AI Ready RVA

05/16/2026

AI Ready RVA is proud to help launch the first-ever Community Weekend AI Hackathon at Capital One’s West Creek campus.

A huge thank you to Capital One, and to every Capital One mentor and volunteer spending their weekend investing in 30 high school students.

This is what AI literacy looks like in action: access, mentorship, hands-on learning, and community showing up for the next generation.
Special shoutout to .demetriou , AI Ready RVA Board Member and Chair of our Education Committee, and his team for making this happen.

Richmond’s future is being built one student, one mentor, and one opportunity at a time.

FutureOfWork CommunityImpact

05/15/2026

05/15/2026

05/10/2026

The AI Ready RVA mailing list is where Richmond stays informed.

Every week, something shifts in the AI landscape. A local employer makes a hiring decision based on AI skills. A cohort member finds a workflow that saves their team hours. A tool launches that actually matters for how people in this region work.

Most of it never makes the news.

Our newsletter cuts through the noise. No hype, no trend-chasing. Just what's worth knowing, what's happening locally, and what you can do with it right now.
Join the mailing list. Get the newsletter. Stay ahead of what AI means for Richmond's workforce, businesses, and community.

Subscribe here:
http://eepurl.com/iIaYDs

05/05/2026

Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo landing on the same day feels like the universe looked at everyone’s stress levels and decided to intervene.

Somewhere in Richmond right now:
One person is explaining prompt engineering over queso.
Another is using ChatGPT to find the best taco specials within a 10-mile radius.
And someone just asked an AI agent if it can DoorDash margaritas.

This is the kind of innovation we can all support.

Happy Taco Tuesday.
Happy Cinco de Mayo.
And if your tacos arrive before your AI-generated meeting notes, your priorities are probably in the right place.

🌮🤖🍹

05/04/2026

In a galaxy far, far away…
actually, just a few exits down I-95…

The Greater Richmond Region was under attack.

Not by the Sith.
Not by stormtroopers.
But by something far more dangerous:

People pretending they understood AI after watching one 14-second TikTok.

Businesses were confused.
Teachers were overwhelmed.
Executives were saying things like, “Can’t the intern just AI it?”

Chaos. Absolute chaos.

Then a small rebellion emerged known as AI Ready RVA.

Every week the rebels gathered to prepare for the future.

One person was prompting ChatGPT like a Jedi Master.
Another had 47 browser tabs open trying to “understand AI strategy.”
Someone in the back whispered, “I find your lack of prompting disturbing.”

A nonprofit leader built a grant proposal in 15 minutes.
A teacher created tomorrow’s lesson plan before finishing their coffee.
A small business owner automated three hours of admin work and briefly considered becoming insufferable on LinkedIn about it.

Meanwhile, Carl from HR accidentally uploaded the office potluck spreadsheet into an AI tool and declared himself “Head of Digital Transformation.”

Still, progress was being made.

The rebellion taught people how to actually use AI responsibly.
How to prompt effectively.
How to think critically.
And most importantly… how not to believe every AI-generated image of a six-fingered accountant holding a birthday cake.

The Jedi Council called it impossible.
The Empire called it dangerous.
Richmond called it community programming.

May the 4th be with you.

04/21/2026

Lookback: Power of Possibility 2026

500+ leaders. One room. One shared belief.

Richmond is ready.

What happened that night at the Science Museum wasn't just an event. It was proof. When you bring together people from business, education, government, and community and none of them want to stop talking, that's not a program that worked. That's a movement finding its footing.
People don't show up like that for information. They show up because they believe something bigger is possible. And on April 8, 2026, Richmond believed it together.

That's what Power of Possibility is really about. Not the speakers. Not the agenda. The moment a room full of people realizes they're not alone in wanting more for this city.

Now we build on it.

Power of Possibility 2027
📅 April 14, 2027
A bigger room. A stronger ecosystem. More people who belong in the conversation.

If you were there, you already know. If you weren't, you have exactly one year to make sure you don't miss what comes next.

Richmond's AI moment isn't coming. It's here.

Special Thanks to our Speaekrs
- Odean (Dean) Maye Moderator
- Mark Warner US Senator Virginia
- Will Melton CEO Xponent21 & Founder AI Ready RVA
- Arturo Saavedra Interim Executive Vice President and Provost
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Joe Benevento CEO VIPC | Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation
- Milos Manic Director of Virginia Commonwealth University's Cybersecurity Center and Convergence AI
- ⭐ Dr. A. Nell Meshcheryakov Strategic Advisor of Responsible AI for Dominion Energy
- Odie Donald II, MBA CAO of City of Richmond, Virginia
- Jason Tongarm Head of GenAI Engineering, Rapid Innovation at Google Public Sector

Sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University
Stage Sponsor: CoStar Group
Main Bar Sponsor: Xponent21
VIP Bar Sponsor: SingleStone
Catering Sponsor: Atlantic Union Bank
Innovation Sponsor: Weidmuller USA, Vaco, & Mike King & Joron Oliver, APR

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

04/16/2026

AI is already reshaping manufacturing, logistics, and supply chains.

The leaders who win in the next 3–5 years won’t be the ones talking about AI.
They’ll be the ones applying it to reduce cost, improve quality, and eliminate inefficiencies across operations.

That’s exactly what we’re building with the Supply Chain & AI Cohort at AI Ready RVA.

We’re kicking it off with a panel of industry leaders bringing real-world perspectives across:
• Machine Learning in operations
• Generative AI for planning and decision-making
• Robotics and automation on the floor

No hype. Just what’s working, what’s not, and where this is going.

📍 Virginia Commonwealth University - School of Business
📅 May 20th

:30 – 7:30 PM

AI is already reshaping manufacturing, logistics, and supply chains.

The leaders who win in the next 3–5 years won’t be the ones talking about AI.

They’ll be the ones applying it to reduce cost, improve quality, and eliminate inefficiencies across operations.

That’s exactly what we’re building with the Supply Chain & AI Cohort at AI Ready RVA.

We’re kicking it off with a panel of industry leaders bringing real-world perspectives across:

• Machine Learning in operations

• Generative AI for planning and decision-making

• Robotics and automation on the floor

No hype. Just what’s working, what’s not, and where this is going.

📍 Virginia Commonwealth University - School of Business

📅 May 20th

⏰ 5:30 – 7:30 PM

If you’re in manufacturing, logistics, or supply chain, you need to be in this room.

This is where Richmond starts leading.

Thank you To our amazing host and sponsors for this event VCU School of Business Masters in Supply Chain Management.


If you’re in manufacturing, logistics, or supply chain, you need to be in this room.

This is where Richmond starts leading.

Thank you To our amazing host and sponsors for this event VCU School of Business Masters in Supply Chain Management.

04/07/2026

Most product managers are still talking about AI.

The best ones are already using it.

That gap is growing fast.

On April 21, we’re putting real operators on stage. Not theorists. Not influencers. Product managers from Richmond who are using AI inside their workflows right now and seeing the impact.

How Product Managers Actually Use AI: Lightning Talks from RVA

📅 Tuesday, April 21, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 CoStar Group

This isn’t a panel. It’s not a keynote.

It’s a series of fast, focused lightning talks. Each one built around a simple question:

How are you actually using AI in your day-to-day work?

You’ll see how product teams are applying AI across:

• Customer research and insight generation
• Writing PRDs and internal documentation
• Prioritization and roadmap decisions
• Communication with stakeholders
• Ex*****on speed across the board

No theory. No recycled talking points. Just what’s working.

Here’s the truth most people won’t say out loud.

AI isn’t replacing product managers.
It’s exposing them.

The ones who know how to think, structure problems, and move fast are pulling ahead. Everyone else is falling behind.

This session is about getting on the right side of that line.

If you’re building products, leading teams, or trying to stay relevant in this shift, be in the room.

🎟 Corporate Members: $13.50
🎟 General Admission: $15
🎟 Subscribers: Free

👉 https://aireadyrva.com/events

Richmond doesn’t follow trends.

We build what’s next.

04/05/2026

March proved something simple.
People are ready.

To every new member who joined AI Ready RVA this past month, thank you. You didn’t just join a network. You invested in yourself, your organization, and the future of the Greater Richmond Region.

Because of you, we are expanding access to AI literacy, education, and real-world application across this community. Hundreds of members. Thousands of lives impacted. And we are just getting started.

This is what momentum looks like.

Welcoming Our New Corporate Members

Builder Member
Kinsale Insurance (Renewed for 2026)

Community Business Members
Nexus Impact Services, Inc.
AI Elevates
RVA Media Group
The Eight Agency
Atlantic Union Bank

These organizations are stepping up early. They see where this is going and they are choosing to lead.

Welcoming Our New Individual Members

Brian Fisher, CISSP, CISA, CDPSE, PMP, ITIL
Mark Vaughan
C. Quinn Adams
Faiz Khalid
Percy Mansfield
Vivian Medina-Messner
Syshelle Chantilou
Onna-lisa Kyom
Trent M Park
Rob Wagoner
Sasha Lewis
Kandy Maxim-Morales
David Vilarino
Kimberly Stevens
Ramasamy Subash
Amanda Morris
Kiran Pakkir MBA
Joe Sewash
Siddu Kaleekkal
Matthew Goff
Stephani Guimaraes Lima
Marissa Lima
Nicole Allen
Jayakanthan Narayan
Alexander Whiteway, M.S.
Amy Yarcich
Hope Kestle
Jared Jarreau
Mary Beth Moody

Every one of these names represents a decision. A decision to learn. To grow. To not get left behind.

Right now, most communities are still talking about AI.

Richmond is building.

We are building a region where students, professionals, and organizations don’t just understand AI… they use it. They apply it. They lead with it.

That’s the mission.

If you’re ready to be part of it, join us:
https://aireadyrva.com/membership