Cathie J. Vick EMBA ‘17 named CEO of Virginia Chamber of Commerce

When Cathie J. Vick was named CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce earlier this year, she wasn’t surprised by the offer. Her immediate reaction was simple: “Right person, right time.”

It’s a phrase she repeated throughout the interview process, and it reflects her confidence, preparation, and deep understanding of what leading the state’s business advocacy organization requires.

“I was really excited,” she said. “I had been on the board of the Chamber, so I already knew a lot of the members and the executive committee. The opportunity to work with such a great group of people and advance the things that are important to them, that help their businesses, is something I’m really passionate about.”

Vick’s career spans industries including law, energy, transportation, and now business advocacy. She credits her success to focusing on relationships, approaching problems holistically, and staying perpetually curious.”

“You can take the same skills and apply them across all those industries if you build genuine relationships and always do your homework,” she said. “Find connection points with people who are passionate about the same things you are, and focus on the impact of decisions, both near-term and long-term gains you can achieve if you work together.”

That perpetual curiosity drove her decision to pursue William & Mary’s Executive MBA program after years of working in law and public policy. She wanted to gain deeper operational knowledge, particularly in finance, analytics, and organizational development, to better navigate C-suite responsibilities.

“I hadn’t been in school for a really long time and went back to get my degree,” she said. “Being able to ask the right questions, even challenge assumptions in modeling and forecasting, are all things I learned as part of the program.”

Completing an MBA while working full time and raising four children required planning and support from her employer and family.

“I don’t know how I did it looking back,” she said with a laugh. “You just sort of make it happen. The faculty and other students are mindful that you’re being pulled in 50 directions. For me, I would be doing homework at the kitchen table while my kids were doing theirs. It’s all about time management and communication.”

She credits the program’s flexibility, accessible professors, and supportive TAs for making the experience manageable and effective.

“The accessibility of professors was remarkable. That was unexpected for me,” she said. “You think, oh, they’re so smart, they’re unapproachable. But they made you feel at ease and were always available to answer questions.”

As she settles into her new role leading the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Vick is focused on three major priorities: optimizing the core of the Chamber’s successful programs, amplifying the organization’s voice, and enhancing member services.

“Barry [her predecessor] did a really good job building a strong foundation,” Vick said. “My approach is, don’t fix something that isn’t broken. Optimize it.”

For example, she reorganized the Chamber staff into distinct teams to focus efforts and enhance effectiveness. That structure supports her second priority, amplifying the Chamber’s voice across platforms. Within 90 days of taking the helm, the Chamber’s LinkedIn impression rate rose 438%, driven by strategic communications and proactive engagement with members and legislators.

Finally, she aims to enhance member services by understanding what resources businesses need. From health plans for small businesses to legislative toolkits, she wants the Chamber to offer practical, tailored solutions.

“We’re working with local and regional chambers and small businesses to understand what they need so we can tell one consistent story about what makes Virginia great for business and what we need to do to maintain that climate,” she said.

Vick is acutely aware of the diversity in Virginia’s economic landscape, from rural communities to urban tech hubs. Her approach is to identify common challenges that impact businesses across sectors.

“We don’t try to be everything to everyone,” she said. “Access to childcare, housing inventory and affordability—these are challenges we hear whether someone is running a farm, a manufacturing plant, or an IT firm.”

The Chamber’s current Blueprint tour involves roundtables with business owners and legislators statewide to inform policy recommendations and show lawmakers the real impact of their decisions.

“Sometimes when the Chamber shows up, legislators think Amazon, Dominion—big business,” Vick explained. “We’re using data to show them that 90+% of businesses in their district are small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Personalizing it that way makes a difference.”

Now as a C-suite executive, Vick encourages MBA students with similar ambitions to remain open-minded about their career paths.

“Don’t have your sights set on just one job or career path and let it blind you to other opportunities,” she shared. “I thought I’d be a prosecutor putting away bad guys forever. Then I met a state senator and went to work with him. That opened my aperture to business issues, and here I am now.”

Her advice is to focus on doing a really good job at whatever you’re doing and building transferable skills rather than obsessing over what comes next.

“Sometimes we get caught up in needing to know what’s next so we can feel prepared for it. But don’t get stuck on that,” she advises.

To be successful in business, Vick says, is simple: focus on the people.

“We want to create a business environment that allows business owners to make the best choices for the people who work with them and stay financially viable,” she said. “We always have to focus on the bottom line, but also on quality of life for employees. Over sixty percent of new jobs in Virginia each year come from existing businesses expanding. We want to help them thrive.”

Whether in law, transportation, public policy, or now business advocacy, Vick’s commitment to curiosity, collaboration, and people-centered leadership continues to define her past—and shape Virginia’s economic future.

About the Virginia Chamber of Commerce:

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in the Commonwealth, with more than 30,000 members. The Virginia Chamber is a non-partisan organization that champions the interests of the business community in the legislative, regulatory, and political arenas to serve as the catalyst for positive change in all areas of economic development and competitiveness for Virginia. Learn more at www.vachamber.com