Read. Think. Act.

Catherine Read

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Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia with Laurie MacNamara

(June 17, 2019) Catherine Read speaks with Laurie MacNamara, the first female President of the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia. (DemBiz).  Their wide-ranging discussion covers everything from the purpose of the council, to the programming and policy components of the organization.

MacNamara is the first female to head the DemBiz Council in its sixteen years of existence. Senator Scott Surovell, Laurie Blackburn and Kevin Cook founded the organization in 2003, when they recognized that the business owners with Democratic values were under-represented.  Their goal was to bring together business executives who wanted to advance issues that their workforce cared about, such as education, healthcare and affordable housing.

DemBiz provides opportunities for Democrats, like-minded independents and others to meet and network with other professionals, as well as with local, state and federal elected officials and candidates. Through a wide range of programming, from breakfasts to after work networking events, the Council aims to serve all who are interested in participating.

As MacNamara notes, in a local economy with essentially zero unemployment, it becomes a competitive environment to keep employees happy.  Employers are looking to do all they can to retain their staff. By collaborating with organizations like Equality Virginia , they are working to advance policies to make the workplace more inclusive. DemBiz aims to advance policies that workers are yearning for, such as paid family leave and inclusive LGBT workplaces.

The DemBiz Council is best known for its monthly breakfast meetings that are held at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner. Under McNamara’s leadership, however, she has sought to broaden the programming options.  She has also encouraged the Council to hold events around the region and during various times of the day – branching out to both Arlington and Loudoun Counties. Notable recent speakers include Michael Bloomberg and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Additionally, the council has hosted candidate forums in the recent elections. In 2018 they put on a robust candidate forum focused specifically on business issues for the 10th Congressional Seat (which was eventually won by Rep. Jennifer Wexton). The following year, in 2019, they hosted a forum for all who were running for the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The panels were informative, and they plan to continue these events in the future.

Other upcoming events include a discussion about Women in Politics, to be held at 1776 in Crystal City on June 20th. On July 17,  Nobel Prize winning economist Dr. Joseph Stiglitz will join the Council for a talk about the impact of economics on elections.  In September, former Governor Terry McAuliffe will be the keynote speaker who will discuss his experience of stumping for candidates throughout the state during the summer months.

MacNamara is proud of the work she has done in her two-year tenure to help move the organization forward. As the business community in Washington evolves, she aims to keep up with the trends. Her personal background is in Government Contracting, and while there are still many of these businesses in the area, the region has worked hard to attract new industries.

One of her new programming ideas is to have a DemBiz Annual Awards Banquet.  This would give the council an opportunity to recognize employers in the region who are promoting family friendly policies, like paid family leave, early childhood education and inclusive workplaces.

From the Amazon and Nestle headquarters in Arlington, to Hilton putting down roots in Tysons Corner, and Volkswagen landing in Herndon, area officials have worked hard to diversify the business base. Other employers such as INOVA and George Mason University are expanding and hiring more workers. Additionally, players like Virginia Tech, who are setting up their new innovation campus in Alexandria, are helping to fuel the growth of the region. Small businesses are emerging, and many of them are minority, women and veteran-owned enterprises.

All of these businesses have policy objectives that will help attract and retain their employees, and continue to make Northern Virginia thrive. The DemBiz Council has an entire arm of the organization dedicated to advancing policy initiatives on things like education, transportation and healthcare, just to name a few. McNamara encourages all of the members to get involved and add their voice in establishing policy objectives. She welcomes all who are interested to the table. www.DemBiz.org

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Reverend Emma Chattin on Inside Scoop

(Dec. 24, 2018) Reverend Emma Chattin, of the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, joins Catherine Read for the Christmas Eve edition of Inside Scoop. Their conversation covers Rev. Chattin’s ministry work throughout her career with LGBTQ and transgender individuals.

Equality Virginia recognized Rev. Chattin as an “Outstanding Virginian” for her many years of work in planning programming and providing support to LGBTQ and transgender Virginians.   After living and  working for 18 years in Harrisonburg, Rev. Chattin moved to Northern Virginia in 1997 with her partner Heather. Although she has never been a fan of the traffic in Northern Virginia, she quickly made her home and set down roots in the community.

As part of her ministry, Rev. Chattin has been involved with the Transgender Education Association  (TGEA) of Greater Washington. The organization has been around since 1982 in various forms, and was on the brink of closing down when Rev. Chattin became involved. She convinced the Board to keep the organization open, and after taking over the reigns she helped to transform it into a vibrant organization it is today. She focuses on providing safe harbor for transgender individuals, while also helping people in this community find their identity.

Over the years, the TGEA has worked together with individuals and families to help make the world a little less daunting for transgender individuals.   Starting with the youngest members of the community, Rev. Chattin has worked with TGEA to form a playgroup for children ages 5-11. This is a safe space with childcare professionals who are attuned to the children’s needs. While the children play, the parents can find respite with other parents of transgender kids. Again, it is a safe space to connect, find resources and share stories.

On the policy side, Rev. Chattin has worked throughout the years with the school systems to develop strong, positive policies designed to keep children safe. She has successfully worked with Fairfax County Public Schools on establishing policies around language regarding gender. This work required long hours of meetings and public hearings in order to ensure that all students are safe and represented. Chattin was pleased to see the outcome, and looks forward to continued work in moving other policies forward. She also works with employers by helping them put good policies in place, even before they may need to have them.

Emma ChattinOn a bit of a more somber note, Chattin points out that the suicide rate amongst transgender children is exceptionally high when children are not supported by the adults in their life. 54% of kids whose parents do not accept them for who they are, will attempt to take their own lives. Statistics show that only 4% of these children will try and commit suicide if their parents are open and accepting. It is so important for parents to try and understand their children, so that they can survive and thrive.

Central to Chattin’s ministry is the concept of diversity by God. She preaches that we are all made in God’s image, even people who differ from ourselves. She notes that the Bible has been used throughout history to justify a variety of terrible atrocities, including slavery. As she wisely states, the Bible is like a hammer, it can be used to build us up or to tear us down. She believes the Bible should be read as a metaphor, with stories dating back thousands years. There is wisdom to be learned but she does not believe that it should be read literally. On this Christmas Eve she wants to send a message of peace and hope, and encourages us all to go out and do good in our community today and all throughout the year.

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Transgender Non-Discrimination Policy – Inside Scoop

Catherine Read discusses the issues affecting the transgender community here in Virginia with guests James Parrish, Executive Director of Equality Virginia; Rev. Emma Chattin of Metropolitan Community Church; Roxanne Edwards, Co-Founder of Second Fridays and Fourth Fridays; Sara Simone of Fairfax; and Laura Curtis and her transgender teen Nathan. Topics range from business leadership on trans issues to school policies, legislative goals, the upcoming TIES Conference in October, and ongoing support for Virginia’s Trans Community. The path forward means codifying policies at the state and federal level that protect the transgender and gender non-conforming communities from discrimination in employment, housing, education and medical care.