By Matt Isner, LEAD VIRGINIA Class of 2011. Matt is a vice president at Charles Ryan Associates, an integrated marketing communications firm located in Shockoe Bottom in Richmond.

The 2011 class of LEAD VIRGINIA visited Hampton Roads in October to take in all of the region we could in a very short time period. LEAD VIRGINIA is a nonprofit and non-partisan organization that educates proven leaders about regional differences, opportunities and challenges across the commonwealth. This was the fifth regional session for the class of 2011. Although the focuses of the session – economic development; importance of the port; reliance on the military; advancements in technology, simulation and modeling – were not so much a surprise for an outsider to the region; the first-hand experiences that took place were invaluable. Learn more at LeadVA.org.

We started our time in the region with a little rain (and a rainbow), but quickly found it could not dampen the spirits of the class of 2011. After some back and forth over who would share umbrellas and who would wear the ponchos, our class boarded the Hampton Roads Transit ferry to Portsmouth and learned about Hampton Roads from local leaders at the impressive Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Every session has experiences that we, as class members, say we will remember, and the evening’s dinner and port cruise definitely made it onto that list. Seeing the port from that perspective was amazing and sharing it with fellow class members and representatives from the region made it that much better. The next day we talked with representatives from Norfolk Southern and the Virginia Port Authority. We certainly saw first-hand the importance of the port, not only to the region, but to the commonwealth as a whole.

I mentioned before the special experiences, and we had another one with a tour of the USS Enterprise. Being on the carrier and hearing from those who have called it “home” is an experience that is hard to describe appropriately.  Personally, it helped to remind me of the huge sacrifices made by some for the many others of us. At the ODU Virginia Modeling and Analysis Simulation Center, a lot of us were impressed to learn that you can make a living playing video games. We also learned that it would not be a good idea for a fellow classmate to quit his day job as a COO and become a crane operator, showing the important reason these simulations exist.

We visited An Achievable Dream Academy and heard from its director, Lee Vreeland, and two of her students. What has been done there, and the spirit and pride that it exudes, is more than impressive. Many class members were overheard saying they would like to take just a piece of what the academy offers back to their various regions. That evening we traveled to Fort Monroe where we received a lively history lesson about the region and a discussion about plans for the future.

We ended the next day at the Sandler Center for Performing Arts in the Town Center of Virginia Beach with discussions about economic development and the impact of the military. 

Yes, our schedule was full, but we always take time to wrap up each session by discussing our thoughts about the region. Many of us mentioned that we would like to have the water and the range of activities that are available, the strength of the port, military and local leaders. And, although taking the ferry seems very attractive, the evident transportation challenges did make it somewhat difficult to leave. Thank you for the hospitality shown in Hampton Roads. You have built a region and I promise, I will never utter  the “T” word in describing it. 

Pictured:  “The Region’s Reliance on the Military” panel, including Capt. (ret.) Casey Collins, ’05 & Hampton Roads session Co-Chair; The Hon. Terrie L. Suit, Secretary of Veteran Affairs & Homeland Security, Commonwealth of Virginia; The Hon. Scott Rigell, United States House of Representatives, Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District; and Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, USN (ret.), Executive Director, Hampton Roads Military & Federal Facilities Alliance.

Photos courtesy of LEAD Virginia