BLACKSBURG – Influential leaders in talent attraction and retention from GO Virginia Region 2 will gather at the second annual Future of Talent Summit on Thursday, Mar. 13, 2025, at Radford University.
The goal of this event is to align the efforts of employers, educational institutions, workforce and economic development, and government as they collaborate to develop sustainable talent pipelines, form meaningful connections with students, and attract top-tier talent to area employers. This year’s theme, Turning Data into Action, will underscore the role of data analytics in creating collaborative workforce development strategies and provide a framework for how data can be leveraged to drive talent attraction and retention efforts.
The New River Valley, known for its regional collaboration and remarkable economic performance in 2023, has emerged as an ideal location to drive these efforts. In the latest State of The Commonwealth report by Old Dominion University, the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA (known as the New River Valley region) experienced a 3.7% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, positioning it as one of the fastest-growing economies in Virginia, just behind Charlottesville (4.2%).
The Future of Talent Summit will be held inside the newly constructed Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity on the campus of Radford University from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is open to representatives from government, educational institutions, regional employers, as well as human resource and marketing professionals. The program will begin with a welcome message from Radford University President, Bret Danilowicz, followed by keynote addresses from state representatives, Rachel O’Brien, Interim Executive Director and Research Director at the Virginia Office of Education Economics, and Emily Eller, Marketing Director at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
“We are honored to host the Future of Talent Summit at Radford University and to bring businesses, governments and economic development organizations from across Southwest Virginia together to help chart a course for mutual future success,” said Radford University President, Bret Danilowicz. “This event is a valuable forum for ideas, actions, and engagement to further understand our region’s present and future needs in the workforce. We look forward to telling our story and to helping build more meaningful connections during the Summit.”
In the afternoon, the Summit will host an employer panel, moderated by President Danilowicz, which will feature a distinguished group of employers from GO Virginia Region 2 who are at the forefront of creating impactful talent development initiatives. Following the employer panel, attendees are invited to participate in an optional strategic doing session facilitated by Franklin Solutions. This session will provide attendees with an opportunity to identify collaborative solutions to solve workforce-related challenges across the New River Valley, Roanoke, and Lynchburg regions.
Collaborative partners working to host the second annual summit include Onward NRV, Radford University, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council, the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership, GO Virginia Region 2, the New River/Mt. Rogers Workforce Development Board, and the Greater Roanoke Workforce Development Board.
“Onward NRV is proud to host the 2025 Future of Talent Summit along with many of our valued partners across GO Virginia Region 2,” said Katie Boswell, Executive Director of Onward NRV. “Talent attraction and retention is a crucial component of our region’s economic success, and we look forward to a day of engaging, collaborative conversations on this topic.”
The 2025 Future of Talent Summit is one of the many ways that regional partners are working together to leverage the asset of higher education density and create talent pathways that directly benefit our region’s employers. This work is made possible thanks to grants and support from GO Virginia, the Commonwealth’s initiative by senior business leaders to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives for regional collaboration by business, education, and government.
For more information about the 2025 Future of Talent Summit contact Max Davenport at max@onwardnrv.org.
Onward NRV
