The Honors College expresses its gratitude to Ms. Catherine Riley for her service on the Honors College Dean’s Advisory Board and for helping shape our university into what it is today. The Honors College would like to celebrate Ms. Catherine Riley’s journey and the impact she has had over the years.
Ms. Riley is the Vice President of Business Investment at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, one of the most successful local development programs in the US. She oversees strategic planning and project management for the agency’s three investment divisions: National Business Investment; International Business Investment; and Diversity Investment and Entrepreneurship Division programs.
Ms. Riley has had an impactful career, managing a team that generated over 90,000 new jobs in Fairfax County over the last decade. This includes headquarters relocations for companies such as Hilton Worldwide, CSC, SAIC, and Volkswagen Group of America. She also managed successful bids to win headquarters relocations for Intelsat and Northrop Grumman, as well as the Global Operations Center of Bechtel.
Before being promoted to Vice President in 2002, Ms. Riley was the Director for the International Division at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. She initiated the agency’s overseas investment program and opened its first foreign office in Tokyo, Japan. During her tenure as Director, she opened five more overseas offices and her team announced over 12,000 new jobs for Fairfax County.
Ms. Riley has also been active in various organizations. She was the President of the British American Business Association (BABA) from 2010-2012 and served on its Board of Directors for six years and its Executive Committee for three years. She also chaired the BABA Strategic Planning Committee. Additionally, she served on the Executive Committee of the British American Business Council and was its representative for the South East regional chapters.
Ms. Riley has also been involved with the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, serving on its Board of Directors for six years and its Executive Committee for three years. She has also served on its Transition Team and Nominating Committees.
Ms. Riley is a graduate of Leadership Fairfax and a member of both the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the International Economic Development Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and has completed additional training in real estate, management, and economic development.
As she departs from the board, we thank her for her time and commitment and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.