Larry Roeder, Neighbor

E-mail: larry@artbyroeder.com

Hometown:  South Riding, Va.

Birthday:  Dec 26

Larry was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of American<br>diplomats.   He also served in the US Army and the Department of State, and was a director of an international<br>charity where he focused on protecting livestock for poor farmers and refugees.   Today he is an adviser on<br>economic development and emergency management. 

Larry has lived in and out of Virginia all his life, as well as in other parts of the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Cuba and has traveled in Latin America.   He received a BA with Honors from Culver-Stockton College where he focused on political science, comparative economics and the Middle East.   He also received a certificate in Criminal  Justice while in the Army.   Later he received a Masters in Library/Information Science from the Catholic University of America during which time he continued studies in comparative economics and diplomacy at local schools and the Foreign Service Institute. 

Larry served for over a decade in the US Department of State as an International Commodities Economist and in various emergency management posts, retiring as the Policy Adviser on Disaster Management, where he focused on disaster response, early warning and economic development.    He loves several forms of art, writing,<br>listening to all forms of music and often is seen walking with his dog, a field spaniel.

You can also keep up with him on www.artbyroeder.com and http://urnsforpets.wordpress.com/.

Beliefs:

Larry plans to write based on both interviews and local<br>research,  reporting the information as objectively as possible within a progressive optic.

Politics -- How would you describe your political beliefs?

Larry is a Democrat who has made a point of having friends from the broad political spectrum and has worked for Democratic and Republican politicians like Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Al Gore.

Religion -- How religious would you consider yourself?

Larry has been on a religious journey his entire life and is<br>a proud member of both the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Centreville (which shares with a Synagogue) and the Adams Center Mosque in Sterling.

Local Hot-Button Issues -- What do you think are the most<br>important issues facing the community?

Traffic congestion, immigration and health care reform are<br>key issues, as well as the treatment of the environment, jobs growth and the treatment of minorities and endangered women and children. Larry is also interested in crime control as well as rehabilitation.