The Official Website of Veronica O!

Vote for me for District 2 Delegate

2012-02-23T14:14:00.004-08:00

It's campaign time!!! I'm running to be a District 2 (Wards 3, 4, 5 & 7) Pledged Delegate for President Barack H. Obama's 2012 Campaign at the Democratic National Convention. As a Pledged Delegate I will work to make statehood a lynchpin of our message to every Democrat at the Convention. In addition, I'll bring DC issues to the National Agenda such as protecting women's reproductive rights and improving the public education system.

I have the pleasure of serving DC as a member of the Hillcrest Community Civic Association as one of the DC representatives of Transportation Planning Board's Citizen Advisory Council. I'm a resident of Ward 7 and I co-own a business in Ward 8. I'm committed to improving the quality of life for all residents.

Voting will take place on March 3, 2012, at the University of the District of Columbia Auditorium, 10am-2pm. If you are a registered Democrat in District 2, I hope that you will make the journey to Ward 3 to vote for me. If you aren't a registered Democrat or don't live in District 2, please help me spread the word.

For those unable to make it on Saturday, March 3, for religious or other reasons, early voting will take place on Thursday, March 1, 2012 during the hours of 10:30 am - 2:30 pm and 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm at the DC State Democratic Committee headquarters, 1050 17th Street, NW, Suite 1000. If you plan to participate in early voting, you must call the DCDSC to reserve a spot at 202-714-3368.

Your support and the opportunity to represent DC is important to me.

Unsung Hero - James E. Davis

2012-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

In my bio, I briefly talk about the influence of my dad on my career path. Well in honor of Black History Month, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about him. The photo on the left was taken by me as he was reading a Father's Day card.

James E. Davis started from humble beginnings in rural Georgia and rose to prominence as the first and only African American to serve as Executive Director of one of the oldest engineering societies, the American Society of Civil Engineers. Mr. Davis’ story is one of overcoming challenges, striving for excellence, and blazing the trail to make the path easier for future generation of black engineers.

Davis, son of a taxi driver and a beautician by day/a nurse by night, was raised with his four siblings in Raleigh, North Carolina. The family of seven lived in a 3-bedroom home with 1 bathroom. Although his parents were not college-educated, they placed an emphasis on obtaining higher education. Davis attended North Carolina State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. During his years at NC State, Davis stood up for people of color by protesting against apartheid in South Africa and fighting against racism. He also holds master’s degrees in regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and civil engineering from NC State. He also completed the course work for a PhD in civil engineering at the University of Maryland.

In 1994, Davis took over as an Executive Director at ASCE. During his 8-year tenure, he created six full service specialty engineering institutes, the State Public Affairs Grants Program, a congressional fellows program, the ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) program, and the ASCE Foundation. Other efforts brought to fruition during his tenure include redesign of Civil Engineering magazine and ASCE news, the establishment of six new technical journals and two practice periodicals, the release of two general assessments (“report cards”) on America’s infrastructure, the acquisition and renovation of ASCE’s current headquarters building, the securing of $15 million in grade A industrial revenue bonds, and the movement of the Society’s headquarters and staff from New York City to Reston, Virginia.

As an African American coming of age during the Jim Crow era, Davis new first hand the ugliness of racism and discrimination. Not only was he the second African American to graduate with a civil engineering degree from NC State, he had to endure classes where he was referred to as “Mr. Black”. Although he was the head of a Society comprised of membership that majority white and male, Davis used his position to recruit and advance women and minorities through the creation of a diversity committee and formulating a partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers, Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers and Society for Women Engineers.

Prior to being named Executive Director, Davis joined ASCE as its chief operating officer in 1989. Before that he led a corporate initiative at Sea-Land Services Ins to increase productivity, improve efficiency, and reduce operating costs in the firms 65 marine container and rail intermodal terminal operations worldwide. Prior to joining Sea-Land, he restructured and directed a $600-million capital program to rehabilitate and improve the rail system operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Promoted through several position in the former Federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now Federal Transit Administration), he ultimately directed grant an loan programs (totaling more than $4 billion annually) for planning, design, construction rehabilitation, and operation of the nation’s mass transportation systems. Earlier in his career he worked for MITRE Corporation, Barton-Aschman, and the Southern Railway Company. Davis was a registered professional engineer in New York and District of Columbia

In his final interview before retiring he stated:

“I want to be remembered as a civil engineer who had the good fortune to contribute directly to his profession and to help set the stage for the next hundred and fifty years. More importantly, I want to be remembered as an honest person, a guy of high personal and professional integrity. That’s about as good as it gets. Ending is something you don’t like doing, but it’s necessary, so let it be done.”

James E. Davis is an unsung hero. He is a man who has given so much to the civil engineering profession.

Preparing for a New Year

2011-12-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to you and your family. Stay tuned for upcoming events and announcements in 2012!!!

Governor's Housing Conference 2011

2011-11-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

I'll be speaking on the linkage between transportation and housing at the Governor's Housing Conference.

Friday November 18, 2011
Hampton Roads Convention Center
Meeting Room 102*

Creating Resilient Communities

This session will highlight best practices and current models in planning resilient communities, those that are environmentally and economically sustainable, equitable, walkable and meet the current needs of residents, workers and visitors without compromising the needs of future generations. Resilient communities are created by collaborative approaches to land-use planning, transportation planning and community development. Resilient communities are those that are planned and implemented via partnerships between all affected stakeholders. The communities are created when the physical environment is the result of cooperative decision making. Presenters will share best practices in community building via heightened awareness of the connection between housing, jobs, transportation and environmental sustainability.

Presenters:

Veronica O. Davis, Principal Planner and Engineer, Nspiregreen
Jon Frederick, Housing Analyst, City of Alexandria
Matt Ladd, Senior Planner, Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning

Moderator:

Brandi Collins, Urban Planner, City of Alexandria

*Please check conference literature for up-to-date information

Fabulous October Speaker - New Date

2011-10-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

I'll be speaking at the October meeting of the Fabulous Women Business Owners.

Going Green: Tips for Making Your Business More Eco Friendly

Tue, October 25, 2011
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Location
The H Street GreenHouse 1341 H Street, NE, 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20002

To learn more about the event and register, click here.

Rail~Volution

2011-10-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

I look forward to meeting everyone at Rail~Volution next week. I'm on a panel on Wednesday October 19, 2011, from 10:00-11:30 am

Community Outreach Strategies for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders CM 1.5: With public investment in infrastructure growing ever scarcer, public and private agencies need to dig deeper into their communities to ensure all voices are being heard. Investments in transit, bikeways and affordable housing will not be saved by community members who are accustomed to attending public meetings. This session will feature case studies for engaging diverse stakeholders from three large American cities.

Moderator: Diane Goodwin, Manager of Project Communications, TriMet, Portland, Oregon

Marla Wilson, Sustainable Development Associate, Greenbelt Alliance, San Francisco, California

Veronica Hahni, Executive Director, Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, Los Angeles, California

Veronica O. Davis, PE, Transportation Committee Chair, Hillcrest Community Civic Association, Washington, DC

Throwback: 50 Sexiest Engineers

2011-10-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

In 2008 I was named of the the 50 Sexy Engineers by the National Society of Black Engineers. It was a fun special edition magazine to dispel the myth that engineers are nerds who wear pocket protectors.

Fabulous October Speaker

2011-09-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

UPDATE (10/12/11): This event has been postponed. Stay tuned.

I'll be speaking at the October meeting of the Fabulous Women Business Owners.

Going Green: Tips for Making Your Business More Eco Friendly

Thursday, October 13, 2011

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Center for Green Urbanism

(3938 Benning Road NE)

To learn more about the event and register, click here.

Join me on a Webinar

2011-09-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Bike League is hosting a webinar on "Diversifying your Membership and Outreach" on September 7, 2011, at 8pm Eastern. Dan Hoagland from the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and I will be representing the DC region. Dan will discuss WABA's outreach East of the River. I'll be discussing Black Women Bike DC and local advocacy East of the River.

For more information and to learn about the other speakers, visit The Bike Leagues site.

Group Photo from August Ride

Green Economy/Corporate Responsibility

2011-08-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Save the date.... I'll be speaking to the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) about the Green Economy/Corporate Responsibility. Trust me we will be discussing more than just recycling paper!!!

September Professional Meeting for NABA

Wednesday, September 21, 2011. 6:30pm

Marriott International,

10400 Fernwood Road, Bethesda, MD.

My Ethical Guidepost

2011-08-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last summer I spoke to elementary school students in Ward 8, DC about civil engineering. The photo above was drawn by on of the young people. "Don't let us down" gets to the heart of our duties and ethics as civil engineers.

I took the Obligation of the Order of the Engineer in March 2001. While I don't wear the pinky ring that is a symbol of the obligation, I still stand by these words. Since I've taken the obligation, some of the words have been modified, but this reflects the version from my ceremony.

I am an Engineer. In my profession I take deep pride. To it, I owe solemn obligations.

Since the Stone Age, human progress has been spurred by the engineering genius. Engineers have made usable nature’s vast resources of material and energy for Mankind’s benefit. Engineers have vitalized and turned to practical use the principles of science and the means of technology. Were it not for this heritage of accumulated experience, my efforts would be feeble.

As an Engineer, I pledge to practice integrity and fair dealing, tolerance and respect, and to uphold devotion to the standards and the dignity of my profession, conscious always that my skill carries with it the obligation to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth’s precious wealth.

As an Engineer, in humility and with the need for Divine guidance, I shall participate in none but honest enterprises. When needed, my skill and knowledge shall be given without reservation for the public good. In the performance of duty and in fidelity to my profession, I shall give the utmost.

Featured on WTOP.COM

2011-08-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Photo by Kate Ryan/WTOP

Black Women Bike DC was featured on WTOP this weekend. The organization was founded as part of a twitter conversation between Nse Ufot, Najeema Davis Washington and I a little over three months ago. Since then we've grown to over 300 on facebook and another 20 or so connected via googlegroups.

Veronica Davis founder BlackWomenBikeDC by kateryan

To see the full article, Click Here.

We are also featured in the Washington Post, which was the catalyst for the growth of our group. Click Here to see that article.

Looking Back

2011-07-25T06:43:00.000-07:00

My cousin sent me this photo via facebook. My mom says I was about 2 years old. If you look at recent photos of me, you'll notice I'm usually in this pose. I guess it's safe to say, this is my signature pose!!!

Coming to your air waves

2011-07-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

On Monday July 18, 2011, you will have two opportunities to hear me on the air waves.

WHUR 96.3 "The Steve Harvey Morning Show"
At 8:12 am and at 8:43 am, I'll be on the "Tony's Taking it to the Streets" segment with Tony Richards. I'll be discussing Black Women Bike: DC and biking East of the River.

Motivational Mondays, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Chancee' Lundy (the other half of Nspiregreen, LLC) and I will be the guest panelist on Motivational Mondays. We will be discussing all aspects of sustainability from sustainable transportation to reducing energy and water usage in your homes. We'll tell you small things you can do to "walk the talk".

Call-in: (402) 237-6301
Access Code: 2345

Speaking to a Packed Room

2011-06-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

(Photos courtesy of Thursday Network)

Thursday Network panel on "The Gentrification of Chocolate City" was standing room only. The estimate attendance was 175 people. I'm very thankful for an opportunity to speak to the members and guest of the Greater Washington Urban League.

The line to get in

Anthony asking Jay Greene and I our first question

Questions were so tough they made us wiggle in our chairs

Listening for the next question

Classic Veronica O! on soapbox face and gesture

Panelist: "Gentrification of Chocolate City"

2011-06-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday June 23rd, Jalal "Jay" Greene, Vice President for The Community Builders, Inc., and I will be sitting on a panel for the Greater Washington Urban League.

What: "The Gentrification of Chocolate City - Reality vs Perception"
Thursday Network June General Body Meeting

Date: Thursday June 23, 2011

Time: 6:45 PM

Where: National Public Radio Building
635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Closest MetroRail Station: Gallery Place - Chinatown (Red, Yellow and Green lines)

Parking: FREE - enter the garage from Massachusetts Avenue

For more information about the event contact Hakimu Davidson, Personal & Professional Development Chairperson, at ppd@thursdaynetwork.org