Virginia Western alumnus Samuel Hayes III (’83) will be the first guest speaker in “The Power of Networking,” a 2025-26 lecture series organized by Roanoke City CCAP Success Coach Frank Tyree. The series is open to current students and funded by a Bright Ideas Innovation Grant from the Virginia Western Educational Foundation. Hayes’s presentation is titled, “An Unlikely Success: Journey of a First-Generation Engineering Professional.”
Registration is required for the Sept. 29 event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Hall Associates Career Center. The presentation starts at noon and lunch is included. Students can register using the following link as well as using the QR code on flyers posted around campus: https://forms.gle/gbR2stbu7ona1KPP6
Tyree said he sought the Innovation Grant to raise awareness about networking, which could benefit the many first-generation and low-income students at Virginia Western. “The Power of Networking” series is “intended to broaden students’ knowledge and understanding of networking as it relates to career development and exploration,” Tyree said. “It will help to fill in gaps about a topic, networking, that is not taught in college courses but is extremely important toward earning an internship or career.”
The first series speaker, Samuel Hayes, earned his Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering at the College and Bachelor of Science in the same at Old Dominion University. He then went on to serve in a number of impactful roles across Virginia, including Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management and Chief Facilities Officer at William and Mary; Assistant Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; Director of the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; and Special Assistant to the Governor for Small, Women and Minority Business Development, working under Governors Tim Kaine and Robert McDonnell. In that role, he was the Chief Supplier Diversity Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia and oversaw the greatest percentage utilization of small, women and minority owned business in number of procurements with the Commonwealth in its history.
Earlier in his career, Hayes was Director of Operations at the Roanoke Higher Education Center as the building was being renovated as a collaborative hub for Virginia colleges and universities. He was also involved with the planning and subsequent construction of the Claude Moore Complex, which houses Virginia Western’s Al Pollard Culinary Arts Program.
In July 2024, Hayes was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to The Library Board of Virginia. He currently serves as Assistant Director for General Services at Chesterfield County, where he has responsibility for Capital Project Management, Buildings and Grounds, Security Management and Energy/Sustainability management.
Hayes said his interest in speaking to and mentoring students dates back to a relationship formed 25 years ago. “I still mentor that individual and he plays an important role in my life,” he said. “My passion for mentoring stems from me not having a mentor when I was a young student. Watching these students grow toward their potential has been amazing.”
Tyree is working with other success coaches at Virginia Western in scheduling additional speakers for the lecture series. “Since networking is a component of career development, we chose to hold this series at the Hall Associates Career Center and highlight their resources,” he said. Each presenter will touch upon a different theme relating to networking, so students are encouraged to attend multiple sessions.
All full- and part-time Virginia Western faculty and staff are eligible to apply annually for a Bright Ideas Innovation Grant. A Letter of Intent is the first step in applying and due by Nov. 3, 2025, for grants awarded in the 2026-27 academic year. New this application cycle: Individual grant awards can range up to $15,000. For more information, visit virginiawestern.edu/foundation/innovation-grants/ or contact Grants Administrator Shelley Lyons at slyons@virginiawestern.edu or (540) 857-6084.