Virginia Western Community College alumnus Samuel Hayes III (’83) opened “The Power of Networking,” a 2025-26 lecture series organized by Roanoke City Community College Access Program (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.
On Monday, Hayes spoke to students in the Hall Associates Career Center about “An Unlikely Success: Journey of a First-Generation Engineering Professional.” Hayes has served in a number of key 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.
Hayes encouraged the students to see Virginia Western as a foundation. “Please take advantage of what they’re offering here,” as he encouraged them to attend professors’ office hours, use tutoring resources and seek internships, then give back to their community. “There’s no shame in saying, ‘I need help.'”
Giving concrete examples from his life, Hayes showed how building a network of contacts in education and business made a difference at key points in his life. “Your network is your net worth,” he told them, presenting statistics about how candidate referrals increase chance of hiring.
Hayes gave insight on finding a mentor and encouraged students to prioritize communication — whether using calls, texts, email or LinkedIn, respond within 24 hours and keep a sense of urgency to build mentoring relationships both ways. His perspective on his role for mentees who show focus and engagement: “I’m going to help you be the best you.”
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.”
All full- and part-time Virginia Western faculty and staff are eligible to apply annually for a Bright Ideas Innovation Grant, which can each range up to $15,000.
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. Students attending the session received a copy of the book, ”Connecting for Success: A Student’s Guide to Networking,” by Michael Earley.
At Monday’s session, Hayes gave students a glimpse of his background and showed how relationships he built early helped him move forward. Hayes earned his Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering at the College and Bachelor of Science in the same at Old Dominion University. As part of his previous roles with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Hayes 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 for Chesterfield County.
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.”
