Garrison R. Coward, is a native of Richmond, Virginia (born at St. Mary’s Hospital), and a proud product of Henrico County’s Short Pump Middle School and J.R. Tucker High School.  He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College, with a degree in Economics; The George Washington University, with a Master’s degree in Political Management; and received his MBA from The George Washington University’s School of Business.

 

Garrison is Governor Youngkin's Sr. Advisor for External Affairs. He was recently Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to that he served as Campaign Manager and a Sr. Advisor to Governor Glenn Youngkin. He was a Managing Director for Merger Partners, a middle-market investment banking firm, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions. He has served as Chief Operating Officer of BizCents, a local data analytics firm.  He also served as a political advisor to Congressman Rob Wittman, and as Campaign Manager from 2015-2018.  He is the Executive Director of the Conservative Professionals Network, which aims to engage a new generation of center-right thinkers on public-policy matters.  Prior to joining Congressman Wittman, Garrison served as Political Director and Deputy Director of Minority Engagement for the Republican Party of Virginia.

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Garrison enjoys reading, travelling, and playing basketball.  He serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors at the Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation, the YMCA of Greater Richmond Millennial Initiative, and on the Board of Directors of the Richmond-based company BizCents. Garrison is a member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union.