Names and changes: Business recognitions and promotions for the week of Sept. 22, 2024

Hollins University has named Professor of Gender and Women's Studies and Anthropology LeeRay Costa as executive director of leadership studies and the Batten Leadership Institute.

Costa is responsible for program development, assessment, cross-disciplinary collaboration, recruitment, outreach, and leadership teaching and mentoring.

In her 23 years at Hollins, Costa has served in multiple leadership roles, including as the university's director of faculty development. Beyond Hollins, Costa served for six years as the co-founder, executive director, and board chair of Girls Rock Roanoke, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower girls as well as femme identified and non-binary youth through music, creative expression, and collaboration.

She has also held leadership positions in the National Women's Studies Association and the Southeastern Women's Studies Association, and is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society.

Costa completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California, San Diego; her Master of Arts at New York University; and her Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The Batten Leadership Institute at Hollins University offers both an undergraduate track and leadership programs for women and men as well as organizational team consultation.

Mario Ferruzzi will join Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on Oct. 15 as its 12th dean, bringing to the role more than two decades of experience in agriculture, food and nutrition science, leadership, and collaboration.

Ferruzzi most recently served as a professor and section chief in the department of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service-funded Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center.

His prior experiences include being a David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor in North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, a professor in Purdue's Colleges of Agriculture and Health and Human Sciences, and working as a Nestle research scientist and product developer.

Ferruzzi has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Duke University and a master's degree and Ph.D. in food science and nutrition from The Ohio State University.

Bevlee Watford, known for pioneering the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity in the College of Engineering, has been conferred the title of professor emerita, associate dean emerita, and executive director emerita and Linda Dahlgren, professor of large animal surgery at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, has been conferred the title of professor emerita by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Tech faculty since 1992, Watford has held various roles at the university, including interim department head, director of the Ware Lab, and associate dean of academic affairs.

She has also held various positions of national leadership, including president of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network, president of the American Society for Engineering Education, and a current distinguished member of the National Science Board.

Watford earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from Tech.

Dahlgren, a member of the Tech community for more than 19 years, has focused on comparative musculoskeletal research investigating regenerative medicine therapies for tendon, ligament, and joint disease in horses and the translation of these findings to human medicine.

A founding member and co-director of the Regenerative Medicine Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program, Dahlgren directed numerous master's and doctoral students.

Her professional honors included the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence and the Virginia Tech Graduate School Outstanding Mentor Award for the veterinary college.

Dahlgren received her bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College; her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University; and her Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Member One, a division of Virginia Credit Union, has announced its regional leadership team for the combined Roanoke Valley, New River Valley and Lynchburg markets.

Tim Rowe, market president for Member One, is a 38-year veteran of the financial institution. He will lead regional efforts in member services, employee engagement and community involvement.

Rowe serves as a board and finance committee member of the Local Advisory Board for Virginia Western Community College and is a former director for the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. He also serves on the board of the Virginia Council on Economic Education, an organization that provides economic and financial education resources and training for teachers and school divisions.

For the past 30-plus years, Rowe has been a coach, mentor and volunteer with Roanoke-area youth and high school sports programs. During his career, Rowe has been an industry advocate on consumer finance issues at the local, state and national levels.

Rowe holds a Bachelor of Science in finance, insurance, and business law from Virginia Tech and a Master in Business Administration from Radford University.

Jean Hopstetter is senior executive vice president and merger integration executive. She has almost 30 years of experience in the credit union industry, including 16 years at Member One.

Hopstetter will lead regional efforts related to the organization's integration goals and objectives, including the integration of member-facing operations as well as the work of support and administrative staff.

She currently serves on the board of the Roanoke County Public Schools Education Foundation, which raises funds for scholarships and grants to assist students and teachers. Hopstetter recently completed a six-year term on the Taubman Museum Board of Trustees, a term that saw her chair the museum's finance committee and serve on the selection committee for the museum's executive director. She also served on a joint advisory committee appointed by the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors and School Board to study the construction of a new career and technical education center for Roanoke County.

Hopstetter has a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from Saint Leo University.

Member One will operate as a division of Virginia Credit Union until completion of the integration process, likely in 2026.

Bryan Ryberg as its new director of account services. Ryberg will oversee client relationships and ensure the full-service marketing and advertising agency continues to deliver service and creative solutions tailored to each client's needs.

Ryberg has experience in strategy and relationship management. For the past 16 years, he served in various leadership positions at Roanoke College, most recently as the assistant vice president for enrollment management.

Ryberg holds a bachelor's degree in history from Portland State University and a master's degree of education from Florida Atlantic University.

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