Annual Members’ Meeting: Regional Leadership Impact Award Q&A
The Annual Members' Meeting is fast approaching, with 44 days remaining. This highly regarded event is a must-attend opportunity to network with Greater Washington's leadership. The event recognizes various individuals based on our three pillars of strategic focus, regional leadership, workforce development, and DE&I.
The following honorees have been chosen by NVC to receive the 2024 Impact Award for Regional Leadership, Laura Miller Brooks, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure, Federal City Council; Jason Stanford, Executive Director, Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance; and Nick Clemente, Vice President, Government Relations, NVC. This award is in recognition of their intellectual and policy engagement on the future financial and operational integrity of WMATA.
To honor them and their contributions to our community, we asked them for their insights on leadership and our Region. You can connect with them at our Annual Members’ Meeting event, hosted at the Westwood Country Club on June 6th.
REGIONAL LEADERSHIP HONOREE Q&A
Laura Miller Brooks, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure, Federal City Council
Q: What does this recognition mean to you personally and professionally?
A: It is my honor to be recognized by the leaders of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce who represent such a strong and important group of business leaders within the region and nation. Having had the opportunity to work alongside Julie Coons, Nick Clemente, and before Nick, Clayton Medford, this award also celebrates a collaboration that has been such a joy. Even as this work gets harder, it always felt that this cohort was fully in lockstep. My hope is that this award marks the beginning of a broader business community call for a regional strategy to increase competitiveness and grow sustainably for the next 20+ years.
Though I professionally represent the District of Columbia, this role is a personal honor as a Virginia resident, and wife to a Thomas Jefferson class of 2011 graduate. With this award, I have eclipsed any of my husband's Virginia achievements (state Chess) and made my McLean in-laws proud (and by proud, I mean aware that my job in some way impacts their lives).
Q: Who or what has been your biggest source of inspiration and support in your career achievements in regional leadership?
A: I have endless gratitude for Anthony Williams, Bob Buchanan, Julie Coons and the time, relationships, and creative solutions they have so generously provided to me in this role. I am inspired and humbled each and every day as I learn something new about what these regional visionaries, along with our Federal City Council Trustees, generously provide. with special thanks to Board Chair Marty Rodgers, former Board Chair Debby Ratner Salzberg, and Board President Tom Davis have achieved. Because of this unique and invaluable network, I've not just grown as a listener and doer, I've been able to come into my own as a leader -- exponentially expanding my capacity to build relationships, trust and take action on the most important issues in our region.
Q: You are being recognized for your significant leadership and contributions, but there is more to do in our region. What current issue, cause, or challenge do we need to address now to grow?
A: I believe the primary way the District of Columbia, and the Greater Washington region from Richmond to Baltimore can recover stronger from the pandemic, grow, and realize full economic efficiency and competitiveness is through dramatically improving our public transportation infrastructure while at the same time rapidly increasing the density and diversity of land use around public transportation nodes. We will never solve WMATA's fiscal challenges unless the vision of truly high-quality bus, rail and multimodal transportation is directly connected to a world-class regional land-use strategy that has the full support and coordination of regional partners.
For me, the issue of WMATA's long-term success and Union Station's next century are opportunities to define the path to not just recovering our pre-pandemic economic vibrancy. Yes, we should get workforce back in-person, and we should leverage this unique moment to not just recover but create entirely new demand along the way, by doubling down on building new and more housing, schools, hospitals, grocery stores, and entertainment inside, on top of, and around Metrorail and Metrobus hubs.
Q: How does your professional background and/or personal interests ignite your enthusiasm for the topic of regional leadership?
A: Our region has one of the nation's largest and best trail (off-street, fully protected) trails networks, and in the district, much of our trail’s network is thanks to Mayor Anthony Williams. A unique personal interest that has become professional is my role as the outgoing chair of the Capital Trails Coalition steering committee. As CTC Chair, I was able to help lead regional coordination between DC Mayor, DDOT, Governor Moore, County Executive Alsobrooks, MDOT, Montgomery County, MNCCP, and National Parks Service to successfully win a $25 million RAISE Grant from USDOT. This grant will complete missing connections in our regional trail networks and gaps as trails move from one state or jurisdiction to another. $7 million of this grant is going to complete the Arboretum Bridge Trail, which is the final segment to complete the 28-mile Anacostia Riverwalk Trail network, which was first laid out in the 2003 Anacostia Framework Plan by Mayor Williams.
I got into this work from the bike lane – I grew up just off a rail trail in Indianapolis and biked to school, I raced bikes at Indiana University in the Women's Little 500. Following my early career in tech, I started my career in this region at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association's business partnerships program, and then led government relations for Lime for the mid-Atlantic. As someone who still bikes to work every time I get the chance, because of the amenity of a low-stress trails network, there is nothing more personally exciting to me than getting more regional residents’ access to high quality trails.
Q: What takeaways can other individuals learn from your contributions to the region's development?
A: Listen, work harder, and trust that when the time is right to act, know that there are people who want to, and will do the work to make this region succeed and will be ready to receive your message. No matter how frustrating the situation at hand is, my north star is that I trust in the fact that this region and nation has done big, bold things, and that we can and will do them again. Now is the time to make sure that we safeguard these assets which have defined the past 20, or 50 years of regional success, and chart the new course to transit that sustains not just its own high-quality operations, but also our region's economic competitiveness and growth.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Jason Stanford, Executive Director, Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance
Q: What does this recognition mean to you personally and professionally?
A: I am extremely honored to be recognized by the Northern Virginia Chamber for the work that the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance does daily to improve transportation in our region. In addition to being one of the founding members of the Alliance, the NOVA Chamber has been at the forefront of bringing together the region’s business community around major priorities such as housing, transportation, workforce, and economic development. I am truly grateful for the partnership between the Alliance and the NOVA Chamber and look forward to continuing that work for many decades to come.
Q: Who or what has been your biggest source of inspiration and support in your career achievements in regional leadership?
A: Bob Buchanan has been a tremendous source of inspiration and support. From day one, he has worked to connect me with other regional leaders across the DC area. He leads by example and often reminds me to think about the bigger picture. I am inspired by his commitment to this community and his tireless work to make the DC region a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Bob Chase. As the founding president of the Alliance, Bob was for many years the go-to source for transportation information and expertise in Northern Virginia. I’ve tried my best to fill those shoes and ensure that the Alliance is always providing a fact-based approach to transportation improvements. And whenever I have a big question about the organization, its direction, or a policy issue, Bob is always extremely generous with his time to answer my questions and give me advice. I am truly grateful for his continued mentorship.
Q: You are being recognized for your significant leadership and contributions, but there is more to do in our region. What current issue, cause, or challenge do we need to address now to grow?
Our region is hoping to gain 1.3 million people and 1 million new jobs by 2050. To accommodate that growth, we are increasing density in high-capacity transit corridors and making more walkable communities. And while those are important goals and priorities for our region, around 80% of the trips taken in the DC area by 2045 will still be via automobile. Failing to improve our roadways and highways will result in more traffic congestion and delays that make it harder for the vast majority of people to get where they need to go. We need an all-of-the-above approach to transportation that includes roadways, transit, bike, pedestrian, and technology if we hope to keep Northern Virginia and the DC region moving.
That includes a regional express lanes network, which has been demonstrated to improve reliability, provide more travel options, and benefit transit. We need to complete our express lanes network on the entire Capital Beltway and highway system to maximize those benefits.
We also need a new bridge across the Potomac River north of the American Legion Bridge. While that will require more regional cooperation and leadership, I think this issue will need to be addressed in the coming decades, especially given the tremendous growth we’ve seen in Loudoun and Frederick County, Maryland.
Q: How does your professional background and/or personal interests ignite your enthusiasm for the topic of regional leadership?
A: Whether it’s working in the public, private, or nonprofit sector, I have always valued the importance of community service and working to make our community a better place for everyone. Transportation is something that people use every day, but often take for granted. I think people are unaware of everything that goes into making sure we have a transportation network that efficiently and effectively moves people throughout our region. I am honored to have this opportunity to help improve people’s lives by informing and guiding the DC region’s transportation policy. I enjoy the work that I do every day, and I am extremely grateful to the Alliance’s members and Board of Directors who have given me this opportunity. I rely heavily on their expertise, knowledge, and relationships throughout the region. While I might be the face of the Alliance, our Board has been instrumental to the effectiveness of our organization.
Q: What takeaways can other individuals learn from your contributions to the region's development?
A: I always try to focus on making our community better - whether that’s investing in more transportation infrastructure to move more people or promoting the efficient and effective operations of our existing infrastructure. I believe that the DC region is the best place to live, work, and raise a family. And I hope that others who share that belief – especially those in the next generation of regional leaders - will join and become active in the Alliance, the NOVA Chamber, and Federal City Council. We need your help! And together, we can make a real difference for our community.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Nick Clemente, Vice President, Government Relations, NVC
Q: What does this recognition mean to you personally and professionally?
A: Growing up with dyslexia, I was always told what I couldn’t do. For the first two decades of my life, I believed that others were right. In college, I learned about a self-fulfilling prophecy. A light bulb went off. If I am determined that I cannot accomplish a task, I won’t. But if I am determined, I will. And the one occasion that I don’t, I’ll learn more from that failure than I did from the nine times I was successful. This award, personally and professionally, is living proof that when we tell ourselves we can!
Q: Who or what has been your biggest source of inspiration and support in your career achievements in regional leadership?
A: My biggest sources of inspiration and support comes from Bob Buchanan, Scott McGeary, Julie Coons and my wife, Juliann.
Q: You are being recognized for your significant leadership and contributions, but there is more to do in our region. What current issue, cause, or challenge do we need to address now to grow?
A: There are tremendous policy challenges facing our region; however, our issues are no different than other metropolitan areas. We all need affordable housing, transportation solutions, job creation, quality education, and the list goes on and on. However, the biggest issue facing our region and country is our inability to see those who disagree with us as enemies. I believe the solutions facing so many regional and domestic challenges can be resolved with respect and dignity.
Q: How does your professional background and/or personal interests ignite your enthusiasm for the topic of regional leadership?
A: What ignites my enthusiasm for regional leadership is my personal belief that no dream is too big to become your reality. When we are kids, we are encouraged to dream. But as we grow up, we are told to make sure we have something to fall back on. Or passions don’t pay the bills. I am convinced this is the biggest issue facing Metro. Every couple of years, we go through these exercises, and we kick the can down the road. Or, as I see it, we fall back on the easy solution. I never gave up on dreaming, and I believe if we all channel our inner child, we can make the dream of a sustainable Metro system our shared reality without taxing our citizens or businesses!
Q: What takeaways can other individuals learn from your contributions to the region's development?
A: The biggest takeaway would be that If you can dream it, you can achieve it.
