The Northern Virginia Project today announced the formation of its Board of Directors and the designation of officers for the coming year. The Northern Virginia Project is an industry-driven educational initiative to propel Northern Virginia to the forefront of growth in the information products, intellectual services and communications technologies that will be essential for competitiveness in the 21st century.

By establishing the region as a "learning center" to help businesses, community and educational institutions and citizens, the Project will help position Northern Virginia as a world center for innovation and the beneficiary of a vibrant base of commercial and social entrepreneurism in the Knowledge Age. The end result will be new opportunities for economic growth, educational advancement and a better quality of life for Northern Virginia residents.

The Project's new board includes some of the region's top business and community leaders: Dan Bannister, President of DynCorp; Ed Bersoff, President and CEO of BTG; Fred Bollerer, President and CEO of Riggs Bank of Virginia; Mike Daniels, Senior Vice President, Technology Applications Sector of SAIC; Mario Morino, Chairman of the Morino Institute; George Newstrom, Corporate Vice President of EDS and Chairman of the Virginia Technology Council; Chuck Stein, President and CEO of NETRIX Corporation; Robert Templin, President of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology; April Young, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia RoundTable; and Earle Williams, Director and retired President and CEO of BDM International.

According to Morino, an architect of the Project, "The coalition represents some of the foremost business, educational and community strategists and visionaries in Northern Virginia. Some of the brightest minds in information technology have come together to guide the Project and help the region capitalize on its potential for global leadership in the high-stakes competition for information products, intellectual services and communications technologies in the commercial, educational and social sectors."

The Project was formed to help Northern Virginia take immediate and aggressive steps to ensure that it accelerates its development towards a leading technology and information center in the race for high-tech business development, education and community service. "Forging a strong board with a compelling vision for the future of Northern Virginia is the first step toward harnessing the power of technology for growth," says board member Newstrom. "By marshaling the region's wealth of technology, information, and people resources into a powerful, cohesive force, we can make Northern Virginia a world-class center for education and innovation in the Knowledge Age."

Board members will serve staggered terms, ranging from appointments of one to three years. Officers elected by the board to spearhead the operational efforts of the Project include: Mario Morino, Chairman; Ed Bersoff, Vice Chairman; April Young, Secretary; and Fred Bollerer, Treasurer. Morino will, in the interim, serve as President until the person for this role has been recruited.

Bollerer notes that all citizens throughout the region will benefit from an energized commitment to expanding growth in the information products and intellectual services areas. "The coalition will foster vital contacts, collaboration and public/private partnerships, while providing fertile ground for entrepreneurs in the business, social, academic and government sectors," he says. "The end result will be new opportunities for long-term economic growth, improved awareness of the potential of this new age for our citizenry, and a better quality of life for Northern Virginia residents."

The Northern Virginia Project was born out of the Northern Virginia RoundTable and is anchored by the founding partners of the Century Club, George Mason University, The Governor's Regional Economic Development Advisory Council, the Northern Virginia RoundTable, Northern Virginia Community College, Northern Virginia Technology Council, and Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology.