The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), the state’s economic development organization responsible for attracting new investment and supporting business growth across Virginia, has appointed Jennifer Reynolds, PhD as Director of Life Sciences. Based in Richmond, VA, Reynolds will work to strengthen Virginia’s life sciences ecosystem by attracting investment, supporting company growth, and building partnerships across industry, academia, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
About Jennifer Reynolds
Reynolds joins VEDP as an experienced and entrepreneurial executive who has spent her career working at the intersection of life sciences, innovation, and economic development — expertise that aligns directly with VEDP’s mandate to connect people, ideas, and organizations to accelerate growth across the Commonwealth. In returning to Virginia for this new role, she said it “feels great to be back in Virginia.”
Most recently, Reynolds served as an elected Board Member of Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, advising on technology commercialization and IP strategy and serving on the Audit Subcommittee overseeing financial reporting and compliance. She simultaneously led Salamandra, LLC, a strategic, technical, and regulatory consulting firm serving a global portfolio of drug development clients, as Executive Director for nearly seven years. There, she oversaw corporate operations, HR, business development, and contract administration, while also leading a rebrand and office build-out and driving operational and financial improvements across the firm.
Earlier in her career, Reynolds served for more than five years as Director of Venture Creation at bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park, where she directed incubation, acceleration, and entrepreneurial programs spanning life sciences, cybersecurity, and advanced data technologies, and led the Park’s largest corporate collaboration with Northrop Grumman. She also spent eight years as Vice President of Scientific and Business Operations at Akonni Biosystems, a start-up medical device and platform company, where she managed multi-agency government grants and contracts, investor relations, and product development. Her earlier roles include nine years in progressive scientific and operational leadership positions at Orchid Biosciences (formerly Cellmark Diagnostics), a forensic and paternity DNA testing laboratory, and three years as a Staff Scientist in molecular genetics at Molecular Tool, Inc., where she authored two funded NIH SBIR grants.
Reynolds holds a Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, an Executive MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and a B.S. in Biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Speaking about her new role, she said, “I am grateful for this opportunity and thankful for the warm welcome I have received. It feels great to be back in Virginia. Onward!”
About Virginia Economic Development Partnership
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s economic development organization, working to attract new investment, support business growth, and strengthen key industry sectors — including life sciences — across the state. VEDP partners with industry, academia, and regional economic development organizations to build a stronger, more competitive Virginia economy. For more information, visit www.vedp.org.
