INDUSTRY COUNCIL

Brent Archer

Founding Member, Energy Reliability Alliance

“By supporting energy projects that prioritize long-term reliability, Virginia can continue its tradition of balancing consumer and industry needs with sustainability. Safeguarding affordable, dependable power that families and businesses depend on every day must remain a top priority.”

Brent Archer is a founding member of the Energy Reliability Alliance (ERA). Brent brings more than 38 years of experience in the energy industry, with a career spanning natural gas production, interstate transmission, and utility distribution. Throughout his tenure, he has held leadership roles in public and government affairs, regulatory oversight, and operations management.

From 2015 to 2023, he served as president and chief operating officer at Columbia Gas of Virginia, leading an organization of more than 500 employees responsible for providing safe, reliable energy service to more than 290,000 customers across Virginia. He also focused on enhancing partnerships with communities to drive cost-effective value for customers and shareholders.

Following his retirement from Columbia Gas, Brent founded Archer Consulting Services, offering strategic guidance in regulatory and legislative policy, emerging energy technologies, and stakeholder engagement. He has played a pivotal role in advancing ERA’s missions and goals and leveraging his extensive background to drive impactful outcomes across the energy sector.

He has served as chairman of the board for the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center and as a board member and past president of the Virginia Oil and Gas Association. He has also served on the boards of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Business Council and Team Virginia. He currently serves as Secretary for the Board of Visitors at Christopher Newport University.

Brent holds a bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and an MBA from the West Virginia University College of Graduate Studies. He and his wife, Dr. Andrea Archer, reside in Chesterfield County, with their two children.

Keith Martin

Interim President & CEO, Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Martin has over 20 years of experience in public policy and business advocacy, including a previous tenure with the Virginia Chamber from 2011 to 2024.

During that time, he served as Executive Vice President of Public Policy and General Counsel, as well as Executive Director of the Virginia Chamber Foundation. In these roles, he helped shape the Chamber’s public policy recommendations, including significant contributions to three editions of Blueprint Virginia, the Commonwealth’s comprehensive business plan. He also successfully managed the Chamber’s legislative agenda through multiple General Assembly sessions.

Martin’s earlier experience also includes time spent as the Government Relations Director for Appalachian Power and Policy Director for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Martin’s academic background includes a law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School and both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech.

My Lan Tran

Executive Director, Office of the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce

“Our mission at the VACC is to promote economic opportunity, support small businesses, and strengthen the vibrant, diverse communities that make Virginia such a strong place to work and live. Reliable, affordable energy is essential to every one of those goals.”

Since 2011, My Lan has transformed Virginia’s “Asian American Business Center' into the iconic Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce. For her accomplishments, Virginia Business Magazine elected My Lan as one of its 37 “Women Wonder “business leaders of Virginia of 2023.

My Lan served the City of Richmond’s Office of Minority Business Development Minority Entrepreneurship Development for 7 years. Prior to this, My Lan was an International Trade Marketing Manager and Investment Policy Manager at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) for 5 years. She was also on faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University for 6 years, teaching Asian Policy Affairs and International Communication courses.

My Lan is fluent in Spanish, English, Vietnamese, and French. She earned a Master's degree in International Policy Affairs from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, postgraduate business education credentials from The Thunderbird School of International Management in Phoenix, Arizona, and advanced linguistics studies at the Université de Caen, Northern France.