The Lynchburg Office of Economic Development and the Economic Development Authority welcomed John Stone as the newest member of the Economic Development Authority at the group’s annual meeting on July 16. Stone was appointed by Lynchburg City Council and will serve a four year term.
Mr. Stone is a First Vice President / Investments with Stifel Nicolaus, a national financial services firm. He has spent his entire career in financial services, and has more than 17 years of experience in wealth management. Prior to joining Stifel in 2005, John worked with two Lynchburg-based money management firms: Davidson & Garrard and Wood & White.
Mr. Stone is a Lynchburg native, an E.C. Glass graduate, and a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a BA in Economics. He is a member of the CFA Institute and Richmond Society of Financial Analysts.
Mr. Stone currently serves as Board Chair of the Lynchburg Business Development Centre, on the Board of Directors of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, and as a Board Member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Lynchburg-Morning. John and his wife, Shelley, live in Lynchburg with their four children.
The Economic Development Authority also elected new officers for one-year terms:
Chair, Mike Lucado
Mr. Lucado has served on the EDA since 2006 and is a licensed real estate agent in the State of Virginia and Vice President of Brownstone Properties, Inc. where he focuses primarily on Marketing and Business Development. He is also a managing partner in several residential real estate investment corporations and has served as a director and volunteer for numerous community and civic organizations.
Vice Chair, Louise Mitchell
Ms. Mitchell has served on the EDA since 2009, has owned and operated two businesses, and currently serves as Business Manager at Credit Connection, Inc. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Bluefield State College and a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ms. Mitchell is active in a variety of community associations and organizations, including Miriam’s House, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Lynchburg Chapter of Links and MDM Networking, Inc., sponsor of the Pink Auction.
Secretary-Treasurer, Mark Strosnider
Mr. Strosnider has been a local banker in Lynchburg since 1986 and currently works as a commercial lender with American National Bank and Trust. Mark is a graduate of Virginia Tech, the VBA School of Bank Management, and ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Georgetown University.
Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Gary Allen
Mr. Allen is the Manager Member of KHA Consultants, LLC where he provides tax, accounting and consulting services. Prior to forming KHA Consultants, Mr. Allen was Partner in Charge of the Lynchburg office of Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP. Mr. Allen has 40 years of diversified accounting, auditing and tax experience and is a member of the AICPA, VSCPA, Lynchburg Estate Planning Council and former audit chairman of the Virginia Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Other members of the EDA are:
Susan G. Ackley
Ms. Ackley is a Tax Director in the Lynchburg office of Brown, Edwards & Company, LLP. Susan is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and received a MS in Accounting from the University of Virginia. She has 28 years of public accounting experience, including 8 years with an international firm. She is a member of the AICPA (including the PFP and Tax Subcommittees), VSCPA, and Lynchburg Estate Planning Council (past President). She serves on the SML Charity Tour Selection Committee and is a Trustee at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. In the past, she has served as Vice-Chair for the Ferrum College Estate Planning Council and Founding Member and Treasurer of the EC Glass Education Foundation.
William T. “Bill” Lovern
Mr. Lovern grew up in Lynchburg, attended E. C. Glass High School, and graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Economics. His career began in New York, trading and marketing government securities for The Bankers Trust Company on Wall Street. Mr. Lovern is now the co-founder and Executive Vice President of The Global Volunteer Partnership, an organization that is developing resources to enable skilled American volunteers and US nonprofits and companies to contribute to global development through projects targeting economic growth, education, health, the environment, information technology and agriculture.
The Lynchburg Economic Development Authority is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia and serves as the incentive arm of the City of Lynchburg. The EDA actively pursues investment and development opportunities, and elevates the economic development profile of the City. EDA members are appointed by City Council and may serve up to three consecutive four year terms. The EDA meets monthly on the third Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the Office of Economic Development.