Virginia Mountaineer
LEBANON, VA – SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 – Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher has been named to the Virginia Business Power 500 listing for the fifth year in a row.
The 2026-2027 list recognizes what the magazine defines as Virginia’s most powerful and impactful leaders in business, government, non-profits and higher education. Leaders are categorized among 20 sectors, including banking, economic development, government contracting, healthcare, law and real estate.
Belcher’s work in economic development earned the magazine’s recognition, which also noted his leadership as executive director of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway (CFX) Authority. Belcher became executive director of VCEDA in 2006 and was named executive director of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority in 2020. He has been with VCEDA since 1997, initially as its funds administrator and general counsel and also continues to serve as its general counsel.
“I am humbled by the recognition, and I feel honored to be listed among so many leaders in our Commonwealth,” Belcher said. “I congratulate the others who were also named to the list in the various categories the magazine considered.”
Southwest Virginia honorees in addition to Belcher included in this year’s edition are Virginia Delegate Terry Kilgore; Chancellor of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise Donna Henry; CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation and President of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center Elizabeth McClanahan; President of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Bristol, Allie Evangelista; and President and CEO of EO Travis Staton.
The magazine noted that during his time at VCEDA, Belcher “has helped bring tens of thousands of jobs and billions in private investment to the authority’s seven-county, one-city Southwest Virginia region through numerous economic development deals.”
In 2025, as the magazine noted, VCEDA approved 59 loans and grants totaling $18.7 million. Funded projects are expected to create 584 full-time and 124 part-time jobs and generate $180 million in private investment.
Belcher also serves as the executive director of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority. Approximately 10 percent of the CFX’s total mileage in Virginia has been completed and opened in the last three years. Another 2.07 miles are expected to open in late 2027. Projects of the CFX Authority so far this year have been approved for $3 million in federal CDS funding; $7 million in the state budget signed this year; and $1.6 million in AMLER funds announced last week. More than $32 million for CFX projects has been raised since the CFX Authority became operational in 2021.
“It takes a team of dedicated individuals to create economic development opportunities in our region, and I am proud to be a part of that team,” Belcher said. “The VCEDA board is tasked with helping the region grow and diversify, and the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority Board is tasked with helping to advance what I would argue is one of the most critical road projects in the state.”
Belcher credited the men and women who serve on the boards he works with for the growth and accomplishments made over the years, adding, “I am proud to do my part to assist in that growth, and I look forward to the great things we will accomplish in the future.”
Belcher is a graduate of Morehead State University with a bachelor’s degree in real estate and holds a law degree from William and Mary.
The complete Power 500 listing in Virginia Business Magazine may be found at
https://virginiabusiness-va.newsmemory.com/?token=am9uYXRoYW5AdmNlZGEudXM=
