Accelerating resiliency planning in communities across the Commonwealth

Search

Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

Home » Publications and Media » Resilient Virginia News » Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

Home » Publications and Media » Resilient Virginia News » Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.
Graphic of sun, mountain, and water with text Celebrate 10 years with us! Ten years. One goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

2024 marks Resilient Virginia's 10 year anniversary!

For ten years we have been:

ConnectingEducatingPreparing, and Engaging people in Virginia to move resilience initiatives forward by hosting conferences and academies, publishing reports and case studies, compiling valuable resources, mentoring college students, hosting listening sessions, partnering with community leaders, and working on-the-ground alongside our neighbors. Continue reading to see a few of the highlights from the past decade.

The First Decade

2014: Virginia Sustainable Buildings Network recognized the need to accelerate climate resiliency planning across the Commonwealth and re-imagined the organization to create Resilient Virginia to reflect this change in focus.

Virginia Can't Wait!

2015: Resilient Virginia held our kick-off meeting featuring Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran. We also developed a Resiliency Checklist in partnership with Virginia Municipal League/Virginia Association of County’s GoGreen Virginia initiative.

2016: We held our first conference: Activating Communities and Businesses for a More Resilient Future in Richmond. The statewide conference brought together for the first time federal officials addressing climate impact with state emergency management teams, local government representatives, and related organizations.

2016 Resilient Virginia Conference

2017: We held our second conference: Connecting Communities, Business, and Educators for Resiliency Solutions with support from the Secretary of Public Safety and VDEM. The conference focused on resilience planning rationales, tools, and resources.

2017 Resilient Virginia Conference

2018: A visioning/listening session took place that set us on the course of addressing the rural/urban interdependence in climate mitigation and adaptation. This year, we also held the Rural Resiliency Forum.

2018 Resilient Virginia Rural Resiliency

2019: We held our third conference: Connecting Rural and Urban Communities for a Resilient Future in collaboration with University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The conference highlighted progress and explored the interdependent roles of rural and urban regions.

2020: We launched the Resiliency Academy as a virtual series due to COVID. The on-going series features government, business, and organization experts in resilience planning, technology, and funding. The first four sessions were held in 2020 and gave an introduction to four resiliency planning guides.

Resilient Virginia's Resiliency Academy

2021: Our Spring Resiliency Academy sessions focused on Financing Resiliency Initiatives. In the summer, we held our fourth conference: From Recovery to Resilience as a virtual event with worldwide attendance. At the conference, we partnered with Leaders in Energy to co-host the Green Jobs Forum and Career Fair. Listening sessions were held in the fall with government, business, academic, and nonprofit organization attendance.

Resilient Virginia's 2021 Conference

2022: We were awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice grant that started the Lynchburg Rising project. Our Spring and Fall Resiliency Academy sessions focused on the components of a resilient community. The Albemarle County Risk Assessment was published, funded by Piedmont Environmental Council and developed by Resilient Virginia and Sobis.

2023: We held our fifth conference: Economic Opportunities for Community Resilience as a hybrid event, with in-person attendance at the University of Virginia. The conference focused on the current wide ranges of federal and state program and funding opportunities. Listening Sessions were held in the fall with government, business, academic, and nonprofit organization attendance. We also launched the Resilient Virginia Collaborative Alliance (RVCA) for Central and Southwest Virginia with funding from the Institute for Sustainable Communities.

Register Now for the 2023 Resilient Virginia Conference

A Look at What We're Working on in 2024

Virginia Energy Resilience Study (VERS): This two-year project with Virginia Energy launched in February 2024 to support energy resilience in underserved communities.

We are planning for a second EPA EJ grant to continue work in Lynchburg.

The RVCA‘s Core Steering Committee is identifying resilience priorities for Central and Southwest Virginia and workgroups will start this Spring.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Environmental Justice Data Project continues to work with underserved communities in Emporia, Charles City County, and Richmond to identify climate hazard solutions.

The 2024 Resiliency Academy series starts this Spring with support from  MARISA. The series will provide training in hazard mitigation planning that addresses climate impact.

Planning for the 2025 Resilient Virginia conference will start later this year.

10 Year Anniversary Graphic (1000 x 250 px) (3)

We are working hard to make the next 10 years even more successful and impactful than the last. If you value the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible donation, that directly supports our programs.

Your support will help us continue to provide Virginia communities with the assistance they need to become more resilient, healthy, and safe places to live, work, and prosper. Thank you!

Become a Member
Become a Sponsor
Become a Volunteer

Sign Up for E-News

Get news and notifications from Resilient Virginia.

The Resilience Calendar

  • Purchasing Under FEMA Awards Training: Introduction
    Date: October 9, 2025
    Location: Virtual

    This training provides an overview of the federal procurement under grants rules for recipients and subrecipients when purchasing under a FEMA grant. This training is appropriate for FEMA award recipients and subrecipients, including: state,…

  • RVCA Water Infrastructure Working Group Meeting
    Date: October 9, 2025
    Location: Virtual

    Resilient Virginia Collaborative Alliance Water Infrastructure Working Group monthly meeting.  Anyone is welcome to join the conversation!

    RVCA Water Infrastructure Working Group
    Thursday, October 9 · 12:00 – 1:00pm
    Time zone: America/New_York<…

  • Appalachian Sustainable Development Barn To Run 4 Miler
    Date: October 12, 2025
    Location: Abingdon, VA, USA

    Join Appalachian Sustainable Development as they celebrate 30 years of growing a stronger Appalachia through Agriculture.  This family friendly event will be held at The Meadows in Abingdon, Va.  Wear your best fruit or veggie…

  • 2025 Renewable Thermal Collaborative
    Date: October 15, 2025
    Location: Washington, DC

    The RTC Summit is the only place where large industrial, institutional, and commercial energy users come together in person to accelerate renewable thermal solutions, connect with peers and renewable thermal providers, and overcome deployment…

Latest News & Resources

Fall 2025 with Resilient Virginia: Engaging Leaders, Empowering Action

This fall, Resilient Virginia is rolling out a lineup of virtual and in-person events aimed at bringing people together and sharing real-world tools for building stronger, more resilient communities across the state. From webinars and workshops to networking meetups, there’s something for everyone—whether you’re focused on agriculture, energy, infrastructure, the economy, or community development, or just getting started on your resilience journey.

Read More »

Upcoming Resilience Talks

Couldn’t attend every session at the recent Resilient Virginia Conference — or weren’t able to attend at all? You’re not alone—and we’ve got you covered.

Resilient Virginia is planning a series of post-conference sessions that will revisit the most in-demand topics from the conference—and the first three are happening soon!

Read More »

Where Resilience Meets Reality: Highlights from the 2025 Resilient Virginia Conference

Over 200 leaders, experts, and community advocates gathered at James Madison University this July for the 2025 Resilient Virginia Conference, themed “Moving Virginia Forward.” The two-day event offered a powerful mix of strategic insights, grassroots innovation, and hands-on learning—from climate-smart infrastructure and equity-driven planning to immersive experiences like the Science on a Sphere and FIRST Chesapeake’s “Robot Petting Zoo.”

Read More »