The president and CEO of an economic development authority in Northern Virginia intends to step down from his leadership role this fall to return to the private sector, kicking off a new era for an agency that helps businesses start, expand or relocate in a county just outside the nation's capital.
Victor Hoskins, the head of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said he would conclude his time with the organization for a new, unidentified opportunity later this year.
The FCEDA Commission is expected to soon initiate a search for the organization's next leader, with a decision on that individual expected to be announced later this year.
The forthcoming departure of Hoskins will kick-start the next chapter of economic development efforts in a county that has seen growing corporate investment in the last few years.
"We've gotten back to our pre-COVID numbers in terms of office square footage. We did 2.2 million square feet in the last fiscal year. That is huge. And 9,900 jobs, which is more than any other jurisdiction in the state of Virginia," Hoskins told CoStar News in an interview. The space, quantum technology and artificial intelligence industries are expanding in the county and region, he added.
Hoskins joined FCEDA in the summer of 2019 after serving 4 1/2 years as director of Arlington Economic Development in neighboring Arlington, Virginia. During that time, he worked on the team that persuaded online retail giant Amazon to select National Landing in Arlington and Alexandria as the site for its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2.
National and international companies picked Fairfax County for new locations or expansions during Hoskins' more than six-year tenure, including Microsoft, Google, Meta, Volkswagen Group of America, StarKist, Amentum, Guidehouse, Qualtrics, Alarm.com, Hilton, Clark Construction, Blue Origin, V2X and Aerospace Corp.
"Under his leadership, FCEDA secured some of the world's most innovative companies, ignited meaningful job creation, strengthened key industries, and cemented Fairfax County's place as a global competitor," FCEDA Commission Chairman James Quigley said in a statement.
Also during that time, FCEDA helped secure nearly 64,000 jobs, plus "facilitated" more than 10.5 million square feet of commercial office space and over 4 million square feet of data centers, according to the statement. Hoskins' legacy with the group also included forming the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance with neighboring jurisdictions.