October 21, 2026

10 DAYS LEFT TO NOMINATE A RISING STAR

VEDA Rising Star Award ~ Deadline to Nominate is Friday, October 30, 2026

The Rising Star Award will be given to a VEDA member who has made a mark on their employer during a relatively short tenure in a new role. The idea for this award (debuted in 2020) originated with the VEDA Young Professionals to recognize the Stars of Economic Development in Virginia.

Nominees for this award should demonstrate an appetite for excellence, an aptitude for learning new skills or mastering new responsibilities and show initiative in the workplace while modeling a positive attitude and professionalism in the field.

A nominee must have been in a new role for less than three (3) years from the date of the nomination (a new role is defined as a promotion, changing place of employment, or changing departments/ divisions/ teams, etc.). The Rising Star may only be awarded to an individual once.

Previous Recipients



• Dani Poe, Franklin County Economic Development-2025
• Chance Robinson, Goochland County Economic Development-2024
• Abigail Patterson, Virginia Economic Development Partnership-2023
• Bryan Rothamel, Culpeper County Economic Development-2022
• Rebekah Castle, Augusta County Economic Development-2021
• Megan Welch, Virginia Economic Development Partnership-2020

VEDA Professional Development Scholarships ~ Deadline to Apply is Friday, January 22, 2027

Economic developers realize the importance of professional development. Educational venues — where knowledge, professional experience, and best practices are shared between economic development practitioners — provide invaluable learning opportunities. VEDA offers professional development scholarships through the Waller Family Memorial Scholarship Program annually to help its members with their professional development efforts. VEDA scholarship funding is determined in VEDA’s annual budgeting process and distributed at the discretion of the VEDA Awards & Scholarship Committee, based on the number of applications received and the tuition costs of the indicated course. The VEDA Board strives to allow for as many scholarships as possible within the confines of the budget based on anticipated revenue and expenses for the coming year.

APPLY FOR A VEDA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP

Community Economic Development Awards ~ Deadline to Nominate is Friday, January 29, 2027

Economic development is not a solo practice. We team with government, the private sector, workforce development partners, and countless others to make our communities competitive. Following the guidelines instituted by the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC), the VEDA Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA) recognize outstanding communities for their efforts in advancing economic viability through economic and community development programs.

The CEDA program recognizes the best practices and exceptional contributions of communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the following efforts: Business Retention and Expansion, Business Recruitment, Community Development, and Community Involvement.

SUBMIT A NOMINATION FOR THE COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARDS