Our Team

John Elink-Schuurman serves as Co-Manager for the award-winning Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) Program, an international trade accelerator program, responsible for assisting Virginia exporters develop and execute international business plans, across industries and markets. John is located in VEDP – International Trade’s Northern Virginia office in Tysons Corner.

Experience

John joined the VEDP in 2011 as Managing Director – Europe for the VEDP’s business attraction team, marketing Virginia as a business location to European companies. Before joining VEDP, John was Principal with PSD Global, an economic development consulting firm, during which he worked on trade and investment projects with IE Singapore, The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Embassy of Brazil, Japanese Trade Office (JETRO), Invest in Bogota, and the Mexican Ministry of Economy.  John also served as Deputy Director for External Relations at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC.

Education

B.A., Political Science, French – Guilford College
M.A., International Commerce & Policy, George Mason University