Virginia Secretary of Commerce

Secretary of Commerce and Trade of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Flag of Virginia
Incumbent Carrie H. Chenery since January 12, 2026
Member of	Virginia Governor's Cabinet
Nominator	The governor
Appointer	The governor with advice and consent from the Senate and House
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	Maurice B. Rowe III (as Secretary of Commerce and Resources)
Formation	April 8, 1972
Website	commerce.virginia.gov

The secretary of commerce and trade is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet. The office is currently held by Carrie H. Chenery, appointed on January 12th, 2026, serving under Governor Abigail Spanberger. ^[1]

Duties

The Secretary is responsible for overseeing commerce, trade, and economic development in Virginia, and oversees the following state agencies: ^[2]

• Virginia Economic Development Partnership
• Virginia Department of Energy
• Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
• Virginia Office of Broadband
• Virginia Housing
• Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation
• Virginia Tourism Corporation
• GO Virginia
• Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity
• Virginia Small Business Financing Authority
• Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission
• Fort Monroe

List of secretaries

Commerce and resources (July 1, 1972–1986)

• Maurice B. Rowe III (1972–1974)
• Earl J. Shiflet (1974–1978)
• Maurice B. Rowe III (1978–1982)
• Betty Jane Diener (1982–1986)

Economic development (1986–1993)

• Richard M. Bagley (1986–1988)
• Curry A. Roberts (1988–1990)
• Lawrence H. Framme III (1990–1992)
• Cate Magennis (1992–1993)

Commerce and trade (1993–present)

• Cate Magennis (1993–1994)
• Robert T. Skunda (1994–1997)
• Robert J. Stolle (1997–1998)
• Barry E. DuVal (1998–2001)
• Joshua N. Lief (2001–2002)
• Michael J. Schewel (2002–2006)
• Patrick Gottschalk (2006–2010)
• Jim Cheng (2010–2014)
• Maurice Jones (2014–2016)
• Todd Haymore (2016–2018)
• Esther Lee (2018)
• Brian Ball (2018–2022)
• Caren Merrick (2022–2025)
• Juan Pablo Segura (2025–2026)
• Carrie H. Chenery (2026-)

Former offices absorbed by the secretary of commerce

• Virginia Secretary of Technology (2018)

References

1. Andrews, Kate (January 12, 2026). "Spanberger appoints Virginia commerce and trade secretary". Virginia Business . Retrieved January 22, 2026.
2. "Secretary of Commerce and Trade". www.commerce.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.