RICHMOND – The Virginia Chamber of Commerce announced today that Ryan Fierst has joined the Chamber staff as Public Policy Director. In this role, Ryan will develop the Chamber’s public policy agenda at both the federal and state levels. Her primary areas of focus will be education, workforce development, and the Virginia state budget.

“Ryan Fierst’s extensive public policy experience will make a valuable addition to our team and make us a stronger voice for Virginia business at the state and federal level,” said Barry DuVal, President and CEO of the Virginia Chamber. “Over the last five years, we have grown from representing about 1,000 member companies to 23,500 today, and that growth has allowed us to increase the scope of our advocacy. Ryan has a deep understanding of state and federal law, which will help us implement the goals in the Chamber’s Blueprint Virginia business plan for the Commonwealth and put Virginia on a course for long-term economic growth.”

Ryan Fierst has more than 14 years of experience in public policy, law, and politics. Prior to joining the Chamber, Ryan worked on Capitol Hill as Counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, and as Legislative Director to 2 U.S. Congressmen from the Florida Delegation. Ryan also worked as staff attorney for the Florida House of Representatives Education Committee in Tallahassee, FL and brings over five years of education and workforce policy experience at both the federal and state levels. While living in the Commonwealth, Ryan worked in private practice and also held leadership positions on Virginia state and federal campaigns.

Ryan has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Government from Liberty University and received her law degree from Regent University. She is a member of the Florida bar.

ABOUT THE VIRGINIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in the Commonwealth, with more than 23,500 members. The Chamber is a non-partisan, business advocacy organization that works at the state and federal level to act as the catalyst for positive change in all areas of economic development and competitiveness for Virginia. The Chamber was recognized as the top government affairs association in Virginia in 2015 by the Southern Political Report.

ABOUT BLUEPRINT VIRGINIA:
Blueprint Virginia is a comprehensive initiative to provide business leadership, direction and long-range economic development planning for Virginia. For twelve months over 2012-2013, the Blueprint process engaged business and community leaders from around the state through grassroots involvement. Briefings were held in more than 30 communities where hundreds of Virginia citizens voted on priority issues for their region and the state. The Blueprint Virginia project collaborated with more than 300 organizations and over 7,000 participants to develop “A Business Plan for the Commonwealth,” which provides elected officials and private sector leaders with a roadmap for economic competitiveness.

More information regarding Blueprint Virginia is available at http://www.vachamber.com/blueprint-virginia-plan/