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George Thomas to lead Fairfax Economic Development Authority
Thomas brings more than 25 years of experience in economic development, technology, and public-private partnerships to the role.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 19, Jun 2026
- 17:35 EDT
- 41
George Thomas / LinkedIn/ George Thomas
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) on June 16 appointed Indian American executive George D. Thomas as its next president and chief executive officer.
Thomas will assume the role in August, succeeding Victor Hoskins, who is departing after nearly seven years leading the agency.
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He brings more than 25 years of experience spanning economic development, technology, infrastructure, workforce development, investment attraction, and public-private partnerships.
Thomas currently serves as president and CEO of Connected DMV, a regional innovation organization that promotes collaboration among government, industry, academia, and investors across the Washington metropolitan region.
As head of Connected DMV since 2019, Thomas transformed the organization from a volunteer coalition into a multimillion-dollar enterprise focused on building next-generation industry clusters.
During his tenure, the organization launched initiatives including the Quantum World Congress and spaceNEXT conferences and established innovation centers dedicated to quantum technology, energy, and space.
“George Thomas represents the next generation of economic development leadership,” FCEDA commission chair James Quigley said. “His ability to bring together government, industry, universities, investors, entrepreneurs, and community leaders around a shared vision for growth makes him uniquely qualified to lead Fairfax County forward.”
Quigley said Fairfax County has built one of the nation's strongest economies through talent, innovation, and collaboration and expressed confidence that Thomas would continue the authority's record of delivering results for residents and businesses.
Thomas's appointment comes as Fairfax County seeks to expand its leadership in emerging industries, including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced computing, national defense, and space commercialization.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Jeff McKay said Thomas's experience connecting stakeholders across sectors would help position the county for long-term growth.
“Fairfax County possesses one of the most powerful combinations of assets anywhere in the world,” McKay said. “George understands these strengths and has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to connect people, organizations, and ideas in ways that generate long-term economic opportunity.”
Before joining Connected DMV, Thomas spent nearly two decades at IBM, where he served as a partner and held several senior leadership roles focused on government, smart cities, technology strategy, and market development. He also held leadership positions at infrastructure and consulting firms, including Hatch, and founded advisory firm New Urban Informatics.
“Fairfax County stands at the center of extraordinary economic and technological change,” Thomas said. “Combined with the region’s exceptional talent, research capabilities, and entrepreneurial energy, Fairfax County is positioned to lead.”
Thomas holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Kerala and a master's degree in engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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