Lighthouse Labs Announces Debbie Irwin as New Managing Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Richmond, Va. – February 16, 2023 – Lighthouse Labs is pleased to announce Debbie Irwin as the new Managing Director, effective February 26. Debbie is replacing Art Espey, named last year in an interim capacity.
Irwin is well-known throughout Virginia’s innovation ecosystem. Most recently, she served for more than five years as the Executive Director of the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund in Staunton, Virginia. During her tenure there, she grew the organization’s budget by ten times and the staff to fourteen, managed small business development efforts, won three major state/federal grants, and oversaw the organization’s lending portfolio. She is also the Cofounder of The Manufactory Collective, a manufacturing-focused coworking and support space in Harrisonburg. She serves on the City of Staunton and Stafford County Joint IDA to support VML/VACO Municipal support programs. Other experience includes work in programming, special events, and marketing.
“Debbie brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning and fundraising, both critical to Lighthouse Labs as we progress into our second decade,” shared Joe Whitchurch, President of the Lighthouse Labs Board of Directors. “Her understanding of founder needs, deep connections across Virginia, and growth mindset are skills that impressed the hiring committee. We look forward to welcoming her to the Lighthouse Labs team.”
“As Lighthouse Labs focuses on the next ten years, I’m pleased to have an opportunity to build on past work,” shared Irwin. “Lighthouse’s strong record of accelerating dynamic - and successful - startups while Investing in the lives of founders™ has set the organization up for continued growth.” Irwin will begin in time to welcome Lighthouse Labs’ Cohort 16 to the program on March 4.
Espey will return to semi-retirement, and is looking forward to what comes next for Lighthouse Labs. “I’m leaving Lighthouse Labs in great hands. Lighthouse is a special organization doing amazing work with and for stellar founders, and I have every confidence that work will continue,” Espey shared. He will continue to sit on the Lighthouse Labs Board of Directors.
Meet Irwin and the latest Lighthouse Labs founders at the Meet the Cohort Social on March 6, from 5 pm to 7 pm. Register for free tickets here.
About Lighthouse Labs
Lighthouse Labs is a Top 20 venture accelerator in the Global Accelerator Network and the premier nationally-recognized startup accelerator in Virginia. Lighthouse has accelerated 119 companies, investing over $2.2M to date. The eleven-week program for high growth startups helps founders move fast, expand their market, and test their business with the support of mentors, industry experts, investors, support services, office space, and $20,000 of seed funding at 0% equity. Visit lighthouselabsrva.com for more information, or to make a donation Investing in the lives of founders™.