“We try to be a department that looks at problems in new, weird, and different ways.” Jaime Pinkham, Principal Deputy Assistant at the U.S. Army for Civil Works (and Washington Ag Leadership Program Alum) shared this quote with our VALOR class, and gave tangible examples how his organization lives out this mantra daily. As I’ve… Continue reading New – Weird – Different

Only four months have gone by since the start of our VALOR adventure and we are already done with our third seminar! This particular journey took us to Richmond to explore the ins and outs of the Commonwealth's government. On Wednesday we had the privilege to meet with the Commissioner of Agriculture, Joe Guthrie, in… Continue reading From The Farm to the City

When I considered the opportunity to participate in VALOR I knew that there would be many experiences that were outside my comfort zone. It was something that was both a little terrifying and also exciting. My days are typically spent at my desk or in meetings with other local, state, and federal bureaucrat types. With… Continue reading Finding New in the Familiar

To say that spending time in a city is somewhat out of my comfort zone would be a large understatement! City streets, traffic, people and all things that go with this are VASTLY out of my comfort zone! I'm so far out of my comfort zone that I've experienced minor panic attacks trying to determine… Continue reading Stepping out of Your Comfort Zone

In my “extra-curricular” professional career I’ve taken on a few new roles on several board of directors of non-profits over the past year, or so. This type of service and volunteering is new to me and wanting to take these responsibilities seriously and live out a motto that speaks true to me - “Whatever your… Continue reading The Power of Influence

Why networking matters During our recent Seminar in Richmond, I was struck by the power of relationships. Our first meeting of the trip was in the Governor's Cabinet Room with key members of the Cabinet. We discussed several issues affecting Virginia Agriculture, including the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, H2A regulations, and workforce development. These leaders made… Continue reading Completing circuits

“Agriculture and forestry are Virginia’s first and third largest industries.”  In our first meeting of the Richmond seminar, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matt Lohr shared this statistic with our VALOR class. While it was mentioned directly a few times during our days in and around the state capital (even by Governor Youngkin during his… Continue reading Number One and Number Three