Board of Directors

The Board of Directors meet in the Water Authority's headquarters at 601 S. Jefferson Street, Second Floor Board Room. Board meetings are open to the public.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has a seven-member governing board. Roanoke County and City of Roanoke governing bodies each select three board members while Franklin County selects one board member. Serving four-year terms are city resident Marc S. Fink , who is Authority board Chair, county resident R. Grayson "Gray" Goldsmith who is the Vice-Chairman, , city resident John P. Bradshaw, Jr., Vinton resident Donald L. Davis, Franklin County resident Mrs. Shirley Holland, city resident Robert Lawson and county resident H. Odell "Fuzzy" Minnix.

Serving as treasurer is Authority Director of Finance and Administration Mr. Bruce Grant and serving as secretary is Authority Executive Assistant Ms. Jean Thurman.




Mr. Marc S. Fink

Authority Chairman Marc Fink is CEO and Chairman of Fink’s Jewelers, Inc. which operates fourteen stores. Nine stores are in Virginia – two in Roanoke, one in Lynchburg, one in Charlottesville, three in Richmond, one in Norfolk and one in Dulles. The other four stores are in North Carolina – two in Charlotte and three in the Raleigh – Durham area. Marc Fink is a third generation jeweler.

Mr. R. Grayson "Gray" Goldsmith

Authority Vice-Chairman Mr. Goldsmith was born and raised in the Roanoke Valley and has been a resident of Roanoke County since 1978. He started his banking in Roanoke with the old First National Exchange Bank (predecessor to Wachovia Bank) in 1976, and served there in a multitude of roles and responsibilities until 1998. He then joined SunTrust Bank as a Senior Vice President in the Commercial Banking Group with management responsibility for commercial sales activities in the Roanoke, New River Valley and Southside markets. In 2007, Mr. Goldsmith joined Valley Bank and assumed his present position as Business Banking Group Manager.

Mr. Goldsmith has taken an active interest in community endeavors over the years. He is a life long member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke and has served on numerous civic and professional organizations. He currently serves on the corporate boards of YMCA of Roanoke Valley and Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia. He became a board member of the Western Virginia Water Authority in December 2007.

Mr. Goldsmith is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology. He and his wife, Eva have two daughters and one son.

Mr. John P. Bradshaw, Jr.

Raised in the City of Norfolk, Mr. Bradshaw became a permanent resident of the City of Roanoke in 1962 when he was transferred here as an engineer with the engineering architectural firm of Hayes Seay Mattern & Mattern. Prior to his retirement from HSMM in 1998, Mr. Bradshaw held various assignments including structural and geotechnical engineer, Structural Department Head, Project Manager, Partner and Chairman of the Board.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from MIT and returned there after three years in the Navy to obtain a Masters Degree, specializing in geotechnical engineering. Professionally, he held engineering registrations in more than two dozen states including Virginia and California. In addition to membership in other professional societies, he is a Past President of the Virginia Chapter of ASCE where he was quite supportive of student engineers.

Mr. Bradshaw continued his interest in the Navy, retiring from the Naval Reserve as a Commander. He is a long time member of St. John's Episcopal Church, serving in various rolls including two terms on its Vestry. He also served as Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke and more recently Past Treasurer and Past President of the Historical Society of Western Virginia. In later rolls, he was instrumental in the establishment of the O. Winston Link Museum.

In 1972 he was appointed to the City of Roanoke Planning Commission and served for some 24 years, including being Chairman at various times. In the fall of 2007, Mr. Bradshaw as elected to a four year term as the City of Roanoke's representative on the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District Commission.

Married to a Roanoke Valley native, Matilda, the Bradshaws have three married daughters, two of whom currently reside in the valley, and four grandchildren.





Mr. Donald L. Davis

Mr. Davis has lived in Vinton since 1965. Mr. Davis served on the Vinton Town Council for fifteen years, the last four years as Mayor. He was employed in the banking industry from 1965-1997, retiring after 32 years.

Mr. Davis has served as President of the Vinton Chamber of Commerce and the Vinton Dogwood Festival and has served as Vice Chairman of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission. He has held Club, District and State offices in the Lions Club. He currently serves on the board of the Vinton Needy Family Program and Habitat for Humanity.

He is a long time member of Thrasher Memorial United Methodist church in Vinton where he serves as Treasurer of the Church.

Mr. Davis has a banking degree from the University of Virginia. He and his wife have one daughter, one son and one granddaughter.

Mrs. Shirley Holland

Mrs. Holland joined the Western Virginia Water Authority in 2010 as the Franklin County representative. She, her husband and two children reside in Callaway, Virginia. Mrs. Holland is employed by Carilion Clinic as Vice President of Strategic Development, responsible for planning and marketing functions for the organization, as well as community outreach and the Carilion Foundation.

Mrs. Holland is a board member of the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Smith Mountain Lake Scholarship Trust Fund and the Carilion Foundation. She has served as the President of the YMCA of Franklin County board and a board member of Blue Ridge Public TV. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Bridgewater College and her Masters in Business Administration from Radford University.

Mr. Robert C. Lawson, Jr.

Mr. Lawson is a resident of the City of Roanoke. He joined SunTrust Bank in Lynchburg, Virginia, as a vice president in the Commercial Lending Group in May 1979. In 1982, he moved to Roanoke. In 1986, he was elected president of SunTrust - Roanoke, which included management responsibility for the Radford, Virginia, market. In 1997, his management duties were expanded to include responsibility for all commercial banking activities for SunTrust Bank, Western Virginia. In 2000, he assumed the role of president and chief executive officer, SunTrust Bank, Western Virginia until his retirement in 2007. Mr. Lawson is currently a principal at Longview Associates, LLC, a general management and finance consulting firm.

Mr. Lawson has an undergraduate degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Richmond.

He has served as board chairman of the United Way of Roanoke Valley, Inc., Downtown Roanoke, Inc., Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Roanoke Region Economic Development Partnership. He currently serves on the boards of the Roanoke Valley Development Corporation, YMCA of Roanoke Valley, Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts, Art Museum of Western Virginia, Hotel Roanoke, LLC, Virginia Tech Foundation, Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership and Foundation for Roanoke Valley.

In 1996, Mr. Lawson was awarded the Wiley S. Hubbard Award for Outstanding Service to United Way. In 2000, he received the John W. Hancock, Jr. Award for Outstanding Community Service. He was also awarded the Perry F. Kendig Award in 2000 for Outstanding Support of the Arts.




Mr. H. Odell “Fuzzy” Minnix

Mr. Minnix is a Roanoke County resident. Mr. Minnix served on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors from 1992 through the first half of 2004.

Born in Roanoke County, Mr. Minnix is an Andrew Lewis High School graduate. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force as a Control Tower Operator. A graduate of the FAA Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Mr. Minnix is also a graduate of the FAA Management School at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Mr. Minnix is a member of the Roanoke County School Board representing the Cave Spring Magisterial District. He was elected to this position in 2008 to serve until 2012.

Mr. Minnix is a recipient of the Roanoke Valley Big Brother of the Year Award, the Roanoke Federal Employee of the Year Award and FAA Education Facilitator of the Year Award for the Eastern Region. Mr. Minnix has also received five outstanding ratings in the FAA. A local radio station, WROV, chose Mr. Minnix as an WROV Outstanding Performer Award recipient.

Mr. Minnix has been a member of the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership Board, liaison to the Virginia Association of Counties and a member of the Urban Partnership board. He also serves on the Bio-Ethics Committee at Lewis-Gale Hospital, the Blue Ridge Zoological Society of Virginia and the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Mr. Minnix is a member of Ghent Grace Brethren Church where he is a past moderator and Sunday school superintendent. An avid supporter of youth and sports, Mr. Minnix has served as head football coach at Hidden Valley Junior High, head softball coach, assistant varsity football coach and assistant varsity track coach at Cave Spring High School. Mr. Minnix is also active as a Virginia High School League football and basketball official.

Mr. Minnix is married to Janet Carol Hammers. He has two sons and a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.