Leadership Fauquier

10/30/2026

Don't miss this joint event sponsored by our Alumni Committee and hosted by Heroic Axe!

From Our Alumni Committee:

Come on out for a joint event with Leadership Fauquier Alumni and Heroic Axe's Axes and Allies networking group, all while supporting a great local nonprofit: Boxes of Basics!

We will gather on Wednesday, November 11 from 4:30pm–6:30pm at Heroic Axe for family-friendly networking. Leadership Fauquier Alumni are sponsoring a nacho bar, snacks, and nonalcoholic beverages.

Bring new underwear, socks, shoes, or pajamas to donate to Boxes of Basics for Fauquier children in need.

Axe-throwing is optional, but we do recommend registering in advance on the Heroic Axe website if you wish to throw. See you there!

10/30/2026

Have you heard of the Loneliness Epidemic?

It’s been formally highlighted by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who wrote an advisory called Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, published in 2023.

Half of adults in our country experience loneliness, a condition associated with greater risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, and anxiety.

In fact, social disconnection comes with a mortality impact similar to smoking up to 15 ci******es per day.

Why does this matter for our communities?

Dr. Murthy called on the American people to “build a movement to mend the social fabric of our nation.”

The advisory cites many causes, including a decline in community involvement starting in the 1970s. By 2018, only 16% of Americans reported feeling very attached to their local community.

While individual factors impact connection, so can community and societal factors.

Things like gathering spaces, housing, economies, community organizations, and transportation all shape opportunities for building human connection—or inhibiting it.

Communities require social infrastructure, meaning physical assets (libraries and parks), programs (volunteer organizations and member associations), and policies (transportation and housing) to create a foundation for social connection.

So what can we do?

The advisory lists six pillars to advance social connection in communities:

1. Strengthen social infrastructure in local communities
2. Enact pro-connection public policies
3. Mobilize the health sector
4. Reform digital environments
5. Deepen our knowledge
6. Build a culture of connection

Clearly, some of these pillars are beyond the scope of a community leadership program like Leadership Fauquier.

But others fall right in our wheelhouse, especially strengthening social infrastructure and building a culture of connection.

The report encourages us to “Cultivate values of kindness, respect, service, and commitment to one another” and “Model connection values in positions of leadership and influence.”

Those two tasks fall right into the servant leadership concepts we promote and our mission of creating a thriving community through informed and connected leaders.

To strengthen infrastructure, the report recommends investment in “local institutions that bring people together.”

That’s exactly what we do.

We get people out of their silos and industry echo chambers and connect them, building an ever-expanding network of alumni, guest speakers, and community partners.

One of our most repeated pieces of feedback is that Leadership Fauquier gives people a chance to meet people they would never otherwise encounter.

The advisory goes further with a list of recommendations for community-based organizations. They suggest that organizations:

✅Create opportunities and spaces for inclusive social connection
✅Embed social connection in policies, practices, programs, and evaluations
✅Actively seek and build partnerships with other community institutions to create a culture of connection in the broader community

We work with dozens of organizations each year and explicitly work on social connection skills through the lens of the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership and exercises in our opening retreat.

Leadership Fauquier can’t solve the Loneliness Epidemic. But we play a vital role, along with community partners, in addressing these issues right here in Fauquier County.

Source: U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation (2023)

10/30/2026

On Government and Infrastructure Day, we heard from:
Jud Rex, Warrenton Town Manager
Devada Allison, Mayor of Re*****on
Lee District Supervisor Daron Culbertson
Fauquier County Administrator Janelle Downes
Deputy Fauquier County Administrator (and alum!) Mallory Stribling
Fauquier County Budget Director Jenn Greer

We learned a little about the history of the town council/town manager partnership system and how it was formed to counteract corruption and that our mayors only vote in tie breakers. Town governments serve areas with clustered development that require different services (like waste collection) than rural residents and allow the handling of town-specific public safety issues.

These services are layered with the county, requiring collaboration between town and county governments. This is also why town residents pay layered taxes.

Mayor Allison also urged the cohort to be engaged. He said, "If you see problems in your community you want to solve, go do something."

The County staff brought a game of Fauquier County Jeopardy and our alumni team gave the current cohort a run for their money. It was an engaging and educational presentation!

10/30/2026

Woohoo! We are so proud of our 2026 alum Tracy for this award!

Please join us in congratulating OUR AMAZING Tracy W., recipient of the 2026 Virginia APCO President’s Award!

[From the Award Announcement]
Tracy was recognized during Wednesday's Opening Session of the 2026 VA APCO/NENA/SIEC Conference for her outstanding leadership, dedicated service, and lasting contributions to Virginia APCO and the public safety communications profession.
Through her work with the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office, mentorship of new telecommunicators, and leadership as a Registered Public Safety Leader, Tracy has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our profession.

As Co-Chair of Virginia APCO’s Historical Committee, Tracy has played an instrumental role in preserving our Chapter’s history through interviews with past and present leaders, historical documentation, and the creation of a video celebrating our organization’s evolution. Her creativity and dedication were also showcased through the design of Virginia’s distinctive sign featured at the 2026 9-1-1 Goes to Washington event.

Tracy’s passion for preserving our past, strengthening our present, and inspiring our future embodies the spirit of this recognition.
Congratulations, Tracy, and thank you for your continued dedication to Virginia APCO and the public safety communications community!

10/29/2026

We are thankful to our alum Angie Thomas and the team at NOVEC for the highly educational tour and demonstrations at their technical center on our Government and Infrastructure Program Day. We learned that Batman made a big mistake approaching a car that had crashed into the power lines, as demonstrated by the hot dog. Their use of the education trailer in these pictures provided a better understanding of electrical safety and what goes into fixing power outages (and the shocking truth about squirrels).

More broadly, our electric grid consists of all the infrastructure from power plant to end user. In Virginia (and 12 other states), we are served by PJM Interconnection, the largest regional transmission organization in the U.S. Most of the grid we use is made up of transmission lines that pull from generating sources in Ohio or points south of Virginia. NOVEC and other local electric companies largely purchase electricity from PJM and then sell it to their members or customers at rates overseen by the SCC and based on PJM wholesale prices.

10/29/2026

10/28/2026

When you drop a pebble in a pond, the ripples flow outward and touch everything else. When you drop 197 pebbles in a pond, the rings overlap and everything changes.

That's what we see with Leadership Fauquier. Our alumni travel different paths but all with the shared purpose at the root of our mission to create a thriving community through informed and connected leaders.

Our alumni lead nonprofit and public organizations, serve on boards, volunteer, mentor, and bring new perspectives to the work they do each and every day to make Fauquier County stronger.

They work with and support a wide-range of nonprofit organizations serving our community, showing up for everything from education and healthcare to human services and the environment and beyond.

Through people, organizations, and relationships, Leadership Fauquier is helping build a stronger and more connected community.

10/27/2026

Leadership Fauquier is grateful to F&M Bank for supporting our mission to develop and connect community leaders throughout Fauquier County!

Your sponsorship helps create a space where leaders from different backgrounds, industries, and areas of expertise can learn together, build relationships, and discover new ways to serve our community.

Thank you, F&M Bank, for believing that investing in people is one of the best ways to invest in the future of Fauquier County. We are grateful to have you as a Leadership Fauquier partner!

10/26/2026

We are grateful to Superior Paving Corp. for investing in Leadership Fauquier!

Strong communities don't happen by accident. They are built through relationships, collaboration, service, and people willing to step forward and lead. Your support helps Leadership Fauquier create those opportunities for leaders across Fauquier County.

Thank you to Superior Paving Corporation for helping us build something that will have an impact far beyond a single program year: a stronger network of engaged community leaders.

10/23/2026

A big thank you to Smith Midland Corp for supporting Leadership Fauquier!

When local businesses invest in leadership, they help create a stronger and more connected community for everyone. Your sponsorship helps Leadership Fauquier bring together people from across Fauquier County to learn, collaborate, and develop a deeper understanding of the community we all share.

We are grateful for Smith-Midland’s partnership and commitment to our local community. Thank you for investing in the next generation of community leaders!