The Lead Virginia team has once again delivered an outstanding session for the class of 2016.  We owe a huge thank you to Steve Cox and Bobby Turnage, graduates of the 2015 Lead Virginia class, who organized and led an agenda packed with informative sessions and interesting tours of the region's unique assets, including the Newseum, national monuments, the Pentagon and Mount Vernon.  As always, extremely valuable time was spent building social capital and connections among classmates.  Every regional session has components that are very impactful in some way, whether it is a new connection or idea for our own community leadership, or a fresh paradigm for our challenges and opportunities.  There were a few highlights that made my Northern Virginia experience very worthwhile.

 

The Honorable Thomas Davis, Former member of Congress, delivered a very insightful analysis of the Washington political scene today and its impact on Northern Virginia as well as the entire Commonwealth.  The discussion was a timely education and reflection on current partisan division and polarization as well as demographic and social trends behind the politics.  Congressman Davis, a Republican, co-authored a book with Democrat Martin Frost titled "The Partisan Divide - Congress in Crisis" focusing on the decline in bi-partisan leadership efforts. The talk piqued my interest in political trends and the book is now at the top of my reading list.  

 

I find that each Lead Virginia session has at least one notable concept in healthcare, education, or economic development that inspires me to explore similar opportunities and partnerships in my own community.  In Northern Virginia, I was inspired by community education partnerships. Ms. Amy Heckman, Chief Operating Officer for Junior Achievement, introduced us to the concept behind Junior Achievement Finance Park.  All 8th grade students in Fairfax County spend time in the finance park learning financial

 management and budgeting  skills. Designed like a mall, the facility features "storefronts" representing life choices such as home ownership, food purchases, insurance, etc.  Each storefront is sponsored by a corporate partner and staffed by a volunteer expert from the community who guides students in the budgeting and planning process in a fun learning environment.  Each student finishes their time at the finance park not only having a better understanding of the impact of financial decisions, but also the potential career paths that can help them reach their life goals.   

 

I am, by nature, a facilitator in my community.  I enjoy matchmaking people and resources to create a stronger community with a greater sense of "place."   My biggest takeaway from this, and possibly all the Lead Virginia sessions, is the time to learn and reflect on the similarities of our challenges around the state as well as the opportunities that are provided through our sessions and our new social capital network.  As an example, this Lead Virginia session not only inspired me with community education partnerships, it provided me a stronger connection to a fellow classmate who consults with communities seeking to develop entrepreneurial and educational partnerships like the Finance Park.  One of our assignments after this session was to share an example of bridging social capital with another classmate.  Before we left our reflection session, Erik Pages and I had made a commitment to connect and explore community partnership education models, such as the finance park, that could be similarly successful in our very rural area of the state.  Thank you Lead Virginia for providing the opportunity to seed new projects and perspectives around our Commonwealth!