The 2020 Top 40 Under 40

I don’t know about you, but I could use some good news.

What better way to start winding down this – let’s not sugarcoat it, awful year of 2020 – than celebrating 40 local people under 40 who are working hard to make our city a better place. We asked you to send us nominations and you did a great job finding exceptional young folks who are making a difference even under frustrating and difficult circumstances, whether through their jobs, volunteer work or both.

A lot of work goes into this issue in a short time, but we always find it inspiring to interview the winners and hear about their efforts. As someone recently told me about this annual issue: “I look forward to reading about what’s going on around Richmond through the people who are helping.” Tough times build character, and we think you’ll agree there is plenty of that in this issue.

So as we head into a dark winter and still much uncertainty about the future, we hope you’ll enjoy reading about these helpers who care about others and who keep fighting the good fight in their own ways. As for the rest of it, maybe remember the inspirational words of the great American poet Walt Whitman: “Keep your face always towards the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind you.” – Brent Baldwin

Scott Barlow, 32 
Richmond School Board Member, District 2   

Dr. Chaz Antoine Barracks, 32
Cultural Critic, Media Producer, and Blackademic at Six Points Innovation Center

Christina Barrille, 38
Executive Director, Virginia Pharmacists Association

Rachel Beanland, 39
Novelist

Beau Blevins, 37
Director of Business Development at Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties (VML/VACO)

Jessica N. Bowman, 34
Chief Deputy Commissioner, Virginia Department of Elections

Patricia Bradby, 33
Director of Communications and Programs, Leadership Metro Richmond

Jason Brown, 38
Founder and Executive Director of Fostering Acadia

McKayla Burnett, 26 
Director of Human Trafficking Services at Safe Harbor

Craig Camidge, 37
Director of Emergency Management, Office of Emergency Management of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

Cindy Capriles, 30
Director of Counseling at Safe Harbor

Anna Karnas Danese, 39
Director of Workforce Partnerships, United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg

Chloe I. Edwards, 25
Advocacy and Engagement Manager at Voices for Virginia’s Children

Patrick Griffin, 35
Founder and Owner of RVA Paddlesports

Joshua Hanbury, 38
Associate, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Emilee Manzi Hasbrouck, 36
Co-founder of RVA Legal Collaborative

Gabe T. Hill, 23
Business Development Executive, Blue Ocean Brain

Sarah Iracane, 36
Chief Program Officer for World Pediatric Project

Kristen Johnson, 38
Director of Development for Real Life

Eleanor Jones, 39
Director, Honoring Choices Virginia

Rebecca Keel, 28
Virginia Statewide Organizer, Southerners on New Ground

Matthew Marry, 36
Assistant Director of Emergency Preparedness, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association

Ankit Mathur, 38 
Chief Technology Officer at Roundtrip

Hannah Miller, 29
Director, Community Health and Wellness, Virginia Repertory Theatre

Amanda C. Moore, 35
Founder and Executive Director, Humans for Good

Lauren Z. Moore, 35
President and Chief Executive, Children’s Hospital Foundation

Claire O’Keefe, 24
Director of Canvas, Summit Producer at Envoy

Ewan Oglethorpe, 30 
Executive Director, Data Friendly Space 

Kelly Parker, 33 
Director of Emergency Preparedness at Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association 

Robin Adolf Salzberg, 39
Owner of Lustre by Adolf

Lauren Schmitt, 36
Partner, Commonwealth Strategy Group

Ashley Shapiro, 35
Senior Assistant Public Defender

Maggie Small, 35
Master Class Teacher and Grant Specialist at Richmond Ballet

Fatima M. Smith, 32
Founder of FMS Speaks, Co-Founder of Collective 365 and Color & Culture 

Matthew Stanley, 37
Director of Advocacy and Outreach in the Office of Engagement for the Richmond Public Schools

Jenilee Stanley-Shanks, 39
Director of Government and Community Outreach, College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University

Brei Stevenson, 34
Senior UX Designer, CoStar, Executive Director, Wild Fern Montessori

Phuong Tran, 28 
Digital Communication Manager at ACLU of Virginia

Brian A. Wright, 38
Associate, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Kim Young, 32
Director of Family and Community Engagement, Peter Paul Development Center and Dope Black Social Worker, LCSW, Owner.

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