Business Awards and Promotions for the Week of June 2, 2024

Virginia Tech has announced changes to better align its communications and marketing efforts in the Washington, DC region.

Shannon Andrea has been named director of communications and marketing for the DC area, effective June 10. As lead communications advisor, Andrea will provide strategic guidance to align the university’s communications, marketing and branding efforts, and will oversee and lead the day-to-day operations of the DC area communications and marketing team, which is part of the Integrated Advancement department.

Andrea, currently director of media relations and DC area communications for the Communications and Marketing department, will join the Communications and Marketing executive team and report to Mark Owczarski, who will become interim vice president of Communications and Marketing on July 1.

Tech also Margaret Ashburn Effective June 10, he was promoted to deputy director of media relations.

In his new role, Ashburn will oversee and lead the day-to-day operations of the media relations team focused on advancing technology through national media outlets as well as high-impact regional and local media. Ashburn will report to Michael Stowe, senior director of news and information for communications and marketing.

Ashburn joined Tech as assistant director of media relations in 2023. Prior to joining Tech, Ashburn was an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience creating content for local, state and national news coverage, including experience as news director at WSLS (Channel 10) in Roanoke.

She holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast news from the University of Georgia.

Nancy Bodenhorn and Marcia Feuerstein He was awarded the title of Associate Professor Emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Bodenhorn, an associate professor of counselor education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, has been an active member of the Tech community for more than 22 years.

Bodenhorn received the Excellence in Advising Award and Outstanding Mentor Award from Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, as well as the William H. Van Hoos Career Services Award from the Virginia Association of Counselors.

Bodenhorn served as associate director of academic programs in the College of Education at Tech for nine years and in 2015 served as acting director.

Feuerstein, an associate professor of architecture in the School of Architecture, Art and Design, has been an active member of the technology community for more than 27 years.

She arrived in Blacksburg in 1996 and has taught at the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center in Alexandria since 2004. As an advocate for women in the architecture industry, she has used her teaching and scholarship to correct the historical record and challenge historical and cultural biases.

Her research on body and embodiment in architecture engages with interdisciplinary studies including theatre, dance and accessibility.

Feuerstein has written, co-authored, or edited over thirteen books and book chapters on architecture and its media, as well as numerous other publications, and is invited to speak to a variety of audiences at professional, public, and academic events both nationally and internationally.

Scott Englandan associate professor of aerospace and marine engineering in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, has been appointed a Crofton Faculty Fellow by the Board of Visitors.

The Kevin Crofton Aerospace Ocean Engineering Professorship was established through a gift from alumnus Kevin Crofton. The fund includes tenured professorships, faculty fellowships and support for the retention of outstanding faculty. England will serve a five-year term as a Crofton Faculty Fellow.

A member of the Tech community since 2016, England has introduced innovative teaching methods and new course content, integrating space plasma physics with traditional aerospace engineering curriculum.

Eric JackAn assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering has been appointed a Thomas M. Murray Family Junior Faculty Fellow by the Board of Visitors.

The fellowship was established in 2021 through a gift from Murray, who holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Tech's Charles E. Via Jr. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Jack has established himself as a professor in the areas of analysis, design, and retrofit of reinforced concrete structures. He has gained national recognition for studying the response of structural and non-structural building components to blast loads and developing new experimental techniques and diagnostics to characterize energetic materials and their effects on structures.

The Industrial and Applied Mathematics Association Layne WatsonHe is a professor in three Virginia Tech departments (Computer Science, Mathematics and Aerospace and Ocean Engineering) and a core faculty member in the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, one of 26 SIAM Fellows for the 2024 class.

SIAM is an international community of over 1,400 individual members and approximately 500 academic institutions, manufacturing, research and development, service and consulting organizations, and government and military agencies. Members are nominated for a fellowship program in recognition of their research excellence and contributions to the community.

A member of SIAM since 1976, Watson is recognized as a pioneer in the theoretical development, algorithm design, software implementation, and applications of homotopy methods. Homotopy theory is part of topology, a branch of theoretical mathematics.

John Weber III He joined Miller & Webb LLP, the successor to Roanoke-based civil law firm Frankl Miller Webb & Moyers LLP, as a partner.

Miller & Webb primarily specializes in handling insurance defense claims, including workers’ compensation. Weber also handles other legal matters, including misdemeanor and felony criminal cases, custody, visitation, alimony, divorce matters, and serious driving violations, including DUI and DUI.

The Wilderness Medical Association Dr. Stephanie Lareau The “Triple Crown” designation is an honor bestowed upon individuals who achieve all three honors offered by the association's Field Medicine Academy.

These honors include the Diploma in Diving and Marine Medicine (DiDMM), Diploma in Mountain Medicine (DiMM) and Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM).

DiDMM is a comprehensive program designed to equip participants with the skills essential for patient care in the marine environment. Participants receive specialized training in diving physics, physiology, medicine, diving accident management, hazards of the marine environment, medical care at sea, water rescue, survival techniques and trip planning.

DiMM provides participants with the essential knowledge and skills for patient care in technical mountain environments. The internationally recognized program sets the standard for education in mountain medicine, technical rescue and backcountry self-sufficiency.

FAWM recognizes individuals who have demonstrated advanced expertise and experience in field medicine through a rigorous curriculum and practical application. Recipients have distinguished themselves as leaders in the field of field medicine.

Lareau is among the inaugural group of recipients, one of only six people in the world to have received this recognition to date.

Aria ZaroA social worker at the Showalter Center at Warm Hearth Village, she is a Positive Approach to Care certified independent trainer.

PAC-certified trainers teach others to see dementia from a survivor's perspective. Participants are trained to deliver educational sessions in dementia care facilities and retirement communities with desired outcomes including reduced burnout and turnover, increased morale and satisfaction, and a more resident-centered approach to care — all of which align closely with Warm Hearth's mission and ongoing efforts to attract and retain the highest quality employees.

Warm Hearth Village is a nonprofit senior living community in Blacksburg that offers a full continuum of on-campus and home living options.

Court Rosen He joined ABoone Real Estate Inc., a Roanoke-based real estate development and homebuilding company, as director of operations and land development.

Mr. Rosen will manage all aspects of land and project development for ABRE, including land acquisition, engineering, design, site work and zoning. As a partner in the development of Christiansburg's Walnut Creek community and on other projects, Mr. Rosen brings a wealth of experience to the team. Mr. Rosen is a former member of the Roanoke City Council and a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.