Ray Smoot, vice president for finance and treasurer emeritus at Virginia Tech, is retiring as founding chair of the GO Virginia Region 2 council after nearly seven years of service.

Since the GO Virginia program started, Region 2 has authorized over $8 million in projects and generated $7.8 million in external investment. To date, 40 projects have been funded by the council.

“This program provides a wonderful opportunity to advance our communities and serve the people who live in them,” Smoot said. “With groups like these, we will prevail in addressing challenges in our region. Region 2 brings together the New River Valley, the Roanoke and Alleghany regions, and the Lynchburg region for the first time to work together on economic and workforce opportunities.”

As chief executive officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation, he was responsible for management of assets and over $1.3 billion in real estate development.

Over the course of his 35 years at Virginia Tech, he played a central role in the creation of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, and the Turner Street development in Blacksburg.

William Eddie Amos, who has served as vice-chair since 2019, will take over as chair, and Smoot will serve the rest of the term on the council as a member.

Read the full article here from THE VIRGINIA TECH CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, Feb. 14, 2023 by Julia Kell.