More than 250 Regional Business Leaders to Attend Event Featuring Sean T. Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia
Winchester, VA 10/09/13…More than 250 regional business leaders have registered to attend the fifth annual Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) Business Forum Luncheon on Wednesday, October 9. The highlight of the event will be a presentation by Sean T. Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The event will offer an opportunity for networking from 11:30 a.m. until noon. Lunch will be served at noon with the presentation immediately following.
According to MSV Business Advisory Committee Chairman John C. Williams, the Museum is pleased to be presenting Secretary Connaughton at a time when Virginia’s new transportation legislation—and the changes that will be brought about by the funding package—is such pertinent topic for businesses and communities throughout Virginia.
The Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Sean T. Connaughton oversees seven agencies with more than 10,000 employees and combined budgets of more than $5 billion. Prior to accepting his current responsibilities in the cabinet of Governor Bob McDonnell, he was Corporate Vice President, Government Affairs for the American Bureau of Shipping, one of the world’s leading ship and marine classification societies. Sean Connaughton was named U.S. Maritime Administrator by President George W. Bush in 2006. As Maritime Administrator, he was head of the Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, and responsible for the daily management of that agency and its promotional programs for the marine transportation industry.
A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Connaughton has served the U.S. Coast Guard as both a commissioned officer and as a civil servant in the Office of Marine Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection. He was elected chairman at-large of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in 1999 and reelected to that position in 2003. Connaughton holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from George Mason University.
Williams, president of BB&T Community Bank and member of the MSV board of directors, notes that the Business Forum Luncheon was created by the Museum’s business advisory committee five years ago to present a forum for discussion regarding the most pressing issues of the day for the region’s business leaders. Previous featured speakers for the event have included, in 2009, John A. Allison, chairman of BB&T Corporation; in 2010, Mark H. Merrill, president and chief executive officer of Valley Health; in 2011, the Honorable David M. Walker, founder, president and chief executive officer of the Comeback America Initiative; and last year, Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs and one the nation’s most respected health and health policy journalists. This Wednesday’s event is sponsored by VNBTrust, BB&T, Sodexo Catering, Trex, Valley Health, and Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C.
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV complex—which includes galleries, the Glen Burnie House, and six acres of gardens—is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The Museum is open year-round; the gardens are open April through October. The Glen Burnie House is now closed until 2014 for a comprehensive preservation project. Additional information is available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235.