In this conversation, Congressman Don Beyer discusses his journey in public service, reflecting on pivotal moments such as the 2016 election and the evolving challenges of AI and climate change. He emphasizes the importance of knowledge, resilience, and optimism as he reflects on his journey to this point and where he hopes to go next!

This week's guest is Lee Duncan. Lee's words: Serendipity, Temptation, and Yes.

Lee and I met over 30 years ago when we went to college together. In our conversation, we talk about Lee's journey and his three plus year long journey sailing around the world. What he's learned, what he's seen, and what comes next. You can read more about Lee and his journey at https://athenareaching.com/. I enjoyed this conversation and I hope you will too.

We also talk about a song by Arthur Lee whom we accidently called Amos Lee. Our apologies. Song is linked here.

This week's guest is Bethany Zecher Sutton. A long time community leader, Bethany was elected to the School Board for Arlington Public Schools (four year term; 2023-2026). Her words: Growth, Community, and Resiliency. Our conversation spans her entire time in Arlington from right before 9/11 to her election to the School Board in 2022 through today. I enjoyed this conversation and I hope you will too.

My guest, Gary Shulman, has spent his career connecting people, supporting families, and being an advocate for children with disabilities. He moved to Arlington in 2023 and has made it his mission to explore his community and connect in meaningful ways with people from all walks of life (literally - he walks everywhere).

You can listen here:

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/The-Next-Word

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gvnzMnr8

Amazon Music: https://lnkd.in/g5vs-Brp

Gary's words for the episode (yes, he used more than 1 word!):

Past:

Self-actualizing

Embracing failures

Imperfections

Next Chapter:

Giving Kindly

Legacies

An article about Gary from Arlington Magazine: https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/helpers-gary-shulman.../

Peter Vaselopulos, President of the Arlington Historical Society, joins me for the Next Word.

Peter retired from the federal government as Deputy Chief Information Officer at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). He served 35 years at USAGM where he worked as a broadcast journalist, international television producer, and new media and information technology specialist. He is also a board member of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C. and was a member of Arlington County's Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee. Peter has a master's certificate in Digital Public Humanities from George Mason University. He is also a graduate of George Washington University and American University, with master's degrees in Managing Information Systems and International Communications. He teaches history and digital storytelling courses for Arlington's Encore adult education program. Peter is an Arlington County Historic Preservation grantee, launching a digital media project called "Arlington Historical," which includes a website and mobile app. Peter and his wife, Virginie, are 45-year residents of Arlington County.

The first ever recorded episode of The Next Word was with Paul Ferguson, Clerk of the Arlington County and City of Falls Church and a long-time leader and friend. Enjoy this episode and let us know what you think!

Paul's Bio

Paul Ferguson was elected to serve as Clerk of the Circuit Court of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church beginning January 1, 2008. Accomplishments and Improvements include:

• Moving from paper to electronic case files for civil and criminal court records.
• Electronic Filing
• Reducing length of jury service from two weeks to one day/one trial
• Creating an information packet in English and Spanish with sample forms for self-represented parties seeking an uncontested divorce. Providing bilingual assistance in all sections of the Circuit Court office.

Mr. Ferguson is a 1992 graduate of George Mason Law School. Mr. Ferguson is a graduate James Madison University and Wakefield High School in Arlington. He and his wife, Karen Keyes, have two sons.

He is serving as First Vice-President of the Virginia Circuit Court Clerks Association. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Arlington County Bar Foundation. He is the Chair of the Criminal Coordinating Justice Board in Arlington

In 2006, Mr. Ferguson was awarded the President’s Award by the Arlington County Bar Association for outstanding effort, participation, and involvement in the Association.

Mr. Ferguson served as a Member of the Arlington County Board from 1996 to 2007, serving as Chair in 1999, 2003 and 2007. During his 12 years on the Board, Mr. Ferguson worked to ensure full funding for education and public safety. In addition, he worked to improve pedestrian safety and neighborhood conservation.

Mr. Ferguson is known as a leader on environmental issues. He is continuing to provide leadership on issues he worked on as a County Board Member. He currently serves on the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change. He is the past Board Chair for Viridiant, formerly EarthCraft Virginia, a non-profit organization providing consulting and certification for energy-efficient homes.

In 2007, he championed Fresh AIRE – Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions – a five-year initiative to reduce Arlington County government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2012, with annual progress reports. The Board continued his efforts, and as of 2015, those emissions are down 21%.Under that initiative, the County distributed thousands of compact fluorescent lights, provided free energy audits, instituted tax breaks for hybrid vehicles, made investments in energy efficiency, and increased its purchase of wind-generated electricity.

In 1999, Mr. Ferguson led the County Board in adopting a pilot project designed to create incentives for “green technology” in building designs as defined by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. He worked to form a partnership with the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, a private nonprofit land trust, to preserve open space in Arlington.

Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Arlington Kiwanis Club and is a member of Leadership Arlington’s Class of 1999.

Bill Fogarty, historian, columnist, recovering attorney, and long-time Arlingtonian joins me for The Next Word.

Bill Fogarty is a retired attorney who has lived and worked in Arlington for more than 40 years and currently serves as a board member for the Leadership Center of Arlington. He has taken up a new avocation of writing and teaching about Arlington history, contributing to the Arlington Historical Society both as a presenter and writer. Bill has taught two Arlington history classes for Encore Learning, and this fall will be teaching another on Arlington history from 1900 to 1930. Bill also writes the weekly “Our Man in Arlington” column for the Falls Church News Press.

Susan Thompson-Gaines joins me for the 3rd episode of The Next Word. Amongst other things, Susan is a kindness activist! Learn more at:

https://www.kindnessactivist.org/

Susan Thompson-Gaines is living her best life. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, she has called South Arlington, Virginia home since 2000. Her house in Arlington is situated on a very busy corner – at a stop light, on a bus route, and frequently passed by emergency vehicles. For some, this constant motion and noise might be a negative. For Susan, it is the perfect location for kindness.
This modest home has become a place of refuge for passersby. A neon green sign proclaiming “Just Be Kind” glows on the front porch and a bright yellow Little Free Pantry graces the side lawn. You never know what sort of “project” you will find taking place when you come over. On warm days, Susan and her husband David can often be found sitting on the front steps talking to strangers who pass by.
When not focusing on Kindness Activist, Susan is a professional interpreter (American Sign Language/English). She is nationally certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and has worked in the field since 1994. In her free time she enjoys travelling to new places (she has been to all 50 states), stand-up paddleboarding, writing, and swimming in the ocean.