Sebek has served in shared governance for 15 years and has twice led the Library Staff Association. He also serves as an adviser for student performance groups and has been a longtime volunteer for the Lyric Theatre in downtown Blacksburg.

Dr. john ferris

Dr. John Ferris is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, investigating improvements to ground vehicle system performance by studying their interactions with terrain surfaces. Specifically, his research focuses on chassis design and development, vehicle dynamics, terrain topology (high-fidelity measurement, calibration, verification, characterization, statistical analysis, and stochastic modelling), driver-vehicle interactions, virtual proving ground development, vehicle performance (ride, handling, reliability, mobility), design for reliability, customer usage and correlation, and automated vehicle development. Dr. Ferris received his B.S. from Carnegie Mellon and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. He began this work in 1990 for Chrysler, then DaimlerChrysler and ZF Lemförder, before joining the Virginia Tech faculty in 2005 as an Associate Professor. Dr. Ferris has participated in dozens of sponsored research projects totaling over $11 million, publishing 29 peer reviewed journal papers, and 43 conference papers.

ms. Rachel iwicki

Ms. Rachel Iwicki is a senior majoring in both Mechanical Engineering and Russian from Springfield, Virginia. She was also a resident advisor and an undergraduate recruiter for the College of Engineering Dean’s Team. Ms. Iwicki said representing Virginia Tech’s undergraduates for the Board of Visitors was a natural progression from her role with the Student Engineers’ Council. Also, studying abroad in Russia, Moldova, and Estonia while speaking Russian sharpened her communication skills. “Sometimes the people who could offer the most valuable input are afraid to offer it or do not know how,” Ms. Iwicki wrote in a personal statement for her board application. “I enjoy sitting down with my peers to hone and sharpen their opinions, then help voice their experiences so that we can work together to make a change.” Through her work with the board, Ms. Iwicki said she wants to push for the expansion of mental health resources on campus and advocate for an inclusive environment at the university.

Mr. Lorenzo (ZO) Amani

Mr. Lorenzo (Zo) Amani has two bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Tech, and after leaving for a few years to earn a master’s degree, he is back at his alma mater. He is on track to graduate in 2020 with a Ph.D. in public administration and public affairs, within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Mr. Amani is also gearing up to be the voice of graduate students for the Board of Visitors. Mr. Amani said he hopes to address several topics related to graduate students during his tenure, including recruitment, health and wellness, and funding for travel and scholarships. “Our graduate students’ academic, social, and financial needs should be adequately addressed if Virginia Tech desires to grow and positively impact the world through research,” he wrote in a personal statement for his board application. Along with his doctoral work, Mr. Amani is a graduate assistant in Virginia Tech’s Office of Budget and Financial Planning. He also enjoys guiding and mentoring Virginia Tech students. Mr. Amani is a graduate residential fellow in West Ambler Johnston Hall, and he mentors student athletes. As an undergraduate, he earned bachelor of science degrees in sociology and in apparel, housing, and resource management through the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Mr. Amani said his extensive campus network will help him to be an effective voice for graduate students. “I understand the importance of building sound relationships,” he said.