TRANSFORMATION & LEADERSHIP

State Economic System

The Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and Virginia Asian Foundation (VAF) engage in state economic development initiatives that connect institutions, government, nonprofits, and business leaders to advance long-term economic inclusion, workforce alignment, and community-based economic growth

Our leadership focuses on facilitating cross-sector collaboration models that strengthen Virginia business ecosystem. VACC has a leadership role at major statewide economic development projects include:

  • GO Virginia (Foundation Phase, Organization leadership)

  • Blueprint Virginia 20230 (Business Committee Executive Committee)

Northern Virginia Anchor Collaborative Initiative

VACC Northern Virginia leadership participated in regional convening led by the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia, bringing together:

  • NOVA Anchor institutions

  • NOVA Region Small businesses

  • Local NOVA region government representatives

These efforts supported the exploration and development of a Northern Virginia Anchor Collaborative, focused on aligning institutional procurement, workforce systems, and regional economic development strategies

Regional Economic Development

VACC various regional chapters support regional planning and coordination efforts, including:

  • City of Alexandria Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal-setting process

  • Northern Virginia Transportation Authority procurement and participation frameworks

  • Central Virginia Supplier Ecosystem for diverse industry sectors - J P Morgan Bank

  • Hampton Roads Planning District Commission - Community Board

  • Winds Farm project leadership- VACC leader My Lan Tran elected as President of the Virginians for Offshore Winds Project

  • Clean Energy projects by the Coalition of Clean Energy

  • Technology Coalition projects by Amazon

  • 757 - RVA Mega Region (VACC is MIC Leader -Community Board)

These efforts contributed to improving access to public contracting systems and strengthening pathways for small and diverse-owned businesses

Academic Research & Workforce Institutional Engagement

  • George Mason University - Regional Democratization Conference Sponsor

  • Academic panels on regional economic development and inclusion at George Mason University’s Next Systems Project (DNOVA Committee Board)