HISTORIC TRIANGLE — “Ten Questions with” is a series that allows readers to get to know local business leaders, volunteers and community members in the Historic Triangle.
This week, meet Susan Bivins.
What is your job title and description?
President of the Williamsburg Area League of Women Voters. As President, I manage the local League and represent our area in Virginia state meetings.
Our Board has over 16 Chairpersons who cover areas such as Voter Services, Candidate Forums, Advocacy on local, state and national issues, Membership, Scholarships, our Great Decisions program, DEI and Communications.
We have the second largest League in Virginia, second only to Northern Virginia, and have the most male members. The League is nonpartisan. We do not endorse political parties or candidates. We do, however, identify issues and work towards the best solutions for those issues.
Who do you interact/work with regularly?
The Williamsburg Area League is one of 14 local leagues in Virginia, one of the 700-plus leagues in the United States. Our concerns are voting issues and social issues that can impact women and the local community. For example, in 2024, our Voter Services members held 111 in-person voter registration events. These occurred anywhere from WJCC high schools, senior citizen events, William and Mary, Christopher Newport and farmers markets. We sponsored a forum with the Williamsburg City Council candidates, and met with Virginia Senators and Delegates on statewide issues such as education, affordable housing, and restoring voting rights for convicted felons who have completed their sentences.
How do you/your organization interact with the local community?
We interact with the community by an extensive and active newsletter called the eVoter, which is published a minimum of once a month, but with alerts issued as needed.
Our membership hovers around 300, but there are many more on our eVoter distribution list. We have an Observer Corps, that attends School Board meetings, City Council and Board of Supervisor meetings, plus Planning Commission meetings.
We try to stay current in developments concerning our local issues. We also have a very active social media presence, with daily postings on Facebook, Mastodon, Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
Today’s issues require rapid responses, and our Communications team make it happen.
Finally, we host annual meetings with members and sponsor panels on issues
such as reproductive freedom, gun safety, education funding and right-to-vote
issues. Membership participation in these meetings is key to having an informed
voting group.
What is something about your organization most people wouldn’t know about?
An interesting fact about the Williamsburg Area league is that we host Great Decisions every February and March. It’s a once-a-week foreign policy discussion with a guest lecturer at the Williamsburg Library, based on the eight topics identified by the Foreign Policy Institute. These are a great chance for the 200 attendees to learn about and discuss issues such as China’s policy, India’s leadership in the world, NATO, the UN and monetary issues.
There is a great depth of knowledge in the Williamsburg community that makes these weekly discussions fascinating.
How do you define success?
Success for the League would be 100% participation by every eligible voter in every election. It would be knowledgeable voters who are current on all the issues. Success would be a responsive legislative branch willing to discuss the issues with all constituents, and politicians willing to participate in all forums and debates.
What is your organization’s most successful accomplishment to date?
The greatest success the Williamsburg Area league has experienced recently has been the passage of the last constitutional amendment that ended the jerrymandering in Virginia. The system voted in place in 2023 has redistricting maps drawn by a commission, rather than by the General Assembly. Virginia was honored by the U.S. League of Women Voters for being part of the coalition that got redistricting through two General Assemblies and a state referendum.
How long have you lived/worked in the Historic Triangle?
I was born in Newport News and lived in Hilton Village, Hidenwood and Denbigh, before moving to Williamsburg in 2010. My moving up the James River was a slow process, as I also lived in Tennessee, Louisiana and Maryland along the way. I was a history major at Christopher Newport College of the College of William and Mary (as it was called at the time).
What is your favorite part of being in the Historic Triangle?
It’s the history of this area, and the Lifelong Learning programs through William and Mary (Osher), that I enjoy the most.
What do you do for downtime/to relax?
I’m an avid reader, and enjoy the book club we have started in the League. Books written by Anne Applebaum, Fareed Zakaria and others, plus environmental issues, judiciary issues and political analysis make for lively and informative discussions.
What is the next step in your journey?
I retired in 2018 as a contract law attorney for the Army, with some environmental law thrown in. Over the next few years, I want to concentrate on helping the local Williamsburg League grow. I want to see more community involvement, more discussion and a stronger democracy (little “d”) in Virginia and the U.S.
Do you want to learn more about your community and the people who live and work in the Historic Triangle? We are looking for people with interesting jobs, super volunteers, or community leaders to showcase. Reach out to let us know if you (or someone you know) would like to be considered for Ten Questions.
