Prince William County Democratic Committee

Krystal Ball

My Roots

My parents were both brought up in families where livelihoods were earned by teaching, farming, sweating or some combination of the three. Mom was the daughter of a postal worker and a union sheet metal worker. Dad was the son of a teacher and a coal miner.

From the fishing boat Scott Robinson worked on as a kid in the deep waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the halls of the Pentagon where he rose to the rank of Colonel, Scott’s life has been built on one guiding principle: Work hard and stay resilient in your pursuit to serve others. Every step throughout his life, his education, his work -- have prepared him, since childhood, for a front line role for solving the challenges that confront our nation today.

Richard Anthony was born on a Marine Base in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Growing up, the family wasn’t rich or poor -- they were solidly middle class. His father worked as an electrical engineer and later taught engineering at the community college and his mother stayed home and raised the kids. Richard’s parents raised him with strong values focused on commitment to family, investing in community and helping those who are less fortunate.

Jeff Barnett is a father, husband, military veteran, corporate planner and accomplished author.

Jeff’s parents met in London during World War II. His father John was in the American 8th Air Force. His mother Joan was a British schoolteacher. After the war Jeff’s dad stayed in the Air Force. The family moved around the world like every military family: London (where Jeff was born); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; San Bernadino, California (where the family welcomed his younger sister, Elizabeth); Austin, Texas; Wiesbaden, Germany; and, Oklahoma City.

Dennis Findley is an architect and 20-year resident of McLean, Virginia. Born at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the son of an army sergeant, Dennis had a modest upbringing in the small Tennessee town of Murfreesboro. Unknown to Dennis in his youth, his father enlisted in the army at the age of 15. Upon returning from the Korean War, the trauma experienced by his father caused him to be absent with years of hospitalization, caused the divorce of Dennis’ parents when he was nine, and led to his father’s permanent disability.

Julian Modica is a Global Operating and Management Non-Profit Executive successful at building high-performance executive teams and leading sophisticated medical and service organizations. A strategic visionary with a clear sense of purpose and urgency when faced with diverse situational challenges during periods of both declining social interest and rapid growth.

Gerry Connolly and Cathy, his wife of more than 30 years, live in Mantua and have been residents of Fairfax County since 1979. They have a teenage daughter, Caitlin Rose.

Gerry was elected Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on November 4, 2003. Prior to that, he served nine years as the Providence District Supervisor. As Chairman of the ten-member Board, Gerry oversees a budget of $4.5 billion and a county that, based on size, would make it the nation's 13th largest city, 12th largest school district, and 6th largest office market. He serves as the Chairman of the County's Legislative Committee, and is Vice-Chair of the Economic Advisory Committee. Gerry is a member, and past chairman, of the Board of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), incoming chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), and member of the Board of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) where he is past Chairman and has served as a key member of the region's Emergency Preparedness Taskforce. Gerry represents Fairfax County on the Board of the Virginia Association of Counties (VaCo) where he serves as past president. He is on the Board of Directors for the Executive Committee of the Foundation for Virginia, an entity that seeks to educate the public and policy makers about unmet funding needs in core government services.

Gerry also serves on the Boards of Directors for the following groups: Fairfax Partnership for Youth, the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Washington Initiative Board of Trustees, the Medical Care for Children Partnership, the Institute for Regional Excellence, and the University of Virginia - Virginia Institute of Government.