Distinguished Professional Achievement Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves as significant contributors to their professions, who stand above their peers, and who are recognized within their professions as role models for future generations of citizen leaders.

Ideals of citizen leadership he learned as a student follow alumnus throughout his life 

In 1992, seven students came together to found Princeps, an honorary organization to promote leadership in Longwood students by holding up the ideals of citizen leadership as a model for a well-rounded life.   

Bradley H. Pomp ’92 was one of those founding members, and the organization’s motto, “To Lead is to Serve,” is an adage he has carried with him throughout his personal and professional path.  

“It is a piece of my ongoing walk in life—giving back to the people I’m working with and leading and serving them,” Pomp said. “Citizen leadership to me is truly ‘to lead is to serve’ and to serve the people that you are hoping to bring along and have them do great things.”  

Pomp is the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Leader Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who have achieved outstanding success and national distinction in both their personal and professional lives, making them the embodiment of a citizen leader.   

Being a leader didn’t interest Pomp much during his adolescence. But his formative experiences at Longwood changed that and laid the foundation for a life defined by leadership and service. 

“Longwood was the perfect environment to step out of my comfort zone and try things that I had never done in high school,” Pomp said. “I’d never been involved. I’d never challenged myself to take on leadership roles and be in the front of the room. Longwood allowed that to happen. It was a great place to grow that leadership walk and build that foundation so long as I wanted to continue down that path.”  

That walk eventually led Pomp to be elected Student Government Association president at Longwood, serve on the Honor Board and lead his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, in addition to founding Princeps. 

After graduating from Longwood in 1993 with a degree in political science with a pre-law focus, Pomp went on to earn an MBA in finance at George Washington University in 1996, while working a full-time day job. After that he went on to finance roles at several Fortune 500 companies.  

In 2002, he founded Defense Litigation Group, which served major clients such as Ford, Michelin and British Petroleum. In 2015, Pomp took on an executive leadership role at Florida-based Sentry Management, and two years later he became president. Under his leadership, the family-owned community association management company has grown from 13 to 25 states and revenues have surged. The company now manages 3,500 communities nationwide. 

“Brad Pomp is the very definition of a citizen leader—in business, in service and in life,” said Athletics Director Tim Hall. “He cultivates a workplace culture that doesn’t just prioritize success, it prioritizes people. Brad remains grounded in what matters most. He is a generous friend, devoted husband and proud father.”  

Pomp met his wife, Shannon Nunnally Pomp ’93, at Longwood, and they have remained dedicated supporters of their alma mater. They endowed the Pomp Family Citizen Leader scholarship to support student leadership in campus organizations and made significant contributions to renovating the student athlete weight room in Iler Hall, which is now named the Pomp Sports Performance Center.  

The Pomps have also been champions of the Cormier Honors College annual leadership retreat.  

“This program is designed to help new scholars build early connections, foster a sense of belonging and develop the confidence and community that lead to greater academic success and campus involvement,” said Dr. Chris Kukk, the Wilma Register Sharp and Marc Boyd Sharp Dean of the Honors College. “In other words, the very qualities that Brad brought to Longwood as a student.” 

Pomp said that supporting the retreat was appealing because he sees it gives Longwood students many of the same experiences that were foundational for him 30 years ago.   

“The honors college retreat is a great example of where students get connected to Longwood immediately,” he said. “They are able to start to step out of their comfort zone and be in an environment that lets them challenge themselves and take on new opportunities.”  

Pomp, who gives back to his home community through volunteering as a youth coach and as a leader in his church, said he was deeply honored to receive an alumni award. But he added that it is somewhat ironic because he often feels like it should be the other way around—he should be recognizing Longwood for everything it did for him.  

“Longwood did a tremendous amount for me in my life in terms of getting me the right foundation and getting me turned in the right direction,” he said. “The path that this university put me on professionally and personally was very impactful. More than anything it is nice to know that somewhere I made Longwood proud after all that it did for Shannon and me.”  


Do you know a deserving Lancer?

Whether they've excelled in their career or had a lasting impact on those around them, consider nominating a Longwood alum you know for one of the Alumni Association's seven awards.

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