1. What made you interested in a career in economic development?

I grew up in a family that worked hard to ensure that we had the resources we needed. I witnessed friends and family impacted by layoffs and economic challenges. In economic development, we work to provide opportunity. That is a passion and drive for me – working to provide opportunities for the people who live in my region to earn a living wage and to progress along a career path.

2. What is your favorite part of your role as Executive Director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership?

I enjoy leading the regional economic development effort and leading a research-driven economic development agenda. I have a background in demographic and economic research, and identifying opportunities that are fact-based and then finding ways to communicate the advantage is a lot of fun for me.

3. What are some of the things the Roanoke Regional Partnership has done to advance economic recovery in the area?

When the pandemic first began and there were lockdowns and restrictions, we did a lot of work to assemble resources and share those resources with the audience of businesses. One of the things we developed was a survey instrument for businesses. When a business filled out a survey to indicate their challenges or concerns, we would refer them to local economic developers for follow-up and assistance. We did a mailing to every business license holder in the region so they would know about the survey and our online list of resources and business assistance programs. We also assembled a coalition of resource providers to work together, and the Roanoke Regional Recovery Project came out of that process. From a data and research standpoint, we are monitoring the recovery. And what we do generally – raising the profile of the region and its opportunities, working to secure business attraction opportunities, and supporting expansions – ultimately supports the recovery.

4. In your project, you are working on a long-term recovery strategy. Could you talk about what this strategy looks like?

In working with regional businesses, economic developers, and resource providers we found the most immediate needs are centered around talent and workforce since talent availability is such a significant concern right now. We have developed with our consultant some targeted tactics to address. These tactics are being incorporated into the work we are doing jointly with the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board and through the Thrive 2027 plan, the new five-year strategic platform of action for the Partnership.

We are also working with the consultant and local economic developers to develop a series of recommendations that can strengthen the regional business retention and expansion program that the local governments are actively implementing. There are resources, protocols, customer relations management software, and a series of tactical recommendations that can be implemented to strengthen the program and provide a more consistent and efficient experience for all stakeholders in that process.

5. What are some of the talent retention goals you hope to accomplish?

The Roanoke Regional Partnership will continue and build upon talent retention programming such as the Experience conference and will continue to link college students and residents with our region’s unique assets and career opportunities. The Partnership is working to support the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board in a host of talent development strategies through a joint GO Virginia application. There are a number of goals and strategies that revolve around talent, education and industry alignment, placemaking, and livability that will support retention. Review the plan at https://roanoke.org/thrive-2027/.

6. How do you hope this project will help businesses in the region recover from the effects of the pandemic?

By improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of the business retention and expansion process, we can ‘touch’ businesses in multiple ways. The process will be more effective if we provide support services to businesses using a consistent, layered approach, taking advantage of regional intelligence and sharing information across all the partners. That way, we can connect businesses to the services they need.

7. As you move forward with this project, is there anything you are looking forward to learning or doing?

The Partnership and its local government partners have learned a great deal about the challenges our businesses face. There has been tremendous learning in the realm of talent and regional systems for business retention. Intentional thought has been put into designing what the future of our process looks like in engaging with business and resource providers. I’m excited to have the opportunity to build a functioning plan and strategy. It's an exciting time because there is real, tangible interest in moving forward, collectively, with the regional system. To have that sort of partnership, energy, and excitement behind an initiative is a wonderful thing.

8. What is your favorite part of being a GO Virginia grantee?

I appreciate that the program exists and there are resources to do better work. Without GO Virginia resources, our work would either be impossible or would be of lesser quality. We can complete a project more effectively with resources and it is excellent to have the support of GO Virginia and the leadership of those on the regional council.

9. What advice would you give to a young person living in Region 2 who isn’t sure what they want to do for a career?

I would advise them to take stock of their interests and also evaluate some of the career pathways in the region. I would recommend that young person to take note of the opportunities, take advantage of programs that could potentially connect them with regional employers, and explore those opportunities and see where their interest lies. And then pursue the opportunity. If the opportunity requires training, either on the job or at the community college level, do a little exploratory work. A lot of career-based decisions are made by youth in the absence of good information and research. There are plentiful opportunities – I’d recommend finding one that excites them and provides financial reward.

10. What is your favorite place to visit?

I really enjoy vacationing in Virginia Beach and doing some occasional running events there. But I do enjoy the solitude, peace, and tranquility of a paddle to Deer Island in the middle of Philpott Lake. There are few spots as tranquil as Deer Island – the perfect spot for a late fall camping adventure for absolute serenity.