A DAO in the Life March 2021

By Valmarie Turner, Loudoun Assistant County Administrator

It is March 2021! Will Spring ever get here???  As a native Floridian, I have yet to acclimate to the weather – the very long winters (this is not up for debate)!  I do, however, love Virginia and Loudoun County.

I recently celebrated my three-year anniversary with Loudoun County.  I am excited about, both, where Loudoun County is headed and the people that I am honored to serve with in this community.  Loudoun remains one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States – even amid the pandemic.  I currently serve as the Assistant County Administrator for Community Development – which includes, Housing, Planning and Zoning, Building and Development, and Economic Development.  While we have moved to providing many of our services in a virtual format, the workload has not diminished.  Loudoun has several “big” land use development projects – affordable housing developments, data centers, and science museums – that are happening simultaneously with “big” policy documents – Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan, Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, and the Energov System. Loudoun County, like most local governments, is currently operating as a dual entity – Emergency Operations and the Local Government. Simply put – staff is resilient and dedicated!

I also serve as the County’s lead for our Equity & Inclusion Initiatives.  We have a core group of staff participating in the Government Alliance and Race and Equity (GARE) Cohort in the Northern Virginia Region.  In fact, VLGMA’s Winter Conference last month, Leading in Challenging Times: Local Impacts of Civil Unrest and A Global Pandemic, featured subject matter experts on racial equity, including GARE.   Racial equity – closing the gaps so that race does not predict one’s success – is being addressed within many of our local governments. To do so local governments have to take a targeted approach to changing policies and structures. Racial Disparity persists in nearly every system across the country and committing to addressing racial equities creates healthy, thriving communities – for all – across this country.  It was a fitting topic as we also celebrated Black History Month.

Which brings us to March!  March is Women’s History Month: "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced”.  As I reflect on my journey to this point, I also reflect on the mentors – the phenomenal women – that have served as a true guide in my quest to serve the community on a broader level.  I think about the women that have paved the way for me and others to serve in positions that have largely been held by men.  I am humbled and want to serve as a bridge to creating more opportunities for women!  This will allow me to provide guidance, motivation, support and modeling for other women as my mentors have shared with me!

Flexibility and adaptability (trust me there is a difference), patience, commitment and a good attitude are just a few of the tools that my mentors have shared with me over the years.  I use them to ensure that I am equipped for the day and prepared to create a safe space for my team.  2020 and even the start of 2021 has been like no other time in modern history.  The aforementioned tools have been tested and tried on a daily basis over the past year – and they have worked every time! Again, I am humbled that I “get” to work for the citizens.

I absolutely love people and working in the community to improve neighbors – serving the citizens of Loudoun County is an awesome privilege.