Ron Oakley ’68
When he started at HRA in eighth grade, Ron Oakley admits that he wasn’t paying much attention at the time, but the curriculum gave him the fundamentals in science, math, English, French and even sports, that would get him through Clemson University and a degree from the College of Architecture. Throughout his career, his teachers at HRA, such as Col. Dick for science, Mr. Layne for math, Mr. Spoor for English and Ms. Hatcher for French and Mr. Worthington instilled lessons that only grew after graduation.
Shortly after, they won the project he was asked to be the site engineer, for which he was responsible for all of the architectural concrete, marble and all the specialty finishes. Next was working for The Architect of the Capitol in the construction of the Madison Memorial Library and other U.S. Capitol programs.
Following that, he built custom homes and then entered the world of industrial and heavy construction, where he began to rise through the ranks. Just to name a few of the businesses that Ron Oakley completed projects for were Intel, GM, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Disney, Pfizer, The London Underground, Kansai Airport in Osaka Bay, Hyatt Hotels, Department of Energy and other unique clients/projects.
Ron Oakley worked his way from project support roles, to project manager, to leadership roles in sales, to operations and executive management at Fluor Corporation. After 24 years at Fluor, his final deal was securing a coalition rebuild proposal that reached Prime Minister Blair’s Camp David meeting with President Bush (43) that ultimately led to some nice projects with their British partner.
Following Fluor, he held President and CEO roles at three top 20 global E&C companies. He is currently Chairman of The Branch Group headquartered in Roanoke, VA. Ron Oakley also serves on the Board of Directors of two other E&C firms where he shares his experiences to help the next generation improve shareholder values.
The architecture, engineering and construction business has been so rewarding because he was able to take ideas, turn them into reality, and provide benefits on a global level.
Throughout his journey, he applied the skills he learned at HRA, which led to personal and professional success. The science and math classes gave him the problem solving skills to understand engineering and business challenges; The English (composition) courses provided him the communication skills to write proposals that won a lot of work; Taking “proper” French aided him years later during a particular negotiation with a French company; Even his participation in sports at HRA helped him recognize how to be part of a team as well as what it took to be a good leader!
Katie Founds SMOP
Not to mention some of her full operatic roles, including Charlotte (Werther), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Jo (Little Women), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Elizabeth Proctor (The Crucible), Pitti-Sing (The Mikado), Papagena (The Magic Flute) and Ruth (Pirates of Penzance). In 2016, she founded SMOP, which brings Nomadic Vocal Drama and pop-up opera to the greater Atlanta community! After relocating to Charleston, SC in 2017 with her husband, Ryan Small, Katie is happily expanding SMOP and it has been featured in the North Charleston Arts Fest, Piccolo Spoleto, and TEDxCharleston.
In addition to being the Founder & Executive Director of SMOP, Katie has a full-time corporate job emailing attorneys for sourcing opportunities and business development. Her goal is to continue to bring pop-up opera to the community and make the classic art form fun, fresh, and accessible to all! To watch past productions and learn more about Small Opera, visit smallopera.com. Follow Small Opera on social media to see what they’re up to next!
Read More Stories like Katie’s
At Hampton Roads Academy, we cherish our connection with alumni, whom we proudly consider Navigators for life. They are the heart of our school, representing our dedication to excellence and innovation. After graduation, Navigators go on to achieve incredible milestones and hold influential roles across diverse careers and fields. A Hampton Roads education marks the start of a journey filled with limitless opportunities. Discover more about our alumni and the impact they’re making beyond HRA!
Discover Alumni in the News
The achievements of Hampton Roads Academy alumni showcase the strong foundation they gained during their time at HRA, underscoring how our core values continue to shape and inspire their lives. Whether in business, technology, the arts, or public service, their diverse accomplishments reflect a dedication to excellence. With a focus on critical thinking and leadership, the academy prepares students to thrive in their chosen careers. As a result, HRA graduates not only achieve their personal goals but also make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world. Check out our Alumni that have been featured in the News!
Emily Goodson ’03
HRA: Intuition, education, representation and accessibility. Those are some of the ideals that Emily Goodson ‘03 has carried through her personal and professional life.At age 8, Emily suffered from a brain injury and was paralyzed on the entire left side of her body. She was able to recover, but had to re-learn how to speak and move. Learning how to type with one hand and how to walk with legs that are two different lengths was her new reality.
As a child, she vividly remembers sitting in front of countless TVs and stages wondering when someone in a wheelchair or someone who walked differently, like herself, would win an Oscar, act on Broadway, or be President of the United States. This led her to recognize that there is a representation issue in the media we watch and as a result, the stories we tell ourselves. Whether it is overcoming race, disability, gender, or other barriers, there are stories of resilience, like hers and beyond that need to be elevated. It became her mission to give a greater power to those stories.
One of her favorite English teachers at HRA and someone she often recalls, Heather O’Toole, helped shape Emily’s writing and perspective. Her current writing focus could be described as a “bildungsroman,”, or a ‘coming of age’ story, which she practiced writing often for that particular class. Emily also writes about the importance of following your own intuition. Her advice is to find a way you can stay connected with what you know to be true for you versus what others tell you should do or be.
HRA: Supporting Every Student
At Hampton Roads Academy (HRA) in Newport News, VA, the school celebrates each student’s uniqueness and is committed to creating a nurturing environment tailored to individual needs. By prioritizing personalized attention, HRA provides essential academic guidance, emotional support, and extracurricular opportunities for student success. This approach is anchored in a culture of respect and care, influencing every interaction and initiative.
HRA also aims to make its high-quality education accessible to all families. With customized tuition assistance programs, HRA seeks to eliminate financial barriers, ensuring all students can access the education they deserve. HRA is proud to offer a variety of resources and support to meet the diverse needs of its community with compassion.
HRA’s Commitment to Excellence
At HRA, education extends beyond the classroom. HRA is dedicated to nurturing the whole student through a comprehensive academic program. HRA’s curriculum highlights honor, integrity, and personal growth, recognizing each student’s unique strengths within a supportive environment.
With small class sizes and individualized attention, HRA’s dedicated faculty delivers tailored support to foster student success. HRA cultivates a healthy, encouraging atmosphere where students flourish physically, emotionally, and academically. This holistic approach empowers students to engage in various academic and extracurricular activities, from athletics to the arts.
Why Choose HRA?
As the only independent school on the Peninsula serving Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, HRA offers a unique educational experience. Accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, HRA maintains high standards of academic excellence.
Beyond academics, HRA provides numerous opportunities for student development. HRA’s athletic programs encourage teamwork, physical fitness, and sportsmanship, while a robust Arts program nurtures creativity in visual and performing arts. Additionally, the REACH (Real-world Experience and Academic Choices) Initiative connects academic learning to real-world applications, fostering personal growth, community service, and shared values.
Schedule Your Tour of HRA in Newport News, VA, Today!
At HRA, students receive an exceptional education focused on character development and future success. HRA promotes critical thinking, effective communication, teamwork, and a spirit of discovery, shaping innovative and compassionate leaders for an evolving world. Serving families in Newport News, Poquoson, Hampton, and Williamsburg, VA, we invite you to schedule a campus tour to see how our nurturing environment can help your child grow and achieve their full potential.
Ben Colburn ’06
HRA: Ben Colburn, MD ’06 learned early in life that if the opportunities you want don’t exist, it’s up to you to create them.
In Fall 2021, Ben will be joining a large Pacific Northwest healthcare system that will allow him to continue working in primary care, urgent/emergency care, and hospital medicine. He also recently celebrated the one year wedding anniversary with his husband Tim and also of his mother Marnee’s move west to them nearby in Portland. He plans to continue producing and growing “The Interstitium” for both public and academic consumption and eventually hopes his project can help spark conversations about health equity for all levels of learners.
HRA: Supporting Every Student
At Hampton Roads Academy (HRA) in Newport News, VA, the school celebrates the individuality of each student and is committed to creating a nurturing environment tailored to their needs. By emphasizing personalized attention, HRA ensures students receive the academic support, emotional guidance, and extracurricular opportunities essential for success. This approach is built on a foundation of respect and care that influences all interactions and initiatives.
HRA is dedicated to making its quality education accessible to all families. Through customized tuition assistance programs, HRA works to eliminate financial barriers, ensuring that every student can access the education they deserve. HRA proudly offers various resources and support to meet the diverse needs of its community with compassion and commitment.
HRA’s Commitment to Excellence
At HRA, education extends beyond the classroom. We are devoted to developing the whole student through a rigorous academic program. HRA’s curriculum highlights honor, integrity, and personal growth, ensuring that each student’s unique strengths are acknowledged in a supportive environment.
With small class sizes and personalized support, HRA’s dedicated faculty is committed to helping every student excel. HRA fosters a healthy and encouraging atmosphere where students thrive physically, emotionally, and academically, empowering them to explore a variety of academic and extracurricular pursuits, from sports to the arts.
Why Choose HRA?
As the only independent school on the Peninsula serving Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, HRA provides a unique educational experience. Accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, HRA adheres to the highest standards of academic excellence.
Beyond academics, HRA offers numerous opportunities to enhance student development. HRA’s athletic programs encourage teamwork, physical fitness, and sportsmanship, while our vibrant Arts program enables students to express their creativity in visual and performing arts. The REACH (Real-world Experience and Academic Choices) Initiative links academic learning to real-world applications, fostering personal growth, community service, and shared values.
Schedule Your Tour of HRA in Newport News, VA, Today!
At Hampton Roads Academy, students receive an exceptional education focused on character development and future success. HRA nurtures critical thinking, effective communication, teamwork, and a spirit of discovery, shaping innovative and compassionate leaders for an evolving world. Serving families in Newport News, Poquoson, Hampton, and Williamsburg, VA, we invite you to schedule a campus tour to see how our supportive environment can help your child thrive and reach their full potential.
J.S. “Trip” Gilmore III ’16
HRA: “What’s it like having a secret superpower that’s invisible, misunderstood, and sometimes way too powerful?”When many people hear that someone has Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADD/ADHD, there’s an overwhelming stigma that paints a picture of what it’s supposed to look like in a person.
The stereotype is an overly talkative child who is lazy because they can’t do their work. J. S. “Trip” Gilmore III ‘16 is an advocate for those who struggle with the condition, especially the approximately 5% of adults who have ADHD, which represents over 11,000,000 people in the US. He’s learned and honed in on some mental tools to help use the disorder to one’s advantage.
First, what is ADD/ADHD? According to the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, it’s a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors.
There’s more than just one type of ADHD, but the most recognizable symptoms are lack of attention to details, an inability to follow or remember instructions, getting easily distracted, fidgeting, and/or talking too much. More than 1 in 10 children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD, many of whom will have symptoms that persist into adulthood.
As someone who was one of the 6.4 million kids aged 4-17 with ADHD, Trip had to learn how to manage being overwhelmed and overstimulated, especially in new environments such as private school. Often people with ADHD will have an overabundance of ideas they are eager to explore, but have a hard time organizing their thoughts to get directly to the finish line.
Trip, who studied Physics and Business Economics at Hampden Sydney College and is currently a Data Analyst at Virginia Green, has always loved learning about how things work. His most recent project has been developing their new dashboard system and helping the company become more efficient with data usage. His desire to work with dashboards and other data analytics systems gives him the energy to directly focus on those projects. “
Hyperfocus”, when used to one’s advantage, can arguably be one of the best aspects of ADHD. Sometimes one becomes so fascinated by a subject/task that full focus is directed entirely on it. For many to “activate” this hyperfocus, they must be interested in the topic. One technique Trip uses for learning is to find ways to make it interesting to him. If the subject is not particularly stimulating, he will think about the results of learning the subject. That often helps him stay motivated and focused.
One of Trip’s best pieces of advice is to start using your smartphone smarter. When your brain is trying to focus on juggling tasks, you forget that chore you’ve been meaning to do, that doctor’s appointment, or even what day you’re hanging out with your friends. To combat that, use your phone’s calendar to schedule and categorize all events ahead of time so it will remember for you. Routines and structure are also very helpful. One of Trip’s responsibilities at work is to build data collection sheets every two weeks. He sets a calendar reminder to do this every other Friday so that it helps keep tasks organized. This can be used for other tasks at home as well, like laundry, dishes, and grocery shopping.
On the other hand, our brains tend to wander on social media, playing games or browsing the internet. By checking the “Screen Time” section in your phone’s settings, you can learn exactly what your habits are. To prevent extraneous time on distractions, the downtime function will limit how long you can use an app during the day. If that fails, Trip says biting the bullet works as well. He deleted the social media short video app, TikTok, for this very reason, as he noticed himself becoming absorbed in it because the videos are the perfect length to satisfy his brain.
Unstructured projects tend to be difficult for people with ADHD. While at HRA, he learned to be bold, to take more risks and never be afraid to try something new. So, it’s no wonder why Trip wants to be a pathfinder and discover methods to make an unstructured project easier and more productive. Having ADHD can make life a bit frustrating, but Trip likes to view it as a challenge. Using these tools, he says his work performance has accelerated, his confidence has grown, and his lifestyle has improved.
Going forward, Trip plans to lead a team of data professionals in the coming years, wants to keep on learning and bettering himself. He hopes to help more people who have ADD/ADHD learn how to use it to their advantage and would love to connect via email, jsgilmore3@gmail.com, with anyone in the HRA community who’s also interested, especially alumni.
HRA: Supporting Every Student
At Hampton Roads Academy (HRA) in Newport News, VA, the school celebrates the individuality of each student and is committed to creating a nurturing environment tailored to their needs. By emphasizing personalized attention, HRA ensures students receive the academic support, emotional guidance, and extracurricular opportunities essential for success. This approach is built on a foundation of respect and care that influences all interactions and initiatives.
HRA is dedicated to making its quality education accessible to all families. Through customized tuition assistance programs, HRA works to eliminate financial barriers, ensuring that every student can access the education they deserve. HRA proudly offers various resources and support to meet the diverse needs of its community with compassion and commitment.
HRA’s Commitment to Excellence
At HRA, education extends beyond the classroom. We are devoted to developing the whole student through a rigorous academic program. HRA’s curriculum highlights honor, integrity, and personal growth, ensuring that each student’s unique strengths are acknowledged in a supportive environment.
With small class sizes and personalized support, HRA’s dedicated faculty is committed to helping every student excel. HRA fosters a healthy and encouraging atmosphere where students thrive physically, emotionally, and academically, empowering them to explore a variety of academic and extracurricular pursuits, from sports to the arts.
Why Choose HRA?
As the only independent school on the Peninsula serving Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, HRA provides a unique educational experience. Accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, HRA adheres to the highest standards of academic excellence.
Beyond academics, HRA offers numerous opportunities to enhance student development. HRA’s athletic programs encourage teamwork, physical fitness, and sportsmanship, while our vibrant Arts program enables students to express their creativity in visual and performing arts. The REACH (Real-world Experience and Academic Choices) Initiative links academic learning to real-world applications, fostering personal growth, community service, and shared values.
Schedule Your Tour of HRA in Newport News, VA, Today!
At HRA, students receive an exceptional education focused on character development and future success. HRA nurtures critical thinking, effective communication, teamwork, and a spirit of discovery, shaping innovative and compassionate leaders for an evolving world. Serving families in Newport News, Poquoson, Hampton, and Williamsburg, VA, we invite you to schedule a campus tour to see how our supportive environment can help your child thrive and reach their full potential.