Centra, Central Virginia's Medical Leader

Kenneth S. White, chairman of the Centra Board of Directors, is a retired Lynchburg attorney who practiced in the law firm Edmunds & Williams, P.C.

White has served on a number of committees for the American Bar Association, the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Law Foundation and the Lynchburg Bar Association.  He served on the State Board of Education, holding the offices of president and vice president and membership on the Governor's Commission on Excellence in Education.

He served as president of the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, chairman of the board of the Bank of The James, chairman of the Virginia Public School Authority and as a member of the boards of C.B. Fleet Co., Region 2000 and Centra Foundation.  White is a former member of the boards of Lynchburg General Hospital, Lynchburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Sweet Briar College.

White received his bachelor's degree in finance and his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Thomas W. Nygaard, M.D., came to Lynchburg in 1986 to help establish the cardiac catheterization laboratory and to expand cardiac services in central Virginia.  He is a cardiologist with The Cardiovascular Group of Centra Stroobants Heart Center.

A native of Stavanger, Norway, Dr. Nygaard moved to the United States at a young age.  He received his bachelor's and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University.  He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  He performed his fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Virginia.  Dr. Nygaard served on the faculty of the University of Virginia in the Division of Cardiology and was director of the coronary care unit at the University of Virginia Hospital prior to coming to Lynchburg.

Dr. Nygaard is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology.  He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology.

With more than two decades of experience leading two healthcare organizations, W. Michael Bryant became president and CEO of Centra on Oct. 10.

Bryant had been president and CEO of Methodist Health Services Corporation, which includes Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, a 329-bed nonprofit, regional integrated tertiary medical center located in Peoria, Ill. Bryant had been at the helm of Methodist Health Services Corporation since 1999.

At Methodist, he led a medical center with approximately 3,000 employees, more than 700 physicians, an employed medical group of 167 physicians and providers located in 32 sites in six counties, a Physician Hospital Organization, numerous joint ventures, a 500-student college of nursing and two medical residencies, all serving an area of 1 million people.

Prior to joining Methodist, Bryant spent 14 years with the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, N.J., including 10 years as president and CEO.

He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and is a certified public accountant. He holds a bachelor's degree in business.

Albert M. Baker, M.D., is the president of Lynchburg Pulmonary Associates, a six-physician group providing pulmonary and critical care in central Virginia.  He is the medical director for critical care for Centra.

Dr. Baker earned a degree in chemistry and his medical degree from the University of Virginia.  He completed a residency in internal medicine with a primary care focus at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and then a fellowship in pulmonary diseases and critical care at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease and critical care, Dr. Baker has practiced in Lynchburg since 1995.  He is experienced in conducting clinical trials and with researching asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia and sepsis.  He is chairman of the Centra board’s patient care committee, which is responsible for credentialing, health care quality, staff development and service excellence.

A Lynchburg native, Michael V. Bradford is the Lynchburg area president of Wells Fargo Bank.  He began working for Fidelity American Bank and has been with the same bank, through mergers, now Wells Fargo Bank.

He is on the board of Piedmont Community Health Plan, Amazement Square, CVCC Educational Foundation, Center for Inclusive Community, Lynchburg Area Development Corporation and Greater Lynchburg Community Trust (ex-officio).  He has served on the boards of United Way of Central Virginia, Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, STEP with Links, Junior Achievement, Lynchburg City Schools Partners in Education, Bryan-Wade Trust Fund and Kaleidoscope.

Bradford holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and a master’s degree in finance from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Rev. William J. Coleman is the president and CEO of the Tri-County Community Action Agency in South Boston and has been pastor of Cross Road Baptist Church in Evington since 1979.  He previously served as finance officer for Southside Community Services Board, as a business auditor for the Campbell County Commissioner of Revenue Office and as director of human resources for Westminster Canterbury.

He served in the U.S. Air Force and is a graduate of Lynchburg College and Central Virginia Community College.

Robert D. Cook, M.D., is a urologist at Centra Seven Hills Urology in Lynchburg and has practiced in Lynchburg since 1992.  He holds a medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia and completed his residency in urology at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, where he served as chief resident of urology.

Dr. Cook received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.  He is a diplomat with the American Board of Urology and a member of the American Urological Association, Medical Society of Virginia and Lynchburg Academy of Medicine.

Julie P. Doyle is co-owner and director of the Education and Research Foundation, Inc.  Doyle directs the business operations of a clinical trial company whose primary market focus is dermatological medications and products. She oversees the Phase I-IV clinical studies for pharmaceutical and consumer product companies.

She serves on the Lynchburg College Board of Directors, Notre Dame Monogram Club Board of Directors, Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation Board, the Thomas Johnson Learning Center Board of Directors, Wachovia Bank Lynchburg Advisory Board and STEP with Links Board of Directors.

Doyle holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and an M.B.A. degree from George Washington University.

Retired banking executive Rodger W. Fauber is a former chairman of the Centra Board of Directors.  Fauber retired as president of the western region of Central Fidelity Bank, now Wachovia Bank, after 30 years in banking.  He is a member of the Governor's Advisory Board for the Virginia Strategy and is past president and served on the board of Virginia's Region 2000, the Region 2000 partnership and the Lynchburg Area Development Corp.  He is a member of the board of Lynchburg College.

Fauber has received the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce's lifetime achievement award for community service and the F.M. "Dink" Cloyd Award for service, the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Lynchburg College School of Business, a Brotherhood citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Virginia Whitehouse for Continuous Human Service Contribution Award.

The Washington and Lee University graduate holds a master's degree from Columbia University and attended the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.

Stuart C. Fauber has been active in the Lynchburg business community since 1973.  He graduated from Washington & Lee University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.  He also received his M.B.A. and master’s degree in personnel administration from Lynchburg College.

He is currently president and CEO of The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust.  Fauber retired from SunTrust bank in 2008 after serving as its president for 10 years.  Prior to that, he served in several executive-level positions in the banking industry.

Fauber is involved in numerous community activities.  He is chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lynchburg College, past chairman of the Board of Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of STEP with Links.  He was elected to the Lynchburg College School of Business and Economics Hall of Fame in 2000, and he received the Lynchburg Mayor’s Award of Excellence in 2003.

John A. Fees is chairman of The Babcock & Wilcox Company Board of Directors.  He was CEO of McDermott International, until his retirement in 2010.  While at MDR, he was CEO of The Babcock & Wilcox subsidiary, COO of BWX Technologies, president and general manager of BWXT Services and president and general manager of Diamond Power International.

He is a former member of the board of the National Association of Manufacturers, Nuclear Energy Institute and the National Petroleum Council.

Fees holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master’s degree in engineering administration from George Washington University.

Laura L. Hamilton received her bachelor’s degree in public policy from The College of William and Mary and earned her master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.

While in Washington, D.C., she worked as a policy Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a think tank serving the nonprofit community.  Hamilton also served in the Clinton Administration as a liaison for the District of Columbia Appropriations Bill through the White House Budget Office.  After this, she was director of development for the Children’s Museum of Washington, D.C.

Since moving to Lynchburg, Hamilton has served as president of the Junior League of Lynchburg, chair of Smart Moves Initiative and chair of the board of the Family Alliance.  She currently serves on the City of Lynchburg Planning Commission and is vice-chair of the board for the Presbyterian Homes and Family Services/Family Alliance.

Sharon L. Harrup is the CEO of Farmville-based STEPS, Inc., which stands for Southside Training, Employment, and Placement Services.  STEPS is a private, nonprofit organization that provides job training and development for individuals with disabilities and temporary assistance for needy families.

Harrup earned a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation and a master’s degree in college and community counseling from Longwood College.

Since 2002, Kirsten L. Huber, M.D., has been a general surgeon at Centra Southside Community Hospital.  She received her bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, her master’s and doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from the University of Florida and her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Dr. Huber completed her internship and residency at Georgetown University Integrated Program in Surgery.  She has a particular interest in breast surgery and is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

Terry H. Jamerson is publisher of The News & Advance in Lynchburg and oversees newspapers in central Virginia, as well as WSLS Broadcasting.

Jamerson held newspaper publishing positions in Bryan College Station, Texas, and in Marion, Radford, Christiansburg and Charlottesville, Virginia, before moving to Lynchburg in 1994.  She has served on numerous community boards and currently serves on the boards of United Way of Central Virginia, Region 2000, STEP with Links, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and Lynchburg College.

Jamerson is a graduate of Mary Baldwin College.

Christine A. Marraccini, M.D., is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist with Women’s Health Services of Central Virginia.  She is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, and a graduate of Virginia Tech.

She received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed her internship and residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.  She moved to central Virginia in 1999.

Dr. Marraccini is a Fellow with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a certified physician executive with the American College of Physician Executives and a member of the Medical Society of Virginia Foundation’s Claude Moore Physician Leadership Institute.

Augustus A. Petticolas Jr., D.D.S., is a Lynchburg dentist.  He has been instrumental in the development of The Free Clinic, volunteered his time to treat patients, served as its president and continues to be a member of the board of directors.

Dr. Petticolas has been appointed by the Governor to serve a four-year term on the Virginia Board of Dentistry.  He also serves on the Bank of The James board and has served as president of the Churches for Urban Ministry.  He has been recognized for his community service and is the recipient of the Humanitarian Award from The National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Alpha Centennial Award and the Mayor's Award of Excellence.  He is a member and past president of the Lynchburg Dental Society and is a member of the Piedmont Dental Society, the American Dental Association, the National Dental Association and the NAACP.  He was inducted into the International College of Dentists in 1998.

Dr. Petticolas graduated from Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, and the University of Maryland Dental School.

Charles W. Pryor Jr. is chief executive of Nuclear Utilities Business Group, BNFL.  He is responsible for Westinghouse Electric Company and the commercial operations of BNFL’s United Kingdom-based Spent Fuel and MOX fuel businesses and the related transport business.

Previously, Pryor was chairman and chief executive officer of The Westinghouse Electric Co. and president and CEO of Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Power Division.  He has received many honors, including the Chevalier de I’Ordre National du Merit for developing business relationships between France and the United States, inducted into the National Academy of Engineers and named Virginia’s Outstanding Industrialist.

He served as president of the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, director of Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology and on the board of trustees for Lynchburg College and Central Virginia Community College.

He received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in engineering from Virginia Tech and his executive M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

A Certified Public Accountant, Amy G. Ray is a partner at Brown, Edwards & Company in Lynchburg.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and a former president of the Central Virginia Chapter, Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Ray was the first woman named chair of the board of directors of the Greater Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce and was the 2000 recipient of the F.M. "Dink" Cloyd Award for service to the Chamber of Commerce.

Marc A. Schewel is president of Schewel Furniture Company, a retail furniture chain with 51 stores in Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. He, his brother and sister are the fourth generation to own and operate this family business.

He is involved in numerous community service activities.  He is currently chairman of the Lynchburg Jewish Community Council and the United Way of Central Virginia.  He serves on the boards of The Salvation Army, the YMCA, the Presbyterian Home, the National Home Furnishings Association and the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust.

Schewel is a recipient of the John Willis Award of Merit, the National Conference for Community and Justice Humanitarian Award, the Mayor's Award of Excellence, the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce George Taylor Stewart Award and the Paul Harris Fellow Award.  He is a graduate from Washington and Lee University.

W. Kirkham Sydnor III, M.D., earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Sydnor is a hospitalist with Medical Associates of Central Virginia and is board certified in internal medicine.  He also serves on the Executive Committee and is chairman of the Finance Committee of the Hospitalists of Central Virginia Board of Directors.

Walker P. Sydnor Jr. is president of Scott Insurance Company, Virginia's oldest and largest employee-owned provider of insurance, benefits services and financial management.

His company has offices in Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville and Richmond, Virginia; Greensboro and Charlotte, North Carolina; Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; and Captive Insurance operations in Grand Cayman.

Sydnor graduated from Hampden-Sydney College.  He worked for insurance firms across the country before joining Scott Insurance Company.

He is vice-chairman of the board of trustees at Lynchburg College.

Board certified in emergency medicine, Chris M. Thomson, M.D., is the medical director for Centra Emergency Services Group.  Dr. Thomson earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from The College of William and Mary, and his master’s and medical degree in biophysics from the Medical College of Virginia.  Dr. Thomson completed his internship and residency in Emergency Medicine at Carolina’s Medical Center.

Dr. Thomson came to Lynchburg in 1999 to work in the Centra Lynchburg General Hospital Emergency Department.  His clinical interests focus on stroke and acute myocardial infarction.  In 2008, he traveled to China during the Summer Olympic Games and worked in the NBC Emergency Department in the International Broadcast Center.  He routinely travels to China contributing to the promotion and development of emergency medicine and trauma systems.

Dr. Thomson serves on the board of directors of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians, Centra Medical Group and on the clinical advisory board for LifeNet Health.

J. Scott Wade, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases and has served as an infectious disease specialist and internist with Medical Associates of Central Virginia since 1988.

He earned his medical degree at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, completed his residency in internal medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and his fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.  He is a graduate of DePauw University.  Dr. Wade currently serves on the Foundation Board for Historic Sandusky.

R. Sackett Wood serves as president and CEO of Moore & Giles.  The Forest-based company designs and develops natural leathers for the high-end hospitality, aviation and residential interior design industries.

He attended the University of Virginia and earned his bachelor’s degree in English.

After graduation, Wood worked for First Union Corporation (now Wells Fargo) as a middle market lender in both North Carolina and South Carolina.  He then took a sales position with Moore & Giles in 1990.

A lifelong educator, Consuella K. Woods is a retired school administrator.  She is currently an assistant professor at Randolph College.

Woods serves on the boards of directors for CASA, Camp Child and New Vistas.  She has served on numerous education-related committees, from the Governor's Standard Setting Advisory Committee for the Standards of Learning Tests to chairing the national accrediting process for Randolph College’s Teacher Education Program through TEAC (Teacher Education Accrediting Council).

A graduate of Bluefield State College, Woods holds a master's degree in administration from Lynchburg College with additional graduate hours from the University of Virginia.