The Board of Trade’s advocacy, convening, and thought leadership activities support regional outcomes that will help Greater Washington grow and adapt for generations to come. The GWBOT Legislative Update shares legislation and policy insights from the region.
Author: Board of Trade
Board of Trade Addresses ‘Workplace of Tomorrow’ at GW Business & Policy Forum
The Board of Trade joined regional leaders and MBA students at George Washington University’s Business & Policy Forum on October 22 to explore how innovation and policy are shaping the workplace of tomorrow and the region’s economic future.
The George Washington University School of Business reconvened its third annual Business & Policy Forum, “The Future of Work is Now,” to explore the opportunities and implications the future of work holds for technology, organizations, employees, and policymakers. Additional topics ranged from adapting and thriving in the workplace of tomorrow to sustainability and social impact.
Our President & CEO, Jack McDougle, joined fellow panelists to discuss the future of workforce and technology, sharing insights on how our region can adapt, invest, and lead in a rapidly changing economy. Jack outlined the strengths of the Greater Washington region: a highly educated workforce, deep federal roots, and a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem that now ranks fifth nationally in venture capital investment. Yet, he warned that the same proximity to government that fuels stability can also breed risk aversion. For the region to fully leverage its advantages, both the public and private sectors must embrace a mindset of experimentation.
He pointed to Washington, D.C.’s delayed legislation on autonomous vehicles, noting how it has affected investment from Waymo and other innovators in the field—highlighting the region’s technical strength but cautious regulatory pace. “If we want to position ourselves as a global hub for innovation,” he said, “we need to demonstrate that we are willing to take on innovative technologies.”
The panel holistically closed with a reminder that, despite the promises of technology, progress depends on people’s willingness to adapt and challenge the status quo, underscoring the urgent need for cultural and institutional agility as the region prepares for the next wave of economic change. And that forward-thinking companies and organizations must be willing to experiment, collaborate, and rethink the traditional definition of workforce to best be equipped to thrive in the future.
We also heard from George Washington University President, Ellen Granberg, about how the university is helping grow opportunities and engage the community.
Forum attendees not only heard from several of the most influential figures in the future of work, but also enjoyed a premier networking opportunity to engage with key players, discover the innovations shifting business landscapes, and learn to adapt to changing work environments.
Thank you to The George Washington University and The George Washington University School of Business for helping grow Greater Washington! Events like this highlight the power of collaboration across business, government, and education to strengthen our region’s competitiveness and inclusive growth.
Learn more about where the Board of Trade is positioned on certain policy and legislation efforts in our region: https://bit.ly/4qu3Odh
Executive Leadership Roundtable Recap: What Regional Leaders Are Watching
When conditions feel wobbly underfoot, the horizon matters most. Near-term signals can shake; what counts is the broader trajectory—and how leaders adapt. To compare notes on shifting conditions in the region, senior executives met on October 17 at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field’s Washington, D.C., office for a candid Executive Leadership Roundtable with Tom Barkin, President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The value came from leaders comparing notes in real time, connecting front-line experience with broader economic context.
Several recurring trends emerged
People & Demand
Hiring remains muted but stable—a low-hire/low-fire posture with attrition doing most of the work. Candidate availability has improved across many roles, but skilled trades, childcare, and eldercare remain tight. On the demand side, consumers are choosier and value-seeking, trading down (e.g., private label; repair vs. replace), with meaningful variability by sector.
Productivity & Operating Models
To protect margins, many firms are leaning into process redesign, automation, and practical AI—especially in support workflows (documentation, collections, customer contact). In practice, these moves often substitute for incremental hiring while leaders monitor service quality and outcomes.
Systems & Infrastructure
Capital planning assumes multiple interest-rate paths rather than a single trajectory. Supply chains continue to localize (“local-for-local”) where feasible as trade policy evolves. Meanwhile, accelerating demand from AI/data centers is colliding with long lead times for generation and transmission—raising near-term questions about power readiness. In commercial real estate, office softness (particularly B/C space in large cores) contrasts with relative strength in industrial, logistics, and data-center assets; the DMV feels the office adjustment more acutely than many markets.
Why it matters
The throughline wasn’t a single indicator; it was operating adaptation. Old playbooks map poorly to today’s pace and complexity. What’s working now: diversified talent strategies, productivity investments (including practical AI), financial flexibility, and regional alignment on housing and transportation to keep our talent advantage.
What leaders are watching next
- Labor fit: Will skills pipelines (training, credentials, migration) keep pace with role requirements?
- Cost pass-through vs. productivity: Can process/tech gains continue to offset input costs without eroding service?
- Grid readiness: How quickly can generation/transmission investments meet data-center demand without bottlenecks?
The Board of Trade will continue convening executive-level dialogues that surface timely insights and connect them to practical action for our region.
Thank you to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field for partnering on this vital discussion that engages our members and partners in the region.
Coffee & Conversation Recap: Confronting Hunger and Economic Insecurity in Greater Washington
October’s Coffee & Conversation featured leaders from the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), who shared key findings from their 2025 Hunger Report – a sobering look at how economic pressures, wage stagnation, and federal workforce transitions are shaping food insecurity across the region.
According to CAFB’s research with NORC at the University of Chicago, 36% of households in the DMV are food insecure, a rate that has remained elevated for two consecutive years. County rates range from 22% in Arlington to 49% in Prince George’s County, underscoring how widespread and persistent this challenge has become. The report points to deepening strain on working families as inflation outpaces wages and pandemic-era support expires.
“We see families borrowing against their futures to meet today’s basic needs,” said CAFB President & CEO Radha Muthiah. “People are skipping savings, taking on credit-card debt, and even withdrawing from retirement accounts just to put food on the table.”
Many food-insecure households include employed adults – teachers, healthcare workers, and public servants – earning too little to meet the region’s $140,000 living-wage threshold for a family of four. The conversation highlighted that solving hunger isn’t simply about distributing more food – it’s about strengthening the systems that enable financial stability.
CAFB leaders shared examples of innovative partnerships that bundle food assistance with healthcare and workforce training, including Food Is Medicine programs with area hospitals and grocery-card stipends for college students pursuing credentials in high-demand fields. These integrated approaches aim to improve both individual well-being and regional productivity.
Board of Trade President & CEO Jack McDougle closed by underscoring the economic stakes:
“Food insecurity isn’t just a social issue; it’s an economic one. If we want Greater Washington to reach its full potential, we need to connect more people to opportunity and stability.”
What the Business Community Can Do
The conversation turned to practical steps the private sector can take to help reverse these trends:
- Advocate and support efforts that protect access to nutrition and healthcare programs like SNAP and school meals, which help working families stay afloat.
- Promote “Food Is Medicine” partnerships by engaging with healthcare systems and nonprofits to strengthen community health and workforce resilience.
- Invest in upskilling and talent pathways—collaborate with colleges and training providers to recruit, mentor, and support individuals moving into living-wage careers.
By working together across sectors, employers can help address the root causes of hunger while building a healthier, more productive regional economy.
Read the full 2025 Hunger Report: Capital Area Food Bank Hunger Report 2025
About Coffee & Conversation
Coffee & Conversation brings Board of Trade members together for interactive, member-led discussions on timely topics shaping Greater Washington. Each session features a concise expert briefing, open dialogue, and time for coffee and networking – offering valuable insights, peer exchange, and meaningful professional connections.
Visit boardoftrade.org/events for more programming.
Thank you to the Capital Area Food Bank for partnering on this vital discussion that engages our members and partners in the region.
GWBOT October 2025 Newsletter
The Board of Trade remains focused on advancing the priorities that matter most to Greater Washington. This October newsletter shows a variety of engagements we have had across Greater Washington with members and public officials, while also showcasing meaningful updates on priorities we are following in the region. We also have a variety of member news updates that showcase regional collaboration!
Read our October 2025 Newsletter here
Voices from the Table: September Insights
When leaders in Greater Washington gather around a table, bonds form and conversations deepen. At the Board of Trade’s weekly Executive Meals, those connections become catalysts — helping executives see challenges differently, surface new opportunities, and drive change for the Capital Region.
A Region in Transition
September’s conversations reflected both the pressures and possibilities of this moment. Leaders acknowledged workforce stress, the pace of technological change, and cultural polarization. Yet the dialogue pointed less to obstacles and more to strengths — adaptability, optimism, and collaboration.
Board of Trade President & CEO, Jack McDougle, emphasized that the Capital Region is not defined by its federal footprint. With only one-fifth of jobs tied directly to government, our future depends on how we cultivate talent, embrace innovation, and invest in infrastructure.
Leadership tone also stood out as a competitive asset. Calm, integrity, and optimism aren’t just virtues — they shape how organizations, and the region as a whole, navigate turbulence.
Executives also highlighted the foundations needed to scale a digital economy: reliable energy, cybersecurity, and modern infrastructure. Federal spending tied to industrial policy and technology adoption creates clear opportunities for regional firms and talent. But seizing these gains must be balanced with protecting nonprofits, universities, and services that risk being left behind.
Food for Thought
These conversations didn’t aim for answers, but for sharper questions. Among those, the region must keep asking:
- How can we unlock adaptability by aligning talent, innovation, and infrastructure?
- What does optimism in leadership look like when uncertainty surrounds us?
- How do we turn AI into an engine for both opportunity and responsibility?
- What bold steps would move the Capital Region from fragmented to united?
- How do we capture the upside of federal investment in energy and technology while protecting the nonprofits and services our communities rely on?
Looking Ahead
The Capital Region’s competitiveness will not be defined by uncertainty, but by how we adapt together. The Board of Trade will continue convening these conversations, ensuring that executive voices shape not only individual strategies but the collective future of our region together.
Statement on a Potential Federal Government Shutdown
Below is a statement from our President & CEO, Jack McDougle, on the potential federal government shutdown. The shutdown would significantly impact families, communities, and businesses in the Greater Washington region.
Statement:
“A federal government shutdown would be damaging, especially now. It would hit contractors, small businesses, and service providers first and ripple through paychecks and operations across hospitality, public safety, healthcare, transportation, research, housing, and retail, undercutting confidence and slowing the region’s momentum at a critical time.
The federal enterprise must modernize to compete in a changing global economy: digitize services and operations, streamline procurement, right-size facilities and programs, and strengthen accountability and outcomes. But shutting the government down is not reform. It is costly, avoidable, and counterproductive.
Any continuing resolution is only a stopgap. Differences should be resolved in advance through regular order and timely appropriations, not brinkmanship. Congress and the Administration must finalize a bipartisan funding agreement now to give employers and families the predictability they need, then pursue negotiations through a normal, transparent budget process that improves outcomes without risking paychecks or public services.”
Jack McDougle, President & CEO
About the Greater Washington Board of Trade
The Greater Washington Board of Trade, founded in 1889, is the region’s premier non-partisan business organization representing industry, nonprofits, universities, and government agencies. The Board of Trade addresses complex and always-evolving business concerns that stretch across the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia, with a priority focus on inclusive economic growth, improving the business climate, and enhancing the region’s economic competitiveness. Learn more about the Board of Trade and its mission at www.boardoftrade.org.
More from the Greater Washington Board of Trade:
Check out our latest Newsletter sharing regional business news in our region: https://bit.ly/4n9inkc
Check out our latest Legislative Update sharing polices and pieces of legislation impacting our region: https://bit.ly/4mJcZ75
Shaping the Future: Recap of the Fall 2025 Board of Directors Meeting
The Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Fall Board Meeting – generously hosted by board member Ian Jefferson and the team at McKinsey & Company – brought together leaders from across the region to focus on two priorities shaping Greater Washington’s future: delivering collaborative progress and shaping a stronger regional identity.
Collaborative Progress in Action
Energy in the room was high as members discussed how cross-sector collaboration is moving the region forward.
Key highlights included:
- DMV Moves: advancing a dedicated funding strategy to ensure reliable, sustainable transit for the region.
- DMV Monitor: a newly launched regional platform that now provides a unified, trusted set of data across jurisdictions to guide policy and investment.
- Talent Capital: launching October 1, designed to make it easier for people in the National Capital Region to connect with jobs, training, coaching, events, and entrepreneurial resources – a platform built here, for this region, to support both workers and employers.
Together, these initiatives reflect the power of aligned leadership and collective action to tackle complex challenges.
Reimagining Our Regional Identity
A second focus of the meeting was the region’s narrative – how we define Greater Washington and the impact that story has on our competitiveness.
In partnership with APCO Worldwide – with special thanks to board member Evan Kraus and his talented team – board members took part in an interactive branding exercise building on this year’s conversations about positioning Greater Washington as more than a government town: a place where talent, culture, innovation, and opportunity converge.
While participants explored ideas like Capitalize Your Future and Move With Us as ways to capture the region’s strengths, Jack McDougle emphasized that the real takeaway isn’t about picking a slogan – it’s about leaders across sectors speaking with a united, confident voice about Greater Washington so that, over time, this shared narrative strengthens our identity and attracts more talent, investment, and innovation.
Looking Ahead
The meeting closed with a shared understanding: building a stronger regional identity takes time, resources, and collective leadership – but it’s already underway.
From funding transit and unifying data to shaping the narrative that defines Greater Washington, the Board of Trade will continue to convene, lead, advocate, and innovate to keep the region competitive.
Together, we are laying the groundwork for Greater Washington to be recognized not only as the nation’s capital but as a region of opportunity – where talent, culture, and innovation drive long-term growth.
Unlocking Connection Through Storytelling: Leadership Lessons from the O Museum
As today’s leaders navigate increasingly complex environments, the 2025 TD Bank Morning Star Speaker Series reminds us that leadership growth is strengthened through the stories we tell, the challenges we share, and the connections we build.
On September 24th in Washington, D.C., the Board of Trade, in partnership with TD Bank and the O Street Museum (O Museum), hosted the final session of this year’s series: The Power of Storytelling in Leadership. Surrounded by hidden doors and eclectic artifacts, attendees explored how storytelling can turn everyday interactions into meaningful experiences.
Change, Connection, and the Stories Between
The conversation wove together insights from H. Leonards, founder of the O Museum, and David Hargadon of TD Bank. Leonards reminded guests that creativity, curiosity, and imagination create space for growth and “real change comes from changing one heart at a time.” Hargadon built on this message, sharing how storytelling can strengthen relationships and leadership presence. Networking, he emphasized, isn’t about exchanging cards but about sharing short, memorable moments that reveal values, build trust, and humanize leadership.
Those ideas came to life as participants set out on a scavenger hunt through the museum, using artifacts as prompts for conversation. A vintage guitar might spark a story about teamwork; a hidden door could inspire reflection on navigating change. What could have been ordinary networking quickly became an exercise in discovery, showing how curiosity and shared experience can turn small interactions into genuine connection.
Lessons That Last
The morning’s conversations left participants with reminders to carry forward:
- Connection matters: Memorable anecdotes make conversations more impactful.
- Identity is built through story: Consistent messages reinforce both personal and organizational brands.
- Resilience inspires: Sharing challenges demonstrates courage and motivates others.
Celebrating the 2025 Series
This session concluded the 2025 TD Bank Morning Star Speaker Series, which over three installments focused on emotional intelligence, collaboration, and storytelling. Across the year, participants gained practical tools, shared experiences, and meaningful dialogue that turned leadership concepts into human connection.
As the Board of Trade looks ahead, that spirit will continue, creating opportunities for Greater Washington leaders to grow and lead in ways that are, in the words of TD Bank, unexpectedly human.
Special Thanks
The Greater Washington Board of Trade extends its thanks to TD Bank for 18 years of partnership in fostering unexpectedly human leadership experiences, and to the O Museum for hosting this imaginative and engaging session.
Founder of the O Museum and beloved figure in Washington, H. Leonards has devoted her life to building spaces that spark curiosity, creativity, and social change. She is also the visionary behind 51 Steps to Freedom®, an app and living trail that turns D.C. into the largest outdoor museum, bringing history to life for a new generation.
Building Momentum for RFK Stadium Redevelopment Project
The future of RFK Stadium is moving closer to reality after September 17, when D.C. Council voted again in favor of the RFK stadium redevelopment legislation. Redeveloping RFK is not just about building a stadium; it’s about creating a 21st-century destination that reflects the values and ambitions of the District and its residents. The Board of Trade is proud to be a leading voice in shaping that future, and we will remain engaged as the process advances. (Statement: D.C. Council final vote for redevelopment funding on Sept. 17)
This project represents more than bricks and mortar; it is a chance to reshape an iconic site into a destination that drives economic growth, improves connectivity, and enhances the quality of life across the District and region. The project will create 14,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs, generating $4 billion in tax revenue and more than $15.6 billion in direct spending over 30 years. Spanning about 180 acres of the former RFK Stadium site, the campus will transform today’s underused riverfront parcel into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood.
Earlier this year, the Board of Trade, city officials, and other local and regional groups testified before the D.C. Council in support of legislation that would unlock the potential of the RFK site and allow the city to move forward with a transformative vision, including:
- Letters of support were submitted to the D.C. Council outlining the opportunity to transform the District through a 65,000-seat roofed stadium for the Washington Commanders, designed to host not only football but also up to 200 annual events, including concerts and cultural gatherings.
- In initial testimony before the D.C. Council, the case was made for legislation to unlock the potential of the RFK site and advance a broader vision for redevelopment. The testimony highlighted priorities such as strong transit connections, economic competitiveness, and community benefits. Specific elements included 6,000 new housing units (with at least 30% affordable), hotel rooms, new restaurants and retail, parking, an $89 million youth sportsplex, activation of the Fields at RFK, expanded green space, riverfront access, and walkable parks. (read our testimony here)
- Subsequent testimony supported the RFK Stadium funding bill and underscored the importance of timely action to prioritize infrastructure, affordable housing, and adherence to construction timelines. (read our second testimony here)
- In addition, Mayor Bowser and community leaders convened engagement events, including a rally at the Wilson Building and a stakeholder event hosted by the Mayor, to highlight the redevelopment’s potential business opportunities. These gatherings drew attention to the broad community and economic impacts of this once-in-a-generation project.
Throughout the entire process, we have been in ongoing dialogue with the Washington Commanders to ensure that the project balances economic competitiveness with community needs — from workforce opportunities to improved transit access and mixed-use development that serves residents and businesses alike. With upgraded utilities, new roadways, improved transit access, and vibrant hospitality districts like the Riverfront and Plaza, the project will revitalize the site and surrounding neighborhoods. It will serve as a community anchor by blending housing, commerce, recreation, and entertainment into a powerful driver of growth for the District.
The Board of Trade will continue to champion this redevelopment as an engine of growth, connectivity, and opportunity for the entire region. We look forward to continuing conversations with the Commanders, community leaders, and stakeholders to unlock all that the RFK site has to offer.
Learn more about how we engage with leaders at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure that the voices of Greater Washington’s business community are heard: https://www.bot.org/business-policy-greater-washington-dc/
