Robert Mandle
Robert H. Mandle joined the Crystal City BID in February of 2007 immediately providing key logistical and operational management to bring the organization’s mission of changing how people see, perceive, and experience Crystal City to fruition. Rob’s rigorous academic background in urban planning, community design, the environment, and economics combined with practical and analytical training as a consultant for local powerhouse ICF International and, more recently, a southern Virginia architecture firm provides a basis for informed and efficient project management.
Whether at home or the office, Rob lives the BID mantra of being Active, Artful, Accessible, and Green on a daily basis. Rob has become an avid cyclist and triathelete, an enthusiastic supporter of the arts and theater, presides on the Board of Directors for Synetic Theater, regularly commutes to work by bicycle or transit, and seeks to achieve an environmentally-conscious lifestyle.
Rob strives to be an active citizen by making change, not just advocating for it. While residing in Norfolk, Rob helped found and presided on the board of the Downtown Norfolk Civic League, regularly tutored homeless children, and initiated a downtown beautification project that targets neglected downtown areas. As a resident in the District of Columbia neighborhood of Petworth, Rob became a founding board member of the Petworth Community Market when conversations with neighbors indicated demand for a local farmers market. More recently, Rob’s neighbors elected him to the position of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner where he represents approximately 2,000 constituents in providing advisory support to DC City Council and municipal agencies on a range of policies and programs affecting DC neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, health, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and the City’s annual budget.
Rob earned a graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Tech University's regional campus in Old Town Alexandria. Specializing in Physical Planning and Community Design, Rob focused on how the relationship between the built environment and public space defined the public realm and an area's sense of place and identity. Rob is also a graduate of Bowdoin College of Brunswick, Maine having earned a degree in Economics and Environmental Studies. Rob resides with his family in the quiet Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Community Involvement
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner – 4C10 – January 2011 to Present
Petworth Community Market – Founder/Board of Directors – June 2010 to Present
Synetic Theater – Board of Directors – 2009 to Present
Leadership Arlington – Class of 2010
Greater Washington Board of Trade’s Executive Networks Program – Class of 2009
Downtown Norfolk Civic League – Founder/Board of Directors - 2006
