Helen has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Dragas Companies, sustaining a passion for the real estate industry that began as a 10-year- old girl trailing her father as he launched a mortgage business.
A Virginia Beach native, Helen graduated from Norfolk Academy, where she served as a trustee for 20 years. She received B.A.’s in Foreign Affairs and Economics from the University of Virginia, where she also went on to earn her MBA from The Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.
In 1996, Helen became president of The Dragas Companies, which had grown into a diversified Hampton Roads real estate enterprise. She has since led the business to new heights, thriving through multiple economic cycles. For her work, Helen was awarded the inaugural Lee Evans Award for Building Management Excellence by the National Association of Homebuilders and Builder Magazine in 1999 and again in 2009. Under her leadership, The Dragas Companies was also honored with Builder Magazine’s designation as "America's Best Builder" in 2009.
Beyond her role as President and CEO, Helen directs her philanthropic efforts to issues of homelessness, poverty, and education. In 2015, she founded a nonprofit foundation, Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust, to catalyze and accelerate change at America’s public colleges and universities that results in lower costs and greater access to students from all walks of life, while maintaining or enhancing academic quality.
Helen has also served many Virginia gubernatorial appointments, including to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, State Council on Higher Education for Virginia, the University of Virginia, and the Governor's Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission. Locally, she has served on the Hampton Roads Partnership, the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, and Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, among others.
Helen’s civic engagement and philanthropic leadership have led to many awards and designations, including First Citizen of Virginia Beach, Influential Woman of Virginia by Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Humanitarian Award from the Center for Inclusive Communities of Virginia, Hampton Roads Business Hall of Fame, and Habitat for Humanity’s Dream Builder award.