February 3, 2026
Spotlight on Tech Center Managing Director Chelsea Oliveri
A Hampton Roads native, Chelsea Oliveri combines extensive entrepreneurship and leadership experience, a deep background in energy and technology, a passion for practical solutions, and a far-reaching vision to her role as Managing Director at Tech Center Research Park.
Her interest solving real-world problems started early. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science and Technology from James Madison University with a triple concentration in energy, environment, and transportation. She was drawn to the ISAT program because it was an interdisciplinary, flexible and hands-on program. The systems thinking and analytical methods approach prepared her incredibly well for her dynamic career that has unfolded over the last 20+ years.
From co-authoring a book, to founding her own company, to leading a research park and launching a visionary secure energy initiative, Chelsea is committed to deeply understanding the problem, finding enterprising and collaborative solutions, and seeing it through. We were honored to catch up with Chelsea to hear more about her impressive experience, her exciting current projects, and her vision for Tech Center.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? How did you find your way to the tech, research, and innovation space?
My background has always sat at the intersection of energy, technology, economic development, and people. My experience at JMU, including the opportunity to serve as a research and teaching assistant and as an intern for various organizations, prepared me to immediately launch into my first two jobs even before I graduated – launching a non-profit and co-writing a book. From there, I moved into leadership roles that blended policy, technology innovation, and real-world implementation, working across government, nonprofits, and the private sector.
Over time, I found myself consistently drawn to spaces where research innovation, development, and technology deployment were best enabled through collaboration across industry, government, and academia. Whether I was helping advance clean transportation technologies with passionate pioneers, building new programs and partnerships, or shaping statewide energy and economic strategies, I’ve always enjoyed the process of connecting the dots and building an ecosystem that included supporting the growth of a winning team.
After over two decades of academia, non-profit, private sector, and government experience, it was such a natural and inspiring transition to bring it all together. When Justice Elizabeth McClanahan (ret.) asked me to join the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center team to help build the tech and research ecosystem at Tech Center Research Park, I knew I was coming home. And by home, I mean both figuratively and literally! My last position as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia was a 24/7 job and required living in two cities. Not only is my job at Tech Center a great match for my skills and experience, but my family is thrilled to have me back home.
You’re also a founder of your own company! How does that inform your work at Tech Center?
Founding my own company, helping others start companies and leading organizations over the years has definitely shaped how I approach my work at Tech Center – and how I approach life. Being an entrepreneur gives you a very unique perspective. For me, how I approach building my company relies heavily on what problems I’m passionate about solving and what opportunities allow me to build teams of people that inspire me and push me to grow and evolve.
When I was starting and leading non-profits 20 years ago, the pressure of making payroll, right-sizing the organization and staying focused on the mission was much more stressful. Thankfully now, I’ve failed enough and had so many surreal (and insane) moments professionally and personally, that I take a much more light-hearted approach to leading a company and a team. Leadership is hard and there isn’t ever a “finish line” – it’s a constant journey and evolution.
My philosophy is to surround yourself with smart, motivated, team-oriented critical thinkers who are passionate about serving others and leaving the world better than they found it. The rest is so much easier to manage when you have a great team around you. And, my experience is that you and your company grow organically when you are focused on the right things for the right reasons. People want to be around good energy and be in an environment where you are lifted up, supported and can dream big dreams. We are building that at Tech Center and I’m confident if we have another conversation in just a couple of years from now, we will be blown away by the thriving community we built together!
What would you like people to know about innovation in the Newport News Region?
I’d love for people to know that innovation in the Hampton Roads region is already happening – even if quietly behind the scenes. Newport News is a growing hub where advanced research and manufacturing, defense, energy, aviation, and logistics intersect in powerful and meaningful ways. The fact that Tech Center Research Park is adjacent to Jefferson Lab, and miles away from NASA, Newport News Shipbuilding and Huntington Ingalls, Christopher Newport University and many more innovative companies, is what excited me about the opportunity to join the team. We already have a thriving community of scientists, technologists and innovators.
What makes the region and Newport News special is the strength of our partnerships and our history. Hampton Roads has legacy of innovation that sent a man to the moon and allows us all to reach for the stars. We have universities, industry, government, the military, and community organizations working side by side, which creates a unique environment for collaboration and problem-solving.
Hampton Roads may not always be the loudest innovation hub, but it’s one of the most impactful, especially for technologies that need scale, infrastructure, and serious operational expertise to succeed.
Collaboration is at the heart of the Tech Center Research Park. What are some of the great collaboration success stories you’ve witnessed so far?
Collaboration really is at the heart of everything we do, and is THE most important factor in our success. A success story I’m proud of is the development and launch of the Secure Energy Future Center (SEFC) at VTCRC. What started out as a green hydrogen focused GOVA funded project transformed lessons learned and market intelligence gained into a program that has brought a diverse and dynamic set of partners together focused on solving one of the most challenging problems of our time – energy. The team never gave up and continued to build an ecosystem of team members that helped refine the problem definition in order to build a business plan and a vision for SEFC that just makes sense.
SEFC, headquartered at Tech Center Research Park, is a hub for next-generation energy solutions in a highly strategic coastal location, leveraging Hampton Roads’ unique assets to drive innovation, solve complex energy challenges, and enable strategic growth for the region, the Commonwealth, and beyond.
Our partners include research institutions, entrepreneur support organizations, startups and established companies, and government partners. The collaborative and highly outcomes focused environment we’ve developed enables us to move quickly from concept to execution. One of the most rewarding things to witness is how our shared space at Tech Center, and connectivity to high quality partners and their teams has accelerated trust and problem-solving. Whether it’s companies working alongside Virginia Tech researchers, or industry partners collaborating with regional and federal stakeholders on energy, defense, and advanced technology initiatives, those relationships are leading to real outcomes that are already attracting follow-on funding and support.
From new spin-off programs, to pilot projects, to workforce development, to education, to commercialization opportunities; SEFC is already becoming a hub for energy innovation at Tech Center even though we just formally launched three months ago.
Speaking of great collaboration, tell us more about the Secure Energy Future Center!
The Secure Energy Future Center at VTCRC is a great example of how collaboration can turn big challenges into real opportunity. SEFC was launched as a regional hub for next generation energy solutions at Tech Center Research Park, building on Hampton Roads’ unique assets such as world class research institutions, defense and maritime infrastructure, ports, and data capabilities. The goal is to help advance reliable, affordable and clean energy – or as we call it secure energy – that benefits Tech Center, Hampton Roads, the Commonwealth, and the nation.
What makes SEFC especially powerful is its focus on impact. It is designed to enable solutions and amplify partner organization activities focused on the challenge of balancing the need for reliability, affordability and environmental stewardship. SEFC is focused on maturing six integrated pillars:
- Energy literacy
- Research and modeling
- Innovation and demonstration
- Technology commercialization
- Talent pipeline development
- Regional growth support
Again, building a robust ecosystem of innovators that ensures we have the energy we need 24/7 at a cost that is reasonable while also protecting our environment is a mission most everyone can get behind. We are currently at a place in our energy history that also provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
One opportunity we’re focused on building after a lot of industry feedback from companies in Virginia and also located outside the Commonwealth is having access to more testbeds or proving grounds. We heard that those kinds of assets would provide a major advantage to our region. So, we are working to position Hampton Roads as a living laboratory for energy innovation. We want to attract energy technology companies to Tech Center and the region by providing testing, demonstration, and commercialization support.
The fact that SEFC is a key part of the Hampton Roads Playbook positions Tech Center incredibly well. Our focus on energy as a key economic driver alongside defense, aerospace, and logistics will provide our Tech Center community with more opportunities to grow. We are building out SEFC’s headquarters and are planning a grand opening event on April 22 – Earth Day! Mark your calendar – we have much to celebrate and we promise an unforgettable event!
What has been a proudest moment or top experience during your time at Tech Center thus far?
I have so many proud moments. Launching the Secure Energy Future Center as part of the Hampton Roads Playbook is definitely a moment I will never forget. Our team worked tirelessly for three years, and overcame an incredible number of setbacks, challenges and barriers. Each person on the team over the three years contributed in a meaningful way. Where we started and where we ended up last October with our launch may sound very different, but we have always been focused on the goal of building a thriving energy innovation ecosystem at Tech Center. The fact that we were so obsessed with ensuring we understood the problem well before we jumped to solutions, and are equally obsessed with building a sustainable business model and programming that industry and partners wanted to meaningfully engage in and invest in, has set us up to hit the ground running.
And we are—we’ve already attracted state and private investment just two months after launch. On December 29th, we announced a first of a kind partnership with TerraPower and ITA International (a Tech Center company and Hokie!) funded by the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank. Not only are we establishing an Advanced Nuclear and Energy Storage Hub anchored by an advanced nuclear control room simulator, but the announcement better connects us to VTCRC in Northern Virginia and to Blacksburg.
Tell us a few fun facts about you!
I’m not as extroverted as people assume. I think they call it ambivert? I never have FOMO and my husband has learned overcommitting our social calendar doesn’t end well. It may be also because we have 3 kids and 2 dogs that also keep us very busy!
Also, I used to make my own biodiesel and have driven a CNG, propane, hydrogen fuel cell and electric car over the years! My favorite power source is us, though, and my favorite days are running, walking or biking through Seashore State Park or anywhere in nature.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your vision, your team, or the organization?
We kicked off our energy education and training series this month, have partnerships formed with 757 Collab, Dominion Energy Innovation Center and Innovate Hampton Roads and plan to unveil some exciting announcements during our Grand Opening on April 22 at Tech Center. Stay tuned!