RICHMOND, VA – Moments ago, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) elected Fred D. Thompson, Jr. to serve as the 2022 Chair of the Board of Directors during the Chamber’s Annual Meeting held today, in Richmond, Virginia. Since joining the Chamber’s Board of Directors in 2015, Fred has served as a member of the Chamber’s Executive Board since 2018 and has also served in several leadership roles including Vice Chair, Northern Virginia, an At Large Officer position, and First Vice Chair.

Thompson succeeds 2021 Chair, Alan Witt, CEO Emeritus, PBMares / Dean, Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business, Christopher Newport University.

Fred Thompson is a business partner and Chief Administrative Officer at Thompson Hospitality. Fred received a B.A. degree in Classical Studies from Hampden Sydney College and a M.A. degree in Public Administration from University of Virginia.

In addition to his work at Thompson Hospitality, Fred is a member of the Global Good Fund Foundation, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Virginia Council on Economic Education and serves as a Deacon at First Baptist Church, Vienna, VA.

“As a member of the Chamber Board of Directors for more than six years, I am honored to now serve in this leadership position and work directly with Barry, the Chamber team, and fellow board members to ensure Virginia remains a great place to do business,” said Virginia Chamber Board of Director’s Chairman Fred Thompson. “Over the next year, the Chamber will work tirelessly to support the implementation of the policy solutions outlined in Blueprint Virginia 2030 and defend Virginia’s recognition as the top state for business. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve and am eager to get to work on behalf of the more than 28,000 members of the Virginia Chamber.”

“Fred has been a vital member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee for several years and is a valued leader in the business community and the Northern Virginia region,” said Barry DuVal, President and CEO of the Virginia Chamber. “As we work to implement Blueprint Virginia 2030, I look forward to having Fred serve in this leadership role and am grateful for his strong commitment to ensuring Virginia continues to lead as a top state for not only business, but also education and talent.”

The board of directors elected 18 new members at the Annual Meeting, including electing First Vice Chair, Lakshmi Williams who serves as General Counsel, North America at Transurban, located in Tysons, Virginia.

In addition to Chair Fred Thompson and First Vice Chair Lakshmi Williams, the 2022 Executive Committee will be represented by the following individuals:

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR     

Alan Witt, CEO Emeritus, PBMares / Dean, Joseph W. Luter, III School of Business, Christopher Newport University

TREASURER    

Linda Stanley, President, Bank of America, Charlottesville, Virginia, SVP & Market Executive, Greater Virginia, Bank of America

AT LARGE OFFICER POSITIONS                

Gil Bland, CEO, The GilJoy Group

Ben Davenport, Chairman, First Piedmont Corporation

Robert Duvall, President, Virginia Natural Gas, Inc.

Tammy Finley, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Advance Auto Parts, Inc.

Mark Hourigan, Chief Executive Officer, Hourigan

Chris Kyle, Vice President, Shenandoah Telecommunications

Stewart Leeth, Chief Sustainability Officer, Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Mike Melo, CEO, ITA International, LLC.

Jennifer Siciliano, Chief External Affairs Officer, UVA Health

Eric Sisco, Chairman, Virginia International Gateway, Inc.

NEW MEMBERS TO THE FULL BOARD OF DIRECTORS INCLUDE:

Bryan Caccavale, Vice President, Material and Manufacturing, Newport News Shipbuilding

Edward C. Dalrymple, Jr., President, Dalrymple Holding Corporation 

Mark Delisi, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Energy Management, AvalonBay Communities

Danielle Fitz-Hugh, President & CEO, Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce

Michael Forehand, Vice President, Government & Community Affairs, Inova Health System

Kasia Grzelkowski, President & CEO, VersAbility Resources

Scott M. Hamberger, CEO & President, Fortessa Tableware Solutions, LLC

Lee Hannah, Vice President of Sales, CIGNA

Kurt M. John, Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Siemens USA

Madelka McCalla, Vice President, Global Stakeholder Relations & Social Impact, AES Corporation

Paul W. Nester, President & CEO, RGC Resources, Inc.

Thomas L. Ransom, Executive Vice President, President, Virginia Region, Truist

Lisa Sturtevant PhD, Chief Economist, Virginia REALTORS®

Barry L. Suits, President, Virginia American Water

Lauren Sweeney, Founder & CEO, Dotted Line Agency

Jeff Wafford, Director of Public Affairs, UPS

Reggie White, Senior Vice President, Commercial Markets & CareFirst Administrators, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Lindsay Berry Winter, Head of Virginia Public Policy, Amazon

A full board listing, including those continuing their terms, can be found at www.vachamber.com

 ###

About the Virginia Chamber of Commerce

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in the Commonwealth, with more than 28,000 members. The Chamber is a non-partisan, business advocacy organization that works in the legislative, regulatory and political arenas to act as the catalyst for positive change in all areas of economic development and competitiveness for Virginia. On December 3, 2021, the Chamber released its new statewide strategic economic development plan, Blueprint Virginia 2030, which has engaged over 7,000 business, economic development, workforce, education, housing, and other community leaders to lay out a plan to ensure Virginia remains at the top of national business climate rankings. Learn more about the Virginia Chamber Foundation at https://vachamber.com/blueprint-virginia/