In a letter to the editor of the Washington Business Journal, WRAG’s president Tamara Copeland applauded Dr. Stephen Fuller and Bob Buchanan’s recent call for a regional summit to address Greater Washington’s long-term economic development (“Time for regional economic summit, head of 2030 Group declares,” WBJ, January 15) and offered the support of the local philanthropic sector.
The letter is re-printed below.
To the editor:
Last week, two longtime leaders in our region, Stephen Fuller and Bob Buchanan, joined forces to call for government and business leaders from across Greater Washington to come together for a regional summit on long-term economic development. We applaud them and offer a third sector — philanthropy — to this powerful call for action.
We know that the regional lens is an absolute necessity. Cross-sector and cross-jurisdictional cooperation is essential. And catalytic leadership is needed.
Seamlessly, and almost daily, most of us travel from one jurisdiction to another. So, too, do the challenges that affect the long-term vitality of our region, from housing affordability to job growth, improving the quality of the Anacostia River to improving educational quality in every jurisdiction for all children.
Years ago, philanthropy was called the “passing gear” when it comes to social change. The local grantmaking community has long seen the region as the core of a much needed conversation, one that is grounded in cooperation and recognizes our shared destiny. Count us in.
Tamara Copeland
President, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
