Virginia Economic Review Podcast VEDP

Ambassador Alexander Yui took over as the Taiwanese representative to the United States at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in December 2023. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Ambassador Yui about his experiences in the job and the trade relationship between Virginia and Taiwan.

Jasjit Singh is executive director of SelectUSA, a U.S. government program housed within the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration that works to attract foreign direct investment to the United States. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Singh about trends in foreign direct investment and SelectUSA’s work to drive FDI activity.

Ambassador Mark Brzezinski has served as the U.S. Ambassador to Poland since 2021 and previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Ambassador Brzezinski about foreign direct investment, European perceptions of the business climate in the United States and Virginia and what states can do to attract European investment.

April Wade is executive director of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (VNEC), which represents stakeholders invested in research and development, workforce, innovation, and advocacy for the nuclear energy industry. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Wade about VNEC’s mission and activities and the role nuclear energy can play in a robust power generation industry working toward ambitious clean energy goals.

Bob Blue is chair, president, and CEO of Dominion Energy, Inc., an integrated energy utility headquartered in Richmond that operates in 15 states and provides energy to 7 million customers. VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Blue about the company’s history serving commercial and residential customers and its efforts to shift the balance of its portfolio toward clean energy sources.

Dr. Yaakov Weinstein is chief scientist of quantum technologies at The MITRE Corporation, a major research organization that conducts and supports research from government and industry on topics important to national security and stability. David Ihrie, chief technology officer of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, spoke with Weinstein about the fundamentals of quantum computing, the history of the field, and potential implications across a disparate group of industries.