J.D. Spain
Julius D. (“J.D.”) Spain doesn’t let a lot of grass grow under his feet. After running a hard-fought campaign to take a county board seat, seeking more diversity, affordable housing, and better mental health resources in Arlington, he set about fundraising and campaigning for a local candidate for Virginia House of Delegates, Travis Nembhard,running in the 22nd district.
Spain also has a day job. On July 21, Spain received a Luminary Award from his company, LMI, based in Tysons Corner. LMI is a problem-solving consulting firm with U.S. government clients. “The winners of our 2023 Luminary Awards commemorate the significant accomplishments of the teams and individuals who exemplify our values—leadership, mission focus, and innovation — and recognize the achievements of LMIers who went beyond expectations.” The Diversity and Culture Team Leadership award Spain received with three other members of his “Accessibility Community of Practice Team,” Holly Nixon, Kim Murray, and Ruth Starr, was given, said Tamara Jack, Chief FInancial Officer of LMI, “because he and his team truly helped cultivate an inclusive and accessible work environment here at LMI. … They’re recognized for their hard work enhancing LMI’s accessibility internally and externally by raising awareness, creating resources, and incorporating accessibility remediation across the company. Some of their many efforts include creating guides, workshops and videos to support employees and customers,” said Jack.
Spain spoke on behalf of his team as he received the award: “We are honored to receive this Luminary award for Leadership and Development. Although presented to us as a leadership team, we could not have furthered this important work without the support and many contributions of the community of practice. This community united the efforts of our enterprise services and service delivery teams, showcasing how anyone can be an innovator at LMI. Accessibility is an essential foundation for LMI’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity. Moreover, accessibility represents a critical need for the government, and LMI is equipped to help. This community of practice increases knowledge of accessibility across the company and enhances accessibility for our customers. We hope this award bolsters awareness and we are eager to collaborate with LMI’s network of affinity groups, and other communities of practice, to integrate accessibility into all that we do.”