Meghan Welch serves as the Vice President of Knowledge Work at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, where she provides primary staff leadership for developing and implementing lead generation and ecosystem development strategies to promote employment growth in Virginia’s Aerospace & Defense Innovation, Business Services, Cybersecurity, Financial Services, and Software industries.
Experience:
Welch has assisted technology and business services companies relocating and expanding in the Commonwealth since joining VEDP in 2018. Prior to this role, Welch served as the Assistant Vice President, Knowledge Work where she helped design VEDP’s sector-focused model for lead generation and ecosystem development. Prior to that, Welch held progressive leadership roles in VEDP’s Business Investment division, culminating as Managing Director, Technology & Services, where she worked with Virginia’s regional and local economic development organizations to identify and covert high-potential leads and prospects into project opportunities and managed site selection projects.
Before joining VEDP, Welch managed domestic and international economic development, stakeholder outreach, and legislative review in multiple gubernatorial administrations for the Secretariats of Commerce and Trade and Agriculture and Forestry. Originally from Bristol, Virginia, Welch has been recognized as the inaugural VEDA Rising Star Award recipient (2020), DCI’s Economic Development Top 40 Under 40 (2021), and Consultant Connect’s North America Top 50 Economic Developers (2023). In her 12 years of experience in economic development, Welch has been recognized for her collaborative approach to solving complex challenges, managing multiple stakeholders effectively while keeping clients’ needs at the forefront of the work.
Education:
B.A., Political Science, International Affairs - University of Mary Washington
MBA, Business Analytics - William & Mary
The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership - University of Virginia