Virginia Capitol Connections, 2025 Annual Magazine 23 show up curious and ready to work, he says, and when the right voices are uplifted, ideas turn into action. Fresh ideas, tempered pace Ask him for an example of policymaking for the next generation and he jumps to career and technical education. “I would trust my dad to teach electrician courses—he is an electrician. You learn by doing.” Jacobs is proud to be part of the team advocating for advancements in CTE, like alternative licensing pathways that pair trade veterans and subject matter experts with classroom-management training. Programs like this bring skilled labor into the classroom, while enhancing the quality of hands-on opportunities for students. While these programs are a net positive for students, and continue to expand across the state, Jacobs is a believer in patience, accepting it as a valuable part of his job description. Innovation, he cautions, isn’t adrenaline alone. Bridging the aisle, bridging the years Virginia’s General Assembly has just undergone its largest generational turnover in decades; freshman delegates share committee tables with lawmakers who entered politics before dial-up internet. Jacobs sees the gap less as a chasm than a teaching moment. “My civics teacher drilled into us: disagree without being disagreeable.” He treats meetings like an FFA parliamentary procedure contest— keep the gavel moving, make sure every head at the table counts. He reminds me new concepts must coexist with regulations that already work. The General Assembly meets for a short stint of time, but policy change is ongoing. Working with stakeholders to create change is an evolving, continuous process. Jacobs describes the allhands-on-deck approach that it takes to push a solution over the finish line, saying, “The position demands—and Virginians deserve— timeliness.” Long days, longer view Workweeks can be long, yet he shrugs off the notion of burnout, citing purpose as his primary battery. “The chance to do more is what gets me out of bed every morning,” he tells me. “The hours don’t matter as much as the outcomes.” Hurricane Helene tested that resolve. Tapped for the Governor’s disaster concierge team, Jacobs stepped in to assist in coordinating school-relief logistics for flood-damaged counties. He facilitated conversations between families suffering in Helene’s aftermath, and people who could help—state agency personnel, liaisons at the federal level, and others—about a number of issues. Among them, agricultural damage and ongoing power issues, road restoration, school closures, and returning the impacted neighborhoods to some version of safety and normalcy. He modestly describes his own impact here as a “small role,” but says seeing neighbors and people from all over Virginia come together to help one another was one of the most impactful periods of his personal and professional life. What tomorrow needs Asked about legacy, he instead talks about trajectory. “I want us to be better than we were yesterday, but not as good as we’ll be tomorrow.” Pressed, he offers three words about the man and colleague he strives to be: intentional, caring, service-oriented. A sticky note on his desk reads a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Jacobs is betting that the next generation of public servants will prize adaptability over ideology. He talks of rebuilding civic pride around the idea of opportunity, citing his own past and passage from rural Augusta County to a state public policy leader. Representation isn’t just demographics; it is proximity to lived experience. By that measure, Virginia’s education playbook is now being co-written by someone who still reflects on his upbringing, his hours on FFA debate rostrums, and his own pioneering efforts at Virginia Tech. He considers it an honor, this opportunity to lead by example, and is, above all, grateful. “I have been granted an opportunity to serve the people of Virginia, in the Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin, on Secretary Aimee Guidera’s small but mighty team...while I love my job, I don’t take this role lightly.” Jacobs explains, “I am truly honored to be in this seat.” You would be hard-pressed to find someone more devoted or better primed for the charge of his position. Young as he is, Jacobs is paving a way for himself, and for young people state-wide, to follow. Fresh tracks, indeed. Chris Bailey is a Government Relations Associate at David Bailey Associates. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief for Virginia Capitol Connections. D B A V A . C O M CHRIS BAILEY 1108 East Main St., Ste 1200 Richmond, VA 23219 804-643-5554 office 804-432-3270 cell csb.davidbaileyassociates@gmail.com Zach Jacobs (right) and Governor Glenn Youngkin. V
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