President and CEO

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority invites accomplished economic development leaders to consider a rare opportunity: to steward a highly respected organization and advance Fairfax County’s position as a leading global destination for business, innovation, and investment. Building on a strong foundation, the next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will lead an experienced, high-performing team; work closely with a committed Board, public officials, the business community, and global partners;

and guide the Authority’s long-term strategy to scale impact and sustain Fairfax County’s competitiveness in a dynamic global economy.

This is a leadership succession at a moment of organizational strength. The CEO will inherit a strong reputation, a seasoned professional staff, and a clear mandate to build for the future through collaboration, integrity, and excellence in execution.

The President & CEO will focus on a set of strategic, outcome-oriented priorities grounded in collaboration, professionalism, and results, including:

• Advance and execute a long-term economic development strategy that reinforces Fairfax County’s position as one of the world’s premier business locations.
• Strengthen FCEDA’s impact locally, regionally, and globally by aligning business attraction, retention, marketing, and talent strategies with the County’s economic development goals.
• Cultivate strong, respectful partnerships with the Board, public officials, the business community, educational institutions, and regional partners to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
• Lead and support a high-performing organization by fostering teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement while empowering staff to deliver results with professionalism and excellence.
• Serve as a trusted ambassador and spokesperson for Fairfax County’s business ecosystem, representing the organization with credibility, integrity, and respect.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, respected executive leader with substantial experience in economic development or a closely related field, and a strong understanding of local and regional economic ecosystems. While career paths may vary, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following attributes:

• Executive leadership experience in economic development, community development, commercial real estate, or a related public or quasi-public organization of similar scale and complexity. Corporate success in building a company, entrepreneurship and other business-related experiences is desirable.
• A visionary leader who identifies and develops new industry sectors (such as Space, Quantum, AI) while building capacity in traditional sectors (such as Gov Con, Professional technical services) to ensure ongoing capacity building and opportunities for growth and success.
• Demonstrated success working closely with boards, elected officials, local governments, business leaders, and education or workforce partners in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• A strategic yet pragmatic mindset, with a strong focus on execution, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.
• The ability to serve as a visible champion for talent and workforce initiatives that support business attraction, retention, and competitiveness.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to represent the organization professionally and credibly.
• A leadership style grounded in collaboration, teamwork, integrity, respect, and high standards of professionalism.
• Continually put into practice the cultural values that have become foundational to the organization’s success.
• Highly developed personal presence that embraces the behaviors associated with servant leadership.
• A commitment to developing staff, fostering an inclusive workplace, and upholding ethical leadership.

A bachelor’s degree is required; a master’s degree is strongly preferred.

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