ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STU SOLOMON PRESIDENT AND CEO, CONNECTED DMV, ARLINGTON COUNTY
Formerly Accenture’s location managing director for the metro D.C. area, Solomon grew the multinational consult- ing company’s Washington office from 2,300 employees to more than 6,300 during his 30-year tenure. Connected DMV’s many partners are looking for similar big accomplishments from Solomon, who, with his wife, Gina, made the initial donation in 2019 to launch the public-private nonprofit regional economic develop- ment organization promoting collaboration between the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia — the DMV. In June, the group released its 69-page
Regional Economic Development Strategy blueprint, calling for regional branding and marketing efforts for the greater D.C. region. Additionally, the document called for better job and educational opportunities for lower-income people and more focus on attracting emerging sectors, including quantum computing and hydrogen fuel.
During the pandemic, Connected DMV also con- vened a who’s who of 51 state and local government and business leaders to form its COVID-19 Strategic Renewal Task Force, which has been focused on regional approaches to economic recovery.
Solomon has served on the boards of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Wolf Trap Foundation. He holds a bach- elor’s degree and MBA from Baylor University.
JAMES ‘JIM’ SPORE PRESIDENT AND CEO, REINVENT HAMPTON ROADS, NORFOLK
During Spore’s 24 years as city manager of Virginia Beach, the city won a variety of accolades, including Best Place to Live in America and one of the top five Best Managed Cities in the Nation.
In 2015, Spore retired from his position as the leader for the city of nearly 500,000 residents, with four military installations and millions of annual beach tourists, but he didn’t take any downtime. He immediately took over as leader of Reinvent Hampton Roads, a nonprofit community group that assists with regional job creation and functions as GO Virginia Region 5’s support arm. A graduate of the University of Illinois with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in urban planning, Spore also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado. He has served as a member of the Hampton Roads Transit Long-Range Planning Advisory Committee and the state Department of Rail and Public Transit’s Transit Capital Projects Revenue Advisory Board. Prior to his Virginia Beach tenure, Spore was city manager for Garland, Texas,
and Burnsville, Minnesota, and he served as director of community development for Lakewood, Colorado, and Elgin, Illinois.
BRYAN K. STEPHENS PRESIDENT AND CEO, HAMPTON ROADS CHAMBER, NORFOLK
Stephens joined the Hampton Roads Chamber as its leader in 2013 aſter a 28-year career in the U.S. Army, from which he retired as a colonel, and also heading a Texas-based equipment manufacturer, Kalmar. A graduate of West Virginia University, Golden Gate University and the
U.S. Army War College, Stephens serves on several boards, including the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, the United Way of South Hampton Roads and GO Virginia Region 5. His chamber also achieved five-star accreditation in 2016 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, placing it in the top 1% of chambers across the country. With casinos coming to Norfolk and Portsmouth, Stephens has encouraged the cities to provide transportation between the resorts, which will be less than 10 miles apart. “It’s definitely going to change the complexion of our region and draw a lot of people into Hampton Roads who would not normally have come,” he told Virginia Business earlier this year.
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Dry martini
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Dallas Cowboys
FAVORITE SONG: “My Way,” by Frank Sinatra
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Significance in life comes from service.
TELLY TUCKER DIRECTOR, ARLINGTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ARLINGTON COUNTY
Tucker’s interest in economic development started when the Lynchburg native was working as a middle school teacher and was hired as a summer camp counselor by the city’s economic
development department to teach kids about entrepreneurship. He went on to become economic development director for Danville, where he was a key player in attracting commercial van manufacturer Morgan Olson to bring more than 700 jobs to backfill an Ikea factory that was about to lay off its 300 workers. On the heels of that deal, Tucker was hired by Arlington
County, landing one of Virginia’s most prestigious and high-profile economic development jobs just as
Amazon.com Inc. is revving up its multibillion-dollar HQ2 headquarters in Arlington. So far, Tucker has overseen deals including Microsoſt’s relocation of
its U.S. regulated industries team, including Microsoſt Federal, to Rosslyn. Prior to his time in Danville, Tucker was assistant director of economic development for James City County. A James Madison alum, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and business administration in international business. He’s also an accomplished concert pianist who once performed at
the Kennedy Center for President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton.
44 VIRGINIA 500
JENNIFER WAKEFIELD PRESIDENT AND CEO, GREATER RICHMOND PARTNERSHIP, RICHMOND
Wakefield’s accomplishments during the past six months include coming up with a new strategic framework for the Greater Richmond Partnership, doubling the size of its board and creating new committees to engage investors. Wakefield, who joined the partnership in 2017
as its senior vice president of marketing, ascended to the leadership of the public-private regional economic development organization in late 2020, following the unexpected early departure of her predecessor, Lara Fritts. Prior to the partnership, Wakefield served for 11 years as vice president of marketing and communications for the Orlando Economic Development Commission (now the Orlando Economic Partnership) in Florida, where she launched an international branding campaign for the region, increasing leads by 50% and broadening awareness of Orlando as a business location among C-suite executives. Wakefield, who was named one of the top 50 economic developers in
the country by Consultant Connect in 2020, serves as chair of the nonprofit International Economic Development Council’s marketing committee. She also serves on the Management Roundtable and the Richmond Federal Reserve Industry Roundtable.
She holds a master’s degree in communications from the University of Central Florida and a bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from the University of West Florida.
Bryan K. Stephens photo by Mark Rhodes; Telly Tucker photo by Stephen Gosling
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