Mariners’ Museum has scheduled its October programs with the disclaimer that events are subject to change. October 9,
Drink Beer, Do Good, a collaboration with Coastal Fermentory’s Drink Beer & Do Good series; October 11, USS Monitor Legacy Series, lecture by John V. Quarstein, featuring The Genius of John Ericsson; and October 13, Friendly Hours. To register, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park has been recognized by Inside Business as one of the Top Workplaces of 2024. This honor is based on employee survey feedback to questions about workplace topics such as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaningfulness and appreciation. The museum ranked #10 for midsized companies in Hampton Roads and was a special standout in the category “Purpose.”
Port Warwick has been voted among Virginia’s top ‘Sleep Sanctuaries,’ according to a survey conducted by Amerisleep, an American mattress company. The company surveyed 3,000 respondents to identify the most coveted sleep havens in America, identifying the most coveted urban sanctuaries offering a more tranquil, suburban atmosphere.
Robert (Bob) Latvis Jr. has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, following the retirement of its previous chief executive officer, Karen Joyner, who served in that role for 11 years. In his role as CEO, Latvis will be responsible for leading Virginia Peninsula Foodbank’s dedicated team of professionals while growing the value impact of the organization to its members, donors, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders. Latvis most recently served as CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, where he supervised the distribution of nearly 25 million pounds of food, accounting for more than 20 million meals served.
Rotary Club of Oyster Point will hold its 12th annual Oyster Bash on October 5 at The Mariners’ Museum. Proceeds go to Mariners’ Museum special projects as well as several other local charities. For tickets and additional information, visit
oysterpointrotary.com/oyster-bash.php.
Soundscapes, a nonprofit organization that provides musicmaking and ensemble performance opportunities for young people, has named conductor, composer and violinist Paul Sanho Kim as concert director for the Peninsula Youth Orchestra, an ensemble of young musicians ranging from ages 10 to 25. Kim is best known locally as conductor of the Old Dominion University Symphony Orchestra, where he is also an associate professor. Named the Virginia Music Teachers Association’s 2022 Commissioned Composer, Kim has composed more than 30 original works and has been featured on NPR’s “Performance Today” and by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Symphonicity. His arrangements have also been performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. In addition, Kim serves as the music director of the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore and previously served as the symphony orchestra conductor of the Czech Music Camp for Youth for five years. As a violinist, Kim was a 15-year member of the Roanoke Symphony and has performed with the Virginia Symphony and Maryland Symphony as well as internationally.
Kelly Slade and Barbara Morris have joined Abbitt Management, LLC. Slade and Morris join the firm as rental homes property managers. Slade’s expertise centers around business, construction and real estate. Morris brings experience in property management, real estate administration and paralegal work to the rental homes team.
Charvalla West has been selected chief executive officer of the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula. West joined the United Way of Greater Williamsburg as its first program manager and transitioned to manage the Community Resource Center in Williamsburg. Once the organization became part of United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, West served as chief operating officer and director of community impact.
Shipyard Experience, exploring the history and work of Newport News Shipbuilding and its impact on Newport News today. An all-weather immersive exhibit, located at Newport News City Hall, it provides an historic timeline of the shipyard and its extraordinary contributions to the city. The exhibit reveals the connections among Collis P. Huntington (shipyard’s founder), the Huntington family and the City of Newport News. Eventually, the exhibit will be moved to the soon-to-be opened James River Strand, a project to transform the downtown waterfront. This self-paced journey features 10 key sites in Newport News, including the shipyard’s first vessel, Tugboat Dorothy, and its Apprentice School. To see the exhibit, visit Newport News City Hall at 2400 Washington Ave. in downtown Newport News.
Towne Insurance Agency ranked number 54 in the annual listing of Business Insurance recording the Top 100 brokers of U.S. business measuring brokerage revenue generated by U.S.-based clients. Towne Insurance moved many of its regional offices into TowneBank financial centers that promote collaboration among insurance professionals and representatives from bank, mortgage, wealth management and realty partners. W. Douglas “Doug” Russell is Towne Insurance’s president and CEO.
Becca Sidman has been named executive director of the Newport News Public Art Foundation. Sidman was formerly director of sales at Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, WI. Her expertise in artist and art management, exhibition planning and client development was instrumental in elevating the gallery’s profile and deepening its engagement with collectors and the public. A Michigan native, then Wisconsin transplant, she resides in Portsmouth.
Congressman Bobby Scott delivered $1,000,000 in community project funding to Virginia Peninsula Foodbank from funds in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2024. This funding will be used to expand cold storage capacity by building a second, smaller warehouse location to store produce and lean meats, enabling the Foodbank and its partner agencies to continue providing nutritious fruits, vegetables and lean proteins to the more than 61,000 individuals across the greater Virginia Peninsula that are chronically food insecure. Shown accepting the check are (left to right) Erik Mills, Foodbank board president; George Finelli, Foodbank board member; Patrick Murphrey, Foodbank board member; Tiffany Boyle, Foodbank board member and Newport News Commissioner of the Revenue; Billy Hobbs, Hampton City Council; Karen Joyner, then Foodbank CEO; Jimmy Gray, Hampton vice mayor; Scott; Phillip Jones, Newport News mayor; Steve Brown, Hampton City Council; Hope Harper, Hampton City Council; and Chris Bowman, Hampton City Council.
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank graduated 14 students from its 50th Culinary Training Program. The Culinary Training Program, established in September 2011, offers a free 12-week training program for eligible adults to develop skills that can lead to jobs and self-sufficiency.
The DeGood Foundation, home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Hampton Roads, hosted its Over The Edge fundraising event in August, raising more than $20,000 to support the Foundation and its work with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Shown here is Fire Chief Wesley Rogers rappelling the 11-story Newport News Marriott City Center hotel. In attendance at the event were (left to right) Newport News Mayor Philip Jones, Newport News Chief of Police Steve Drew, Newport News DeGood Founder and Executive Director Kyle DeGood and Fire Chief Rogers.
Amtrak Virginia service relocated in August from 9304 Warwick Boulevard to the Newport News Transportation Center, located at 500 Bland Boulevard. The new location offers ticketing, a waiting room, carry-on baggage assistance, mobility impaired assistance, unaccompanied minor travel, group travel and free long-term and short-term parking for Amtrak customers. The multimodal center provides two daily Amtrak Virginia roundtrips between Newport News and Richmond, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., and cities in the northeast. The center will also serve as a transfer point for Amtrak Thruway Bus Service, extending travel to Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and for Hampton Roads Transit, taxi service and shuttles to and from the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport.
Jennifer Kohms has joined Newport News Tourism as tourism development coordinator, responsible for spearheading innovative programs aimed at boosting tourism and increasing revenue for the City of Newport News. Additionally, she will represent Visit Newport News on various committees and associations, while also exploring grant opportunities to support tourism growth and development. Most recently, she served as special events manager at Chrysler Museum and was weddings and events manager at Hermitage Museum.
Riverside Regional Medical Center received national recognition as one of the nation’s top 20 most beautiful hospitals. The 2024 Most Beautiful Hospitals contest, sponsored by national healthcare staffing firm Soliant Health, recognizes hospitals for their commitment to developing and improving their campuses, facilities and staff, creating holistic and healing environments. Riverside Regional Medical Center placed 12th in the national contest.
Recipients of the Association of Community Papers Association of Community Publishers (ACP) 2023-2024 “Best of the Best” Annual Publication Awards presentation were Dr. Tim Queen (left) of Advanced ENT & Allergy, whose Best Ad Series won a second place award and Brian Cole, of Personal Training Associates. whose Viewpoint column won a third place Best Original Writing award. More than 1,200 entries were submitted from 35 publishing groups representing more than 100 editions. ACP represents publishers of community papers throughout North America, reaching millions of homes on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis.
Just under 200 runners and walkers participated in the 17th Annual Smart Smiles 5K in August at Mariners’ Museum and Park. The race was sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula.
The Wason Center of Christopher Newport University has named Phillip Jones, mayor of Newport News; Glenn Oder, executive director of Fort Monroe Authority; and Lisa Ziehmann, associate director of NASA Langley Research Center, 2024-25 Distinguished Virginians to help engage scholars to be inspired by the experience of the Commonwealth’s most successful and respected leaders.
Christopher Newport University (CNU) has again been recognized as one of the nation’s top institutions, earning a spot on Money magazine’s 2024 Best Colleges list. The magazine’s list focused on affordability, quality of education and outcomes after graduation. Money examined data from 2,400 four-year private, nonprofit and public colleges to make its selection. William G. (Bill) Kelly is CNU’s president.
Top August agents for CENTURY 21 Nachman Realty’s Peninsula office were Jamie Coldsnow, top listing, selling and producing agent, and Chaz Fiscella, top closing agent.
Lawrence G. Cumming, Philip L. Hatchett, William L. Holt, Robert Q. Johnson, Sarah E. Messersmith, Mark A. Short, Raymond H. Suttle Jr., Timothy O. Trant II and James L. Windsor of Kaufman & Canoles’ Newport News office, have been named among the 55 attorneys of the firm included in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025. Cumming’s practice involves real estate law. Hatchett’s practice involves trusts and estates. Holt’s practice specializes in real estate law. Johnson’s practice consists of employee benefits (ERISA) law. Messersmith’s practice focuses on trusts and estates. Short’s practice specializes in eminent domain and condemnation law, land use and zoning law and real estate law. Suttle’s practice involves municipal law and real estate law. Trant’s practice specializes in land use and zoning law and real estate law. Windsor’s practice specialty is litigation — construction and real estate law. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.
