Norfolk, Virginia
Appointed: January 2026 by Gov. Abigail Spanberger
Contact Gov. Northam

Gov. Ralph Northam served as the 73rd governor of Virginia, 2018 – 2022, the second VMI alumnus to serve as Virginia’s governor. His prior political roles include state senator and lieutenant governor.
 
After graduating from VMI with a degree in biology, he commissioned into the U.S. Army. He earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School and served eight years as an Army doctor, including treating battlefield casualties from Operation Desert Storm at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. After serving as governor, Northam returned to practicing medicine and is a neurologist at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk.