Meet Our 2024 Speakers

VEBA is pleased to announce its lineup of speakers for this year’s Annual Meeting. We appreciate their taking their time to participate and look forward to hearing from them as they provide timely information for the administration of our elections.

Renee Andrews

Treasurer of VEBA

Renee Andrews currently serves as the Treasurer of VEBA. She is also an Electoral Board member of Falls Church City.

Susan Beals

Virginia Elections Commissioner

Susan Beals was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections in March 2022. Prior to her appointment, she was a member of the Chesterfield County Electoral Board for three years, serving as both Chair (2019-2021) and Secretary (2021-2022). Throughout her career, Beals has staffed campaigns for state senate, governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. She has also worked as a legislative aide at the state and federal levels. She and her husband have two teenagers and reside in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Thomas Hicks

EAC Commissioner

Thomas Hicks was confirmed by unanimous consent of the United States Senate on December 16, 2014 to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Prior to his appointment with the EAC, he served on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration from 2003 to 2014. He recently completed the Election Center and Auburn University’s Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA) program. He received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and his B.A. in Government from Clark University (Worcester, MA).

Chris Hughes, JD

Senior Director of Policy and General Counsel

Chris Hughes is the Senior Director of Policy and General Counsel for the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center. He has contributed to RCV legislation and regulation in more than twenty states, including laws passed in Maine, Utah, and Virginia, and assisted with ranked-choice voting implementations in dozens of jurisdictions, from Newton, Utah (population: 794) to New York City. Chris also co-produces the RCVRC’s podcast, RCV Clips. You can follow him on Twitter @thisChrisHughes. Chris is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.

Rachel Lawless

Confidential Policy Advisor, Virginia Department of Elections

Rachel is the Confidential Policy Advisor at the Virginia Department of Elections, where she acts as a trusted advisor to the Commissioner and manages both the Policy and FOIA/Record Retention teams. In addition to the Department of Elections, Rachel previously served as the Director of Scheduling for the Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to her tenure in state government, Rachel was a staffer on both statewide and national political campaigns, which facilitated a lifelong love of the democratic process and grassroots policy making. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Michigan State University and a Masters of Public Affairs from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. In her spare time, Rachel is a member of the Advisory Board for Yes, And! Theatrical Company in Richmond, Virginia and enjoys reading and traveling abroad.

John Nunnally

First Vice-president, VEBA

John Nunnally currently serves as the First Vice-president of VEBA. He is also an Electoral Board member of Caroline County.

Kimberly Phillip

Electoral Board Member, Arlington County

Kimberly is an Electoral Board member of Arlington County. She holds a BA in Religion from the College of William and Mary and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies, Religion in World Traditions, from George Mason University.

Brandon Smith

Chief Technology Officer, ELECT

Brandon Smith started with the Department of Elections as the Chief Technology Officer on October 25th, 2023, and will run the Information Technology department within the agency. Brandon is over Customer Support, Data, GIS, Application Development, and PM/Business Analysts.

JoAnne Speiden

President, VEBA

JoAnne Speiden is the current president of VEBA. She also serves on the Electoral Board of Orange County,

Barbara Tabb

Immediate Past President, VEBA

Barbara Tabb currently serves as the Immediate Past President of VEBA. She is also an Electoral Board of Prince George County.

Wanda Taylor

Second Vice-President, VEBA

Wanda Taylor currently serves as the Second Vice-President of VEBA. She is also an Electoral Board member of Goochland County.

Joseph Underwood, Esq.

Senior Attorney, Virginia FOIA Advisory Council

Joe Underwood has been with the FOIA Advisory Council Office since 2022. Previously, he lived in Franklin, Tennessee where he spent the previous16 years practicing law with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. Prior to joining the FOIA Office, he served as Chief Counsel for the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission and the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in Nashville for 11 years. He also served as Chief Counsel for the Tennessee State Fire Marshal and the Tennessee Corrections Institute. He joined the department after graduating from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. His wife is a native Virginian, who is also a Sewanee graduate, and together they are raising their 3 boys on the family farm in Essex County.