As I reflect on our cohort’s adventure in Richmond in January, the theme of service comes to mind. We were able to meet with so many fellow Virginians who keep this state’s government running day-to-day, and year-to-year. Many of these people are elected or appointed to their positions for short (or extended) periods of time,… Continue reading An Attitude of Service
Throughout my life I travelled thru Richmond. But, I never really had the privilege of seeing Virginia politics at work. To say I learned a lot during VALOR’s third seminar in January is an understatement. We started our seminar at the office of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). We were… Continue reading I Learned A Lot During My First Trip To Richmond
- Paul B.With the new year it seems fitting that I work to not let things linger until they are forgotten or overcome by other events. VALOR Class VI has just completed it's 3rd seminar (Richmond - Legislative Advocacy & Policy Development), and yet this will be my first blog post [plenty of encouragement from… Continue reading Catching Up
A teacher told me that sentence right before I started my first semester of college. I still hear her in the back of my head because it continues to ring true throughout my life. First, I was introduced to peanuts. They come from a can, right? Well, actually, there are several varieties and one of… Continue reading The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.
When was the last time that you experienced something for the first time? Every time I’m put into unfamiliar situations or when I find myself facing a new or unexpected experience, I ask myself this question. I think we can all agree, as we get older, the number of times we encounter something for the… Continue reading A First Time for Everything
When I think back on my life’s experiences I often find the best ones were those I didn’t plan. For example, when I think back to all the different occupations I thought I wanted to do when I grew up (firefighter, astronaut, doctor, veterinarian, and meteorology) auditor was not on my list. However, this occupation… Continue reading Sometimes the Best Things Are the Things We Didn’t Plan
To be honest, I didn't know a lot about agriculture in southeastern Virginia and on the Eastern Shore until our most recent VALOR trip. Let me tell you, it is a different world. Inside Belmont Peanuts. A mountain of peanuts in a Birdsong storage facility. Our first stop was the VA Peanut Growers Association where… Continue reading To Southeastern VA and Beyond!
Since this is my first blog post I will start by introducing myself. For the past 18 + years I have lived in Bristol Virginia and have worked as the Southwest Regional Director for the Tobacco Indemnification and Revitalization Commission. In this role I’ve had the opportunity to learn about so many aspects of economic… Continue reading Which comes first?!?!
I have definitely, and on purpose, procrastinated long enough to write this blog post! For some reason, I have found myself in the middle of two programs that are what I'd like to call, "out of my box". Agriculture is right up my alley however, dressing in business attire and visiting with dignitaries in addition… Continue reading Perseverance and Teamwork
I've always thought to be blessed to have grown up with parents that exposed their children to a plethora of opportunities and let us choose our own path to learn and explore more as our interests and skills grew. This method for development continued to be my preferred way of learning as I grew into… Continue reading Providing a Cornucopia of Opportunities
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