Robert Lazaro, Executive Director, Northern Virginia Regional Commission

"Choosing Collaboration"

Collaboration isn’t easy, especially when communities have different priorities and perspectives. Yet in Northern Virginia, 13 independent municipalities have found a way to work together toward shared goals—without mandates or central authority.

Robert Lazaro, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), joined me on the Community Catalysts podcast to share how trust, communication, and aligned interests have helped foster this remarkable culture of cooperation. NVRC serves as a vital forum for bringing communities together to address regional challenges, from clean energy initiatives to climate resilience and economic growth.

In this episode—sponsored by the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative (RELI) at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government—Robert explains how collaboration leads to real impact and why it’s a model worth exploring for leaders everywhere. I encourage you to listen to our conversation and reflect on how these lessons might apply to your own community.

Thank you to RELI for their work in advancing innovative public sector leadership in Northern Virginia—and for giving us all a chance to learn from it.

Would YOU be interested in sharing a story from your own journey to leadership? I’m always looking for instructive and inspiring voices to feature on the show!  Let me know: www.CatalystGuest.us. 

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