Va. Chamber of Commerce reveals next president and CEO

Cathie J. Vick will be the new leader of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, starting April 1.

The business advocacy organization with more than 30,000 members announced on Tuesday her appointment as president and CEO. Vick is currently vice president of corporate and government affairs at Transurban, one of the world’s largest operators and developers of toll roads.

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the work of the Virginia Chamber and its colleagues to serve our members and drive economic prosperity in the commonwealth,” Vick said in a statement. “I am fully committed to advancing the chamber’s mission as the Commonwealth’s Voice for Business.”

Vick succeeds Barry DuVal, who has headed the Richmond-based chamber since 2010 and announced in September 2024 his intent to retire in early this year. DuVal will serve as senior adviser to Vick and the chamber’s board of directors for the remainder of 2025.

In a statement, DuVal congratulated Vick, adding that her “extensive experience, leadership skills and deep understanding of the Virginia business community make her an ideal fit to drive the next phase of growth for the Virginia Chamber.”

Prior to joining Transurban, Vick served as the Port of Virginia’s chief development and public affairs officer for a decade. She was a Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards winner in 2022 and was the first woman to join the port’s executive leadership team.

Vick previously served the Virginia Chamber as a member on its board of directors and on its Blueprint Virginia executive committee. The chamber presented Blueprint Virginia 2030 — a long-term economic development plan for the state — in December 2021 and is now developing Blueprint Virginia 2035.

Vick holds bachelor’s degrees in communications and political science from James Madison University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She earned a law degree with honors from Georgia State University’s College of Law and an MBA with honors from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

McCammon Group conducted a national search for DuVal’s successor. Former PBMares CEO Alan Witt, who is also dean of Christopher Newport University’s Luter School of Business, chaired the executive search committee.