At RBTC, community is the whole point. As a member-driven association, we work hard at cultivating meaningful relationships that promote the growth of our innovation ecosystem. Our intentional programming is designed to inspire, support, and connect our existing community and invite new members to join the ecosystem.
Our mission to build and nurture community is something we’re always investing in. To that end, RBTC is thrilled to welcome Lex Stewart to the inaugural community manager role.
“Lex brings a rare combination of marketing, career coaching, journalism, and project management experience to this role,” said RBIA Director of Innovation, Chip Bobbert. “They’re skilled across multiple disciplines and genuinely energized by the growth of the Roanoke Blacksburg tech sector. We’re looking forward to what this next season of community growth looks like under Lex’s leadership.”
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Lex studied marketing at Ohio University, where their work as a peer coach at the Copeland College of Business’s career center became a formative experience. Their love of helping people figure out their next step led them to graduate school, and they earned their master’s in Higher Education Leadership from Florida Atlantic University.
After grad school, Lex worked as an apprenticeship coordinator at Austin Community College, before spending two and a half years as a career specialist at a coding bootcamp. There, they coached alumni through the search for their first full-time tech roles.
Prior to joining RBTC, Lex worked as a freelance contractor focused on digital marketing and community management, with clients including Arizona State University’s Enterprise Learning Solutions, Gay Moms Club, VYNE Creative, and Career Sandwich. Lex was also a freelance reporter for CultureMap Austin for nearly three years, sharpening their interviewing, storytelling, and press skills along the way.
“What I love about this role is that it sits right at the intersection of everything I’ve done before—career coaching, community work, project management, marketing, and storytelling,” said Lex. “RBTC’s mission gives me a chance to put all of that to work in service of the people building southwest Virginia’s tech space. I’m most excited about being a connector. Building connections between members, between communities, or between someone’s existing skills and the opportunity they didn’t know was a fit for them. That’s the part of the work that’s always lit me up, and I get to do it here every day!”
Lex and their partner landed in Roanoke after searching for a place that would let them enjoy both the outdoors and indoors. Outside of work, Lex is a gardener and birder with a growing fascination for everything plants touch, from insects and herpetology to butterflies, moths, and mycelium. They’re also a lifelong movie lover, an indie video game enthusiast, and an artist who works primarily in acrylic paints and embroidery.
Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance unites a portfolio of organizations and programs including Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program (RAMP), Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC), and Common Wealth Angels all dedicated to tech-based economic advancement in the Roanoke Blacksburg region. Together, they form a full-stack network of support designed to accelerate innovation in the technology and life science industries and develop the Roanoke Blacksburg region into a nationally recognized hub for technology and biotechnology.
