New Rotary District 7600 Governor John Padgett’s affiliation with our Rotary Club began when he was at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach. As president of Kempsville’s Junior Achievement group he was selected as Junior Achievement “president of the year” for Hampton Roads. Our club paid for his trip to Indiana University in Bloomington for the annual Junior Achievement conference where John won third place in the national competition. Norfolk Rotary also sponsored John’s participation in the Junior Achievement conference the following year. John says Junior Achievement and the conference changed his life in many ways, including giving him confidence and exposure to others. He also knew that he wanted to join Rotary when he was established in his career.
John’s early life was in Lynchburg. His family moved to Virginia Beach after John finished eighth grade. For college, John chose the University of Virginia after his older brother chose Virginia Tech. John’s father, a UVa alum, jokingly promised that if John went to Virginia, then he would pay. If not, he wouldn’t. John gained early admission to UVa and majored in economics.
John's career in law was influenced by a retired Lynchburg judge. As a child, John worked in a landscaping business. One client was a retired judge who was a Washington & Lee University graduate. He let John know that practicing law would enable him to advocate for people. He ended up at the judge's alma mater. After graduating from law school, John returned to Hampton Roads and joined Jett, Berkley, Burr & Padgett, which specialized in maritime law. In 1994, McGuire Woods acquired the boutique practice. Today John is managing partner of McGuire Woods in Hampton Roads.
John joined our Rotary Club in 1989 and was club president in 2011-2012. He is a Paul Harris Fellow + 5 for his support of The Rotary Foundation and is a Charles Woodard Fellow for his support of our club's endowment. He is a strong proponent of Rotary where he finds members who share similar values. John likes how Rotarians care about each other and their communities and want to "leave the woodpile a little higher." John's term as district governor started July 1. His other community activities include chairing the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, and serving on the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, Tidewater Community College and Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce boards. He also is an honorary German consul.
In his free time, John enjoys baseball. He played as a child, joined a softball league as a young attorney and has visited many major league stadiums for games with his sons. He believes baseball offers valuable life lessons, including the ability to perform under pressure and being part of a team effort to succeed. He also enjoys playing golf, reading and spending time at his family's beach cottage in the Outer Banks.
John and his wife, Lee Ann live in downtown Norfolk. They met at a Young Republicans convention in Washington, D.C. Lee Ann was active in the Portsmouth Young Republicans Club while John was affiliated with the Tidewater group. They have two sons. Kyle is an emergency medical technician with the Virginia Beach Fire Department and the father of three children. Sam is a rising fourth-year student at UVa majoring in English and Spanish. Like his father, Sam loves Charlottesville and being part of the UVa community.