Susan F. Dewey

Chief Executive Officer | Virginia Housing

Susan Dewey has served as Virginia Housing’s Chief Executive Officer since being appointed by the Board of Commissioners in 1999. Susan is responsible for Virginia Housing’s daily operations as well as the implementation of its strategic plan. Prior to becoming the Virginia Housing CEO, Susan served for three years as a Virginia Housing Commissioner. At that time, Susan was the State Treasurer of Virginia. She directed all operations of the Department of the Treasury and the Treasury Board. Susan serves on many housing-related nonprofit Boards, such as Housing Forward Virginia, as well as the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. She has celebrated many accomplishments over the years, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch Person of the Year Honoree in 2019, the Excellence in Virginia Government Award for Public-Private Partnerships award in 2021, and the Outstanding Organizational Partner Award for National Philanthropy Day in 2021.

Susan loves the Virginia Housing mission and is most appreciative of the critical work the organization does in support of affordable housing. Susan received her BBA and MBA from The College of William & Mary and is a CPA. When she’s not advocating for affordable housing, Susan enjoys spending time with family, challenging her husband at backgammon and learning new skills, like Pickleball.

Cynthia C. Romero

Director, Brock Institute | Eastern Virginia Medical School

Dr. Cynthia Romero currently serves as the Director of the M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at Eastern Virginia Medical School. In that role, she is working to improve the health of all people in Hampton Roads through collaborative educational, clinical care and research activities focused on addressing health disparities and eliminating healthcare inequities. Dr. Romero has led the facilitation and supervision of EVMS students involved in the administration of over 47,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the most in-need and at-risk populations across the region.

Prior to joining the Brock Institute, Dr. Romero served as the Virginia State Health Commissioner. Previously, she was the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for Quality and Medical Affairs for Chesapeake Regional Medical Center for 5 years while still seeing patients. Dr. Romero was in private practice for 16 years at Romero Family Practice with her mother as her partner and her father as her office manager. After her parents retired in 2010, Dr. Romero continued to see patients in the office until December 2016.

A Hampton Roads native, Dr. Romero received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology and Economics from the University of Virginia and her Doctor of Medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School. She completed her Family Medicine training at Riverside Family Medicine Residency in Newport News. She completed a Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.

Dr. Romero has been a strong advocate for her patients and for the medical profession through leadership in professional medical organizations. She has served as President of the Philippine Medical Association of Southeastern Virginia, Inc., the Medical Staff of Chesapeake General Hospital, the Tidewater Academy of Family Physicians, the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians, the Norfolk Academy of Medicine and the Medical Society of Virginia. Dr. Romero was raised with deep roots in the Filipino American community in Hampton Roads and currently serves as the Chairman of the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater which oversees the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia, the hub of activities in the region. She also serves as Chair of the Hampton Roads Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Team and as a board member for Women Executive Leadership Team and as a board member for the Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Philippine Medical Association of Southeastern Virginia, Physicians for Peace, Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission and Virginia Beach Vision. She has recently been appointed to the Medical Society of Virginia’s Health Equity Work Group as well as to the Mayor of Virginia Beach’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Commission.

Robert M. Blue

Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer | DOMINION ENERGY

Robert M. Blue is chair, president, and chief executive officer of Dominion Energy. Blue became chair of the Dominion Energy board of directors in April 2021. Before becoming CEO and president in October 2020, Blue was Dominion Energy’s executive vice president and co-chief operating officer, and president-Dominion Energy Virginia, the company’s vertically integrated electric utility in Virginia and North Carolina.

Blue joined Dominion Energy in 2005 and has held a succession of services and operational executive roles since his promotion to officer in 2007, including vice president-State and Federal Affairs; senior vice president-Public Policy and Corporate Communications; senior vice president-Regulation, Law, Energy Solutions, & Policy; and president-Dominion Virginia Power.

Prior to joining Dominion Energy, Blue served as counselor to the Governor and director of policy for Virginia Governor Mark Warner and as an attorney at Hogan & Hartson. Blue has been a board member of a wide range of community and industry organizations, including the Nuclear Energy Institute. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. He is a member of the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Sports Backers and Communities in Schools of Virginia as well as the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors.

Blue is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Yale Law School. He also earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Bennett Zier

President & CEO | Audacy

Bennett Zier (BZ) has a long history of leadership in the broadcasting industry, spanning 40 years at CBS, iHeart & Audacy creating and operating radio stations in Washington, DC, Boston, New York, Norfolk & Richmond.  BZ was also an entrepreneur, launching Red Zebra Broadcasting as the Founding CEO, “The Home of Washington Football” and serving as CEO of Air America when Obama was elected.

BZ brings an entrepreneurial spirit to broadcasting as an innovative leader, building large audiences and serving the community.  He has successfully created several community events, focusing on family entertainment that targets diversified audiences. Unique broadcasts and events have included musical artists, local politicians, heroes and celebrities, plus Hall of Fame athletes and national figures from various walks of life.

BZ’s community efforts have been saluted and rewarded by numerous organizations, including his receipt of the Americans Veterans Pillar of Patriotism Award, the Marconi March of Dimes Achievement in Radio Award and awards from the Washington DC Putting Kids First program and the National Kidney Foundation.  He has also emceed the United Negro College Funds’ annual Masked Ball in Hampton Roads.

In addition, BZ has also been recognized within the broadcasting industry over the years, Radio Ink Top Managers including nominations for the Radio Wayne Award and the All-Access Management Award.

BZ serves on the boards for Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, American Dream Theater, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and the Central Business District Association in Virginia Beach.

Today, BZ is the SVP Market Manager of Audacy Virginia, operating 11 radio stations in the Norfolk and Richmond markets. For over 10 years his stations have been high performers in ratings that help grow the local economy and create jobs.

He has cultivated a training ground for great talent, growing local talent into National names and is a nurturing mentor, providing growth opportunities for employees to become industry leaders.

BZ believes in good communication, no surprises and making the person next to you better.  This philosophy has served him well over these last 40 years.

Jane P. Batten

President | The Batten Foundation

Longtime community volunteer with special interests in education, the environment and historic preservation. She serves on the board of E3: Elevate Early Education and is co-chair of St. Patrick Catholic School Foundation in Norfolk and the Council for Focused Ultra-sound Foundation in Charlottesville, VA. She is a past trustee of Virginia Wesleyan University, and past board member of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, YMCA of South Hampton Roads, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and George Washington’s Fredericksburg Foundation.

Jennifer Boykin

Executive Vice President, Huntington Ingalls Industries & President Newport News Shipbuilding

Jennifer Boykin is president of Newport News Shipbuilding and executive vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia. Named to this position in 2017, she is the 20th person and the first woman to serve as president of the Newport News shipyard, which was founded in 1886 and has approximately $4 billion in annual revenues.

As president, Boykin leads the operations of Newport News Shipbuilding, the largest industrial employer in Virginia. She has responsibility for more than 25,000 shipbuilders who design, build and maintain the world’s most complex ships: nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. This includes teams that perform aircraft carrier and submarine maintenance across the United States and globally. She also has responsibility for an industrial subcontract at the Kenneth A. Kesselring Site, a research and development facility in upstate New York that supports the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program.

A native of St. Louis, Boykin earned her bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and her master’s degree in engineering management from The George Washington University. Since beginning her career in the nuclear engineering division, she has held progressively responsible positions, including vice president of engineering and design, vice president of quality and process excellence, director of facilities and waterfront support, and program manager for the nuclear engineering division. She also served as a construction superintendent for the aircraft carrier program during construction of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

In the community, Boykin is committed to workforce development and is a strong advocate for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs. She serves on a number of community boards, including the Board of Trustees for The Mariners’ Museum and RVA-757 Connects. In 2019, she was appointed by the president of the United States to serve on USMMA’s Board of Visitors, and in 2021, she was named Kings Pointer of the Year by the USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation. Boykin is a founding member of two organizations aimed at empowering girls and women; Old Dominion University’s Women’s Initiative Network and First 10 Forward, established by USMMA women graduates from the first 10 classes.

Jeffery Smith

Superintendent | Hampton Public School District

Dr. Smith began his tenure as superintendent of Hampton City Schools (HCS) on July 15, 2015. Prior to his employment with Hampton City Schools, he served as the superintendent of the Town of West Point Public Schools for seven years.

Under his leadership as superintendent with the Hampton City Schools, academic success is the highest it has been in decades. For the first time in Hampton City Schools history, 100% of the division’s 29 schools became accredited without conditions. The school division has strengthened its dual enrollment program with Thomas Nelson Community College, to date yielding a 753% increase in the dual enrollment concurrent coursework completed over the past five years. The on-time graduation rate has increased from 88% for the class of 2015 to 96.9% for the class of 2021. The dropout rate has decreased from 5.1% for the class of 2015 to 0.3% for the class of 2021. In addition, the Hampton City community has earned the distinction of being the first Ford Next Generation Learning Community in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Dr. Smith firmly believes in the school division’s mission of ensuring academic excellence for every child, every day, whatever it takes. As such, over the past three years, he has co-chaired the Academies of Hampton’s operating and steering committees to transform the four high schools from five pocket academies to 16 wall-to-wall academies and from 18 to 41 offered career pathways. The Academies provide young people opportunities based on high demand, high wage jobs aligned with regional and state workforce data. He believes this transformation will ultimately prepare young people to be college, career and life ready. This important work was featured in the 2018 State of the Region report for Hampton Roads as The Next Generation of Learning in Hampton Roads, as well as The Center for American Progress as one of the four models working across the country.

Dr. Smith’s civic engagement is one of continued leadership. He strongly believes the school division has a greater impact when there are strong community partnerships. To this end, he is a member of the following boards:  Sentara Healthcare, Smart Beginnings of the Virginia Peninsula, Virginia Air & Space Science Center, VersAbility Resources, C&F Bank, and a member of the Region V GO Virginia Council. He served as the president of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) from May 2018 to May 2019 and was the superintendent-in-charge for New Horizons Regional Education Centers from July 2017 to June 2019. Smith is a 2017-2018 graduate of the Civic Leadership Institute.

Dr. Smith served 12 years on the Board of Trustees for the Williamsburg Health Foundation with an endowment that exceeded $115 million. He served both as vice chairman and chairman of the Board of Trustees respectively. He has also served as president of the Rotary Club of West Point, and Chairman of the School-University Research Network (SURN) for the College of William and Mary.

Dr. Smith is a recipient of the 2019 Peninsula Humanitarian Award from the Peninsula Chapter of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (February 2019). Also, he was named the Region II Superintendent of the Year and the 2020 Virginia Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Smith was named as one of four national finalists for the 2020 AASA National Superintendent of the Year Award. Additionally, he is the recipient of the 2020 Mary Peake Award for Excellence in Education Equity (School Leadership).

Dr. Smith is married to the former Lorianne Samuel of Caroline County, a public school educator. They have two children, a daughter who is a graduate of Christopher Newport University and Eastern Virginia Medical School with a Master’s Degree in Public Health Policy and Management, and a son who is a graduate of Bridgewater College.

Charles R. Henderson, Jr.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & CEO | Bank of America

“Charlie” Henderson is a Senior Vice President and works within Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation where he serves as an ESG Program Manager with responsibility regarding community development philanthropic strategy.

Henderson joined Bank of America in 1979, after having worked for another bank for five years.  He began his career at Bank of America as an Assistant Financial Center Manager.  In 1981, he was promoted to Financial Center Manager and in 1984 was promoted to Senior Vice President and Area Manager.  He held a number of roles with increased responsibilities within the Consumer Banking group until 1995 when he moved into Global Corporate Social Responsibility group as a Market Manager for the company’s Hampton Roads market.  In 2006, Henderson was promoted to National Market Management executive and in a separate action was promoted to Hampton Roads President.  In 2007, Henderson became the company’s Community Development Services executive.  In 2010, Henderson began his current role within the company’s Charitable Foundation.  As Market President, Henderson was responsible for the integration of Bank of America’s business, sponsorship and charitable foundation initiatives in the Hampton Roads market.

Henderson graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 1974.  He is a 1980 graduate of the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management and a 1990 graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Bank Management.

Henderson has been an active volunteer throughout his career.  He currently serves as a trustee of the Urban League of Hampton Roads.  Past board memberships include Children’s Health Foundation, Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, LISC Hampton Roads, Obici Healthcare System, United Church Homes & Services, Inc., Virginia Bankers Association, VBA Education Foundation, Virginia Community Development Corporation and Virginia Community Loan Fund.  Henderson has been recognized by the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Humanitarian of the Year Award (2009), Physicians for Peace Medical Diplomat Award (2011), Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads Dreambuilder Award (2011), historic Crispus Attucks Theatre Corporate Citizen Award (2013), Men For Hope Trailblazer Award (2019), STOP, Inc. Community Impact recipient (2020), Hampton Roads Community Action Program Community Impact recipient (2021) and has been included in Inside Business annual list of business leaders.