Class News
Bob Buchanan ’64 honored by Washington D.C. Airports Task Force
November 2, 2021
The Washington Airports Task Force (WATF) is pleased to announce that Robert E. Buchanan, Principal of Buchanan Partners, President of the 2030 Group, and member of the WATF Board of Directors for more than 30 years, has been selected as the 2021 Williams Trophy recipient for his leadership for regional cooperation in every aspect of our region’s transportation needs, including critical transportation issues that have had a significant impact on ground access to our airports — Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
“When you stop and think about it, Bob has been on the front lines of every regional transportation issue for the last 40 years and, in doing so, has greatly improved the regional economy and the quality of life for our residents. His strong support of Dulles Airport and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is immeasurable and makes him an outstanding selectee for the Williams Trophy,” noted Keith Meurlin, WATF President. Presentation of the trophy will be made during the organization’s Annual General Meeting early next year.
Bob has been the business community’s leading voice on numerous transportation issues in our region, including the creation of the Route 28 Tax District to improve and expand access to Dulles Airport from the north and south, as well the creation of the “Dulles Loop Implementation Group,” which greatly improved the ring of roads surrounding Dulles Airport to provide better access from the west. Bob has been a champion for the region’s mass transit in his role as a founding member of the “MetroNow Coalition,” bringing the region’s business community together to successfully advocate for dedicated federal funding for Metro. He has never wavered from his strong support for a second Potomac River Crossing west of the American Legion Bridge, which will improve access to Dulles from the north. He was a critical element in bringing Montgomery County business leaders to join Virginia leaders to support the American Legion Bridge and I-270 Express Lanes Project. As President of the 2030 Group, Bob has led an organization of Washington Metropolitan area business leaders focused on advancing regional long-range decision-making and solutions that enable a strong regional economy, strengthen continued employment opportunities, sustain economic development, and ensure high quality of life for current and future residents.
In 2017 and for several years now, in recognition of his work, Bob has been included in the Power 100 List of the region’s most influential business leaders. He was also selected as the 2017 Regional Leader Honoree by Leadership Fairfax Northern Virginia Leadership Awards and was named by the Washington Business Journal as a Playmaker of 2016. In addition to these awards, Mr. Buchanan received the 2015 Arts Patron of the Year Award, Montgomery County’s prestigious County Executive’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, and the 2015 Signatures of Loudoun Vision in Design Excellence Award.
The Williams Trophy was established in 1996 by the Board of Directors of the Washington Airports Task Force. Carrington Williams, for whom the trophy is named and who was the founding chairman of the Washington Airports Task Force from 1982 to 1996, was the first to receive the trophy on June 10, 1996. His many accomplishments include the creation of the Virginia Port Authority and the transformation of Washington Dulles into a major international gateway. The Trophy is awarded annually to recognize those whose "Leadership, Vision and Dedication in the Application of Aviation or Space Enriched the Quality of Life on Earth".
The Washington Airports Task Force is a non-profit, non-political, public/private sector partnership that works successfully to apply air transportation to support the growth of the National Capital Region’s economy.