40 Wolfe, Alice Blue Ridge Power Agency General Manager P.O. Box 2310 730 West Main Street Salem, VA 24153 P 540.378.0193 awolfe@brpa.org • www.brpa.org Wright, S. Ashley Davis Consultants, Inc. Senior Director, Government Relations C 804.306.7006 ashley@virginialobbyist.com www.virginialobbyist.com Zacharias, Dan Old Dominion Association of Church Schools (ODACS) Executive Director 3131 Valor Court Broadway, VA 22815 P 540.896.2785 • C 540.975.1536 vaodacs@icloud.com • www.vaodacs.com Ctions, 2025 annual Magazine 23 together to help one another was one of the most impactful periods of his personal and professional life. What tomorrow needs Asked about legacy, he instead talks about trajectory. “I want us to be better than we were yesterday, but not as good as we’ll be tomorrow.” Pressed, he offers three words about the man and colleague he strives to be: intentional, caring, service-oriented. A sticky note on his desk reads a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Jacobs is betting that the next generation of public servants will prize adaptability over ideology. He talks of rebuilding civic pride around the idea of opportunity, citing his own past and passage from rural Augusta County to a state public policy leader. Representation isn’t just demographics; it is proximity to lived experience. By that measure, Virginia’s education playbook is now being co-written by someone who still reflects on his upbringing, his hours on FFA debate rostrums, and his own pioneering efforts at Virginia Tech. He considers it an honor, this opportunity to lead by example, and is, above all, grateful. “I have been granted an opportunity to serve the people of Virginia, in the Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin, on Secretary Aimee Guidera’s small but mighty team...while I love my job, I don’t take this role lightly.” Jacobs explains, “I am truly honored to be in this seat.” You would be hard-pressed to find someone more devoted or better primed for the charge of his position. Young as he is, Jacobs is paving a way for himself, and for young people state-wide, to follow. Fresh tracks, indeed. Chris Bailey is a Government Relations Associate at David Bailey Associates. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief for Virginia Capitol Connections. D B A V A . C O M CHRIS BAILEY 1108 East Main St., Ste 1200 Richmond, VA 23219 804-643-5554 office 804-432-3270 cell csb.davidbaileyassociates@gmail.com V
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