David Hunn, Class of 2010

David Hunn
President and CEO, The SkillSource Group, Inc.
Vienna, VA

What is new and exciting with you now or since your time with Lead Virginia?

The organization where I work, The SkillSource Group, Inc. (SSG), continues to pursue growth opportunities that support local employers and jobseekers to thrive in Northern Virginia. Our One Stop Employment Centers had over 55,000 jobseeker visits last year; a remarkable number in one of the strongest local economies in the state. We are continuously seeking to apply new techniques and methods to bring new workers into the local labor market. On a personal side, both of our daughters have finished their undergraduate degrees at UVA and have transitioned successfully to work and graduate school.

How has your Lead Virginia experience influenced or shaped you as a leader?
I have lived in Virginia for over 33 years and my work has been primarily focused in the Northern Virginia region. While I interact with state officials and my workforce board counterparts throughout the Commonwealth, Lead Virginia really opened the door to the scope and complexities of the entire state. Through my Lead Virginia experience, I was able to see firsthand the areas of the Commonwealth I had never had the opportunity to visit or work in before. I learned the varying regional economies of the state create tremendous diversity of interests and challenges, and where public policy solutions need to be flexible and adaptable. Lead Virginia clearly enhanced my respect and admiration for the entire Commonwealth.

Since Lead Virginia, how have you put your social capital to work?
Lead Virginia expanded my professional network throughout the Commonwealth, both within my own 2010 class and also to earlier and more recent Alumni.

What is something that Lead Virginia inspired you to do that you were not doing before your class year?
I have a much greater appreciation for developing a ‘personal’ style of leadership that works best for my own personality and also within the organization where I work. I have also been inspired to study the leadership qualities of earlier Virginia leaders, examining both their strengths and their weaknesses.

What did you expect from Lead Virginia going in? Did the program exceed your expectations and broaden your horizons?
Having had opportunities to participate in local leadership programs, I anticipated that Lead Virginia would engage business and government officials to speak to topics of the day. Our 2010 class, however, was presented with multiple opportunities, in different venues throughout the state, to meet and talk with public, private and non-profit leaders committed to impacting Virginia over the next 20-30 years; essentially the remainder of my professional work life. The topic areas included the impact of projected climate change on the Hampton Roads region, the challenges and opportunities of enhancing economic development through higher education growth in the Shenandoah Valley, the feasibility of introducing high-speed rail between Richmond and Northern Virginia, not to mention ongoing challenges and opportunities to assure equal access to quality health care, education and employment for all Virginians.