RICHMOND - The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) Board of Directors selected its new Chair, Donald Seale of Norfolk, and Vice Chair, Chris Lumsden of Halifax County. The officers were elected during the quarterly VEDP board meeting on December 12, 2013. As a state authority, the Partnership is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors comprised of businesspersons from around Virginia, each of whom is appointed by the Governor and the General Assembly.

Seale, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation, succeeds John Malbon, President and Chief Operating Officer at PAPCO, Inc. 

“It is an honor to have been chosen to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia as Board Chair of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership,” Seale said. “VEDP, in collaboration with its economic development allies at the local and regional level, is vital to the economic success of the Commonwealth. As Chairman, I will work to ensure that the Partnership fulfills its strategic mission to improve the quality of life for all Virginians.”

Lumsden, Chief Executive Officer at Halifax Regional Health System succeeds Hugh Keogh, former President and Chief Executive Officer at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The Partnership also welcomed C. Daniel Clemente of Alexandria, Ned W. Massee of Midlothian and John G. Rocovich, Jr. of Roanoke to its Board of Directors

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, a marketing organization, was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate, and support the development and expansion of the economy of the Commonwealth. The Partnership is a state authority, which is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor and the Virginia General Assembly. To accomplish its objectives of promoting economic expansion within the Commonwealth, the Partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion and international trade. VEDP has offices in Virginia, China, Germany, Mexico, Japan, India and the United Kingdom.