Jul 17, 2025 Board of Trade

So Much Power, No Platform: Executive Leaders Discuss Fixing the Disconnect in Regional Progress

The Capital Region stands at a pivotal crossroads. We have all the assets we need to be one of the world’s most competitive, inclusive, and resilient economic hubs — yet we lack the collective operating system to truly activate them.

At the Board of Trade’s recent Executive Leadership Roundtable in partnership with Comcast, leaders across business, education, and civic sectors agreed: Our region is not short on resources. We are rich in capital, talent, innovation, and infrastructure, but these elements operate in silos.

We heard a striking metaphor: “Our region is an app store without an operating system.” We have incredible individual capabilities, but they are not plugged into a cohesive system that drives shared outcomes.

Participants emphasized that to transform, we must:

  • Move from a zero-sum mindset to shared growth.
  • Align educational and workforce systems with the region’s evolving economic identity.
  • Streamline regulatory frameworks to support speed and innovation.
  • Shift from process-driven philanthropy to outcome-focused investment.


Inclusion remains a central imperative. With deep disparities in literacy, income, and access to opportunity — for example, 47% of adults in Ward 7 read at a first-grade level — we cannot build a prosperous region without confronting these foundational issues.

As one participant noted, “We have the assets of a Silicon Valley, but not the mindset.” Changing this requires collective vision and action across public and private sectors, underpinned by bold leadership.

Participants explored forward-looking strategies to ensure the Capital Region remains competitive, resilient, and inclusive. Insights from this session will help shape ongoing regional dialogues and inform the collaborative work of the Potomac Conference — a platform designed to synthesize diverse perspectives and surface shared priorities across jurisdictions and sectors.

The time to act is now. We can no longer afford to admire our challenges — we must design, build, and sustain the systems that will define our shared future.

Thank you to Comcast and its government affairs executive, Misty Allen, for partnering and helping us facilitate this discussion. Learn more about the work of Comcast’s Project UP and how this initiative is helping expand internet access around Greater Washington and the United States: https://bit.ly/4lOoMQU