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Schar School of Policy and Government professor of public policy Terry Clower has been named one of the region’s “50 Most Influential People in Northern Virginia in 2025” by Northern Virginia magazine. Clower is the director of the Schar School’s Center for Regional Analysis and the Stephen S. Fuller Institute for Research on the Washington Region’s Economic Future, two research centers that provide regional decision makers with vital information on economic, demographic, and fiscal issues for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region.
Also earning a place among the list’s Top 10 is George Mason University President Gregory Washington, whose leadership has elevated George Mason’s national profile. Joining him and Clower on the list are Dwight and Martha Schar, the distinguished philanthropists whose generosity and vision have left an enduring legacy at the Schar School and for whom the school is named.
The magazine’s editorial team evaluated criteria from multiple sources “to determine who made an impact last year on where Northern Virginians live and work, and how they spend their time,” said Amy Ayres, editor of Northern Virginia magazine. Criteria included achievements, cultural significance, peer recommendations, and community involvement in 2025.
“Terry stood out to us this year because he’s been such an important and authoritative voice in understanding the changes or potential changes to the economy in Northern Virginia,” she said, citing economic information that is particularly essential in the wake of the transformation of the federal government.
“It is always humbling and with much appreciation to have important groups and institutions recognize our contributions to helping the region achieve long-term economic success,” Clower said following the announcement. “Of course, such recognition must be shared with the team of individuals at Center for Regional Analysis and the Fuller Institute, the groups that sponsor our work, and the organizations who give voice to what we learn and share about making our region grow and thrive.”
To see who joins Clower on the “Most Influential” list, visit the complete list at this website.
“All of us at the Schar School congratulate Terry Clower, the go-to person on everything about the regional economy, for this well-deserved recognition,” said Schar School founding dean Mark J. Rozell. “This recognition acknowledges Terry’s continuing accomplishments in providing essential information to key policymakers in all facets of the region’s economic growth."
The unvarnished data produced by Clower and his colleagues often indicates “we have to change our approach to economic success,” Clower said. “This is where having regional leaders appreciate what we do gives us encouragement to keep pressing for change.”
Clower emphasized the education mission of his centers, founded and based in Virginia’s largest public research university. “We engage with the leaders of today and tomorrow,” he said.
Clower is tireless in making the Schar School data is accessible to everyone who may find it useful and is constantly fine-tuning message delivery to a wider, younger audience.
“One of the ways we are adapting is to change how we communicate our research to an audience to include traditional settings, like chamber meetings, to modern communication outlets and tools that reflect how younger, emerging leaders find and consume information,” he said.
Another development includes a response to “the changes we see happening around us, including technology and the role of the federal sector in our regional economy, that challenge our research skills,” Clower said. “In the coming months, we will be revamping our traditional indices on regional economic performance and working with groups and regional leaders on meeting our current and future economic challenges. We have a lot to do.”