Martin Ogle, chief naturalist at Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington, is the first recipient of the Arlington Green Patriot Award. The honor recognizes an individual, business or organization that exemplifies sustainability in more than one aspect of their recent life or operations to improve civic life in Arlington.
Ogle was recognized for his lifelong dedication to environmental education and for emphasizing the interrelationships between people and the rest of nature. He served on the boards of several environmental and community organizations, including the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, Arlington Food Co-op, Arlington Heritage Alliance, the Arlington/Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment.
Artist Si Jae Byun will participate this spring in Arlington Arts Center's Visiting Artist Residency Program. Byun comes from Seoul, South Korea, where she earned a BFA in painting and an MFA in the New Form in Visual Art from Kookmin University. She has also earned an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York. From April 7 to June 30, Byun will work on current projects in AAC's Visiting Artist Studio while engaging with members of the Residency Program and inviting the public to view her work during Open Studios events.
Virginia Opera named its former Artistic Director, Peter Mark, Artistic Director Emeritus of the company. Mark served as artistic director, music director and principal conductor of Virginia Opera from 1975 until November 2010. He also served as the company’s first general director from 1975 until 2000.
The Virginia Education Association recognized Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) and 21 other members of the Virginia General Assembly who earned 100 percent VEA voting record in the 2012 session. Hope serves on the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and House Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee.
Michael Foster was appointed chair of Leadership Arlington’s board of regents. Foster is principal and owner of MTFA Architecture in Arlington and completed the Leadership Arlington Signature Program in 2000. He has also served in the past as chairman of the board at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. Ted Bilich was selected as the chair-elect. He is a distinguished visitor from Practice, Georgetown University School of Law and a member of the Leadership Arlington Signature Program class of 2009.
The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), the national arts service organization for the performing arts presenting and touring field, added impact to its full-time staff with the appointment of Gil Gonzalez as director of conference and meetings.
Gonzalez earned his bachelor of arts from Bowling Green State University and is one conference away from recognition as a Certified Meeting Professional. He has worked both on staff and as a consultant for associations such as the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Society for Engineering Education. His work at Smith Bucklin Corporation included in-depth training on best practices needed for the country's most high-profile meetings and conferences. Mr. Gonzalez lives in Arlington, enjoys sailing and playing golf, and spends much of his time volunteering at the DC Central Food Kitchen.
Andrew Setterberg, a 2006 graduate of the University of Richmond, was elected to a three year term as a board member with the University of Richmond Alumni Association.
Artisphere has named Josh Stoltzfus as its new director of programming. Stoltzfus brings more than 16 years of performing arts experience working in creative, programmatic and administrative positions. Stoltzfus joins Artisphere from the Columbia Festival of the Arts in Columbia, MD. He previously worked with the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts and spent a graduate fellowship with the Cyrus & Myrtle Katzen Arts Center and Harold & Sylvia Greenberg Theatre at American University. Stoltzfus also brings experience as an artist representative, tour manager and more than two decades’ experience as a musical performer.
Karen L. Bune has been selected to serve on the Police Foundation Institutional Review Board for a three-year term. Bune is a national criminal justice consultant and Adjunct Professor at Marymount University in Arlington and George Mason University in Fairfax.
The Arlington Historical Society announces election of its 2013-2014 officers and directors at the annual membership meeting. The new president is Arlington resident John P. Richardson, a retired intelligence officer who has written a biography of Gov. Alexander R. Shepherd, the builder of Washington, D.C. in the decade after the Civil War. The other officers are Karl Van Newkirk (second vice-president), Gerry LaPorte (corresponding secretary), Annette Benbow (recording secretary), and Tim Gribben (treasurer). New directors joining the Arlington Historical Society board are Luis Araya, chief of the development services bureau in the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services; Courtney Cacatian, marketing manager for the Arlington County Convention and Visitors Bureau; Max Gross, a Middle East historian and former dean of the School of Intelligence Studies at the National Defense College; Garrett Peck, author of four books on the Washington area; and Fred Stokeld, former director of International Business Relations for the US Chamber of Commerce. Immediate Past President Ali Ganjian and Hume School Museum Director Mark Benbow serve ex-officio.