The Honorable Carlos Hopkins at the 2018 Governor’s Summit on Rural Prosperity
Virginia is home to more than 725,000 veterans and 100,000 National Guard and reserves, said the Honorable Carlos Hopkins, Virginia’s Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs. And that’s exactly who Secretary Hopkins is focused on, he said at the 2018 Governor’s Summit on Rural Prosperity during his remarks.
His three main focus areas for veterans include education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
As he explained, if you are a medic or corpsman, as an example, we want to keep those valuable skills right here in Virginia. We want to employ veterans through the Virginia Values Veterans program, now with more than 1,100 certified corporations helping connect veterans with jobs. And we want to help veterans expand their education. In the Navy, some of the most junior sailors drive the ships. If you can drive a nuclear-powered submarine, how can that translate to some kind of college credit, Secretary Hopkins suggested.
Thank you, Secretary Hopkins, for your focus on veterans all throughout Virginia and the impact they can make on rural Virginia prosperity.
To watch the recorded Facebook live video of his remarks, go here.
ABOUT THE 2018 GOVERNOR’S SUMMIT ON RURAL PROSPERITY
The annual Governor’s Summit on Rural Prosperity, hosted by the Virginia Rural Center, was held in 2018 from October 21-22 in Staunton, Virginia. The summit featured a keynote address by Governor Ralph Northam, panel discussions on rural economic development and workforce development, and remarks from multiple members of the Governor’s cabinet.
Attendees also learned about the latest in rural broadband innovations from the Governor’s Chief Broadband Advisor, Evan Feinman, and got an update on the Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Plan from the Honorable Shannon Valentine, Virginia Secretary of Transportation.
Activities commenced with an evening welcome reception on Sunday, October 21 with an address from the Honorable Brian Ball, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade.
Economic development officials, elected officials, business and community leaders, local government officials, trade organizations and policymakers from across the Commonwealth were all in attendance.
Throughout the event, presenters discussed innovations in broadband connectivity, state economic development initiatives, regional asset development and entrepreneurship, and innovative workforce solutions.
