The Connection

Fairfax — Three Restonians were recognized by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, June 4 as Lords and Ladies of Fairfax. Each supervisor named a man and a woman to highlight their community service efforts.

Board Chair Sharon Bulova named Amanda Andere as her Lady Fairfax. Andere is the executive director of FACETS, a nonprofit dedicated to serving those affected by poverty, a member of the Reston Association Board of Directors and the Fairfax-Falls Church Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness, among others.

"Amanda Andere’s volunteerism and work with nonprofits has been a critical element to improving the community," Bulova said. "She is known for her extensive history of service and proven leadership through her commitment to over a dozen boards."

Dean Klein, director of the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, said Andere was a "critical leader" in the fight against the effects of poverty.

"Her innovative approaches and commitment to the homeless served through FACETS has made a significant mark on our community and those in need of housing and resources," he said.

Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) chose two Restonians as Lord and Lady for the district. Arthur Hill, a member of the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee and other planning entities, and Patricia Nicoson, president of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, were the honorees.

Hill, after 27 years as a town attorney and nine years as a selectman in Massachusetts, moved to Reston almost 20 years ago.

"When I got here, I figured I better get involved somehow, and by looking around and reading the news, you could see that planning was going to be a need," he said. "I went to the Reston Citizens Association, then got involved in planning and zoning and various other task forces where I could help plan and review things."

Hill helped establish the Hunter Mil District Land Use Committee, and has been a member of the North County Review Area Plan Review Task Force and the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force.

"I enjoy the sense of accomplishment when everything is done, to start by looking at a set of plans, then a few years later you’re driving down the road and see the building you reviewed and passed, and sure enough, it looks pretty good," he said. "I think the developers and property owners in the area do their homework, they’re smart, they know to have their ducks in a row."

Hudgins praised Hill for "working tirelessly and diligently to maintain communal well-being in the Hunter Mill Distri

Nicoson has been president of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association since 1998. She has also been active in a number of organizations and policy committees, including the Reston Association Transportation Advisory Committee and Dulles Corridor Land Use Task Force.

"She has arranged a number of seminars and co-sponsored many with other organizations to provide information about the Dulles Metrorail project and related transportation and land use issues," Hudgins said. "Under her leadership the Reston Metrorail Access Group developed multi-modal access recommendations for the Wiehle Avenue and Reston Parkway Metrorail stations, prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle improvements and developing a list of recommended projects."

Before Reston, Nicoson worked on development in Washington D.C. for 20 years and Arlington for 12 years. After serving on the RA Transportation Advisory Committee for five years, she was appointed by Hudgins to a number of positions.

"I have always been an activist type, generally, and as a land use and transportation planner interested in communities, their design and functioning for the people who live in them," Nicoson said. "I volunteered to head up the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, which I thought would be very important as a transportation project, economic development generator and a project that will do much to address regional equality and social justice issues by giving access to jobs from throughout the region."