Radford University hosted the second Future of Talent Summit at its new Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity facility on March 13, drawing more than 120 guests that included business leaders, educators and workforce professionals.
Under the theme of “Turning Data into Action,” the event investigated the role that data analytics can play in developing workforces and in attracting and retaining talent, and it provided attendees with opportunities to network and to find solutions to workforce-related challenges across the New River and Roanoke valleys and the Lynchburg region.
“This is more than just a gathering or a conversation. This is a call to action to our area,” Radford University President Bret Danilowicz said in his opening address.
“Southwest Virginia is rich with potential, and that's thanks to our outstanding educational institutions across the region and also our deeply committed businesses and community leaders, many of whom are in this very room today.
“We have the opportunity to make this region even more of an attractive place to live, to work and to thrive. But to do that, we must tackle one of our most pressing challenges, which is ensuring that students see a future for themselves right here in Southwest Virginia,” Danilowicz said.
Citing a Census Bureau report, he noted that approximately 45% of students who earn their bachelor’s degrees in Virginia leave the state within five years. He also noted that across the area that runs from Roanoke down to the southwest tip of Virginia, more than 20,000 degrees and certificates were awarded to higher education students last year.
“What an opportunity for us to identify talent to keep in this area. Those graduates are our future workforce if we can connect them to meaningful opportunities in the area,” he said.
“So how do we do that? It starts at Day One with their college experience by creating clear and supported career pathways for these students,” Danilowicz continued.
“This means building awareness of career opportunities and work-based learning programs, linking classroom experiences with real-world career tracks, strengthening technical and leadership skills through hands-on learning and helping students translate their experiences into compelling professional narratives.”
The summit later welcomed two keynote speakers: Emily Eller, marketing director for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), and Rachel O’Brien, interim director for the Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE). Both offered wide-ranging presentations on their fields.
Among other topics, Eller discussed the VEDP’s new initiative in talent attraction and retention marketing. She said the organization intends to launch a statewide initiative focusing on three fields – external talent, internal talent, and human resource executives – and the VEDP will utilize data-driven digital platforms and collaborative efforts to target those audiences effectively.
O’Brien talked about the VOEE’s various technologies and data sources that gauge regional economies and employment across the state, such as the Virginia Economic and Workforce Alignment dashboard. These provide insights into career pathways and skills taught in Virginia institutions, and she encouraged users to explore the dashboards and reach out for specific data needs.
In the summit’s third session, Danilowicz brought to the stage an employer panel that included Jodi Estienne, human resource manager for CBIZ; Ashley Fiore, chief business intelligence officer for KlariVis; Kyle Kinski, a biomedical engineer with CytoRecovery; Teresa Penrose, senior human resource manager for Hollingsworth & Vose; and Kenna Smith, the talent acquisition and workforce development manager for Branch Group.
Each representative spoke about their work and businesses and briefly discussed strategies for talent acquisition and employee development.
During a question-and-answer segment, the panel was asked about such factors as the impact of affordable housing on business growth; the rapid expansion of the roles of automation and artificial intelligence; and ways to help spouses of new employees find work in their own fields.
Tim and Nancy Franklin of Franklin Solutions hosted the afternoon session, a Strategic Doing workshop in which participants speculated on the outcome of a framing question, specifically: What would things look like if every employer in GO Virginia Region 2 had highly qualified talent filling every available position?
“By connecting industry leaders, educators and economic development professionals, the event served as a catalyst for actionable solutions to enhance talent attraction in Virginia’s New River Valley and beyond,” Onward NRV said in a news release afterward.
The summit was organized by Onward NRV in collaboration with Radford University, as well as the Roanoke Regional Partnership, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council, the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership, the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board and GO Virginia Region 2.
Last year’s inaugural Future of Talent Summit took place at Roanoke College and was centered around a leadership panel discussion among Danilowicz and the heads of several area colleges, including Roanoke and Ferrum colleges and Mountain Gateway and Virginia Western community colleges.
Video by Dan Lewin.