VIRGINIANS OF INTEREST

E43: Building A Health Innovation Corridor From Roanoke To DC

A biotech revolution is taking root in Virginia, and we brought in someone who’s building it from the inside. Sally Allain—Chief Health Science Growth and Innovation Officer at Virginia Tech and a double Hokie—shares how a career that began with undergraduate research evolved into leading global collaborations at Johnson & Johnson, launching JLABS in DC, and now accelerating translation and industry partnerships across the Commonwealth. We dig into how a medicine actually gets made, from picking a target in the lab to surviving toxicology, raising venture capital, filing the IND, and navigating clinical trials. Sally breaks down the “valley of death” that stalls promising science and how smart alliances, philanthropic support, and experienced operators can close the gap. Along the way, we explore how Roanoke’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute is reshaping the region’s identity with physician‑scientist hires, a state‑backed Patient Research Center in oncology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular disease, and a plan with Children’s National to bring small‑scale GMP cell and gene therapy manufacturing to Southwest Virginia. Zooming out, we connect the dots between AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, and Merck’s major investments; Virginia Tech’s strengths in engineering, robotics, and AI; and the growing Mid‑Atlantic corridor that stretches from Washington to Roanoke and links into North Carolina. The result is a clearer picture of what it takes to convert academic breakthroughs into therapies, jobs, and regional growth—plus real steps for building a workforce pipeline that keeps graduates in the Commonwealth. If you’re curious about how ideas become medicines and why Virginia is suddenly on the pharma map, this conversation brings strategy, science, and urgency together. Enjoyed the show? Follow, rate, and share with a friend who loves science, startups, or Virginia’s future. Your review helps more listeners discover these stories. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2164412/support]

E42: A Former Speaker Explains Why Internships, Innovation, And Affordability Decide Virginia’s Economic Growth

Want a front‑row seat to how Virginia plans to stay a top state for talent? We bring in former Speaker of the House and VBHEC president Kirk Cox to connect the dots between policy, campuses, and paychecks. From the first spark of a career in high school to paid internships that flip underemployment on its head, this conversation lays out a concrete roadmap for students, families, and employers who want results, not buzzwords. Kirk explains why the Virginia Business Higher Education Council is uniquely positioned to make change—its board blends all 16 public university presidents, private colleges, the community college system, and CEOs under one roof. We dig into the Impact Agenda’s four pillars: talent pathways and internships, affordability and ROI, innovation and entrepreneurship, and solving local problems through regional partnerships. Expect real examples, like ODU’s one‑stop internship hub, the Blue Ridge Partnership’s healthcare pathways, and FastForward credentials that put adult learners back on track after years away from school. We also get honest about the budget: how to protect key investments, why Virginia’s state support lags peer leaders, and what ROI data shows about the billions higher education contributes to jobs and growth. The episode also tackles the future of work head‑on. AI is changing entry‑level tasks, but it’s also opening doors in healthcare, engineering, and data‑driven fields—making hands‑on internships and human skills more valuable than ever. We talk “universities without borders,” interdisciplinary learning that breaks silos, and flexible models that meet regional demand without pigeonholing campuses. If you care about paid internships, tuition you can afford, and pathways that actually lead somewhere, you’ll leave with practical insights and a clearer view of how Virginia can scale what works. Listen, share with a friend, and tell us the one change you think would move the talent needle most—then hit follow so you don’t miss what comes next. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2164412/support]

E41: Patrick Henry, A Church, And The Vote That Tilted A Revolution

Step into the pews where a colony weighed its future. We bring you inside St. John’s Church in Richmond for a gripping walk-through of the Second Virginia Convention, the razor-thin voice vote to arm a militia, and the eight-minute speech that helped turn a crisis into a revolution. Patrick Henry’s words didn’t just stir Virginia; they traveled across centuries and borders, inspiring people facing censorship and fear to risk speaking out. Stephen Wilson, executive director of the St. John’s Church Foundation, maps the road from the Boston Tea Party to March 1775, explaining why the church—then the largest building west of Williamsburg—became the stage for a defining choice. He lays out who stood where: Washington, Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Nelson, and the loyalist heavyweights who argued for caution. We also get rare context on the speech’s origins, how biographer William Wirt reconstructed it, and why the vote’s narrow margin still shocks audiences. Along the way, you’ll hear a powerful live excerpt that puts you back in the room. Kefu Huang shares a moving personal story linking “Give me liberty or give me death” to Tiananmen and the more recent white-paper protests, underscoring how liberty is both fragile and worth the cost. Then we shift from history to how you can experience it: immersive Liberty or Death reenactments, behind-the-scenes evenings with bell ringing and under-church tours, and a robust speaker series that has drawn voices from Pulitzer winners to governors. Stephen also highlights the Foundation’s preservation mission—cemetery care, stained glass repairs—and how individual support keeps this independent site alive. If you love American Revolution history, public history experiences, or simply want to stand where courage changed the course, this conversation will move St. John’s Church to the top of your list. Stream the episode, watch the full reenactment online, and plan your visit. If the story resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2164412/support]

E40: From Rats to Revelation: Uncovering Virginia’s Forgotten Plague

A leaking steamship. A silent mosquito. And a summer that rewrote the map of fear along the Elizabeth River. We sit down with author and veteran journalist Lon Wagner to uncover the 1855 yellow fever outbreak that ravaged Portsmouth and Norfolk—and somehow faded from local memory. What begins with a “rat lady” explaining vector control becomes a gripping true story of a captain’s denials, a health system built on miasma theory, and a minister’s meticulous letters that tracked the spread long before germ theory took hold. Lon takes us aboard the Benjamin Franklin, a ship detouring from St. Thomas with sickness in its wake, and into the crowded Irish tenements of Barry’s Row where proximity and poverty turned risk into catastrophe. We explore the misguided remedies—tar barrels, lime-dusted streets, towering wooden walls—and the human calculus of who fled, who stayed, and who served as the city’s nerves frayed. Along the way, we draw clear lines to our present: Aedes aegypti still thrives; dengue, Zika, and West Nile still surface; and the tension between public health and commerce is as old as the docks themselves. This is a story about vectors and victims, but also about memory and readiness. Lon’s book, The Fever, restores names, places, and decisions to a crisis that once commanded national headlines. If you care about how cities actually work in a crisis—movement, communication, trust, and the physics of spread—you’ll find hard-won lessons here, told with empathy and detail. Press play, then tell a friend, and if the conversation hits home, subscribe, leave a review, and share your biggest takeaway so more people can find this story before the next one arrives. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2164412/support]

E39: From Coal to College: Dr. Debbie Sydow, a First-Gen Leader's Journey

What happens when a coal miner's daughter from Virginia's mountains becomes a college president? Dr. Debbie Sydow's remarkable journey reveals how education transforms lives and how she's working to ensure others have the same opportunities that changed her trajectory. Growing up in Wise County with coal miners, moonshiners, and preachers for family, Dr. Sydow's path shifted when a teacher intervened, encouraging her to pursue college preparatory courses instead of vocational training. This seemingly small act altered her entire future, demonstrating the power of mentorship that would become central to her educational philosophy. Dr. Sydow takes listeners through Virginia's fascinating higher education history, explaining the surprising connections between universities across the Commonwealth. Richard Bland College emerges as a unique institution – the last college to gain independence from William & Mary's governance and still under a Supreme Court injunction preventing it from offering four-year degrees despite dramatic changes in demographics since the civil rights era. The conversation illuminates Richard Bland's distinctive position in Virginia's educational landscape as a "university parallel" institution. Unlike community colleges, it offers a residential campus experience with full-time faculty holding terminal degrees, yet remains more affordable than four-year universities. Dr. Sydow explains how this model provides crucial scaffolding for students who need additional support, particularly first-generation college attendees. Most compelling is Dr. Sydow's vision for the future – from innovative partnerships with drone technology companies to a business innovation park designed to provide on-campus internships for every student. She articulates how artificial intelligence might revolutionize education by customizing learning experiences while preserving the essential human connection between teacher and student. As she prepares for retirement after 14 years at Richard Bland's helm, Dr. Sydow reflects on what drives her: giving students from backgrounds like hers the opportunity to broaden their horizons and dream bigger dreams. Her story reminds us that higher education's true purpose isn't just conferring degrees but transforming lives and communities. Listen to this episode to understand how Virginia's educational past shapes its present, and how leaders like Dr. Sydow are working to ensure its future serves all Virginians, regardless of their zip code or circumstances. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2164412/support]