2023 Pamplin Awards

André Davis

Virginia Tech Athletics
Director of Student-Athlete Support and Community Engagement

André Davis was an athletic and academic All-American, while at Virginia Tech, graduating with a degree in Housing, Interior Design and Resource Management. In the 2002 National Football League (NFL) draft, André was selected in the 2nd round with the 47th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns. He also played for the Patriots, Bills and Texans during his 9-year career. Davis obtained many successful achievements during his playing career, holding 2 NFL records, one as a wide receiver (longest TD reception- 99 yds) and as a kickoff returner (2 KO Return TDs in one game). In 2012, André was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Although André, his wife, Janelle, and 4 kids (Daylen, Bryce, Laila & Noelle) live in Delaware, he takes time to give back to his alma mater, Virginia Tech, by serving as the Director of Student-Athlete Support & Community Engagement in the athletic department. While caring for the student-athletes, he also cares about his university and volunteers his time as a board member on the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the Pamplin Advisory Council (PAC) in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

Because of his work with his alma mater and Africa New Life in Rwanda, André was recently selected as recipient of the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference UNITE Award. The award was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league who have made an impact in the areas of racial and social justice.

André currently sits on the board of Africa New Life; whose goal is to transform lives and communities in Rwanda. We accomplish this through caring for the whole child by providing educational sponsorships, a growing faith, community development and a healthy body.

Todd Rowley

Old Dominion National Bank
Director of Business Development

Todd Rowley has over 40 years in the banking industry, most recently as the Director of Business Development with Old Dominion National Bank where he is responsible for commercial loan and deposit growth for Virginia and the Washington D.C. Metro region.

Rowley holds an MBA with honors in Finance and Operations Research/Management Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Pamplin College of Business, and a Graduate Degree in Banking Finance from the University of Delaware Stonier Graduate School of Banking with honors. He also has a personal interest in information technology, Cloud Computing and Cyber security, and as a means to address this interest, in 2019, Rowley completed an Associate of Science degree in Information Systems Technology (Summa Cum Laude) and an Associate of Applied Science in Cloud Computing: Infrastructure and Services in 2021 (Summa Cum Laude), and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity in 2023 (Summa Cum Laude), each conferred by the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Rowley’s undergraduate degree is from Adrian College where he earned degrees in both Business Administration and Speech Communications.

In addition to serving on the board and former Chair of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Rowley has a long history of involvement in community engagement. In support of addressing the need for increased Cybersecurity professionals, Rowley recently has been asked to Chair both the NOVA Future of Work Business Advisory Council and the Virginia Tech BIT-Cybersecurity Advisory Committee in a joint initiative between NOVA and VT.

On a national basis, Rowley serves as one of the 40 members of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 5th District advisory council, which includes Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Jim Hatch

Retired Corporate Controller
Wachovia Corporation

Jim Hatch of Richmond, VA is retired from the financial industry, but he maintains close ties and is actively involved with his alma mater, specifically Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business.

Currently, he is a member of the Pamplin Advisory Council, on which he has served as president and cabinet chair. He also founded and serves as Chair of the Pamplin Community for Leadership and Engagement (PCLE) and served as Honorary Chair of Pamplin’s first Engagement Summit. Hatch was a member of the national campaign steering committee and chair of the Pamplin steering committee for The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future.

Hatch received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award during the University’s commencement ceremony in 2018. In 2010, he received Pamplin’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, which honors alumni for outstanding career accomplishments and contributions to the college.

From 2011 to 2015, Hatch was advisory board chair for the Department of Accounting and Information Systems. He is a member of Virginia Tech’s 1872 Society, the Pylon Society, and the Ut Prosim Society President’s Circle. Hatch also is a two-term member of the Virginia Tech Foundation Board of Directors.

Hatch is a certified public accountant who worked for Arthur Andersen & Co., First Union Corp., and Wachovia Corp. He retired in 2004 as corporate controller and principal accounting officer at Wachovia.

Hatch has a bachelor’s degree in management from Lynchburg College and in 1972, he earned a master’s degree in accounting from Virginia Tech.

Lauren Prociv

Ogilvy
Group Strategy Director

Pay it forward. The day Lauren learned this ethos, from the formidable Donna Wertalik, was the day everything made sense. And it was the day Lauren learned to welcome mentorship and never hesitate to give it. She credits strong role models and a strong support system as her inspiration in life and a career defined by doing what she loves with people who inspire her. Named one of The Drum’s Trailblazing Women in Creativity who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world as a strategic planner at A-List agencies, Lauren firmly believes creativity is a muscle. A passionate champion for young talent, Lauren speaks at Tech every semester to spread this word. “Too often I hear “I’m not creative enough for advertising. Well, you couldn’t drop and give me 100 push-ups if you’ve never done push-ups before either, right? You can do both those things if you work hard and have the right people in your corner.” Find that person or be that person. Ut Prosim.

Negar Jamshidimehr

Ernst & Young LLP (EY)
Tax Senior Manager

Negar Jamshidimehr is a Tax Senior Manager with Ernst & Young LLP (EY), where she focuses on serving Financial Services Organization (FSO) clients. Negar joined EY in 2013, after completing both her Masters and undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Information System and Finance from Virginia Tech. In her role at EY, Negar leads teams of professionals in meeting the Tax compliance and Tax provision needs of large public clients within the banking and capital markets sector of FSO. An active alumna in the Pamplin community, Negar serves on the Pamplin Community for Leadership and Engagement Board of Directors, is a member of the ACIS Advisory Board, and the Chair of the ACIS Emerging Leaders Board.

Pranay Bhargava

Humano Custom-Built Contractor Services
CEO

Pranay Bhargava (MGT ‘15 - EIT track) was born in New Delhi, India, and moved to the United States as a seven-year-old kid when his mother, who applied for and received a scholarship to The George Washington University to pursue an MBA in hopes of a better future for her family. Pranay always had dreams of passing forward this privilege of gaining better opportunities through education, and thus worked to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, with a pipedream of moving to San Francisco after graduating.

In San Francisco, prior to starting his own ventures, Pranay consistently finished as the top sales representative and received numerous awards at ADP, Ironclad, and Revv. His passion resides in building businesses and nonprofits that better the human condition.

Pranay has co-founded Soma International 501c3, which builds rural learning centers in Tanzania. Soma helps increase literacy and provides entrepreneurial and vocational training to women and children. On the for-profit side, he has founded/co-founded Humano Insurance, Humano Consulting, Defensive Insurance Services (insurance cluster) all in the construction space, Humano Security, Ukuwaji Traders (Tanzania-based land acquisition, mining, farming, and digital asset hedge fund), and an offshore company that provides US businesses with women marketing hires.

He is currently the Chairperson of the Management Recent Alumni Board and sits on PCLE and PAC as a recent alum representative for the Management School.

Chaimaa Fekkak

Accenture
Finance Manager

Chaimaa Fekkak is a Finance manager at Accenture, specializing in providing financial analysis, deal shaping and pricing, and deliverables for proposals throughout a variety of portfolios within the commercial sector in North America.

Chaimaa graduated from George Mason University (GMU) in 2013 with a double degree in Finance and Management, and a minor in economics. She then completed her M.B.A. at Virginia Tech in 2016.

As an active alumna to both of her schools, Chaimaa also serves as a board member for the GMU School of Business Alumni Chapter, and on the Virginia Tech MBA Advisory board. She was also honored as part of the 2014 20 Prominent Patriots in Business class at GMU and has been nominated to Loudoun’s 2023 Women Hall of Fame for the Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls.

Taylor Watts

Wealth Enhancement Group
Financial Planner

Taylor Watts graduated from Virginia Tech in May 2017 with a dual degree. He received a BS in Finance and a BS in Accounting and Information Systems. After college, Taylor moved to Charlotte, NC where he began his career in financial planning at Carroll Financial as an investment analyst. During his time as an investment analyst, he was responsible for trading and research for $2.5B in client’s assets.

After 5 years in that role, he moved into a pure financial advisor role where he manages $300 million of client’s assets. He focuses on planning for the long-term through retirement planning, tax planning, college planning, and investment management. He works closely with his clients to craft a plan that fits their ever-evolving financial needs.

Following graduation, Taylor has continued to serve Virginia Tech and the Pamplin School of business. He is currently the treasurer of the Charlotte Alumni Chapter and sits on the Recent Alumni Board (RAB) as the committee head for initiatives. He recently stepped down as the President of the Young Alumni Committee (YAC). Taylor enjoys going back for as many football games as he can each year and cheering for the Hokies.

Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac’s mission is to make home possible for families across the nation. We promote liquidity, stability, affordability and equity in the housing market throughout all economic cycles. Since 1970, we have helped tens of millions of families buy, rent or keep their home. With pathways to advance our employees’ careers, a diverse and inclusive culture, and benefits that support their total well-being, Freddie Mac is home to more.

Learn more at FreddieMac.com.