Terry Woodworth joins the team as the Rural Ecosystem Builder, working collaboratively with Community Investment Collaborative, Central VA SBDC, and Laurel Ridge SBDC, to engage and grow entrepreneurial support networks throughout the rural counties in GO Virginia Region 9 which are the counties of Nelson, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Greene, Culpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock, and Madison.  

Terry has a long history of supporting entrepreneurs in Virginia.  After completing his Ph.D. in Microbiology at VCU and a postdoc at UC Irvine, Terry’s focus transitioned to technology-based economic development. He worked 22 years with Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (now Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation) providing both direct program support for startups in the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley region, as well as strategic planning on key industry sectors for the state. More than a decade of private sector experience followed, helping grow a government contracting company, during which he supported the Virginia SBDC network in launching their Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP). More recently, Terry engaged with the Virginia Department of Health in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a Case Investigator and COVID Mitigation Specialist with the Blue Ridge Health District.  Terry finds joy in encouraging entrepreneurial innovators and bringing people together to apply their combined knowledge, skills, and resources to solve significant problems, impact lives, and contribute to a more just and equitable Commonwealth.