Virginia Tech Center for Economic & Community Engagement

08/13/2026

Congratulations Mallory Tuttle on this well-deserved award!

Congratulations, Mallory Taylor Tuttle for achieving the BRAVO! A Celebration of Leadership Hampton Roads Chamber ICON Award!

The Hampton Roads ICON Award was created to recognize a young professional from greater Hampton Roads whose career and community service is widely regarded as an example of excellence. The recipient of this award is a pacesetter in his or her industry who has achieved significant accomplishments

08/12/2026

Please join us in welcoming our newest team member, Jory Woods!

Jory’s work at CECE will be focused on supporting Alleghany Thrives, a multi-year effort to strengthen the economy and quality of life in the Alleghany Highlands.

Before joining CECE, Jory served as a Tadler Fellow working with Buchanan County’s Industrial Development Board to help develop projects and secure funding.

Read more in a Q&A with Jory: Link in comments!

08/04/2026

08/03/2026

The Octagon House stands as one of Southwest Virginia’s most distinctive historic landmarks, offering a unique window into the region’s architectural, cultural, and social history.

A video explores the ongoing efforts to document and preserve the house through modern technologies such as LiDAR and 3D scanning, while also examining its significance within the broader story of Smyth County.

CECE, in collaboration with the Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance, and the Virginia Tech Southwest Center, worked on a project to help the Octagon House apply for grants to complete the restoration of the building, finance program development, and add a wedding and event venue, visitor’s center, and lodging and dining services.

Learn more about the Octagon House: Link to video in comments!

07/31/2026

A STEaM Tech outreach program is helping young learners see transportation not simply as something they use, but as a complex system they can understand, question, and help improve.

Led by the Virginia Tech Grado Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, the project was funded by Vibrant Virginia, support that enabled the laboratory team to translate its transportation and human-automation research into a hands-on educational program for students and community participants.

Read more: Link in comments!

07/14/2026

Please take 10-12 minutes to complete an economic engagement survey to support the university’s effort to renew its designation in the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' Innovation & Economic Prosperity Program.

Your input will help to document what Virginia Tech does and why it matters for people, places, and businesses across Virginia.

Please complete the survey by August 15, 2026.

Learn more: https://cece.vt.edu/about/aplu-certification.html

Direct link to surveys in the comments.

07/13/2026

Virginia Tech graduate students gained skills preparing them for their future careers working on a project with American Farmland Trust to help Virginia communities bolster farmland.

The students were part of the economic development studio class, a collaboration between the Center for Economic and Community Engagement and the Virginia Tech - School of Public and International Affairs in the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Read more: Link in comments!

American Farmland Trust, Mid-Atlantic

06/17/2026

Join our team! CECE is hiring a project coordinator. This position will support CECE project faculty in proposal development, project budgeting and milestone tracking, and final product editing and formatting.

Learn more and apply here: https://jobs.apply.vt.edu/jobs/project-coordinator-blacksburg-virginia-united-states

06/15/2026

As the office assistant for the Center for Economic and Community Engagement, Kim Gray keeps the center running smoothly while supporting projects that make an impact across Virginia.

Read more about Kim: Link in comments.

05/28/2026

A Virginia Tech project is helping to breathe new life into a historic octagon-shaped house in Marion, Virginia, which has been a beloved fixture in the community for decades.

The collaboration, which includes the Center for Economic and Community Engagement, the Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance, and the Virginia Tech Southwest Center, is helping the Octagon House Foundation apply for grants to complete the restoration of the building, finance program development, and add a wedding and event venue, visitor’s center, and lodging and dining services.

Read more: Link in comments.