Delegate Keith Hodges was among two Virginia legislators selected by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC Virginia) as Legislators of the Year for their commitment to economic development, good governance, and involvement in transportation and water authority.
Senator George L. Barker and Hodges were honored at the ACEC Virginia 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards on February 6, 2020 at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.
ACEC Virginia is the leader of engineering associations in Virginia, helping firms to develop, connect, and engage.
As the chair of Fairfax County’s Transportation Advisory Commission and vice-chair of the Tysons Task Force, Barker worked to improve transportation conditions and help re-design Tysons Corner – Fairfax County’s “downtown” – into an integrated urban area. He currently represents District 39, which includes parts of Fairfax County, Prince William County, and Alexandria City. He also chaired several other state, county, and regional organizations related to health care, human resources, and transportation. More locally, the Senator has been a board member of the Occoquan Watershed Coalition since 1997, a member of the Green Breakfast Group since 2004, and a member of the Mount Vernon-Lee and South Fairfax Chambers of Commerce.
Hodges orchestrated the region’s first Economic Development Summit, a Rural Coastal Summit, initiated the formation of the Middle Peninsula Alliance as a regional group charged with the economic development of the entire district, created the Middle Peninsula Opioid Task Force and the Rural Coastal Economic Enhancement Authority. His legislation brought more opportunities to the Middle Peninsula and other rural coastal Virginia localities to allow them to compete more equally with other more urban areas for economic development opportunities while protecting the natural resources that make the region so unique.
In Richmond, Hodges serves on the Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee, General Laws Committee, Chairs the Rappahannock River Basin Commission, Co-Chairs the Joint Commission on Coastal Flooding, Chairs the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee, serves as Vice-Chair for the Rural Caucus, and as the legislative member of the Advisory Board for the Middle Peninsula Alliance, the regional economic development authority.
“Building and maintaining Virginia’s environment and infrastructure are two very important issues facing the Commonwealth. We recognize legislators who understand these issues and will strive to protect them in the General Assembly,” explained Nancy Israel, Executive Director of ACEC Virginia. “Both legislators were on key committees that passed bills protecting our environment and assuring the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth.”