How can the Capital Region build a transportation system that keeps pace with growth and innovation? That was the central question we aimed to answer at the 2025 Capital Region Transportation Forum, hosted by the Greater Washington Partnership and the Greater Washington Board of Trade. Held on December 2nd at George Washington University’s Jack Morton Auditorium in Washington, DC, the 8th annual forum brought together regional leaders and transportation stakeholders from across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Attendees examined the region’s most pressing transportation challenges—from funding and governance to emerging technologies and data-driven planning—while exploring strategies to create a more connected, efficient, and forward-looking system. 

A Closer Look at the State of Metro 

Randy Clarke, WMATA’s General Manager and CEO, opened the forum with a State of Metro address highlighting both the system’s recent progress and the work still ahead to modernize and stabilize operations. He pointed to significant improvements in reliability, ridership, and safety, advancements that helped Metro earn recognition as the nation’s top transit system and achieve a 60% boost in reliability since 2022. Clarke also underscored the agency’s looming capital funding challenges, stressing the need for a sustainable, predictable regional funding solution to maintain this momentum and support Metro’s essential role in workforce mobility and economic growth. Looking forward, he outlined a vision for a modern, dependable transit network built on long-term investment, regional alignment, and a shared commitment to delivering a world-class transit experience. 

DMVMoves: From Strategy to Action

A panel discussion on DMVMoves explored the region’s ongoing efforts to align governance, secure sustainable funding, and strengthen transit operations across jurisdictions. Moderated by Jack McDougle, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the conversation featured Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill and Capitol Transportation Consulting Principal and DMVMoves facilitator, Nick Donohue. 

The panelists highlighted the progress DMVMoves has made over the past year, culminating in a proposal for $460 million in new annual capital funding for Metro beginning in FY28, and underscored Metro’s criticality to residents, employers, and our greater region. They emphasized that addressing the region’s transportation challenges will require sustained, long-term collaboration that extends beyond the conclusion of the DMVMoves initiative. 

Designing a Future-Ready Mobility Network

The forum concluded with a forward-looking conversation on how technology, data, and evolving innovation are reshaping the future of transportation. Moderated by Patrick McKenna, President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, the panel brought together Laura Schewel from StreetLight Data and Matthew Walsh from Waymo.  

Panelists shared insights on how real-time data, autonomous vehicles, and public-private partnerships, such as Transurban’s new 495 Express Lanes, can support smarter planning, more efficient use of resources, and better outcomes for commuters and communities alike. The discussion emphasized that the future of mobility depends not only on technology, but also on leadership that is willing and able to adapt to policies and investment strategies to match and enable innovation.  

From transit reliability and funding to advanced mobility solutions, the path forward for the region’s transportation systems requires regional coordination, sustainable investment, and bold leadership. 

The Greater Washington Partnership and the Greater Washington Board of Trade thank our speakers, partners, and participants for contributing to a dynamic and solution-driven conversation. Together, we are working to shape a transportation system that supports a stronger, more connected Capital Region.  

Watch the 2025 Capital Region Transportation Forum

Special Thank You to Our Sponsors

When leaders across the Capital Region gather around a table, talk turns quickly from problems to progress. October’s conversations were about how to keep this region competitive and what it will take to move faster, smarter, and together. 

Why it matters 

The Capital Region has the assets to lead – world-class talent, location, and innovation capacity. But growth is uneven; infrastructure is aging; and coordination is hard. Leaders agreed: progress depends on connection – with each other, across sectors, jurisdictions, and priorities. 

What we heard 

Energy is a business issue now.
Leaders warned that the region’s energy and digital systems aren’t keeping pace with demand from data centers, EVs, and electrified transit. Reliability, modernization, and investment coordination will define competitiveness more than incentives alone. 

Mobility drives momentum.
With our region now the nation’s most congested metro, transportation has become the clearest constraint and opportunity. Executives called for bold P3 models, smarter design, and regional planning that moves people, goods, and ideas more efficiently. Connectivity isn’t just infrastructure; it’s economic oxygen. 

Purpose is part of performance.
Corporate–nonprofit partnerships are shifting. Companies are building trust through measurable, community-anchored impact aligning social investment with workforce stability, inclusion, and regional resilience. 

The big picture 

Across energy, transit, and social investment, the message was consistent: the Capital Region doesn’t need perfect regionalism; it needs practical alignment. Businesses can’t fix every policy challenge, but they can model collaboration, accountability, and long-term investment in the systems that sustain growth. 

Leaders know politics are tough and progress is incremental. But momentum builds when the right people stay at the table; aligning ambition with action, and vision with execution. 

Food for thought 

• How do we modernize energy, transit, and digital systems fast enough to support growth sectors? 
• What practical partnerships can turn fragmentation into a shared advantage? 
• How can business leadership rebuild confidence that growth can be both competitive and inclusive? 

Bottom line: The Capital Region’s economy will grow when its leaders connect on purpose, with purpose. 

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.

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.