ABOUT THE SCHAR SCHOOL POLICY SEMINARS NOVA LEADERSHIP DINNER AND AWARDS THE REGIONAL ELECTED LEADERS INITIATIVE The Schar School of Policy and Government Presents The Regional Elected Leaders Initiative Friends - We are thrilled to have created the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative (RELI) within the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. As we continue to grow and expand our offerings to prepare our students better, we also recognize a responsibility and opportunity to engage directly with the elected leaders in our home of Northern Virginia. Our vibrant Northern Virginia region now exceeds 2.5 million people—nearly one of every three residents of Virginia. Our region is diverse and increasingly complex, requiring cross-border collaboration and innovative thinking to tackle our challenges. That is why we are so excited to have created RELI as a means to support, engage, educate and connect our local elected officials from the state house to the school house. Through policy seminars, the NOVA Leadership Dinner and other special events, future programming, and strategic partnerships - RELI will be a facilitator and catalyst for hands-on regional dialogue and problem-solving. Please join us as an attendee, a policy expert or a sponsor. Best, Mark J. Rozell Dean THE REGIONAL ELECTED LEADERS INITIATIVE The Regional Elected Leaders Initiative (RELI) of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University was created to enhance regionalism and support Northern Virginia’s regional elected leaders—General Assembly Members, City and Town Mayors and Council Members, County Supervisors and School Board Members. As Northern Virginia grows and faces increasing challenges, RELI recognizes the value of working across jurisdictional boundaries and levels of government to identify and implement effective and sustainable solutions. RELI provides a variety of programs and events that connect and inform Northern Virginia’s regional leaders. We are focused on enhancing leaders’ ability to understand and use their authority and position to make positive change for their communities and the Northern Schar School Dean Rozell moderates a discussion at the 2018 RELI Dinner Program with former Governor Terry McAuliffe and Virginia region. Other public and private sector regional former Congressman Tom Davis leaders often participate in RELI events and programs. An Advisory Board, comprised of former elected officials, support RELI’s programming and growth I applaud George Mason University for its new focus on the value of regional cooperation. The Regional Elected Leaders Initiative creates new opportunities for all NoVA elected leaders to work together to meet our biggest challenges. Working with our neighbors is not always easy RELI will help us keep NoVA vibrant and connected. —Sharon Bulova, Former Chair Fairfax County Board of Supervisors For more information, contact RELI Coordinators Mary Hynes and Jay Fisette at [email protected] If you wish to learn more about RELI or desire to arrange a meeting to discuss new and innovative ways to support this program, please contact Zavin R. Smith, Director of Development & Alumni Relations: 703.993.4035 or [email protected] NOVA LEADERSHIP DINNER AND AWARDS The Regional Elected Leaders Initiative hosts an annual NOVA Leadership Dinner at the end of the calendar year. The reception and buffet dinner event is designed to maximize networking opportunities for elected I am looking forward to the NoVA and non-elected leaders from Northern Virginia. Past Elected Leaders Dinner as I do every year. It is a great opportunity to connect special guest speakers have been former Governor with community leaders, local officials, Terry McAuliffe, former Congressman Tom Davis, and and legislators before the start of the Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney. General Assembly session. — Rip Sullivan, Delegate At this event, we also celebrate winners of the 48th District NOVA Regional Leadership Awards that recognize extraordinary regional leadership. Inaugural awardees in 2019 were Fairfax Board Chair Sharon Bulova, Fairfax Board Member Cathy Hudgins, and Prince William Supervisor Marty Nohe. 2019 NOVA regional leadership award winners with award presenters: NVTA ED Monica Backmon, Supervisor Marty Nohe, Su- pervisor Cathy Hudgins, Chair Sharon Bulova, NVAHA ED Michelle Krocker, Dean Mark J. Rozell, MWCOG ED Chuck Bean POLICY SEMINARS Since 2018, the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative has been bringing together elected leaders and policy experts for interactive policy seminars that explore some of the major public policy issues that face our region. Topics to date have included the following. • Transportation • Affordable housing • Energy/environment • Economic development RELI’s seminar in 2019 provided a very useful framing of transportation challenges and other key issues as I transitioned from the Fairfax County School Board to the Board of Supervisors. — Supervisor Dalia Palchik Providence District Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Jay Fisette leads a discussion on Energy with panelists John Chadwick, Arlington Public Schools; Walton Shepherd, NRDC; Harry Godfrey, Virginia Advanced Energy Economy These seminars get better every year! As a Council member from a small jurisdiction, engaging with colleagues and policy experts from throughout the region helps me identify policies that might work in my community. Attending these seminars allows me to enhance my leadership skills — something that’s so necessary for elected officials! — Miriam Machado, Council Member City of Manassas Park Participants in the 2018 Policy Seminar I have never had a more useful training experience. As a newly elected local elected official, I learned so much and left with a number of good policy ideas - particularly in the area of affordable housing. I will return. — Andrea Bailey Prince William Board of Supervisors I would recommend these seminars to my colleagues. Having time to talk with local elected officials helped me understand their perspective and fine-tune my legislative proposals. — Dan Helmer, Delegate 40th House District ABOUT THE SCHAR SCHOOL The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University prepares undergraduate and graduate students to be leaders and managers who solve problems and advance the public good. Learning from professors with real-world experience, students gain the applicable skills and the practical knowledge to lead government agencies and nonprofit organizations, develop public policies and programs, create innovative consulting solutions, and/or provide expert policy analysis. The Schar School is home to more than 700 undergraduate students who are majoring in Government and International Politics and Public Administration. Undergraduate courses are offered on George Mason’s Fairfax campus, allowing students to take courses from multiple colleges and schools without interrupting their schedules. Students also have full access to the speaker events and activities hosted on the Arlington campus. The majority of the Schar School’s graduate programs (8 masters’ degrees and 3 doctoral programs) are located in Arlington, right near where policy happens—just 3 miles from the Pentagon, 4 miles from the White House, and 6 miles from the U.S. Capitol Building—students are connected to jobs, internships, networking, and experiences that can only be found in the Washington, DC, area. These programs are highly ranked, with our public administration and public policy programs ranked Number 1 in the region (as well as #22 in the world and #11 in the U.S.) and our security-based programs (international security, homeland security, biodefense) ranked Number 2 in the country. Schar School alumni apply what they learned in the classroom to pursue fulfilling and meaningful careers. Graduates are doing consequential work at leading employers including the US Department of State, USAID, the World Bank, the United Nations, the National Endowment for Democracy, Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, and in the military as well as many others. The Schar School is privileged to support the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative. The school is staunchly bipartisan and promotes civil discourse above all else. The professors, many of them practitioners themselves, strive to be on the leading edge of political scholarship in their research, publishing, and teaching. The School carries the name of Dwight Schar, a philanthropist who focuses much of his energy on supporting educational efforts. He has been a long-time supporter of George Mason University and its public policy programs. More recently, he has provided funding for cancer research as well. .