THE ENGINE OF NEXT
ABOUT US
Collaboration at the speed of change
WHAT WE DO
Connected DMV unites Greater Washington’s unmatched assets—talent, innovation, influence—to build the industries, infrastructure, and partnerships that will define the next economy. We work across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia because the future doesn’t stop at jurisdictional boundaries, and neither do we.
We bring together government, business, academia, and community leaders to launch high-impact initiatives that cut through silos, accelerate innovation, and position Greater Washington as a global leader in the markets that matter most. We don’t just respond to change—we drive it.
Connected DMV President & CEO George Thomas (left) during announcement of the Regional Quantum Ecosystem Collaboration agreement with hubs from Europe, North America, and Australia at Quantum World Congress 2024.
BORN TO BUILD WHAT’S NEXT
OUR STORY
From Left to Right: NASA Chief Technologist A.C. Charania; Fairfax County EDA President and CEO Victor Hoskins; Connected DMV President and CEO George Thomas; Arkenstone Founder Preston Dunlap; and Connected DMV Chair Stu Solomon.
Connected DMV began in March 2019 when leaders from government, business, academia, and the community came together to develop a smart region strategy for socially responsible economic growth. By that summer, more than 400 volunteers from 200+ organizations were working in solution groups to shape the vision.
We officially launched the Connected DMV brand in October 2019, and in April 2020 became an independent 501(c)(3) dedicated to building cross-sector initiatives that transcend jurisdictional boundaries. When the pandemic struck, we mobilized the COVID-19 Strategic Renewal Task Force, bringing together 51 of the region’s top leaders to tackle urgent challenges and plan for long-term recovery. That collaborative engine proved so effective it evolved into the DMV Regional Congress—a 67-member body representing the region’s most trusted voices across sectors.
From our earliest days, the mission has been the same: unite the region’s strengths, act boldly, and deliver results that improve quality of life and economic opportunity across Greater Washington.
Evolving from Strategy to Engine
FROM REDS TO RISE
“We are creating something new: a more economically equitable and collaborative region. Imagine what we could achieve by doing bigger and better things together, from developing a regional talent pipeline to marketing the region to the world. Only by collaborating regionally on economic development can the entire Washington region reach its full potential as a global technology and innovation hub.”
— Victor Hoskins
President & CEO, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS) 1.0 Report
The pandemic revealed something Greater Washington had long lacked: a unified, coordinated economic development strategy. That insight led to the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS)—the region’s first-ever cross-sector plan to compete and grow as one.
REDS was a blueprint for cross-sector economic growth, built through unprecedented collaboration between jurisdictions, industries, and communities. It laid out actionable steps to strengthen competitiveness, attract high-value industries, and align the region’s many assets toward a shared vision.
From REDS came a wave of transformational initiatives, from the Potomac Quantum Innovation Center to the National Capital Hydrogen Center. It also established the blueprint for an enduring mechanism for cross-jurisdictional collaboration.
That momentum has now evolved into Greater Washington RISE — the Regional Innovation Strategy Engine. RISE takes the strategic foundation built by REDS and shifts it into high gear: aligning governments, businesses, academia, and community leaders to not only plan for growth, but to actively build and lead the industries that will define the next economy.
IMPACT YOU CAN SEE
WHAT WE’VE BUILT
Connected DMV’s collaborative model has already delivered initiatives that have elevated the region’s profile on the global stage:
THE FUTURE RUNS ON CONNECTED DMV
OUR NEXT CHAPTER
We’re doubling down on what works: bold ideas, executed collaboratively and at speed. Our focus is on the next-generation industries and infrastructure—quantum, space, AI, cybersecurity, and beyond—that will determine not only the future of Greater Washington’s economy, but its role in the world.
Greater Washington is one of the most strategically positioned regions on the planet. Together, we can ensure it rises to the opportunity—and leads what comes next.
The future isn’t something we wait for. It’s something we build—together.