Northern Virginia Chamber forms partnership with George Mason University

The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and George Mason University on Wednesday announced the creation of a partnership designed to help drive the regional economy.

Under the agreement, the chamber and GMU will work together in developing degree programs that address regional workforce needs. The chamber and the university also will co-host events, share office space and connect businesses with Mason faculty and researchers.

The two organization say the collaboration will help position the region for an increasingly diversified local economy.

“George Mason University was created first and foremost to serve the educational and economic needs of Northern Virginia – and that’s what we have done for the past half-century,” GMU President Ángel Cabrera said in a statement. “We value our role as an economic engine, and by working closely with the Northern Virginia Chamber, together we can lead the region into its next prosperous era.”

Representatives from the chamber and GMU signed the agreement on Wednesday at the chamber’s board of directors meeting. They plan to establish a working group that will focus on integrating research, programming and thought leadership around government contracting, entrepreneurship and innovation, public policy, cybersecurity, hospitality and other fields.

“We are thrilled to join with George Mason University on this unique, new partnership to strategically connect business and academia,” Jennifer Aument, group general nanager, North America, Transurban, said in a statement. She is chair of the chamber’s board of directors. “The Northern Virginia Chamber is constantly looking for innovative ways to leverage our regional resources for the benefit of our members and our region’s world-renowned business community. There is no doubt that a partnership with our colleagues at George Mason University will help us to continue doing just that.”