The Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE), founded in 2021, informs policy and practice at the intersection of education and workforce development. Utilizing comprehensive datasets, VOEE reports on the alignment of higher education with workforce needs and tracks emerging labor market trends across Virginia. As part of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), VOEE also supports the state's economic growth. To that end, the Office regularly supports stakeholder projects across the state with custom analyses and has developed several public, self-service dashboards that allow broader access to essential data. Our work serves a wide range of stakeholders, including the governor, General Assembly, secretariats of commerce and trade, labor, and education, as well as Virginia Works, the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, higher education institutions, and local workforce groups. Policymakers and practitioners rely on VOEE’s data, dashboards, and analyses to help guide and evaluate investments in workforce education and training.
Todd Oldham
Interim Executive Director and Director of Research
toldham@vedp.org
Todd Oldham
Interim Executive Director and Director of Research
toldham@vedp.org
Todd Oldham serves as Executive Director of VOEE. His career spans 20 years at both the university and community college and has worked at institutions within California, Washington State, and New York. His areas of experience include academic career and technical education, workforce development, apprenticeship, public/private partnerships, grants development, and regional economic development through labor market analysis. Todd earned a Doctor of Education from Northeastern University, an MBA from Chapman University, and a bachelor's degree summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests include occupational supply and demand, career pathways, future of work, and the use of labor market data to inform workforce development practice.
Bill Richter
Senior Data & Research Analyst
brichter@vedp.org
Bill Richter
Senior Data & Research Analyst
brichter@vedp.org
Bill Richter serves as the Senior Data & Research Analyst for VOEE. Prior to joining VOEE, Bill implemented workforce development grants with the Organization of American States and developed data management and analysis strategies at World Pediatric Project, a global healthcare non-profit. He holds a BA from Carleton College and a Master of Global Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Rachel O’Brien
Research Project Manager
robrien@vedp.org
Rachel O’Brien
Research Project Manager
robrien@vedp.org
Rachel O’Brien serves as Research Project Manager for VOEE. Rachel has a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in Education with professional experience in both research and hands-on work in the K-12 system. She has worked in educational research at both UVA and Stanford. Most recently, Rachel served as a Math teacher at Binford Middle School in Richmond.
Anya Upadhyaya
Research & Data Analyst
aupadhyaya@vedp.org
Anya Upadhyaya
Research & Data Analyst
aupadhyaya@vedp.org
Anya Upadhyaya serves as a Research and Data Analyst for VOEE. Anya has an MSc in Data Analytics and a BS in Psychology and Statistics. Prior to joining VOEE, she worked for Northern Virginia Community College as part of their Labor Market Intelligence team. Anya is passionate about sports and volunteers as a digital scout analyst for the British American Football Association in her spare time.
Katrina Hamilton
Research & Data Analyst
khamilton@vedp.org
Katrina Hamilton
Research & Data Analyst
khamilton@vedp.org
Katrina Hamilton serves as a Research and Data Analyst for VOEE. Katrina previously worked in data analytics as the Workforce Program Evaluation Coordinator for Virginia’s Community College System. With both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in sociology, Katrina brings a unique perspective and skillset to VOEE’s analytics team.
Samantha Townsend
Executive Assistant
stownsend@vedp.org
Samantha Townsend
Executive Assistant
stownsend@vedp.org
Samantha Townsend serves as Executive Assistant for VOEE. Samantha has experience working in assistant roles for both the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia General Assembly. She has a passion for public service and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration through the Wilder School of Government at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate, and support development and expansion of the Commonwealth’s economy. To accomplish these objectives, the Partnership focuses on business recruitment, expansion, and international trade.
VEDP is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors. The Board selects the President and Chief Executive Officer and ensures that VEDP complies with all Board and statutory directives. The Board works with VEDP’s staff to develop, implement, and update strategic and marketing plans for the Commonwealth and an operational plan for VEDP.
To view the VEDP management team, click here.
