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Virginia: Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces more than 60 staff, board appointments

Crystal Graham
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced additional key administration and board appointments this month.

Office of the Governor 

  • Ryan Welsh, Senior Advisor for Energy and Economic Policy
  • Kathryn Zimmerman, Chief of Staff, Office of the First Lady
  • Ali Ahmad, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs
  • Nicole Ogburn, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Engagement
  • Josh Humphries, Director of Legislative Affairs

Commonwealth 

  • Emily Evans, Deputy Director of Outreach

Education 

  • Colleen Messick, Executive Director, Virginia Commission for the Arts

Corn Board 

  • Savannah Engel McQuarrie of Hanover, Co-owner, Engel Family Farm

Cotton Board 

  • Michael Griffin of Suffolk, Owner/Operator Griffin Farms, LLC

Soybean Board 

  • Michael Bryant of Lottsburg, Farmer, Melville Farms
  • Charles “Chuck” McGhee of Mechanicsville, Owner, Grainfield Farm, LLC
  • Lynn Gayle of Onancock, Owner, Mount Nebo Farms, LLC
  • William “Bill” Henley of Walkerton, Farmer, MTG Partners, LLC

Tobacco Board 

  • Blair M. W. Hall of Halifax, Farmer, Waller Brothers Farm
  • Richard Thomas Hite, Jr., of Kenbridge, Farmer owner/operator, Hite Farming LLC
  • Donald Moore of Chatham, Farmer, D. Moore Farms, Inc.

Virginia Tourism Authority 

  • Christian Pinkston of Falls Church, President, Pinkston

Live Horseracing Compact Committee 

  • Waqas Ahmed of Henrico, Executive Secretary, Virginia Racing Commission

State Rehabilitation Advisory Council 

  • Lillian Garland of Woodbridge, disability advocate
  • Ryan Haywood of Leesburg, Director of Health and Citizen Solutions Portfolio Development, Highlight Technologies, Inc.

State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind and Vision Impaired  

  • John Leopold of Henrico, Chief Administrative Officer, Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia

L. Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Board of Trustees 

  • Matthew Clarke of Wytheville, President, Clarke Precision Machine, Inc.
  • Jeffrey Jaycox of Virginia Beach, President, Tabet Manufacturing Company Inc.
  • Karen D. Sorber of Washington County, CEO and Co-founder, Micronic Technologies, Inc.
  • Gabriel LaMois of Alexandria, CEO, Technology Advancement Group

Board of Directors, New College Institute  

  • Mike Lundsgaard of Carrollton, Director of Offshore Wind Operations, Dominion Energy

Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History 

  • Dr. Carole Nash of Harrisonburg, Professor, James Madison University

Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 

  • Margaret Hancock of Charlottesville, former Executive Director, Virginia Commission for the Arts

Advisory Board on Massage Therapy 

  • Candice Merrick of Richmond, Director, Hand & Stone

State Executive Council for Children’s Services 

  • The Honorable Kevin P. Carroll of Chesterfield, Member, Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, Matoaca District

State Health Department Sewage Handling and Disposal Appeal Review Board 

  • Joshua Hepner of Stephens City, Environmental Health Supervisor, Loudoun County Health Department

 Advisory Board for the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing  

  • Karen Engelhardt of Bristow, Senior Hear Peer Support Team Member, MED-EL

Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy 

  • Bobby Blair of Charlottesville, Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist, Physical Therapy @ ACAC

Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism   

  • Amanda Gannon of Manassas, District Vice President of Operations, GreenTree Healthcare Management
  • Dr. Linda Malone-Colon of Hampton, Dean, School of Liberal Arts and Education and Tenured Professor of Psychology, Hampton University; Executive Director, Hampton University National Center for Black Family Life
  • Kimberley L. Martin of Hanover County, Founder, KLM Scholarship Foundation
  • The Honorable Victoria Proffitt of Chesapeake, Commissioner of Revenue, City of Chesapeake

State Board of Social Services 

  • Sarah Owen of Lynchburg, Legislative Director, Office of Senator Travis Hackworth

State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board 

  • Lisa Baber of Henrico, Deputy Fire Chief, New Kent County Fire and Rescue Department
  • Dr. Joseph Lang of Norfolk, Physician, Emergency Physicians of Tidewater; Program Director, EMS Fellowship, Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center at Old Dominion University
  • Joseph Williams of Fauquier, Emergency Medical Technician, UVA Community Health

State Executive Council for Children’s Services 

  • John Budesky of Mechanicsville, County Administrator, Hanover County
  • Natalie Handy of Roanoke County, Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy, Health Connect America
  • The Honorable Jake Holmes of Bristol, External Affairs Manager, Appalachian Power; Vice Mayor, Bristol City Council
  • Ronald Spears of Powhatan, CEO, Elk Hill, Inc.

Virginia Board for People with Disabilities   

  • Amaan Karim of Midlothian, Sales Executive, Palo Alto Networks
  • Jeffrey Katz of Hanover County, Certified Coach and Professional Speaker, Coaching with Katz

Virginia Interagency Coordinating Council  

  • Dr. Tracey Deal of Richmond, Pediatrician, Pediatric Associates, PC
  • Nyesha Nicholas of Chesterfield, Founder, Joy of Advocacy
  • The Honorable Emily Jordan of Isle of Wight County, Member, Virginia State Senate, 17th District

Board of Directors of the Virginia Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program  

  • Catherine Slusher, MD, of Harrisonburg, Senior Partner, Harrisonburg OBGYN
  • John Gordon of Lorton, AVP, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, Howard University

Board for Barbers and Cosmetology    

  • Candice Benvenuti of Fairfax County, Paralegal, Blankingship & Keith, P.C.

Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians  

  • Dr. Nikisha Richards of Chesterfield, Physician and Surgeon, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System; Staff Physician and Surgeon, Central Virginia Veterans Administration Medical Center

Board for Professional Soil Scientists, Wetland Professionals, and Geologists 

  • David Johnson of Reston, Consultant
  • Nathan Kuhn of Richmond, Senior Manager-Energy Transition, Jacobs Engineering

Real Estate Board  

  • Raj Patel of Great Falls, IT Consultant

Real Estate Appraiser Board  

  • Joseph Dunn of Midlothian, Executive Vice President, First Heritage Mortgage

Commissioners for Promotion of Uniformity of Legislation  

  • Thomas P. Gallanis of Arlington, Professor, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority 

  • The Honorable Jeff Goettman of McLean, former Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority 

  • Neal Crawford of Virginia Beach, banking consultant

Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations  

  • Mark Hartney of Williamsburg, member, Paralyzed Veterans of America Mid-Atlantic Chapter; retired U.S. Air Force

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Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, Crystal Graham has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of "Virginia Tonight," a nightly TV news show, both broadcast on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television. You can reach her at [email protected]