Three bioscience industry representatives, all members of the Virginia Biotechnology Association, were named by Governor McDonnell to his Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission: R.J. Kirk, CEO of Third Security; Robert Skunda, CEO of the Biotech Park in Richmond and Mark Herzog, executive director of VaBIO.
Governor McDonnell Announces Members of Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission
RICHMOND – 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 competitiveness 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
ean 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, 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, Director, 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, Chief Executive Officer, Third Security, Radford
John Langlois, President, Tele-Video Productions, Virginia Beach
Bob Leber, Director, Workforce Development, Northrop Grumman, Newport News
Chris Lloyd, Sr. Vice President, 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 First Bank & Trust Company, Tazewell
Harold Pyon, Supervisory Patent Examiner, U.S. 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
Don 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
Identify impediments to and opportunities for job creation; Review how other states and foreign countries are attracting jobs and how Virginia could replicate and improve upon those initiatives; Review the agencies’ role in job creation and make recommendations on how those efforts can be better coordinated to ensure unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness; 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; 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 Assist the Cabinet and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to identify and target industries and businesses to recruit to Virginia.
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