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ForwardDMV-LOGO


Kaptivate’s AI & Workforce Impact Event
Transforming The Region Into A Future-Ready Economy

ForwardDMV™  is the culminating event in a three-part effort to build a future-ready economy in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. Our objective is to help the DMV workforce thrive in a changing world driven by AI. Attendees will directly shape a set of regional initiatives designed to transform how we work, learn, hire, and grow.

WHEN
February 17, 2026 (Date changed due to weather)
9AM-4PM EST
Reception to follow

WHERE
Alexandria, VA

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This gathering brings together +150 senior leaders across industry, higher education, workforce systems, government, chambers of commerce, and community organizations.

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Welcome and opening remarks from Virginia Tech
  • Strategy discussions informed by up-to-date regional analysis
  • Structured working sessions with leaders from multiple sectors
  • Opportunities to contribute to initiatives that will continue into 2026

FEATURED SPEAKERS

  • Dr. Terry Clower, Director of George Mason's Center for Regional Analysis, to discuss latest DMV regional economic analysis
  • Brent Orrell, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute, on AI and the Future of Work
  • Roberto Gomez, Founder of Cornerstone Craftsman, telling his inspirational story
  • Additional speakers to be announced

KEY INITIATIVES WE WILL WORK ON TOGETHER

  • Gig Economy Accelerator: Launching March 2026 to support transitioning federal employees and contractors through income-generating gig work and a pathway to new ventures. 
  • Career and Technical Education & Reskilling: Launching a regional one-day innovation lab to scale pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and wraparound support models to strengthen early-career pathways across the region. 
  • Regional Talent Pipeline Development: A DMV-wide, employer-led, data-informed collaborative that surfaces future workforce needs and coordinates partners across jurisdictions to build aligned talent pipelines.

Questions? Email us at events@kaptivategroup.com. 

Request to Attend

Submit the form below to request to attend. Space is limited.

Sponsors

             logo_skipso_color_blue               virginia-tech                fhi-360-logo-full-color-rgb-transparent

Event Advisors

Allison Forbes
Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness		 Jim Egenrieder
Virginia Tech		 Jenn Ji
IBM		 Keith Waters
Center for Regional Analysis, George Mason University
Lisa Shapiro
GO Virginia Region 7		 Marian Marquez
Alexandria Economic Development Partnership		 Philip Minardi
BuildWithin		 Terry Clower
Center for Regional Analysis, George Mason University

 

How we got here:

The ForwardDMV™ Summit is the culminating event in a three-part regional effort to build a future-ready workforce amidst accelerating AI-driven change. This gathering brings together 125–150 senior leaders across industry, higher education, workforce systems, government, chambers of commerce, and community organizations.

Unlike traditional conferences, this convening is engineered for action. Attendees will directly shape a small set of high-impact regional initiatives designed to stabilize, reskill, and elevate the DMV workforce in the AI era.

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ForwardDMV Timeline Horizontal (5)

 

Meet the Speakers

Dr. Terry Clower

Terry Clower

Director, George Mason University’s Center for Regional Economic Analysis

Jim Egenrieder

Jim Egenrieder

Research Faculty and Director, Washington D.C. Technical Education and Workforce Development Programs
Cathy Fillare

Cathy Fillare

Global Research Leader – HR and Talent Transformation, IBM

Allison Forbes

Allison Forbes

Senior Vice President, Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC)

Anthony Featherstone

Anthony Featherstone

Executive Director, WorkSource Montgomery

Jenn Ji

Jenn Ji

Program Director – Public Partnerships, IBM

Alex Orfinger

Alex Orfinger

Managing Editor, Washington Business Journal

David Remick

David Remick

Executive Director, Alexandria/Arlington Regional Workforce Council

Will Schmidt

Will Schmidt

Manager, Business Engagement and Industry Initiatives, Northern Virginia Community College

Lisa Shapiro

Lisa Shapiro

Lead Managing Director, GO Virginia Northern Region Council

 

 

Paula Sorrell

Paula Sorrell

Associate Vice President – Innovation & Economic Development, George Mason University

Mike Tadesse

Mike Tadesse

Professor, Artificial Intelligence Application, George Washington University

Yelena Vaynberg

Yelena Vaynberg

Director, Maryland Apprenticeship Innovation Hub, BuildWithin

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Pre-Reading

Speaker Resources

 

Local, Regional, & State Resources

 

About Kaptivate

Kaptivate helps organizations give voice to their vision of the future. We also help organizations act on it. That includes:

  • Helping social impact leaders make the internal argument for why this issue should be part of your core social impact agenda.
  • Crafting data narratives that bring national stakes into a regional focus.
  • Launching prize competitions that mobilize innovation and investment in scalable solutions.
  • And building lasting communities of action to partner, test, and implement real solutions.
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