George Zippel is a retired corporate executive and full-time community volunteer.

Over the course of 25 years, George held various general management, operations and financial roles with the General Electric Company. He moved to Lynchburg in 1999 when he joined GE Financial as President of First Colony Life Insurance Company and became President and CEO of Genworth Financial's Protection business as part of its initial public offering in 2004. After Genworth, George served as President and CEO of Scottish Re Group Ltd, a life reinsurer based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

George has served on the boards of directors of the American Council of Life Insurers, the Genworth Foundation, The Academy Center of the Arts , The United Way of Central Virginia, Jubilee Family Development Center, Amazement Square, Camp Kum-ba-Yah and STEP with Links.

George graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. in Economics.  

Dr. Thomas Nygaard attended undergraduate school and Medical School at Vanderbilt University. He completed his Internship and Residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Internal Medicine. His Cardiology Fellowship was carried out at the University of Virginia where he also served on the faculty.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease.  Dr. Nygaard came to Lynchburg in 1986 and is now retired.

Kemper Beasley is a resident of Buckingham County where he lives and operates the family’s beef cattle farm.  He graduated Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and received a Masters of Theological Studies Degree from Duke University.  After working at The Farmers Bank of Appomattox for five years, he attended Liberty Law School where he earned his Juris Doctorate.  

Kemper’s legal career began at Lawson & Beasley in Appomattox, Virginia.  He later opened his own practice in Farmville, Virginia.  Kemper currently serves as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Buckingham County, Virginia.  He also serves as County Attorney for Cumberland County, Virginia.

Kemper is a deacon at Concord Baptist Church and serves on the Board of Directors of Central Virginia Christian School in Dillwyn, Virginia.  He also is Vice-Chairman for the Board of Directors of Southside Community Hospital.

Clinton S. Beverly, MD is a general surgeon who also serves as the Executive Chair of Surgical Services at Centra Health. He is the past medical director for Centra Medical Group Surgical Specialists. Prior to moving to Lynchburg in 2008, Dr. Beverly practiced general surgery in Macon, Georgia and was an Assistant Clinical Professor in the department of surgery at the Medical College of Central Georgia. 

A native of Virginia, Dr. Beverly earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from Virginia State University. He attended medical school at East Tennessee State University. He completed his internship and residency at Fitzsimons Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado and Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, respectively.

Dr. Beverly is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the Virginia chapter of the American College of Surgeons and the past president of the Lynchburg Academy of Medicine. He is a member of the board of The Link Project, Inc.

A Lynchburg native, Mike Bradford was a Senior Vice President with Wells Fargo and its predecessors managing teams of commercial bankers throughout Western and Southwestern Virginia serving the financial needs of corporate clients and their owners. He also served as the bank’s President for the Lynchburg region.

After 34 years Mike retired from banking to spend his next 6 years serving as Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Central Virginia Community College and executive director of CVCC Educational Foundation where his responsibilities included managing the college’s fundraising, student scholarships, marketing, grants and alumni relations. During this time, he also served five months as the interim VP of Finance.

Throughout his career he has served on several non-profit boards in the region including the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, Amazement Square, United Way of Central Virginia, Greater Lynchburg Community Trust (ex-officio), Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, STEP with Links, and the Lynchburg City Schools Educational Foundation.

He has been a director of both Centra Health and Piedmont Community Health Plan since 2008.

He 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.

Dr. Caprise is an orthopaedic surgeon with OrthoVirginia. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina. He attended medical school at the University of North Carolina, and completed both his internship and residency at the University of North Carolina Hospitals in general surgery and orthopaedic surgery. He practiced orthopaedic surgery in the Navy prior to moving with his family to Lynchburg.

Julie P. Doyle is co-owner and director of The Education & Research Foundation, Inc.  Doyle directs the business operations of the 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 Trustee, the Bank of the James Board of Directors and the Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation Board and is a member of the SPHEX club.

Julie previously served on the Lynchburg City School board, the Notre Dame Monogram Club, Step with Links board and the Kids’ Haven 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.

Sharon L. Harrup is the President & CEO of STEPS, Inc., a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Farmville that provides services in ten (10) counties in Southside Virginia.  “STEPS is committed to coordinating, creating and delivering quality comprehensive services in an effort to foster self-sufficiency and eliminate poverty.”

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

Hylan T. Hubbard, III (“Hank”) is a Lynchburg native who is a 1965 graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and a 1969 graduate of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME.

Hank retired as a corporate executive at Aetna Insurance Company after 30 years and formed New America Insurance Company in Tarpon Springs, Fl, which provided insurance products to underserved customers, agents, and brokers.

Hank retired to Forest, VA in 2007 and is very active as a community volunteer.  He serves on the Amazement Square Children’s Museum Board, the Randolph College Board as its Chair, the African American Advisory Panel of Poplar Forest, the Lynchburg Beacon of Hope Board, Partners in Education Advisory Board, Early Childhood Education and Childcare Task Force, the STEP with Links Board, and the Pierce Street Gateway Advisory Board.  Mr. Hubbard’s main passion is helping to close the learning/reading gaps with local children.  He has been a Centra Board member since 2014.

Mr. Irby is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer for Innovative Wireless Technologies, Inc. (IWT) in Lynchburg, Virginia.  IWT is a leading supplier of wireless mesh radios, integrated systems and wireless design services to industrial, commercial, public safety, and defense sectors.  Prior to IWT, Mr. Irby worked at Ericsson, the largest supplier of mobile systems in the world.

Mr. Irby has over 20 years’ experience in global Fortune 500 and small business with responsibility for financial performance, operational execution, corporate strategy, business development, information technology, and HR and legal corporate functions. 

Mr. Irby received his MBA and BS in Finance from Virginia Tech.  Mr. Irby is very active in other community service work, which include:  Trustee, James River Day School; Treasurer and Finance Chair, James River Day School; Member, Staff Parish Relations Committee, Peakland United Methodist Church; Board Member and Development Committee, Amazement Square; Board Member and Finance Committee, Academy Center of the Arts; and the Lynchburg City Schools Education Advisory Committee.  Mr. Irby has also served as a community member on the Governance and Finance Committees of the Centra Board.

Gary Mignogna is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Framatome Inc., the North America subsidiary of global energy company Framatome SAS.

Mignogna has 44 years of experience in the nuclear industry starting his career with Babcock & Wilcox in 1977 as an engineering student and progressing
through engineering design & analysis, product & project management, power plant site services, product line management, and business unit leadership
positions with the successor companies, BWNT, Framatome Technologies, AREVA, and Framatome.

After leading services and engineering organizations, he was selected to lead the North American operations in June 2014. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to operational excellence by leading development teams for designs & processes for many types of nuclear plant services including component repairs, replacements, and remediations; launching a number of initiatives including an early career rotational & training program to develop future leaders; an engineering training & qualification program to facilitate knowledge transfer specific to the nuclear industry; and, a project management certification program to develop strength in project execution.

He is currently on the Board of Directors of Framatome Inc. and Framatome US Government Solutions LLC, and on the boards of three nuclear infrastructure Joint Ventures servicing nuclear power plants, SGT with AECOM, Framatome‐BHI, and FDZ with Day & Zimmermann. Mignogna is also actively
engaged at the industry level.

He is currently a member of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and Chairman of the Audit Committee. He was formerly the Chairman of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operation’s Supplier Participant Advisory Committee.

He has held numerous positions on community, church, and school non‐profit boards and on university engineering advisory boards. He is currently Board Chairman of the National D‐Day Memorial
Foundation; on the Board of Trustees of the University of Lynchburg; on the Board of Beacon of Hope; and, on the Finance Committee of Centra Health. He is a strong supporter of science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) education outreach; and was recognized as one of the top 100 CEO
leaders in STEM by STEMconnector in 2016.

In 2015, he was appointed as an Ambassador for
Minorities in Energy by the US Department of Energy.
Mignogna earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, and
received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Lynchburg. In 2015, Mignogna was
also inducted into the Drexel 100, which is the University’s alumni career hall of fame; and in 2016 received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Lynchburg.

Dr. Geeta Rakheram has been a Primary Care Physician and Board-Certified Internist for 22 years and currently works with Centra Medical Group. 

Geeta previously served on the boards of Elizabeth Early Learning Center, Bashful Giraffe Early Learning Center, and on the Principal Advisory committee at Bedford Hills Elementary.

Dr. Rakheram holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI.  She attended medical school and completed her internship and residency at Medical University of Ohio.

Bonnie Svrcek served as the Deputy City Manager and City Manager for the City of Lynchburg for over twenty years. Prior to working for the City of Lynchburg, she worked for the Town of Blacksburg, Fairfax County and the City of Los Angeles’ Washington, D.C. office.

She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Housing and Applied Design, received her Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California’s Washington Public Affairs Center, attended the Senior Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA and completed the State and Local Government Excellence Executive Education Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Bonnie is an active member  of the Friends of the Lynchburg Public Library Board of Directors, Advisory Board for Central Virginia Community College, and founding member  of the Board of Directors of the League of Women in Government.  She treasures and enjoys time with her family and friends, traveling with her husband, and launching Good Karma Fibers, a fiber business focused on blending the beauty of fiber with the brilliance of color.

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.