The future of the regional economy and Mason’s role in advancing it was the focus of a reception hosted by Bob and Sharon Buchanan at their Potomac, Md. home on Saturday, October 1.
The reception honored economist Dr. Stephen Fuller, of the Schar School of Policy and Government, and focused attention on efforts by regional business and civic leaders to build consensus around a plan for the future economic development of the greater Washington, D.C. region. That plan, known as the 2030 Roadmap, was released in May by the 2030 Group, a collaboration that includes Dr. Fuller and George Mason University, which is once again poised to act as a key catalyst for the regional economy.
One hoped-for byproduct of the 2030 Group’s effort is to spark a new generation of business leaders in the region to focus on such big-picture questions, much as those such as Til Hazel, who attended the reception, have done for decades. “It is time for others to pick up the mantle of leadership,” said Bob Buchanan, a third-generation builder/developer and civic leader who is president of the 2030 Group. Buchanan also served on the George Mason University Foundation Board of Trustees from 2007 thru 2016.
As he transitions into what was wryly described as a semi-retirement leading the Mason-affiliated Fuller Institute, Dr. Fuller will continue to be active with the 2030 Group. His work will complement the ongoing research of Mason’s Center for Regional Analysis, now led by Dr. Terry Clower.
“We will not be a SWAT team [for the region’s economy],” said Fuller, “—more like a volunteer fire department.”
The reception at the Buchanans’ art-filled home (which reflects the professional eye of Sharon Buchanan, the founding partner of ArtistsCircleFineArt, an art consultant and installation firm) was one in a series of “Mason Matters” events being hosted by members of the Board of Trustees to promote support for the university.
Many of the attendees will reconvene on October 17 for the formal dedication of the Schar School of Policy and Government in Arlington, Virginia. That event will be headlined by donor Dwight Schar along with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
October 5, 2016 / RR
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