Reston Association Board Elections: Meet Gerald Volloy

Karen Goff March 5, 2014 at 1:30pm

Voting for the 2014 Reston Association Board of Directors election is now open. There are nine candidates running for five seats. A candidates forum will be held Saturday, March 15 at Reston Association headquarters at 10 a.m.

Reston Association members will receive an election guide and ballot in the mail this week.

Reston Now will have Q & As with each candidate running daily this week and next. In the spirit of fairness, each candidate was given the same questions.

Today’s Q & A is with Gerald Volloy, who is running for the one-year At-Large seat (made available when Donna Rostant resigned last year).

Q: How long have you lived in Reston?

A. My wife and I have lived in Reston for 17 years, and live on Lake Audubon, where we can often be found enjoying dinner on our boat, enjoying the wonderful natural environment of Reston, and tying up with neighbors to sustain established relationships.

Q: What inspired you to run for the board?

A. For the last four years I’ve served on the [Reston Master Plan Special Study] Task Force planning how to accommodate and mitigate the impacts of Reston’s future growth and development and the critical challenges the Reston Association will face as a result of Metrorail. Protecting Reston’s values, its natural resources, and sense of community will require strong and informed leadership. My background as Reston Association’s past CEO, as a community, business, and military leader arm me well to meet those challenges.

Q: What are three of the biggest concerns you have for Reston?

A: 1. Reston’s future development around the Transit Station Areas at Wiehle, Reston Parkway, and Herndon Monroe will not only bring significant new commercial development, but — eventually — also about 40,000 new residents. The Reston Association will incur financial impacts from the development, which will have impacts upon Reston’s existing open space, natural areas, lakes, watershed and recreational facilities. My concern focuses on how future development and residents will be assimilated within the greater Reston community. Membership within one of our two master associations — either the Reston Association (RA) or the Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) – is essential to maintaining our community’s integrity, high standards of design and maintenance, cohesiveness, sense of community, and values.

2. Each of the three major community organizations that represent homeowners, cluster and condo interests — the Reston Association, Reston Citizens Association, and the Alliance of Reston Clusters and Homeowners — all took positions in support of Metrorail to Dulles and its attendant growth and development, as long as the infrastructure, open space, public facilities and amenities to support and accommodate that growth and development were provided: and on the condition that the critical balance between development and infrastructure be maintained throughout the development process. We’ve built– in Reston’s new Comprehensive Plan– an exciting vision for Reston’s future. However, how the plan will be implemented; who will be responsible for what; what processes will be established; and how funding will be secured and allocated to achieve that vision is my concern. Unfortunately, the track record with regard to securing funding, for infrastructure, from state and/or county coffers has been poor.

3. The demographic and cultural diversity within our community is changing; it is significantly varied, and it will change even more in our future. I am concerned about how well we have reached out, established programs and processes, and accommodated the demographically and culturally diverse elements within our community.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish by being on the board?

A: 1. To earn the respect of RA Members by involving them in decision making processes of the Association and by clearly communicating the rationale behind board decisions.

2. To use my corporate, government, and community leadership and management experience to secure membership of future residential and commercial development within the Reston Association, thereby significantly increasing revenues, keeping annual assessments at a minimum, ensuring high standards of design and maintenance, and protecting Reston’s values.

3. To reach out to Reston’s culturally and demographically diverse communities

4. To fight to ensure Reston’s character, natural environment, cohesiveness, and sense of community are protected from the impacts of Reston’s future significant growth and development

5. To pursue partnerships with commercial, community, and government entities as possible alternatives to either completely or partially fund organizational initiatives.

6. To unscramble the mish-mash of Reston community organizations: defining responsibilities & Membership served by each.

Q: How will your personal or professional experience help you in your role with RA?

1. Prior Reston Association CEO. Tenure characterized by major accomplishments:

Developed RA budgets focused on important and critical balance between member/organizational needs and fiscal responsibility
Gained community support to build Nature House and Southgate Community Center
Saved RA millions by using Environmental Contractor’s instead of RA dollars for Stream Restoration
Maintained a record of low increases in Annual Assessments

2. Member, Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force: involving planning on how to accommodate and mitigate impacts of Reston’s future development and growth

3. Current and five-year President of the Alliance of Reston Clusters and Homeowners (ARCH)

4. Master’s Degree in Executive Development in Public Service. Studies included:

● Labor Economics ● Community Development ● Public Policy

● Social Programs ● Organizational Behavior ● Metropolitan Problems

5. Five year Board Member of Leadership Fairfax: selected as 2006 Member of the Year.

6. Business experience: VP Program Management, LexisNexis Corporation; BAE Systems Director North American Training Operations; Defense Security Service Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration and Logistics

7. Twenty-four years of military service, commanding two of the largest installations in the Air Force; Pentagon Deputy Chief of Fighter Programs; Executive to the Under Secretary working the total Air Force budget through the Secretariat.