Economic Development

George Mason sociologists advance families’ economic mobility through Fairfax County pilot program

sbrown79 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:45:39 +0000

George Mason sociologists advance families’ economic mobility through Fairfax County pilot program sbrown79 Mon, 06/29/2026 - 10:45

An innovative partnership between 91��, Fairfax County, and the United Way is shedding light on how guaranteed income can support working families facing economic hardship. 

Throughout the county’s 18-month Economic Mobility Pilot Program, George Mason researchers Amy Best and Eliz Storelli investigated how unrestricted cash payments, when combined with organizational resources from local and state government and community nonprofits, affect the financial mobility of the county’s asset-limited, income-constrained, employed (ALICE) population, which represent a third of Fairfax County residents, according to the United Way.

ALICE are essential workers—teachers, medical assistants, postal office staff, Lyft, Uber, and bus drivers—that drive the local economy but have wages that are too low to make ends meet living in the county. For the Fairfax County Economic Mobility Pilot, 180 households were randomly selected from a pool of 2,400 eligible applicants from across 10 zip codes in the county with greater economic vulnerability. This guaranteed income pilot is among more than 150 municipal unrestricted cash pilots across the United States since 2020.

Eliz Storelli (left) presenting the results of the pilot program. Photo provided.

“The county hopes to use the pilot intervention as an opportunity to engage in systems-level change, improve service delivery, support programming, and policy design to better promote economic mobility and prosperity among Fairfax residents," said Best, professor of sociology and director for George Mason’s Center for Social Science Research. 

After 20 months of data collection and analysis, the research team submitted four major reports to Fairfax County. They have presented research findings to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County Human Services Council, as well as at the 2026 Eastern Sociological Society conference. 

The results were clear: Unrestricted cash payments had a profound stabilizing effect, and in some cases boosted financial mobility for participating ALICE families.

Nearly 42% of participants reported they improved their credit scores, and many used the funds to pay down debts, earn credentials, and move closer to degree completion and better job prospects. The pilot provided participants with the “gift of time” enabling pilot participants to strengthen connections with family and community.

Best and Storelli served as co-principal investigators on the pilot program, which reflects the Center for Social Science Research's strong commitment to community-partnered scholarship.

Funding was provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a legislative proposal introduced by the Biden-Harris administration in 2021, and the Human Services Innovation Fund. Each household received a guaranteed monthly income of $750 for the duration of the pilot, in addition to their regular earned income.

“This program differs from other kinds of policy interventions because the unrestricted cash was distributed with a trust and invest philosophy, which is a policy philosophy that assumes that people are the experts in their own lives,” Best said. These families know what they need, so we don’t have restrictions on how the money is spent.” 

The research team also worked closely with a community advisory board to ensure fidelity to the community and benefit from community expertise in research design, collection, and analysis.

That trust proved meaningful. Through three waves of surveys, three rounds of interviews, and 10 focus groups, the team documented both immediate economic relief, and broader changes in well-being and opportunity among the participants.

Emma Vetter Taylor. Photo provided.

For lead graduate researcher, Emma Vetter Taylor, PhD Sociology ’26, the human impact became clear after speaking with participants.

“During the interviews, parents told me about how they bought things like bunk beds and Christmas trees for the first time. It was really meaningful for them and their kids. As a sociologist, seeing their stress levels decrease from the first to the second interview and hearing about the positive impacts it had on their lives was really inspiring,” Taylor said.

“Being part of the mobility project was truly the highlight of my experience at George Mason,” she added. “It was invaluable learning from two really impressive researchers like Amy and Eliz, but then also having the opportunity to be able to conduct research myself.”

Fairfax County’s government works closely with community partners. Storelli, affiliate faculty at the center, Department of Sociology and Anthropology associate professor and undergraduate director, emphasized that these partnerships were essential because economic hardship does not exist in isolation, but is shaped by systems, structures, and long-standing inequalities.

“We have to look at what holds these financial problems in place,” Storelli said. “The government has made investments in people in the past and they can do it again in a way that is more inclusive so that everybody can take advantage of these community resources.”

For Best, Storelli, and their student team, the pilot shows that when local government and its community partners invest in people, the results can extend far beyond finances, building greater community trust, connection, and belonging. They can improve stability, reduce stress, strengthen well-being, and help families prepare for a healthier, more secure future.

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George Mason’s startup incubator puts CEO on path to developing accessible electronic health care records

sholla4 — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 19:23:15 +0000

George Mason’s startup incubator puts CEO on path to developing accessible electronic health care records sholla4 Mon, 07/15/2024 - 15:23

Jourdan Saunders is a licensed speech-language pathologist and CEO of The Resource Key, which she founded to assist organizations in developing accessible marketing solutions for people with disabilities and facilitate compliance with regulations related to accessibility.

Saunders met Toni Andrews, senior associate director, Community and Local Government Relations at 91��'s Mason Square, via the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s Education and Workforce Development Committee, who connected Saunders with Paula Sorrell, associate vice president, innovation and economic development, Mason Enterprise.

Sorrell suggested that Saunders participate in the Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), which helps Virginia’s inventors and entrepreneurs take the right steps in bringing new technologies and innovations to market. ICAP is part of Virginia’s Small Business Development Centers at George Mason and one of the many entrepreneurship programs offered at the university.

Jourdan Saunders. Photo provided

Saunders’ clinical experience exposed her to the need for industrial accessibility services. “As my clients transitioned into the workforce, there weren’t many opportunities due to a lack of accessibility and the perception that disabled people aren’t capable of working certain jobs.”

When Saunders met with Sorrell, they discussed the founding of her company and its next phase of growth—the development of a health care platform that would increase accessibility to electronic health records.

ICAP participants complete five three-hour sessions centered on customer discovery, conduct at least 20 customer discovery interviews, complete supplemental assignments, and meet with dedicated mentors.

Mentorship is a key component of ICAP. Each participant is paired with a dedicated mentor who provides feedback on each discovery interview, shares insight as an entrepreneur, and introduces mentees to connections that align with their goals.

“I’m grateful to have been introduced to ICAP,” Saunders said. “Having a dedicated mentor provide specific and actionable feedback following customer discovery interviews was very helpful.”

Program participants are also vital to network expansion. “Networking with my fellow cohort members expanded my reach,” Saunders said. “Many of my clients are in different states. However, through ICAP, I’ve made local connections that I can leverage as I grow my business.”

Once participants complete ICAP, they continue to have access to resources. The ICAP team stays engaged as a company progresses through its milestones, becoming a later-stage startup and eventually transitioning from a startup to a growth company and the unique needs this entails.

Since completing ICAP, Saunders has attended an industry conference and expanded her network. She expects to have a prototype of the accessible health care application ready for beta testing within the next six months.

“ICAP’s focus on customer discovery, mentorship, and resources are invaluable benefits for entrepreneurs,” Saunders said. “You become part of a community, an ecosystem, that’s continuous.”

George Mason’s Small Business Development Centers offer ICAP free of charge as part of the Mason Virginia Promise, a pathway to a bachelor's degree or help starting a business for any Virginian who wants one.

Mason Enterprise Center is the place for innovation

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Paula Sorrell

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Mason Korea hosts industry collaboration panel

ckearney — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 19:16:48 +0000

Mason Korea hosts industry collaboration panel ckearney Thu, 06/20/2024 - 15:16

Following the celebratory opening ceremony, Mason Korea convened a high-powered panel discussion on United States–Republic of Korea industry collaboration.

From left, Remi Veneziano, Ajay Vinze, Liza Wilson Durant, and President Gregory Washington. Photo provided

91�� President Gregory Washington moderated the panel, which featured Mason’s renowned industry experts: Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement and professor and associate dean at the College of Engineering and Computing; Dean Ajay Vinzé of the Costello College of Business; and George Mason researcher Remi Veneziano, an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering.

These experts explored how George Mason's research is powering key industrial segments, including bioscience, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, power engineering and shipbuilding. The discussion delved into Mason's successful collaborations with United States and international partners, exploring the potential for similar partnerships to drive Korean industrial development.

The engaging session was followed by a networking reception, allowing one-on-one conversations between panelists and industry leaders, and attendees.

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Mason celebrates the Fuse at Mason Square 'topping out'

Damian Cristodero — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:13:22 +0000

Mason celebrates the Fuse at Mason Square 'topping out' Damian Cristodero Mon, 11/06/2023 - 13:13

On Nov. 3, university officials, regional economic leaders, government partners, media, and students gathered at Fuse at Mason Square to celebrate the building's "topping out," which happens when the structural frame of the building is complete.

Mason President Gregory Washington and Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community, spoke at the event, and hard-hat tours were conducted. Students and faculty demonstrated some of the novel technologies, inventions, and solutions that will flourish at Fuse.

When open—tenant occupancy is scheduled to begin in August 2024—Fuse at Mason Square, the headquarters for the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), will transform the innovation landscape in Arlington, with opportunities for students, researchers, and commercial partners to be part of an immersive atmosphere of ideation and innovation.

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Fuse Topping Out photo essay by Creative Services

Fuse at Mason Square on the rise. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The Fuse topping out celebration was a hot ticket. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Mason President Gregory Washington addresses craftworkers at the topping out ceremony.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Liza Wilson Durant talks about the collaborations that will be possible at Fuse at Mason Square. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

President Gregory Washington gets a tour. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Robot dog demonstration by Mason students. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Bioengineering major Gabriel Gibson participates in a demonstration of prosthetic hand.
Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Computer science graduate student Quang Vo demonstrates a work-from-home virtual reality project.
Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Bioengineering students present their capstone design project. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Fuse will open for tenants in August 2024. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

See the full plans for Fuse at Mason Square

Fuse in the Media

How George Mason's new Arlington campus will boost tech education (NBC News)

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Gregory Washington

Liza Wilson Durant

This content appears in the Spring 2024 print edition of the Mason Spirit Magazine with the title "Celebrating Digital Innovation."

Fairfax City and Mason come together to spur economic growth and student success

ckearney — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:06:58 +0000

Fairfax City and Mason come together to spur economic growth and student success ckearney Mon, 10/02/2023 - 10:06

Fairfax City mayor and 91�� alumna Catherine S. Read, BA ’84, and Mason's School of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé signed a partnership agreement on Oct. 2 aimed at promoting economic growth in the city while giving students access to experiential learning opportunities that will benefit local businesses and students.

Students get hands-on retail management experience at Fairfax Ace Hardware. Photo provided

This partnership will extend the walls of the business school’s classrooms into the local business community, by affording business students with the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills across several industries in the “classroom beyond the classroom.”

“Our collaboration with the 91�� School of Business is about investing in our future, and being open to change and innovation,” said Read. “By welcoming Mason students and faculty into our business community, we’re bringing fresh faces and new ideas to city planning in support of our vision for a vibrant commercial district.”

“The School of Business emphasizes student experience and career readiness via public, private, and academic partnerships,” said Vinzé. “We see Mason as your hometown university, and this partnership is an exciting opportunity for us to invest in the growth and economic development of this wonderful city, while providing our students with a hands-on learning experience that will prepare them for successful careers in business.”

Experiential learning opportunities in Fairfax are expected to draw Mason students from each of the business school’s four centers of excellence—Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship (CREE), Center for Retail Transformation (CRT), and the newly named Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting.

With some programs already underway and additional planning discussions on the horizon, both sides are looking forward to expanding the current collaboration in the spring. Among the projects slated to launch are

a CIE-led vendor management experience for students with retailers in the Old Town Fairfax Business Association (OTFBA)/FCED “Wander In” retail incubator,
a CREE site plan analysis for determining best use options of commercial real estate sites in the Northfax Small Area Plan and other areas of Fairfax City,
an in-store retail management experience with CRT students and Fairfax City retailers, and
a study by students from the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting, in coordination with the Mason Enterprise Center, to identify ways to improve business outcomes for small business federal contractors.

“What makes this program unique among ‘classroom beyond the classroom’ partnerships is our collective focus on leveraging the short-term benefit of student employability into a longer-term relationship with our city and its business community,” said Christopher Bruno, executive director and CEO of FCED. “One of the reasons we decided to partner with Mason is its track record of driving economic growth in the region—close to 70% of its alumni live and work in a 50-mile radius of the Fairfax Campus—and the confidence that gives us that many of the relationships we form now with Mason students and alumni are going to serve as a magnet for new businesses in the future.”

People Mentioned in This Story

Ajay Vinzé, PhD

She has ideas to bring Mason and Fairfax City together

“You look at our downtown and where are the students, where is the activity, where is the energy?” said Catherine Read, the first Mason alum, and first woman, to be Fairfax mayor. "What kind of things can we do between the campus and the city? That’s what we should be asking ourselves."

Learn more about her plans >>

Economic Recovery in Ukraine during and after war - Dean Özerdem on Pritzker's appointment in the Kyiv Independent

Paul Snodgrass — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:43:30 +0000

Economic Recovery in Ukraine during and after war - Dean Özerdem on Pritzker's appointment in the Kyiv Independent Paul Snodgrass Mon, 09/18/2023 - 11:43

In This Story

Alpaslan Özerdem

In an article by the Kyiv Independent, Dean Alpaslan Özerdem reacts to the selection of Penny Pritzker to lead the U.S. efforts in the economic recovery of Ukraine. The article by Elsa Court, published on September 18, 2023, is entitled, Who is Penny Pritzker, new US special representative for Ukraine's economic recovery?

Excerpt from the article:

Starting the job in the middle of the war means that Pritzker is taking on a challenge that "few would envy," said Dr. Alpaslan Özerdem, dean at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and expert on post-conflict reconstruction.

"She will need to connect many dots to build sustainable momentum in the economic recovery of Ukraine both before and after the war's end," Özerdem told the Kyiv Independent.

Her experience in philanthropy will come in useful, Özerdem believes, not least because "war-affected communities appreciate the sensitive approach of empathy, passion, and solidarity" that experienced philanthropists can bring.

Read the full article with more comments from Dean Özerdem in the Kyiv Independent.

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Award will help Virginia SBDC assist businesses looking to go global

sholla4 — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:16:59 +0000

Award will help Virginia SBDC assist businesses looking to go global sholla4 Mon, 06/26/2023 - 10:16

The Virginia Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) International Business Development (IBD) program is a Stage One winner for the 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The Virginia SBDC, hosted through 91��, will receive a $50,000 cash prize to, according to their press release, “build strategic partnerships that will support the launch, growth, and scale of STEM/R&D-focused small businesses with a focus on international markets.”

Members of the SBDC team from the IBD and Charlottesville offices pose with Antwaun Griffin, head of socially responsible purchasing at Amazon Business and the former chief of staff at SBA. Photo provided.

The Virginia SBDC network of 27 regional centers serves current and prospective small businesses around the commonwealth by providing ongoing support and resources to help them achieve their short- and long-term goals. They offer confidential, no-cost advising to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals hoping to start and/or grow their businesses, as well as training and workshops for business management and connecting business leaders to critical resources such as funding partners. Businesses from hair salons and toy companies to IT consulting and manufacturing have utilized SBDC services to develop successful business models.

On President Washington’s Access to Excellence podcast, Paula Sorrell, associate vice president for innovation and economic development at Mason, called this methodology a “no wrong door approach”: no matter where they come from or where they’re going, an entrepreneur can go to an SBDC and be connected to resources to get them to where they need to be.

The Virginia SBDC is part of the larger Mason Virginia Promise, which promises a pathway to a bachelor’s degree or small business for any Virginian who wants one. Through the SBDC, Mason has an estimated economic impact in Virginia of more than $1 billion.

“The Mason Virginia Promise is a commitment from the university to say that we are available and accessible to everyone in the commonwealth,” said Jody Keenan, state director of the Virginia SBDC. “We can meet you where you are and figure out what’s the best game plan to help you accomplish whatever goals or milestones you have for yourself or your business.”

The IBD specifically helps businesses expand into international markets through market research, training programs, and customized business advising on topics such as market selection, regulatory compliance, and the mechanics of trade. The IBD’s goal is to be issue-spotters: preventing small business from making costly mistakes in foreign markets.

Through its GAFC-supported project, the IBD program will enhance its services to Virginia’s STEM companies. “Innovative firms with global aspirations have an entirely different set of considerations they need to incorporate into their business practices,” said Aaron Miller, international trade director for the IBD.

With the prize money, Miller explained that the IBD will “convene partners and potential partners to discuss how we can best provide foundational awareness on international issues—such as intellectual property protection, data privacy, and export control laws—for more STEM companies. In particular, we will be seeking more ways to engage with founders from underserved communities to ensure that resources are being equitably provided.” To that end, they are building on their partnership with the Black and Global Business Network and hope to create a tailored approach to training and counseling for traditionally underserved and under-resourced companies.

“We want to make international expansion part of an integrated, inclusive approach to business assistance for high-potential STEM firms. Hopefully, this new focus helps more innovative Virginia businesses to enter and succeed in global markets,” said Miller.

The IBD will have the opportunity to compete for an additional $50,000 to $150,000 from the SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund later this summer.

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Small Business Development Center

Mason Virginia Promise

Economic Development

Campus News

Washington Business Journal: "Viewpoint: The case for an FBI headquarters in Northern Virginia's Springfield"

jharve9 — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 15:02:36 +0000

Washington Business Journal: "Viewpoint: The case for an FBI headquarters in Northern Virginia's Springfield" jharve9 Mon, 03/27/2023 - 11:02

91��'s President, Dr. Gregory Washington, recently shared his thoughts in Washington Business Journal, making a case for an FBI headquarters in Northern Virginia.

As Virginia and Maryland officials make their final pitches to be the home of the next FBI headquarters, Springfield is the clear choice. While Maryland has made an excellent case for how the state would benefit from an FBI relocation, Virginia stands alone in its capacity to bring transformational change to the FBI.

^{Without a doubt, the new FBI headquarters would bring great benefit to Northern Virginia. By embedding the FBI in Springfield, it would immerse itself in a majority-minority community where Latinos and Black and African Americans combine to make up the largest cohort. Seventeen languages in addition to English are spoken there, from Spanish to Korean to Arabic to French Creole."}

_{^{Dr. Gregory Washington}}

Read more in the Washington Business Journal digital edition

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Gregory Washington

Washington Business Journal: "91�� finally turns 50 — and hits a serious growth spurt"

kheydt — Tue, 31 May 2022 19:50:18 +0000

Washington Business Journal: "91�� finally turns 50 — and hits a serious growth spurt" kheydt Tue, 05/31/2022 - 15:50

"Before 91�� started building new labs for engineering students in Manassas, before it coached and mentored more than 100 new startup companies in Fairfax, before it set up a campus in South Korea’s Songdo, or broke ground on a new space in Arlington to collaborate with the likes of Amazon.com Inc., it was just a single building.

One lone building in 1957. And 17 students enrolled through the University of Virginia.

Eventually, UVa. would procure 150 acres from the not-yet-incorporated town of Fairfax to spin off and plant GMU’s main hub there in 1959. Thirteen years later, the Fairfax university’s status reached the desk of former Virginia Gov. Linwood Holton, who signed legislation April 7, 1972, establishing 91�� as an independent public university.

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Gregory Washington

Mason Enterprise Center

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The Secret’s Out: Mason is an economic driver

ckearney — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 16:39:59 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is an economic driver ckearney Thu, 08/19/2021 - 12:39

91�� boosts the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region economy by supplying an educated, skilled, and multifaceted workforce, by partnering with key employers, and through the Mason-based Virginia Small Business Development Center.

In 2020, the Small Business Development Center network assisted 9,500 businesses, resulting in $86 million in new capital received and 1,167 loans obtained.

Mason incubated and supported or accelerated more than 1,600 Virginia companies in fiscal year 2019.

Investing in our local economy means cultivating Mason’s existing private and public partnerships—and forging new ones—to drive innovation.

In partnership with the commonwealth’s Tech Talent Initiative, and in response to Amazon’s HQ2 coming to Northern Virginia, Mason will expand its programs in computer science and related fields by a third at the undergraduate level and threefold at the graduate level.

Mason’s Arlington Campus is undergoing a $250 million transformation that includes new facilities to support Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion; industry and government partnerships to fuel innovation, commercialization of new digital technologies; graduate programs associated with the Mason’s new School of Computing; and thousands of computing graduates over the next 20 years.

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Economic Development

George Mason sociologists advance families’ economic mobility through Fairfax County pilot program

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Washington Business Journal: "91�� finally turns 50 — and hits a serious growth spurt"