The 2024 Virginia 500 Power List is online and on newsstands now, with University of Mary Washington’s President Troy D. Paino once again among the higher education leaders listed for their influence and accolades. Paino has been recognized in all five volumes of the periodical.

Each year, Virginia Business compiles a list of the most powerful and influential leaders in business, government, politics and education. It includes 20 major sectors, such as banking, federal contracting, health care, law and real estate. Consideration is based on staff research, factoring in career achievements, company revenue, number of employees, scope of responsibilities, personal wealth, community and industry involvement, and philanthropy.

Paino earns praise for recent philanthropic success at UMW, including a record-breaking year in 2023 and the largest gift in University history coming through a $30 million bequest from 1959 alumna Irene Piscopo Rodgers. His continued commitment to students through the highest quality undergraduate education shines through the summary, with recent national awards in student affairs. Among the academic accomplishments are grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to advance AI research and applications, and two statewide grants expanding internship opportunities for students and for area employers. Paino also serves on the boards of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, and is an identified leader in the Commonwealth through his presidency at Mary Washington. He’s led UMW since 2016.

“There is an aspirational joy to reading about the career journeys of the leaders in these pages,” said Virginia Business Editor Richard Foster in his letter introducing this year’s Virginia 500.

The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of about 4,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Virginia, which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers.