Adam Watkins serves as Vice President of the Economic Competitiveness Division at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, where he leads strategic initiatives to strengthen Virginia’s long‑term economic foundations and collaborates closely with state, regional, and local partners to drive growth. Since joining VEDP in 2019, he has advanced through several leadership roles, most recently as Assistant Vice President and Interim Team Lead, guiding priority-setting, policy development, and cross-agency coordination to enhance the Commonwealth’s competitiveness.

Lindsay Akers serves as Vice President of External Affairs at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, where she is responsible for government relations including coordination of VEDP’s policy and budget priorities, managing strategic engagement with members of the General Assembly and staff, and coordinating with VEDP staff to ensure awareness and knowledge of ongoing policy issues impacting economic development.

David Devan serves as Senior Vice President, Policy & Strategic Partnerships at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, where he provides senior executive leadership for the External Affairs division, including VEDP’s strategies for partner engagement and governmental affairs; the Real Estate Solutions division, coordinating strategic investments and related activities to ensure Virginia has a competitive portfolio of project-ready sites; and the Economic Competitiveness (EC) division, focused on developing deep insights on Virginia’s competitive position and designing strategic