Economic Development 2023: STU SOLOMON

Solomon has been leading the public-private Connected DMV economic development group since 2019. In May, the organization and partners submitted a landmark U.S. Department of Energy application to create the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, which would displace more than 420,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year and create an estimated 8,000 jobs by 2030. In February, Universal Hydrogen, one of the organization’s partners in the initiative, announced a major advance in bringing hydrogen to the region when it completed its first taxi tests of hydrogen fuel cell-powered aircraft and received a Federal Aviation Administration experimental airworthiness certificate.

Other initiatives Solomon continues to develop include the Potomac Quantum Innovation Center, which aims to build a coalition of businesses, researchers and stakeholders in the quantum computing space, and Nextversity, a pilot program aimed at helping underserved minority community college students get the training they need to land professional services jobs.

With a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Baylor University, Solomon has served on numerous boards, including The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and as chair of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.