Virginia Economic Review Podcast

Christy Coleman is executive director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational Virginia state agency that offers programs and resources about early American history through its living history museums, Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. VEDP Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communications & Research Stephen Hartka spoke with Coleman about what c...

John Newby is the CEO of Virginia Bio, the nonprofit statewide trade association that serves and promotes the life sciences industry in Virginia. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Newby about recent major life sciences announcements in Virginia, the Commonwealth’s momentum in the biopharma manufacturing industry, and decisions and investments that led to Virginia’s biopharma success...

Pam Cheng is executive vice president of global operations and IT and chief sustainability officer at AstraZeneca, which recently announced a new facility in Albemarle County — the company’s first in Virginia. VEDP Vice President of Manufacturing Sneha Atwal spoke with Cheng about the Commonwealth’s rapid rise in pharmaceutical engineering and the company’s plans for the new facility.

Dave Maraldo is the senior vice president of Human Health Manufacturing Operations at Merck, one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world. Merck recently announced a $3 billion investment in a new Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Small Molecule Manufacturing at its longtime Virginia site in the town of Elkton in Rockingham County. VEDP Vice President of Manufa...

Peter Beard is vice president of policy and programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, where he leads workforce development programs and initiatives. VEDP Vice President of Talent and Workforce Strategy Megan Healy spoke with Beard about talent in Virginia and the rest of the country and the ways states and regions can help ensure alignment between skill development and employer needs.

Tamara Fields is the U.S. Public Service Industry Lead at Accenture, where she leads the company’s public service work across the country, and the managing director of the company’s Austin, Texas office. VEDP Vice President of Talent and Workforce Strategy Megan Healy spoke with Fields about new and traditional methods of upskilling, AI and its effect on the workforce, and the way companies can in...

Stephen Edwards has served as CEO and executive director of The Port of Virginia since 2021. VEDP Vice President of Logistics Eric Jehu spoke with Edwards about improvements at the port, how trade policy affects the port and its customers, and how the port serves as an economic engine for Virginia.

Joe Dunlap is a veteran of the supply chain industry, with stints at UPS, Accenture, and CBRE. VEDP Vice President of Logistics Eric Jehu spoke with Dunlap about the warehousing ecosystem in Virginia and nationally, how to better incorporate supply chain issues into site selection, and the concept of warehousing as infrastructure.

Andy Edmunds is the director of the Virginia Film Office, an arm of the Virginia Tourism Corporation tasked with expanding the motion picture industry in Virginia. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Edmunds about the ins and outs of the film industry in Virginia and the economic impact of film production.

Michelle Williams is the new talent and digital strategies program manager at the Roanoke Regional Partnership (RRP), and Julia Boas headed up the RRP’s talent strategies until recently taking over as director of business investment. VEDP Talent and Workforce Strategy Leader Megan Healy spoke with Williams and Boas about what the Roanoke Region is doing to attract and retain talent.

Candice Ling is senior vice president at Microsoft and head of the company’s federal government business unit. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Ling about Microsoft’s cybersecurity work with the federal government and potential future developments in the cybersecurity industry.

Brad Medairy is executive vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, a Virginia-based Fortune 500 company where he leads the national cyber account and focuses on the cyber missions of national-level clients. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Medairy about the key cybersecurity issues his company works on for its clients and the future of cybersecurity with the rise of AI and quantum te...

Drake Goolsby is the chief commercialization officer at Luna Labs, a Charlottesville-based company that helps develop advanced technologies in biotech, advanced materials, and engineered systems for government, military, and industrial clients. VEDP Vice President of Manufacturing Sneha Atwal spoke with Goolsby about Luna Labs’ research activities.

Brett Vassey is president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, which supports manufacturing operations across the Commonwealth. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Vassey about his organization’s mandate and efforts, the most important workforce and skills considerations for the industry, and what manufacturers look for in a site.

Karen Dahut is CEO of Google Public Sector (GPS), where she works to bring Google technology to solve complex problems for U.S. public sector solutions at the local, state, and federal levels. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Dahut about GPS’ work with public and private sector partners to leverage Google technology to serve U.S. citizens.

Shannon Kellogg is vice president of public policy at Amazon, where he leads the company’s public policy efforts in support of Amazon Web Services. VEDP Interim Vice President of Knowledge Work Meghan Welch spoke with Kellogg about Amazon’s cloud investments and other tech innovation the company is spearheading.

Dr. Myra Blanco is chief growth officer at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and CEO of the university’s Dock to Door Coalition. VEDP Vice President of Logistics Eric Jehu spoke to Blanco about the coalition’s goals for transforming the way supply chains are viewed, analyzed, and managed.

Ashleigh de la Torre is vice president of public policy at Amazon, where she leads the company’s transportation and sustainability initiatives, supporting its operations, logistics, and delivery businesses. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with de la Torre about Amazon’s complex logistics operations and ambitious sustainability goals.

Lance Harcrow is chief operating officer at Estes Forwarding Worldwide, a leading domestic and international freight forwarder headquartered in Chesterfield County. VEDP Vice President of Logistics Eric Jehu spoke with Harcrow about the issues his company sees as a logistics provider and how data analysis can transform the supply chain moving forward.

Ambassador Mark Brzezinski has served as the U.S. Ambassador to Poland since 2021 and previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Ambassador Brzezinski about foreign direct investment, European perceptions of the business climate in the United States and Virginia and what states can do to attract European investment.

Jasjit Singh is executive director of SelectUSA, a U.S. government program housed within the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration that works to attract foreign direct investment to the United States. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Singh about trends in foreign direct investment and SelectUSA’s work to drive FDI activity.

Ambassador Alexander Yui took over as the Taiwanese representative to the United States at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in December 2023. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Ambassador Yui about his experiences in the job and the trade relationship between Virginia and Taiwan.

Bob Blue is chair, president, and CEO of Dominion Energy, Inc., an integrated energy utility headquartered in Richmond that operates in 15 states and provides energy to 7 million customers. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Blue about the company’s history serving commercial and residential customers and its efforts to shift the balance of its portfolio toward clean energy sources.

April Wade is executive director of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (VNEC), which represents stakeholders invested in research and development, workforce, innovation, and advocacy for the nuclear energy industry. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Wade about VNEC’s mission and activities and the role nuclear energy can play in a robust power generation industry working toward...

Dr. Joseph S. Broz is vice president for quantum growth and market development at IBM, where he’s responsible for driving commercial quantum applications and business adoption of advanced quantum computing capabilities. David Ihrie, chief technology officer of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, spoke with Broz about IBM’s extensive history and leadership position in the quantum compu...