RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * In high-profile moments and internal strategy, she elevated the university to audiences big and small, far and near. * * * By Joan Tupponce A career of defining moments. A simple statement for the anything-but-simple 22 years Pam Lepley has spent in advising and strategic communications roles at Virginia Commonwealth University. Those two-plus decades have been laced with promotions, friendship  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, June 25 -- The city of Alexandria issued the following news release on June 24, 2024: The City of Alexandria is pleased to announce the winners of the annual recognition awards presented by the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities (ACPD) in collaboration with the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. These awards will be presented during a reception on Wednesday, June 26. ACPD will recognize the following individuals: * Heather Schofield, a student at Alexandria   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: From Pennington Gap in far Southwest Virginia to Kilmarnock on the Northern Neck, town leaders who serve populations of several thousand to just a few hundred came to the Virginia Tech Southwest Center in Abingdon for the first-ever Small Towns Conference. Towns have different concerns from counties and cities, said LeAnna Surratt, who was recently promoted to town manager of Hillsville in Carroll County after serving as  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Ben Knapp has told this story before, but he keeps going back to it. From cave paintings, through Walt Disney painting cells on film, to the digital algorithms that allow us to draw and even light objects on digital frames today, he explains that art and engineering have always propelled one another. Knapp's current project is all about applying that intersection to the modern business world by expanding upon an old form  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- The National Republican Congressional Committee issued the following news: Just days after Hampton Roads veterans' cries for help were ignored, Missy Cotter Smasal aligned herself with the exact people who are ignoring the veterans. Recent changes to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program are negatively impacting the mental health of local veterans. Local Virginia Democrats have delayed critical legislative action needed to fix the VMSDEP, which  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews this week surrounding issues in the news. To schedule an interview, please contact mediarelations@vt.edu. Supreme Court set to release blockbuster rulings The U.S. Supreme Court will end its session with a series of major rulings, including decisions on whether former president Donald Trump has "absolute immunity" from prosecutio  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Don Nichols was the only math major to enter the first class of students at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Four decades later, Nichols' math includes more than 30 years working for the federal government, a 40-year marriage to a classmate in the first veterinary college class, and a difficult-to-count number of animals on more than 100 acres in Northern Virginia. "We're two veterinarians and neit  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Starting from scratch was nothing new for Valerie Campbell and Nancy Hall as they built a veterinary practice in burgeoning Northern Virginia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They had already come through the inaugural class at the new Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Campbell and Hall became friends and business partners studying together in the veterinary college's first graduating class at Virginia   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Veterinary medicine as an academic pursuit was brand new at Virginia Tech in the early 1980s. But that didn't stop some graduates of the first class at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) from making academia a career over much of the next four decades. Terry Swecker, Michaela Kristula, and Joseph Taboada were each among the first graduating class from the new veterinary college 40 years ago in 1  more

ROANOKE, Virginia, June 25 (TNSres) -- The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech issued the following news: By Jenise L. Jacques The spirit Tiffany Roach found as a summer intern in one of Virginia Tech's research labs helped bring her future into focus. As part of the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program offers a 10-week summer research internship during which students both internal and external to Virginia Tech are matche  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: Governor Glenn Youngkin is pleased to announce the appointment of Banci Tewolde as the new Director of the Virginia Department of General Services (DGS), effective June 25, 2024. Ms. Tewolde, currently serving as the Associate Director with the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, brings extensive experience and expertise to this important role. "Banci Tewolde's extensive experience and u  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release on June 24, 2024: Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Jeff Goettman will step down from his position as Chief of Staff for the Administration. Current Secretary of Health and Human Resources, John Littel, will become the next Chief of Staff to the Governor and Janet Vestal Kelly has been tapped as Secretary of Health and Human Resources. "It's not an exaggeration to say that there was no  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release on June 24, 2024: Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that Firefly Aerospace has selected Virginia as the new launch site of its two-stage orbital Alpha rocket, attracted through a collaboration effort between the Virginia Spaceport Authority, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). Firefly Aerospace plans to begin launchi  more

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, June 25 -- The West Virginia University's Health Sciences Center-School of Nursing issued the following news: Students participating in a West Virginia University Health Sciences postgraduate preparatory program recently had the opportunity to learn about health professions from world-class providers at WVU Medicine. Hosted by the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and Executive Chair Vinay Badhwar, MD, who also serves as chair of the WVU School of Medicine Department   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Summer reading lists. Poolside favorites. Best beach reads. Reading often takes on a sunny spotlight during the summer months. School is out and some work and personal schedules may lend themselves to sitting down with a good book. So what's the best way to tackle those reading lists? First, remember that reading is like exercising a muscle, said Jared Gibbs, senior instructor and assistant chair of the English Depar  more

CHANTILLY, Virginia, June 25 -- Parsons Corp., an engineering, construction, technical and management services firm, issued the following news release on June 24, 2024: Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) today announced an expanded partnership with Technovation, a global technology and STEM education nonprofit that empowers girls worldwide to become innovative leaders and problem-solvers. "At Parsons, we believe in harnessing the power of technology to solve real-world problems," said Jason Yaley  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Insects are masters of transportation and get around by flying, crawling, swimming, burrowing, and even gliding. Now, ants have been observed using a new method of getting around: hitchhiking. These social insects pack up the whole family, including their queen, and hop in the car for an opportunistic ride to a new area where they can set up a home. Scotty Yang, assistant professor in the Virginia Tech Department of Ento  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, June 25 -- Sinclair, a media company and a provider of local news and sports, issued the following news release: Jerald "Jerry" Fritz, Executive Vice President for Strategic and Legal Affairs at ONE Media Technologies, LLC, a subsidiary of Sinclair, Inc., has announced his retirement. After an illustrious career spanning more than 55 years in and around the broadcast and communications industries, Fritz will step down on July 1. For the past decade, Fritz has been responsi  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- McGuireWoods, a law firm, issued the following news release: The M&A Advisor selected McGuireWoods partner Emilie J. McNally as a winner of its 2024 Emerging Leaders Awards honoring young professionals for success in mergers and acquisitions, turnarounds and financing. McNally represents buyers, sellers and developers on transactional and advisory matters in energy-related projects and transactions. She has advised clients in some of the largest and most innovati  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 25 -- Mintz, a law firm, issued the following news release: Mintz advised Altamira Technologies Corporation (Altamira), a Virginia-based defense contractor, on a deal that won "Deal of the Year" in the "Under $50 Million" category at ACG National Capital's 22nd Annual Corporate Growth Awards. The awards recognize "excellence and outstanding achievements in 2023 corporate growth with companies and deals which built corporate value through mergers and acquisitions, s  more

NORFOLK, Virginia, June 25 (TNSres) -- Old Dominion University issued the following news: By Kelsey Kendall Old Dominion University was recently named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) for cyber research by the National Security Agency (NSA). Having already been recognized by the national entity for efforts in cyber operations and defense, ODU is now one of about a dozen institutions nationwide to receive all three NCAE-C designations. This latest recognition   more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, June 25 -- PBS issued the following news release on June 24, 2024: The Webby Award-winning PBS Short Film Festival returns this summer - Monday, July 15 - Friday, July 26 - to all PBS and station digital platforms, including PBS.org, YouTube and the PBS app. The 2024 festival, themed "Story Time," celebrates the art of short-form storytelling and will feature 15 independent films selected for their impact and stories that reflect a variety of American cultures, families, an  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- The University of Richmond issued the following news release: Through the Institute for Actual Innocence Clinic at the University of Richmond, Richmond law faculty and students were part of the legal team that secured a life-altering victory for Marvin Grimm, who was unanimously awarded a writ of actual innocence by the Virginia Court of Appeals last week. New evidence and DNA testing led the court to fully exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted in   more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, June 25 -- Sinclair, a media company and a provider of local news and sports, issued the following news release: Sinclair is pleased to announce WBFF in Baltimore and WJLA in Washington DC have been honored by The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Science with a total of 29 Capital Emmy awards. The Capital Emmys honor the best journalism in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC television and media community. WBFF was   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: The spirit Tiffany Roach found as a summer intern in one of Virginia Tech's research labs helped bring her future into focus. As part of the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program offers a 10-week summer research internship during which students both internal and external to Virginia Tech are matched with a faculty member in the areas of research they are interested in   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will go head-to-head Thursday on CNN in the first of two presidential debates scheduled prior to the November election. The mere scheduling of this debate rematch veers from the norm -- the June 27 date is the earliest a televised general election presidential debate has ever been held during an election year. Virginia Tech experts delved into what's expecte  more

HERNDON, Virginia, June 25 -- Deltek, a provider of enterprise software and information solutions for project-based businesses, issued the following news release: Deltek, the leading global provider of software and solutions for project-based businesses, has again been named one of The Washington Post's Top Workplaces in the D.C. metro area, ranking number 16 for large companies. Selection is based entirely on anonymous employee feedback gathered through a survey administered by third-party res  more

NORFOLK, Virginia, June 25 (TNSres) -- Old Dominion University issued the following news: By Jonah Grinkewitz Two Old Dominion University faculty members were recently selected as Fulbright scholars to study overseas. * Deborah Gray, clinical associate professor in the College of Health Sciences' School of Nursing, will travel to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in August 2024 to support nursing education and increase telehealth opportunities. Gray was previously selected as Fulbright scholar in  more

LYNCHBURG, Virginia, June 25 (TNSres) -- The University of Lynchburg issued the following news: Sara Escobar '24 MSAT has received a grant to help fund research she conducted over the past year, "Impact Mitigation Properties of Youth and Adult Ice Hockey Helmets." Her research, conducted in collaboration with Liberty University and the University of Southern Mississippi, was funded in part by a $1,000 District 3 Master's Research Grant from the National Athletic Trainers' Association. "Sara r  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 25 -- VCOM - Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine issued the following news: On Wednesday, May 29, 23 students from VCOM-Louisiana were honored and inducted into the prestigious Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). These exceptional students were nominated by their peers and selected by a committee for their outstanding display of compassion, empathy and integrity in patient care. Arnold P. Gold was a prominent physician, professor an  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * The former journalist's novel, 'Peggy's War,' is a deeply researched account of Peggy Rhodes, who concealed Southerners who refused to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War. * * * By Tom Gresham Karl Rhodes' first novel, "Peggy's War," started as a genealogical project. Rhodes was researching his great-great-grandfather, Henry H. Rhodes, but found almost nothing about him. He tried Henry's   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Venkat Sridhar, associate professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture of Life Sciences and College of Engineering, has been named a 2024 Jefferson Science Fellow by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sridhar is recognized internationally as an expert in assessing and mitigating the impacts of climate and human-induced change on the world's water resour  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, June 25 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release on June 24, 2024: Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the United States for Customized Workforce Training in the 20th annual Business Facilities Rankings Report. This is the second year in a row that the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program has earned the No. 1 recognition. Business Facilities is a national publication that has been a leading location source for   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, June 24 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: Nick Yee will join WVTF Public Radio and RADIO IQ this summer as the station's first director of content and distribution. Yee will be responsible for the daily operational functions of WVTF, ensuring an audience-centered focus both on air and online. He also will work with General Manager Roger Duvall and News Director David Seidel to make programming decisions, including responding to listener questions and suggestions  more