City of Fairfax

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s

Sarah Holland — Fri, 02 May 2025 18:40:51 +0000

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s Sarah Holland Fri, 05/02/2025 - 14:40

Monika Blakely, BS Information Technology ’24, has lived all over the world, but her time at �� has been particularly special. From rowing with the women’s rowing team to working as an influencer with ShopMason, this soon-to-be double George Mason graduate has left her mark on Fairfax Campus.

Photo provided

Blakely plans to graduate in spring 2025 with a master’s in management from Costello College of Business, completed through the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program.

What inspired you to combine information technology and management?

My long-term goal is to be a project manager, and I think it’s useful to know both the technical side and the management side to understand how to be effective as a project manager. It also gives me the flexibility to do what I want in a different career path, if that ends up being right for me. I had extra spaces in my undergraduate classes, so I added the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program for management.

Tell me about your internships.

Currently I have two internships. The first is with Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED). I started there in fall 2023 as a social media intern. I thought local government was interesting. I’d never been involved in that industry before and wanted to learn more about who’s involved and what they do for the city. I figured I’d try it and see if I liked it, and I did! I became a marketing fellow with FCED in spring 2024, and I am now a part-time programs associate.

My second internship is with General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). I’ve been a public relations intern there since summer 2024.

What classes would you say have set you up for success at your internships?

Senior Capstone, for one, because I think that’s been the most similar to real-world problem solving. We worked with different concentrations in the IT department. We had people doing web development, programming, cybersecurity, and so on, seeing how those different skill sets can contribute to that one broad end goal.

GBUS 653 Organizational Behavior has also been helpful, just learning about different learning styles, how your learning style can fit in with others, and so on.

How have your extracurriculars impacted your work in the classroom?

Teamwork and communication are probably the biggest things. In rowing, you have different parts of the boat, different strengths coming together, and you have to work to stay in sync. Sometimes when you work in a team, it’s not always ideal for you. You have to learn how to work with other people, how to adjust your learning style to fit with theirs, and how to make compromises with decisions that won’t be agreed on.

My roles at FCED and GDIT helped me improve my communication skills. Even if you don’t work within your team, you’re working with other sections, and you always have to cross-collaborate. So, with FCED and GDIT, you have people from different backgrounds and different departments, which taught me how to collaborate effectively across teams to deliver a clear, unified message.

ShopMason also helped strengthen my communication skills, because you’re constantly collaborating with students and departments across the university and you have to come together to share a clear and engaging message. That experience has helped me better contribute in classroom discussions, group projects, and presentations.

Blakely, 6th from left, with the staff of FCED. Photo provided.

What are you most proud of from your time at George Mason?

Being involved in different organizations and meeting a bunch of people I probably wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. I’ve been involved in organizations that reflect my culture and my studies, like the Japanese Student Association, the National Society for Black Engineers, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Connecting with students similar to me has made the university experience worth it.

What makes George Mason special?

As the daughter of military service members, I’ve lived on different military bases around the world, and I think what makes George Mason special is that it has a space for everyone. There are cultural organizations, religious groups, interest groups...everyone can find a place to belong here, and that’s not the case everywhere.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

If there’s a skill you want to develop or an interest you have, pursue it in undergrad when you have the time and space to do so. You never know when those skills will be useful, and if you’re passionate about your work, people will notice.

2025 Spring Commencement

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A collaborative solution to culinary career challenges

Sarah Holland — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:29:31 +0000

A collaborative solution to culinary career challenges Sarah Holland Tue, 03/25/2025 - 10:29

One of the best parts of any town is its local food. But in the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns, keeping local restaurants alive and thriving requires a new approach.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

In partnership with the City of Fairfax, Town of Vienna, and the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association Foundation (VRLTAF), George Mason is working on a solution: the Culinary Careers Collaborative (CCC) is a workforce development project to get restaurant workers the foundational skills they need to succeed.

Jai Girard, director of education and workforce development for the VRLTAF, explained that the restaurant industry has often struggled with recruitment and retention. “The challenge has intensified in recent years,” she said. Hospitality employees who were laid off during the lockdowns found jobs in other industries. Business travelers, who were a significant market for Northern Virginia restaurants, have not returned to the pre-2020 numbers. And with growing competition from the gig economy, restaurants are struggling to recruit and retain their staff.

As restaurants face growing challenges, the City of Fairfax and Town of Vienna wanted to find a solution.

“This is a challenge that transcends jurisdictional borders,” said Ashley Curtis, marketing and business engagement specialist for the Town of Vienna. "Hungry diners aren’t thinking about where the city starts and the town begins: They’re just enjoying the food. We have a shared goal to support the places our residents and visitors love to eat.”

“We knew we needed partners who could bring expertise in hospitality and restaurant management, so we looked to George Mason and VRLTAF,” said Tara Borwey, assistant director of programs for Fairfax City Economic Development. George Mason has one of the only hospitality degree programs in the area.

“We’re all in such close proximity to one another, and therefore we all have a vested interest in maintaining a strong relationship and improving our shared community,” she said.

Using feedback from restaurant owners around Fairfax City and Town of Vienna, the team developed three tracks: beginning culinary skills, beverage skills, and advanced management. Each track totals 24 credit hours taken over four days. Fairfax City and the Town of Vienna fully funded the programs so they are completely free for participants.

Students practice during the beverage skills track. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“Partnerships between universities and local communities are essential for creating meaningful workforce development,” said Min Park, associate professor in the Tourism and Events Management program in the College of Education and Human Development. “These partnerships ensure that training programs are academically sound and aligned with workforce demands.”

The beginning culinary skills track and beverage skills track are designed to build foundational skills for industry newcomers. Culinary students learn fundamental cooking techniques and knife skills; beverage students learned how to mix cocktails and pair wines; both tracks include instruction in hygiene and sanitation protocols, service management skills, regulation compliance, and operational strategies.

Students learn skills that will put them in a stronger starting position and get the chance to see if this industry is the right fit without risk for either the student or the restaurant losing a job or an employee.

“Retention is just as important as recruitment,” said Girard. “These tracks remove some of that steep learning curve barrier of these entry-level positions that could scare some people away. They can see if the industry is a good fit for them, while gaining skills that will make them more confident in what can be a stressful environment for someone new and untrained.”

George Mason alumna Sophia Tran, BS Tourism and Events Management ’22, a current graduate student pursuing a master's in management with a certificate in human resources in the Costello College of Business, took the beverage track and earned the ServSafe certificate and the Beverage Arts certificate. The ServSafe certificate, administered by the National Restaurant Administration, demonstrates an individual’s knowledge of food safety protocols and procedures. “I would highly recommend the track. I learned a lot about the wine and cocktail industries,” she said.

Advanced management track participants and instructors. Photo provided.

The third track—advanced management—is the only track specifically for current industry employees, designed to upskill current or potential leaders with instruction on managerial theories and practices. The inaugural module ran in July 2024 with 13 participants, taught through a collaboration between a professor of the Tourism and Events Management program and leading industry practitioners.

“Many of our restaurants are locally owned small businesses, and they don’t usually have resources like this. It’s a DIY mentality, training people on the job,” said Curtis. “But small business is the heartbeat of our region, so being able to support them makes this really special.”

The locations of the tracks vary based on the needs of the curriculum. Dolce Vita Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar in Fairfax City hosted the beverage class, which concluded its first session in January. The beginning culinary track, which will run its inaugural session in June 2025, will use the College of Public Health Nutrition Kitchen in Peterson Hall.

Said Curtis, “Collaborations like this make this region a great place to work, play, learn, and live.”

To register for upcoming tracks, visit the CCC website.

Explore the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management

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Patriot Pop Quiz: North Campus

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:48:26 +0000

Patriot Pop Quiz: North Campus Lauren Reuscher Thu, 07/25/2024 - 10:48

Think you know a lot about ��? Let’s find out if we can stump you with this Patriot Pop Quiz.

Question:

Which nearby former high school building did �� once own and use as part of its campus?

From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

Answer:

�� once occupied the former Fairfax High School building, located on Fairfax Boulevard between Fairfax Circle and the intersection of Routes 50 and 29. From 1972 to 1983, George Mason operated a satellite campus, known as North Campus, at the location.

Façade of the campus building in 1975. From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

The original Fairfax High School building opened in 1935. In 1972, the growing student population moved into a new building, the current Fairfax High School, located in the City of Fairfax on Lion Run.

George Mason was looking for additional facilities to host new programs in nursing, education, and business. Space on campus was limited, and enrollment was doubling every two years. The university purchased the former high school from Fairfax County Schools for $1.8 million. The property consisted of approximately 100,000 square feet of space (including classrooms, a cafeteria, library, and theater), and 16 acres of land, which included athletic fields.

Baseball field in 1974, featuring a game between George Mason and Georgetown. From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

In 1983, George Mason sold the property to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, which used the space for Pope Paul VI High School. Today, the historic building is part of the Boulevard VI housing development.

Follow the Special Collections Research Center on Facebook and Instagram for more �� history.

The cafeteria in 1976. From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

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Fairfax City and Mason come together to spur economic growth and student success

Colleen Rich — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:06:58 +0000

Fairfax City and Mason come together to spur economic growth and student success Colleen Rich Mon, 10/02/2023 - 10:06

Fairfax City mayor and �� alumna Catherine S. Read, BA ’84, and Mason's School of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé signed a partnership agreement on Oct. 2 aimed at promoting economic growth in the city while giving students access to experiential learning opportunities that will benefit local businesses and students.

Students get hands-on retail management experience at Fairfax Ace Hardware. Photo provided

This partnership will extend the walls of the business school’s classrooms into the local business community, by affording business students with the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills across several industries in the “classroom beyond the classroom.”

“Our collaboration with the �� School of Business is about investing in our future, and being open to change and innovation,” said Read. “By welcoming Mason students and faculty into our business community, we’re bringing fresh faces and new ideas to city planning in support of our vision for a vibrant commercial district.”

“The School of Business emphasizes student experience and career readiness via public, private, and academic partnerships,” said Vinzé. “We see Mason as your hometown university, and this partnership is an exciting opportunity for us to invest in the growth and economic development of this wonderful city, while providing our students with a hands-on learning experience that will prepare them for successful careers in business.”

Experiential learning opportunities in Fairfax are expected to draw Mason students from each of the business school’s four centers of excellence—Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship (CREE), Center for Retail Transformation (CRT), and the newly named Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting.

With some programs already underway and additional planning discussions on the horizon, both sides are looking forward to expanding the current collaboration in the spring. Among the projects slated to launch are

a CIE-led vendor management experience for students with retailers in the Old Town Fairfax Business Association (OTFBA)/FCED “Wander In” retail incubator,
a CREE site plan analysis for determining best use options of commercial real estate sites in the Northfax Small Area Plan and other areas of Fairfax City,
an in-store retail management experience with CRT students and Fairfax City retailers, and
a study by students from the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting, in coordination with the Mason Enterprise Center, to identify ways to improve business outcomes for small business federal contractors.

“What makes this program unique among ‘classroom beyond the classroom’ partnerships is our collective focus on leveraging the short-term benefit of student employability into a longer-term relationship with our city and its business community,” said Christopher Bruno, executive director and CEO of FCED. “One of the reasons we decided to partner with Mason is its track record of driving economic growth in the region—close to 70% of its alumni live and work in a 50-mile radius of the Fairfax Campus—and the confidence that gives us that many of the relationships we form now with Mason students and alumni are going to serve as a magnet for new businesses in the future.”

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Ajay Vinzé

She has ideas to bring Mason and Fairfax City together

“You look at our downtown and where are the students, where is the activity, where is the energy?” said Catherine Read, the first Mason alum, and first woman, to be Fairfax mayor. "What kind of things can we do between the campus and the city? That’s what we should be asking ourselves."

Learn more about her plans >>

'Greetings from Fairfax' mural builds town-gown connections

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:51:35 +0000

'Greetings from Fairfax' mural builds town-gown connections Lauren Reuscher Thu, 08/03/2023 - 10:51

Photo by Sophie Bae/Mason Exhibitions

As a result of a grant awarded by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Fairfax City Economic Development Authority commissioned Murals at Mason to install a mural highlighting landmarks and experiences in Fairfax, Virginia. Greetings from Fairfax, by Mason alum Lecsi Pillar, is located at Point 50 shopping center.

Photo by Sophie Bae/Mason Exhibitions

Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read (pictured at center, above) was present at the unveiling. “Buildings like this can help to represent what a vibrant, dynamic community Fairfax City is,” said Read. “[It is] a celebration of the things that make Fairfax City unique." See more photos of the mural.

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Classes and city council are in session for this senior

Colleen Rich — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:52:28 +0000

Classes and city council are in session for this senior Colleen Rich Tue, 03/21/2023 - 10:52

While most college seniors are counting the days until graduation and finishing up coursework, �� physics major Billy Bates decided to take on new challenge. In fall 2022, he ran for Fairfax City Council and won. He was sworn in in January.

Physics major Billy Bates is one of the newest members of the Fairfax City Council. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

This was not an impulsive move for Bates. He said he has been involved in politics and the Young Democrats since he was 14. “That’s when I started paying attention to politics, volunteering, and emailing the city council about different issues,” said Bates, who attended nearby Fairfax High School.

Bates didn’t waste any time immersing himself in the Virginia political process. He has worked for OneVirginia2021 (now UpVoteVirginia) and interned on the campaigns of U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly and former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe. He also campaigned for State Delegate Alfonso Lopez (49th district) and then worked in Lopez’s district office conducting policy research.

One of Bates’s first political supporters was Mason alum Catherine S. Read, the new mayor of the City of Fairfax, who was also sworn in January.

“She was one of the first people to urge me to run for city council,” said Bates, 20, who plans to graduate in December. “She really did a lot to help me out throughout the campaign.”

“He is smart, he is committed, and he’s about as geeky, wonky, and in the weeds about local government as you can imagine,” said Read of Bates. “He’s so smart and plugged in. Everyone is finding out how smart Billy is.”

Bates’s commitment to the City Council involves three or four weekly meetings a month and an occasional weekend retreat. And for right now, Bates isn’t thinking about going into politics full time.

“I don't really have any interest in going beyond City Council because the way I see it, it's kind of like cake, you know?,” he said. “I look forward to it every week, but if I had it all the time, I'd get tired of it.”

Since coming to Mason, Bates has dabbled in several majors, taking courses in government, business, and bioengineering. He has even considered law school. He said he decided on physics in part for the challenge of it.

“Writing and that kind of analytical thinking are already kind of a strong suit of mine so I decided that I'd get more out of doing a major like engineering or physics, which strengthens a side of my skillset that doesn't really come as naturally to me.”

Bates’s concentration is in computational physics, and he plans to continue with physics in graduate school. He aspires to do theoretical research and ultimately earn a PhD. This spring, he is taking Physics 402 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics with Professor Mingzhen Tian. “That's honestly my favorite class so far. I really enjoy it.”

When not doing school work or handling council responsibilities, Bates hits in the gym. He finds the physical activity is critical for managing stress. He also enjoys hiking with family and friends. One of his favorite trails is in Daniels Run Park in Fairfax near his high school. And it’s obvious he is a big fan of Fairfax.

“There are some really beautiful spots,” he said of his hometown. “It has a lot of character, a lot of history. It’s my home.”

Other alums serving on the Fairfax City Council are Kate G. Doyle Feingold, PhD Criminology, Law and Society ’20, who is serving her first term on the council, and the first Mason alum to sit on the City Council—Jeffrey C. Greenfield, BA Political Science ’89, MPA ’92, who is serving his 13th term.

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She has ideas to bring Mason and Fairfax City together

Colleen Rich — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:49:14 +0000

She has ideas to bring Mason and Fairfax City together Colleen Rich Wed, 03/01/2023 - 10:49

"Just so you know," Catherine Read said casually during a recent conversation, “I’ve got more ideas than a dog has fleas.”

Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read in her office. Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

And new ideas are exactly what she said is needed for �� and Fairfax City to come together in a partnership that will benefit both.

“You look at our downtown and where are the students, where is the activity, where is the energy?” said Read, the first Mason alum, and first woman, to be Fairfax mayor. “I’m thinking, ‘We live next door to the largest public university in Virginia, so what is the city not doing well? What kind of things can we do between the campus and the city?’ That’s what we should be asking ourselves.”

Read, BA Government and Politics ’84, is passionate about building that relationship, as it is so much a part of her personal and career arc.

She did, after all, meet her first husband at Mason during a work-study job researching 19th-century literary reviews in the old New York Tribune. She is on the board of Fall for the Book and has her Mason degree framed and proudly displayed in her City Hall office.

“It is so important to have local politicians who have a connection to both the town and the university,” said Professor Michele Greet, who directs Mason’s Art History Program and is Read’s long-time neighbor. “Catherine is the perfect person to seek paths toward greater collaboration.”

Read, who grew up in Southwest Virginia, came to Mason as a transfer from Emerson College in Boston, where she was a theater major. She knew of Mason only because Emerson’s forensics team, of which she was part, was consistently beaten by the powerful Patriot squad.

While at Emerson, though, Read took a class, “Political Thought,” that she called “a clarion call to switch from a course of study focused on my passion for theater and think about another passion I’ve had since my elementary school: history and politics.”

That background, nurtured and expanded at Mason, guided the legislative advocacy work with nonprofits that occupied much of Read’s past 10 years.

Her biggest wins include successfully helping the Virginia Autism Project lobby for autism insurance reform that, when it passed in 2011, required insurance companies to provide medically necessary behavioral therapies.

Read also helped the Virginia Alliance for Breastfeeding Laws successfully push for a 2015 law that allows mothers to breastfeed their children anywhere the mother is lawfully present.

“When you talk about what are you going to do with a degree in government and politics, you have to understand how the political system works and you have to help other people understand how good policy gets made,” Read said. “Being mayor is being able to make that kind of difference, but I have a bigger platform.”

That platform, Read said, includes building a bench of young, hungry political talent in Fairfax City and establishing a “21st-century culture in a city that has been very traditional up until this point.”

And that’s where Read’s ideas to build bridges between Mason and Fairfax come in.

Already there are plans for a June Pride celebration in the city, and something informally called the “CUE Crawl: A pub crawl without alcohol” that will take place in August during Mason’s Welcome Week.

That’s when incoming students will have a chance to get a taste of the city by riding the free CUE (City-University Energysaver) Bus through Fairfax, stopping at pubs and restaurants that will serve food, mocktails, and non-alcoholic beer.

“We are thrilled to work with Mayor Read and her team to create the first Fairfax Pride celebration this June,” said Josh Kinchen, director of Mason’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center. “While we are still in the planning stage, we expect to have multiple ways for folks to engage with local LGBTQ+-owned businesses and have a space to dance. We are proud to work with Mayor Read as an engaged alum to further deepen the relationship between Mason and the Fairfax Campus’s home city.”

“I’ve got skin in the game,” Read said. “My Mason degree has grown in value as Mason has grown in stature in Virginia and globally. I consider it an amazing return on investment.”