Welcome from Board Chair Devanshi Patel
Change touches everything. It reshapes our county, our institutions, and the rhythms of everyday life. It challenges us to think differently, act boldly, and come together with purpose.
In moments of uncertainty, it is not policy alone that guides us. It is people. It is the strength of our relationships, built on trust, dialogue, and shared commitment, that gives us the power to shape the future we want to see.
For more than 70 years, Advance Arlington has been that gathering place. A space where neighbors become collaborators. Where questions lead to insight. Where ideas are not just heard—they are valued.
Advance Arlington is where ideas take root and community takes action.
We do not endorse candidates. We elevate voices.
We do not take sides. We build bridges.
We do not debate each other. We ask the important questions.
Residents from across Arlington come together. Not to agree, but to engage.
To gather.
To think.
To shape our future.
We are more than a meeting space. We are a movement, grounded in respect, guided by curiosity, and inspired by the power of dialogue to shape what comes next.
On behalf of Advance Arlington, welcome to the 2025–2026 program year.
Stay connected.
Learn more.
Join the conversation.
The future of Arlington is not written by one person. It is written by all of us, together. We look forward to learning, questioning, and growing with you.
Welcome to the 2025-2026 Program Year
The Advance Arlington Board offers several opportunities for combined in-person and virtual hybrid programs throughout the year. See current and future program updates, as well as a video recording of our most recent program, below.
Viewers can also find recordings of all of our previous events at our "Past Programs" tab as well.
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Who Decides? How Governance and Representation Shapes Arlington
🗓️ February 11, 2026 | 6:45 PM
📍In Person: Lubber Run Community Center
300 N. Park Drive, Arlington, VA 22203
💻 Virtual: Join via Zoom
Arlington is rich in diversity across race, ethnicity, income, language, age, and lived experience. At the same time, our County’s history includes policies that limited who could access power and influence decision making.
As the community explores potential changes to Arlington’s governance structure, residents have different perspectives. Some see these changes as a way to correct past inequities, while others question whether structural change is the right or most effective approach.
Join us for a panel discussion to explore how governance structures shape equity, representation, accountability, and community trust and what that means for Arlington today.
Katie Cristol is CEO of the Tysons Community Alliance, a place management organization which fosters collaboration among the business community, residents, government, and the civic sector to support the transformation of Tysons into an inclusive, walkable downtown.
Prior to joining TCA in 2023, Katie served on the Arlington County Board for eight years, including two years as Chair. During her tenure, she served on numerous boards including the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and Virginia Railway Express Operations Board. Katie also held leadership roles in the Virginia Municipal League and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Named one of “100 People to Meet in Business” by Virginia Business Magazine, Katie also received the Virginia Transit Association’s Outstanding Contribution by an Individual award in 2023; the Alliance for Housing Solutions’ Ellen M Bozman award in 2023; the Greater Washington Region Coalition’s Northern Virginia Visionary award in 2022; and the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance's 2020 Individual Equality award. Katie holds a public policy master’s degree from Princeton University and an undergrad degree from UVA.
Christian Dorsey is a former two-term Member of the Arlington County Board, first elected in 2015. He served as the body’s Chair in 2023 and 2019 and as Vice-Chair in 2022 and 2018. Currently, he serves as a Commissioner at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center.
Outside of public and community service, Mr. Dorsey engages as a policy and communications consultant supporting progressive organizations in realizing their missions. Previously, he was a senior leader at the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank that promotes economic policies that foster broadly shared prosperity.
Christian is an alumnus of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and resides with his wife and two children in the Columbia Forest neighborhood of Arlington.
John Milliken is a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, following more than five decades of service as a public official and private attorney.
From 1975, he served as Chief of Staff to Virginia Congressman Joseph L. Fisher and was elected to the Arlington County Board in 1980. He stepped down during his third term to accept the position of Secretary of Transportation for Governor Doug Wilder. During his years on the Arlington Board, he was a Member of the WMATA Board and the Transportation Planning Board of the Council of Governments. More recently, he served as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority under six Virginia Governors, concluding his service in 2022.
His recent book The New Dominion (co-edited with Mark Rozell) uses six Virginia elections in the last half of the 20th century to tell the story of the Commonwealth’s political transformation from the rural, segregationist southern state led by Governor then Senator Harry Flood Byrd to today’s pluralistic, multicultural Commonwealth.
Hon. Julius D. “JD” Spain, Sr. is a member of the Arlington County Board, elected in November 2024 in the county’s first general election using ranked-choice voting. A retired US Marine Corps veteran, he served 26 years, including a combat deployment to Iraq, a diplomatic assignment in Brussels, service as a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate, and as a Legislative Advisor with the Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs. He retired at the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant (E-9) and was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptional leadership and service.
Spain then served as a federal investigator and senior business leader at a management consulting firm, leading initiatives across the intelligence community, federal government, academia, and industry. He is an active member of George Mason University’s President’s Innovation Council and Inclusive Excellence Council.
A longtime civic leader, Spain served on Arlington’s Civil Service Commission, as President of the NAACP Arlington Branch, as Regional Vice President for Virginia, and as an elected at-large member of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP Executive Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Maryland and advanced legislative and executive leadership credentials from Georgetown University and George Mason University.
Save the Date
February 25, 2026
Sushi Zen Keeps the Love Going on February 25
Treat yourself to delicious sushi and support the community! On Wednesday, February 25, join us at Sushi Zen, Arlington’s family-owned, award-winning Japanese restaurant in the Lee Harrison Shopping Center, for a fun night out.
Thanks to Sushi Zen’s generosity, 20% of the evening’s sales will benefit Advance Arlington, helping us bring open, inclusive, non-partisan programs on the issues that matter most to our community. Enjoy great food, good company, and make an impact in Arlington!
Did You miss our January program?
Right to Work: What It Means for Workers, Businesses and Our Economy
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As the the labor landscape in Virginia heats up ahead of the upcoming General Assembly session, our expert panel tackled potential changes to the Commonwealth's Right to Work law in a dynamic exchange of ideas and Q&A.
Dr. Terry Clower, Northern Virginia Chair and professor of Public Policy at GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government, opened by setting the economic and historical context for Virginia’s right-to-work law. He described NOVA's economy as facing significant challenges, including job losses in federal and professional services, slower regional growth, and continued reliance on federal spending and data center development. Dr. Clower reviewed the origins and definitions of right-to-work, distinguishing it from at-will employment, and emphasized that the issue is often framed as a matter of long-term economic competitiveness.
The panel featured John S. Earle, Distinguished Professor and labor economist at GMU; Tony Howard, President and CEO of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce; and Don Slaiman, Political Coordinator for IBEW Local 26. Howard argued that right-to-work is a critical competitive advantage for Virginia, particularly against southeastern states, and warned that repeal could gradually reduce investment, job growth, and wage growth.
Slaiman countered that right-to-work weakens unions, suppresses wages, and deprives workers of due process and a meaningful voice on the job, while also eroding broader community and economic stability. Earle, speaking from an academic perspective, emphasized that research on right-to-work is mixed: while it clearly reduces union membership and may affect wages and workplace safety, strong causal evidence tying it to investment decisions or unemployment rates is limited, and any impacts would likely unfold slowly and unevenly.
Panelists broadly agreed that larger structural forces may ultimately matter more than right-to-work policy alone. In particular, advances in AI, automation, and new industrial models are likely to have a far greater long-term impact on jobs, wages, and the labor force than changes to right-to-work laws, underscoring the need for policymakers, businesses, and workers to focus on preparing for these transformative shifts.
We thank our fantastic panel for this excellent program and all who attended in person and via Zoom. We also thank Board members John Musso and Doug
Taylor for leading this timely and informative program.
🎥 Watch the full program below to revisit this timely and thought-provoking conversation.
Advance ARLINGTON In the News
Advance Arlington Featured on ARLnow
Our November panel highlighted what many in our community are already feeling: rising needs in both healthcare and food assistance, and the importance of working together as federal changes take effect.
Read the full story, 'Right to work’ unlikely to change much in Va. this year, union and business leaders agree by Scott McCaffrey in ARLnow.
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2025-2026 Board of Directors
Welcome New Board Members!
We are thrilled to introduce our new Board officers and five stellar new Board members for the 2025-26 program year.
Board of Directors Officers
Chair: Devanshi Patel
CEO, Center for Youth and Family Advocacy
Vice Chair: Tony Weaver
Managing Partner, Olsen Weaver LLC
Treasurer: Jay Miranda
Global Affairs Advisor
Secretary: Jeanne Broyhill
Immediate Past Chair
New Board Members
Monique "Moe" Bryant
Executive Director, Challenging Racism
Sandy Chesrown,
President, Waverly Hills Civic Association;
Board Member, Arlington Artists Alliance
Chris Concepcion
Management and Program Analyst
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
John Musso
Government Affairs Manager, Arlington Chamber of Commerce
Mohsin Syed
Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Transportation
Thank You Outgoing Board Members!
We extend our deepest thanks to the departing board members who have served and provided our organization with such dedication and invaluable leadership.
Sherry Delaney
2024-2025
Gerry Laporte
2019-2025
Chuck Morley
2012-2025
Margarita Muzzall
2024-2025
John Vihstadt
2022-2025