McDonnell Names 64 to Jobs-Creation Commission

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Richmond Times-Dispatch

Gov. Bob McDonnell pulled from a cross-section of prominent state business leaders and legislators to fill the job-creation commission he established with his first executive order.

On the 64-member panel, Cabinet secretaries will serve alongside members of the private sector from across the state, from Daphne Maxwell Reid, co-owner of New Millennium Studios in Petersburg; to Richard L. Sharp, former president of Circuit City and co-founder of CarMax Inc.; to Radford-based high-dollar donor Randall Kirk, senior managing director of Third Security.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and the governor’s senior economic advisor, Bob Sledd, will serve as co-chairmen of The Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission.

Members are tasked with identifying impediments to job growth within the state, better coordinating state agency economicdevelopment efforts, recommending changes to the tax and regulatory structure, and identifying businesses and industries to target for recruitment.

Bolling, the state’s chief job-creation officer, sees the panel’s work as an extension of the $50 million job-creation package of tax credits and incentives that the legislature granted the administration this past session.

The commission is scheduled to have its first meeting in May, with an initial report to McDonnell due by Oct. 16.

“The private sector creates jobs, but public policy plays a major role in creating an environment that makes job creation easier or tougher,“ said Sledd, a Richmonder who was chairman and CEO of Performance Food Group Co.

“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,“ Sledd said in a news release.

Other Richmond-area commission members include Michel Zajur, president of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Robert T. Skunda, CEO of the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in downtown Richmond; and John Luke, CEO of MeadWestvaco Corp.

Skunda, who brings experience as a Virginia secretary of commerce and trade under Gov. George Allen, wants to focus more broadly on opportunities in technology, not just biotechnology.

“I think that there are a lot of opportunities in the technology sectors, especially for communities and regions outside of Northern Virginia, where people . . . think instinctively when we think of technology.

“I would hope that we can really focus on some of these technology sectors and opportunities throughout the commonwealth,“ he said.

More info: Appointees Gov. Bob McDonnell has appointed the following people to serve on the Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission: Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling , co-chairman Bob Sledd , governor’s senior economic adviser, co-chairman Jim Cheng , Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd P. Haymore , Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Lisa Hicks-Thomas , Secretary of Administration Gerard Robinson , Secretary of Education Richard “ Ric” Brown , Secretary of Finance Doug Domenech , Secretary of Natural Resources Jim Duffey , Secretary of Technology Sean T. 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 J. Byron , R-Campbell, 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 J. Comstock , R-Fairfax 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 County 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 County Mark Herzog , executive director, Virginia Biotechnology Association, Richmond Del. Matthew James , D-Portsmouth, 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 G. Kilgore , R-Scott, chairman of the Virginia 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 , senior vice president and director of infrastructure and economic development, McGuireWoods Consulting, Richmond Frank Longaker , president, National Business College, Roanoke John Luke , CEO, MeadWestvaco Corp., Richmond Bengt Lundgren , manager, Swedwood, Danville Del. Daniel W. Marshall III , R-Danville, businessman Mike Melo , president, ITA International, Newport News Caren Merrick , co-founder, Webmethods, Reston Donna Morea , president, U.S., Europe and Asia, CGI and chairwoman of the 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. Phillip P. Puckett , D-Russell, 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 County 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 County Bob Skunda , president and CEO, Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, Richmond Steve Smith , CEO, Food City, Bristol Doña 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 W. Wagner , R-Virginia Beach, president and CEO, Davis Boat Works, Virginia Beach Michel Zajur , president, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Richmond (Source: Office of the Governor)