Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Appointed/elected
Gov. Abigail Spanberger recently announced the following board appointments: Kimberly Huskey of York, vice president of government affairs, Cherrystone Aqua Farms, and Michael Schwarz of Virginia Beach, associate director, Virginia Tech, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, were reappointed to the Aquaculture Advisory Board. Jonathan van Senten of Newport News, director, Virginia Tech, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and Shelby White of Gloucester Point, a marine business specialist with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, were appointed to the Marine Products Board. Steven Kyle Sturgis of Cape Charles, farmer, Sturgis Family Farms LLC, and Mark A. Hickman of Horntown, chief operating officer, Dublin Farms, were reappointed to the Potato Board. Tiffany D. Jenkins of Gloucester, licensed professional counselor, Family of Choice LLC, was reappointed to the Board of Local and Regional Jails. Anna Mulé McRay of Portsmouth, deputy coordinator of emergency management for the city of Portsmouth, was appointed to the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel. Anton Bell of Hampton, commonwealth’s attorney, city of Hampton, was appointed to the State Crime Commission.
Brandi L. Smith has been appointed executive director and vice president of Steel America, a subsidiary of Colonna’s Shipyard. She joined the company from Newport News Shipbuilding, where her most recent position was program director for the USS John F. Kennedy and vice president of Columbia-class construction. Smith is a member of the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board at North Carolina State University and served as the December 2015 mechanical and aerospace engineering commencement speaker.
Elizabeth Barnette has been elected director-at-large of the American Society of Safety Professionals. She is a regional environmental, health and safety manager at Trane Technologies and has 30 years of experience in the manufacturing and construction industries. As a board member, she will help advance the profession by addressing emerging and ongoing environmental safety and health priorities. Barnette’s term runs through June 30, 2027. She resides in Ivor and works in Chesapeake
Ken Strickler is now president and CEO of Commonwealth, formerly Commonwealth Commercial Partners. Strickler joined the commercial real estate company in 2005 as an assistant property manager. He succeeds founder and former CEO Mark Claud, who retired. Commonwealth is also marking its 30th anniversary this year. The company has 225 employees and a 15-state footprint with more than 24 million square feet of real estate under management
Awards and honors
The Virginia Department of Education continued the celebration of recipients of its 2025-2026 principals of distinction award by recognizing additional honorees. This year marked the inaugural class for the recognition and professional development program, which is offered in partnership with the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, the Virginia Board of Education and the state department of education. Honorees are selected by a committee for their demonstrated strong leadership in student achievement, instructional practices and school culture. Local honorees include: Kristin Bolam of Yorktown Elementary with York County Public Schools; Micah DeLoatch of Thoroughgood Elementary; Stephanie Haus Rosemont of Forest Elementary; Mark Makovec at Landstown Middle; Daniel Miani at First Colonial High; and Ryan Schubart at Floyd E. Kellam High, all with Virginia Beach City Public Schools; and Bridget Outlaw at E. W. Chittum Elementary with Chesapeake City Public Schools.
Sam Peterson, a teacher at Old Donation School in Virginia Beach; Tonya Bates, a teacher at Landstown Middle School in Virginia Beach; and Darrell Barnard, a teacher at Jolliff Middle School in Chesapeake; are among 10 teachers who participated in the 2026 National STEM Scholar Program. Ten participants are chosen each year based on the description of a project the applicant would implement in their classroom if funds were available. Projects are chosen for maximum impact in middle school classrooms. The event was hosted by The Gatton Academy on the campus of Western Kentucky University.
Grants and donations
Newport News is joining the Safer Communities Program, a coordinated, statewide initiative to further community violence reduction efforts and improve public safety. State lawmakers recently approved a $2.5 million grant that will support the city’s Momentum for Peace comprehensive community safety plan. The grant disbursement is expected to span several categories of prevention, including development of improved data collection systems, funding for community-based organizations, training for community partners, investment in youth leadership organizations and mental wellness and healing.
The Morring Community Foundation is the latest recipient of Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers’ our bill, your board initiative. The community-focused program offers access to high visibility advertising spaces that would normally be out of reach for local nonprofits. The foundation focuses on food insecurity and its impact on families throughout the region
Healthcare
Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk recently dedicated a weatherproof, refrigerated food locker available to discharged hospital patients and community members who face food insecurity. Suffolk Christian Fellowship Center will keep the locker stocked with food and do the outreach as part of Sentara’s community partnerships. The locker will be available 24 hours a day with an access code. Similar lockers are currently in service at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank supports the food locker at Sentara CarePlex, and the Williamsburg House of Mercy does the same for the Williamsburg Regional location.
Military
Navy Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Thomas Trosper of Chesapeake joined more than 200 service member athletes from the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Space Force and U.S. Special Operations Command at the Warrior Games in San Antonio. Trosper competed in archery, cycling, field, swimming and wheelchair basketball. The annual adaptive-sports competition highlights the physical skills and mental toughness of seriously wounded, ill and injured active-duty and veteran service members. Trosper joined the Navy in 2006. He served on the USS Carl Vinson as part of the first wave of the 2010 humanitarian response to the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. His career was diverted when doctors diagnosed him with a clotting condition, developed into multiple pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis.
Nonprofit
Fifty-five Hampton Roads apartment communities recently joined together to collect donations for Samaritan House through the Stock the Shelves initiative, organized by the Virginia Apartment Management Association’s Hampton Roads chapter. Apartment communities encouraged residents to contribute essential items that will directly benefit individuals and families served by Samaritan House, which works to provide comfort, dignity and stability for people exiting violent relationships
Opening
A grand opening was held July 25 for Naz’s Halal Food, a new restaurant located at 201 Monticello Ave. near California Tortilla in Williamsburg’s Midtown Row. Naz’s is a chain establishment started by two cousins in New York City. They initially launched the business as a food truck before opening their first brick-and-mortar in 2018. Today, Naz’s has roughly 50 locations across the country, including seven restaurants in Virginia. The restaurant serves authentic NYC-style halal dishes, including a variety of beef, lamb and chicken rice entrees, as well as gyros, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more.
Workforce development
CounselHer Circle, a Hampton Roads professional network created by women attorneys for women attorneys, hosted Del. Katrina Callsen, D-Charlottesville, at a breakfast networking event in Virginia Beach. Callsen discussed the importance of professional engagement in facilitating change at the local and state level. CounselHer Circle launched earlier this year
Newport News Shipbuilding welcomed more than 50 graduating high school seniors to shipbuilding careers through an outreach program coordinated with 14 schools across Virginia. Workforce Attraction Via Experienced Shipbuilders, known as WAVES, embeds experienced skilled tradespeople from the shipyard into high schools that offer technical career education curriculums. These individuals, known as scouts, visit the school at least once a month, where they build relationships with career counselors and engage with students to provide mentorship, tutoring support and information on shipyard career opportunities. The shipyard hosted its first welcoming ceremony in June for students recruited through WAVES mentorships who accepted employment offers with the company.
