Virginia Business has a new publisher. Tall, dark-haired and highly personable, Doug Forshey comes to us from FCW Government Technology Group, a Falls Church company where he was vice president of marketing/custom publishing. The firm publishes Federal Computer Week, a highly regarded newsweekly trade magazine that covers the ins and outs of federal buying habits in the world of information technology.

Doug Forshey

Spanning more than 20 years, Doug's career has concentrated on the sales and business side of magazine publishing, particularly in the world of controlled-circulation, niche publications such as Virginia Business. He's also big into Web-driven endeavors and hosting major conferences, such as the annual Government IT Marketing Summit, which deals with the needs of marketing professionals who target the public sector.

Before joining Federal Computer Week, Doug was vice president of sales and marketing for the independent publisher, LottoWorld, Inc., a Naples, Fla.-based company that targeted the 100 million Americans who play state-run lottery games. Previous jobs included marketing slots at CMP Publications, in Manhasset, N.Y., supporting such publications as Computer Systems News, VAR Business and UNIX Today. He got his start as creative services manager at Gannett's Westchester Rockland Newspaper Group and later was part of the Gannett crowd that launched USA Today, where he was promotion manager for the circulation department. He also worked for Gannett's Asbury Park Press as marketing manager for the New Jersey-based newspaper.

After graduating with a degree in commercial art from Dutchess College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Doug earned an advertising degree from the acclaimed School of Visual Arts in New York and studied direct marketing at New York University in New York. He's now working on a master's in marketing at George Mason University.
Besides his obvious strengths in marketing, Doug brings to Virginia Business a deep knowledge of the high-technology world of Northern Virginia, which has been driving the state's economy for the past several years. Bringing home the point that Virginia is a bright tech star, the Progressive Policy Institute has just ranked the state as No. 8 in its New Economy Index, up from No. 12 in 1999.

Doug's colleagues say that he's more than up to speed on high tech. "He understands the language and the tech community, and I think that understanding will help build new alliances and partnerships," says Anne Armstrong, director of the Center for Innovative Technology, a state-run incubator based in Northern Virginia, and a former work mate. As publisher of this magazine, Anne expects him "to be a community and bridge builder."

So, please join me in welcoming Doug to his new role after a search that lasted two months and involved more than 40 applicants. He, his wife and two daughters, who are Girl Scouts, will be moving to the Richmond area this summer.

Peter Galuszka Executive Editor