Newsroom Archive for 08/16, 2010

Name: Douglas Gebhardt
Age: 40
Birthplace: Peoria, IL
Current Digs: James City County / Williamsburg, VA
Occupation: Vice President of a Contracting Company
Favorite part about the job: Closing a deal
Your first job ever? Paper route – I rode my bike through the neighborhood delivering newspapers.
Favorite book? What’s So Great About America by Dinesh D’Souza
Favorite movie? Remember The Titans
Comfort food? A prime cut of steak
What's in your car CD player right now? Nothing…I typically listen to Satellite Radio
Next journey? Sunset Beach, NC
Favorite Virginia vacation spot? Shenandoah Valley & Blue Ridge Parkway Area
First political memory? Election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Whom do you admire and why? Rev. Fr. Robert Sirico President and Co-Founder of the Acton Institute, the mission of which is “to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles”.
Best advice you ever got? Be yourself and do not be concerned with what others think.
If you could have dinner with any one currently living, whom would it be and why? Rev. Fr. Robert Sirico (see above) to discuss his work at the Acton Institute and the connection between virtue and economic thinking.
Describe a perfect day. Begin the day with a vigorous physical workout followed by a spiritual “workout”. Spend time with my three magnificent children (i.e. playing sports / games, taking them to Busch Gardens, etc.). Conclude the day by getting a baby sitter for the kids and taking my wife out for a nice evening dinner.
One thing most people might be surprised to learn about you? Good question…I think they’ll have to figure that out on their own.
Ambition, political or otherwise? Follow God’s intended path for me, be it continued success in business, serving in some political capacity, and / or something that has not yet been revealed to me.

Name: Joel Andrus
Age: 28
Birthplace: Portsmouth, VA
Current Digs: Norfolk, VA
Occupation: Government Relations Consultant
Favorite part about the job: Getting to work with different industries across Virginia.
Your first job ever? Busboy at a seafood restaurant in Portsmouth. I hated working there, but it was the most money I had ever seen at 15.
Favorite book? The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway
Favorite movie? I like all the Wes Anderson films.
Comfort food? Spaghetti
What's in your car CD player right now? I don't think there is a CD in my CD player right now. I am an NPR junkie.
Next journey? Minnesota to visit friends.
Favorite Virginia vacation spot? Shenandoah Valley
First political memory? Voting in a mock presidential election in elementary school.
Whom do you admire and why? John McCain. Regardless how you feel about his politics, McCain is the quintessential modern day citizen-solider.
Best advice you ever got? "None of is dumb as all of us."
If you could have dinner with any one currently living, whom would it be and why? Steve Jobs. He turned Apple from the brink, and created products we never knew we needed, but can't live without.
Describe a perfect day. I love to spend time outdoors, whether it is hiking Virginia's mountains in the spring or fall, skiing out West in the winter, or a day at the beach in the summer.
One thing most people might be surprised to learn about you? I try to practice yoga a couple of times a week.
Ambition, political or otherwise? As of right now, I am really enjoying my work and plan on doing this for at least a while longer. I truly feel that I get to make difference in Virginia, and am looking forward to new challenges and opportunities in the future.

Tim Heaphy (PLP 2005) was a guest on "Charlottesville—Right Now!" this afternoon discussing his work as the U.S. District Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Click here for the pocast.