When Alan S. Witt graduated from then Christopher Newport College in 1976, he made a conscious decision “to be fully engaged in the community.”
His community dedication has endured for 50 years, earning him the 2023 First Citizen Award from the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. Witt, the dean of Christopher Newport University’s Luter School of Business, has been a major player in the Peninsula’s growth and success.
Witt moved to Newport News in 1971 from northern New Jersey when he was a high school senior. Coming to the Peninsula then was a bit of a shock.
“Our home in northern New Jersey was 8 miles from Times Square,” he said. “It (the Peninsula) was like a different world.”
Prior to joining CNU, he worked four decades as CEO of PBMares, an accounting firm he co-founded in 1979. Under his leadership, the Newport News-based firm expanded to become a leading Mid-Atlantic firm and one of the top 100 U.S. accounting and business consulting firms serving national and international clients.
Witt was the managing member of the local development group responsible for the design, construction and management for City Center, which has become an entertainment hub for the city.
Over the years, he’s lent his business expertise to numerous community service positions. Witt is a member of the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable, immediate past chairman for the Peninsula Chamber board, past chairman of the Virginia Chamber board and board member of the Peninsula Community Foundation.
It’s easy to understand why the Virginia Peninsula Chamber awarded him the honor: The former Newport News City Council member is an avid cheerleader for the area.
“I think the Peninsula is misunderstood in what it is,” he said. “The population is larger than Virginia Beach. There is Jefferson Lab where one-third of U.S. Ph.D.s in nuclear physics carry out their nuclear research and it is expanding with the next supercomputer. There is NASA, and Newport News shipyard is the largest industrial employer in Virginia.”
He alluded to the area’s history with Jamestown and Yorktown, museums like the Mariners’ Museum and its academic assets of CNU, Hampton University, William & Mary and Virginia Peninsula Community College. He said the multiple military installations add to the Hampton Roads fabric by bringing diversity.
“There is little snow and ice in the winter,” he continued. “The assets we have are prime for economic growth.”
He admitted being surrounded by water on three sides makes for transportation issues, but noted that other areas in the United States have multiple bridges and tunnels and heavy traffic.
The Peninsula Chamber award is one of many for Witt, starting in 1991 when he earned Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Public Servant of the Year Award. He was named 1995 Citizen of the Year by the Daily Press, has earned two Outstanding Alumnus awards from CNU and the Peninsula Humanitarian Award from the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, plus many others.
During his business career, Witt has seen multiple changes, most notably in the 1980s with the onset of personal computers.
“Before, everything was paper-oriented, and then the cloud and the internet came,” he said. “That has affected so much.”
Witt sees the next business revolution with artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. He said it needs to be seen as a tool.
“Business schools should teach how to use ChatGPT as a tool in the toolbox. It’s not to be avoided but used to enhance work,” Witt said.
Leading a university business school is something new for Witt, having done so for less than three years though he served on the school’s board of visitors at various times since the 1980s. His enthusiasm for academia is evident, although he said it is far different than the business community.
“This opportunity to deal with bright minds is energizing,” he said.
___
If you go
What: Virginia Peninsula Chamber’s First Citizen Gala recognizing Alan Witt
When: 5:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 24
Where: Newport News Marriott, 740 Town Center Drive
Tickets: $70, purchase online at virginiapeninsulachamber.com
