HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – James Madison University will host The Shenandoah Valley Collaborative Economic Summit Tuesday to address issues in housing, childcare, transportation and workforce development.

The event will include a keynote panel moderated by Pete Humes, of Atlantic Union Bank. The keynote panelists include: 

  • Hamilton Lombard, demographer, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service 
  • Tiffany Dubinsky, director of transit planning, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation 
  • Debbie Melvin, assistant vice president, Regional Talent Solutions & Business Outreach, Virginia Economic Development Partnership 
  • Ryan Price, chief economist, Virginia REALTORs  
  • Susan Patrick, director of childhood success, EO Companies 

The daylong summit builds on the work of the 2021 and 2022 Regional Economic Recovery Series events and will take a solutions-focused and collaborative approach by bringing together people from across the valley working to address issues in housing, childcare, transportation and workforce development.  

“We hope it will be a unique opportunity for leaders and practitioners from all over the valley to come together, learn from one another, and discover ways we can collaborate to address regional challenges,” Nora Sutton, a JMU economic development specialist, said in a news release.  

The summit is organized by JMU’s Office of Economic & Community Development, under the division of Research, Economic Development, and Innovation. The event starts at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 15 in the Grand Ballroom of the Festival Student and Conference Center on JMU’s East Campus.