Road map charts new course for state Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission

Diane Deffenbaugh

16 Jan 2026

Scott Tate and Elli Travis pose outside for a photo with mountains in the distance behind them. — Scott Tate (at left) and Elli Travis of the Center for Economic and Community Engagement contributed data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and evaluation expertise to help shape a new strategic plan for the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. Photo by Julia Kell for Virginia Tech.

Across Southern and Southwest Virginia, communities that once relied on tobacco continue to chart new paths for growth.

A new road map — developed with the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement — lays out how the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission can continue supporting those communities by investing in projects that strengthen local economies, expand opportunities, and improve quality of life.

Created more than two decades ago to help tobacco-dependent communities build new futures, the 28-member commission has played a central role in the transformation of Southern and Southwest Virginia. Its investments have supported projects such as the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, the Virginia International Raceway in Halifax County, broadband expansion, industrial site development, outdoor recreation, and downtown revitalization while continuing to support Virginia’s largest private sector industry, agriculture.

Together, these initiatives have created jobs, attracted new industries, and helped restore confidence in the region’s future.

But as the commission’s endowment steadily declines, its members are confronting a familiar challenge for rural Virginia: how to sustain momentum when resources are limited and needs remain significant. They turned to the Center for Economic and Community Engagement, part of Outreach and International Affairs, for a clear-eyed assessment of the region’s progress and a blueprint for long-term prosperity. The center partners with communities and organizations across the commonwealth to support strategic planning and long-term economic prosperity.

“The commission has a proud legacy of investing in the people and places of Southern and Southwest Virginia,” said Scott Tate, the center's associate director of community innovations. “Our role was to help build on that success with data-driven insights and broad community input.”

The center drew on expertise from across the commonwealth, including John Accordino of Virginia Commonwealth University and Carrie Chenery '08, an economic development consultant and former member of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Chenery said the timing was right for the commission to step back and reconsider how it can best serve a region that looks very different than it did two decades ago.

“We wanted to create space for big ideas while also being realistic about how they could be implemented, constantly asking, ‘But how will this get done, or who will actually do this, or how achievable is this aspiration?’” Chenery said. “Stakeholder outreach and management are critical to both policy and economic development, and this team worked hard to provide open doors for a wide range of input throughout the entire process.”

Sheryl Bailey, visiting professor of practice and adjunct faculty member in the School of Public and International Affairs, said stakeholders consistently expressed a desire for the tobacco commission to remain a driving force in the region. But with only a fraction of its original settlement endowment remaining, the commission must be more targeted in its priorities and deliberate in planning for the long term.

“Organizations with limited resources have to innovate, build capacity, and attract new funding — with solid metrics and careful planning guiding every step,” Bailey said.

Stakeholders also urged the commission to continue its collaboration with state, regional, and local partners and seek opportunities to increase that collaboration moving forward. That includes more closely aligning its funding strategies with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Virginia Community College System, as well as meeting regularly with planning district commissions, regional economic development organizations, and workforce development boards.

25 years of progress

Working alongside commission staff and its strategic planning committee, the Center for Economic and Community Engagement-led team analyzed economic, labor market, and demographic data; reviewed state and regional development strategies; and gathered input from more than 100 stakeholders across the region. The team also facilitated sector-specific discussions focused on economic development, agribusiness, placemaking and tourism, and workforce and education, and reviewed five years of commission investments.

“This is the most comprehensive look the commission has ever taken at its priorities and structure,” said state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, vice chair of the commission. “This plan builds on 25 years of progress helping Southern and Southwest Virginia communities build vibrant, resilient economies with a focus on site development, education, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and more. Our primary goal was to set the commission on a path to continue its impact well into the future, and I believe that this plan does exactly that.”

A sustainable future

The strategic plan identifies three pillars to guide the commission’s next phase of work:

Invest in transformational projects that address the region’s most significant barriers.
Adopt sound financial practices that ensure long-term sustainability and clear investment thresholds.
Strengthen partnerships across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to maximize collective impact.

Using $13 million a year as a base budget, the plan calls for a focus on growing economic sectors such as agribusiness and advanced manufacturing. It also recommends continued support for organizations that assist startups, workforce development programs that expand industry-aligned credentials and degrees, and initiatives that attract and retain talent.

Projects will be evaluated by examining short-term outcomes — including jobs created, credentials earned, and private capital leveraged — as well as medium- and long-term indicators, including population growth, labor force participation, and regional competitiveness.

“By sharpening its focus on transformational investments, following best practices in project evaluation, and deepening partnerships, the commission is positioning itself to deliver lasting prosperity for decades to come,” said Elli Travis, associate director for impact and evaluation at the center. “This plan honors the past while setting a clear course for the future.”