Members Chosen For Virginia Economic Development And Jobs Creation Commission
Commission will be Co-Chaired by Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and Governor’s Senior Economic Advisor Bob Sledd.
McDonnell: “The work of this Commission is to create more opportunities for good paying work for all Virginians.”
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell today announced the members of the Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission created by the his Executive Order Number One, issued moments after he took the Oath of Office on January 16th.
Keeping in mind the unprecedented economic difficulties facing Virginia families and businesses, the highest unemployment rate in decades and the ever increasing competiveness of the global economy, the Commission will work to put forth bold and innovative ideas addressing these significant challenges.
The Commission is scheduled to have its first meeting in May, and will complete its initial report to the Governor by October 16, 2010. Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, who serves as Virginia’s first-ever Chief Jobs Creation Officer, and Bob Sledd, the Governor’s Senior Economic Advisor, will serve as Co-Chairs of the Commission.
“The foremost priority of our Administration is job creation. Economic opportunity and free enterprise are the bedrock of a stable and prosperous Commonwealth. Virginia is home to abundant resources, fiscal responsibility boundless human potential and the entrepreneurial spirit instrumental to a robust economic recovery,” said Governor McDonnell. “The work of this Commission is to create more opportunities for good paying work for all Virginians. I look forward to the ideas and solutions that this Commission will put forward to help create new jobs, spur economic development and ensure this is a ‘Commonwealth of Opportunity’ for all Virginians.”
Lieutenant Governor Bolling remarked, “Governor McDonnell and I have been clear in our commitment to do everything we can to get Virginia’s economy moving again and create jobs. We accomplished a great deal with part one of our Jobs and Opportunity Agenda during this year’s legislative session, but there is more work to be done. Over the coming year, the Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission will help us craft part two of our Jobs and Opportunity Agenda. By looking for additional ways to make Virginia a more competitive state and invest in proven economic development and job creation programs, we can strengthen our reputation as the most pro-business state in America, and secure the capital investment and jobs we need to provide the people of Virginia with greater economic security.”
Bob Sledd, the Governor’s Senior Economic Advisor, noted, “I took this job to help create good jobs for Virginians. That is the focus of this Administration and the work of this Commission. Every state and every nation is engaged in a fierce competition to attract capital, jobs and economic development. As Virginians we cannot afford to lose. The private sector creates jobs, but public policy plays a major role in creating an environment that makes job creation easier or tougher. Our goal is to put in place the policies that will free our job-creators and entrepreneurs to grow and be successful, to innovate and expand. When they can do that, Virginians will find the good paying jobs that they deserve and upon which our future prosperity depends.”
Members of Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission:
Co-Chairmen
* Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
* Bob Sledd, Governor’s Senior Economic Advisor
Members
* Jim Cheng, Secretary of Commerce and Trade
* Todd Haymore, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
* Lisa Hicks-Thomas, Secretary of Administration
* Gerard Robinson, Secretary of Education
* Ric Brown, Secretary of Finance
* Doug Domenech, Secretary of Natural Resources
* Jim Duffey, Secretary of Technology
* Sean Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation
* Don Banker, CEO & Owner Banker Steel, Lynchburg
* Steve Baril, Partner, Williams Mullen, Richmond
* John Biagas, CEO, Bay Electric, Newport News
* Tom Brock, Retired Vice President, General Electric, Roanoke
* Del. Kathy Byron, Co-Owner of B&B Presentations, Bedford
* Mel Chaskin, Chairman, Virginia-Israeli Advisory Board, Clifton
* Christine Chmura, President and Chief Economist, Chmura Economics and Analytics, Richmond
* Del. Barbara Comstock, McLean
* Dr. Deborah DiCroce, President, Tidewater Community College, Chesapeake
* Helen Dragas, President and CEO, The Dragas Companies, Virginia Beach
* James W. Dyke, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP; Chairman, Greater Washington Board of Trade
* Joe Funkhouser, President, Coldwell, Banker and Funkhouser Realtors, Harrisonburg
* Lisa Gable, Executive Director, Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, Fauquier
* Anne Gavin, State Government Affairs Regional Manager, Microsoft, Reston
* Tom Godfrey, President, Colonna’s Shipyard, Norfolk
* Julia Hammond, State Director, National Federation of Independent Business, Richmond
* Ann Heidig, President, Virginia Wineries Association, Spotsylvania
* Mark Herzog, Executive Director, Virginia Biotechnology Association, Richmond
* Del. Matthew James, President & CEO, Peninsula Council for Workforce Development, Portsmouth
* Donna Johnson, President, Virginia Agribusiness Council, Richmond
* Kenneth S. Johnson, Founder, Johnson Inc., Richmond
* Pat Jones, Vice-President and General Manager, Kings Dominion, Richmond
* Quintin Kendall, Director of Government Affairs, CSX Transportation, Richmond
* Del. Terry Kilgore, Chairman of the Tobacco Commission, Gate City
* Andrea Kilmer, Vice President, ESG Enterprises, Virginia Beach
* Randall Kirk, Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Third Security, Radford
* John Langlois, President, Tele-Video Productions, Virginia Beach
* Bob Leber, Director, Education and Workforce Development, Northrop Grumman, Newport News
* Chris Lloyd, Sr. Vice President and Director of Infrastructure and Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting, Richmond
* Frank Longaker, President, National Business College, Roanoke
* John Luke, CEO, MeadWestVaco Packaging, Richmond
* Bengt Lundgren, Manager, Swedwood, Danville
* Del. Danny Marshall, Danville, Small businessman
* Mike Melo, President, ITA International, Newport News
* Caren Merrick, Co-founder, Webmethods, Reston
* Donna Morea, President, US, Europe and Asia, CGI and Chair, Northern Virginia Technology Council
* Christofer Mowry, President, Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Energy, Lynchburg
* Dakshay Patel, Managing Member, American Enterprises, Richmond
* Julien Patterson, CEO, Omniplex Worldwide, Chantilly
* Sen. Phil Puckett, Vice President of Business Development for First Bank & Trust Company, Tazewell
* Harold Pyon, Supervisory Patent Examiner, U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office, Fairfax
* Mike Quillen, Founder and CEO, Alpha Natural Resources, Abingdon
* Daphne Reid, TV and Film Actor, Co-Owner, New Millennium Studios, Petersburg
* Brenda Robinson, President and CEO, Environmental Solutions, Inc., Richmond
* Richard Sharp, Managing Director, V-Ten Capital Partners, Richmond
* Sudhakar Shenoy, Chairman and CEO, IMC, Fairfax
* Bob Skunda, President and CEO, Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, Richmond
* Steve Smith, CEO, Food City, Bristol
* Dona Storey, Owner, Quality Tech Services, President and CEO, govtips.biz, Norfolk
* Bruce Thompson, CEO, Gold Key/PHR Resorts and Hotels, Virginia Beach
* Fred Thompson, Chief Administrative Officer, Thompson Hospitality, Herndon
* Brett Vassey, President and CEO, Virginia Manufacturers Association, Richmond
* Sen. Frank Wagner, President and CEO, Davis Boat Works, Virginia Beach
* Michel Zajur, President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Richmond
Responsibilities of Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission
1. Identify impediments to and opportunities for job creation;
2. Review how other states and foreign countries are attracting jobs and how Virginia could replicate and improve upon those initiatives;
3. Review the agencies’ role in job creation and make recommendations on how those efforts can be better coordinated to ensure unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness;
4. Make recommendations on new investments and changes to the tax and regulatory environment in the Commonwealth to maintain and increase the Commonwealth’s standing as the best place to do business in the United State of America;
5. Evaluate the current programs and investments designed to develop the workforce and attract and retain businesses in Virginia, and make recommendations on their effectiveness and need for improvement; and
6. Assist the Cabinet and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to identify and target industries and businesses to recruit to Virginia.
Topics: 2010, America, Bob Sledd, business, Chief Jobs Creation Officer, Commonwealth, economic development, Economic Development And Jobs Creation Commission, economic growth, economic recovery, Economy, employment, Executive Order Number One, families, global economy, Governance, government, Governor Bob McDonnell, innovation, investment, job creation, jobs, Jobs and Opportunity Agenda, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, moniter, monitor, news, opportunity, Senior Economic Advisor, society, U.S., United States, Virginia, workforce
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