For nearly 40 years, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has designated a Lord and a Lady Fairfax from each of the nine magisterial districts; the chairman also selects at-large honorees.  The “Lord and Ladies,” as the ceremony is known, began as part of the events leading up to the Celebrate Fairfax fair, held in June for many years on the grounds of the Fairfax County Government Center.  Although the fair has been discontinued, honoring community volunteers has not. For 2023, I selected Lassine Doumbia Fakoli as Mason District’s Lord Fairfax, and Alis Wang as Lady Fairfax.  They were honored at a ceremony last week in the Board Auditorium.

Lassine Doumbia Fakoli is one of many residents whose feet are planted firmly in two places – their adopted home of Fairfax County, and their ancestral home on another continent. For Lassine, the focus is giving back to both with volunteer support over the years.  Born and raised in Mali in North Africa, Lassine came to the United States in 1981, working as a financial specialist in the Department of Agriculture.  In Fairfax County, Lassine is the primary volunteer and host for the free summertime Cultural Heritage Concerts at Ossian Hall Park in Annandale.  Starting in 2007, when the concerts were held in a nearby shopping center parking lot, Lassine set up equipment, provided water for the performers and even erected a closed tent as a dressing room for costume changes. His friendly and positive approach to performers and audience alike makes every concert a delightful experience.

Lassine’s sense of community spirit can be traced to his youth in Mali.  Remembering his 16-mile bicycle ride to the nearest school, Lassine started a project to build a school in his home village.  The first school had three mud-brick classrooms; now it has six classrooms built of concrete, serving about 125 boys and girls, aged 5 to 12.  His next project was to build a community health center to memorialize his parents; next on the list is a water tower and well to serve those facilities.  Today, Lassine also serves as chief of the village of Koungojah, following in the footsteps of his father and uncles. Lassine Doumbia’s volunteer activities substantiate that, whether in Africa or Fairfax County, it truly does “take a village,” and makes him a worthy Lord Fairfax for Mason District in 2023.

From the time she moved to Lake Barcroft in the last decade, Alis Wang stepped up to serve her new community and its interests.  Alis represents Mason District on the Fairfax County Human Services Council, joined the Baileys Crossroads/Seven Corners Revitalization Committee, and served on the Site Specific Plan Amendment Task Force that reviewed nominations for land use changes in Mason District.  Alis is a member of the Mason District Land Use Committee, served on the Lake Barcroft Association Board as secretary and membership chair, and also took on the tough task on the county’s Redistricting Advisory Committee following the 2020 Census.

Alis has significant international credentials in her professional life, enjoys skiing, and trains for half-marathons but always is willing to take on new challenges, including becoming a Certified Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member.  She questions, analyzes, and makes the extra effort to understand all sides of an issue so she can both listen and present her best advice. Alis Wang’s willingness to volunteer in service to her community in so many ways makes her an excellent selection as 2023’s Lady Fairfax for Mason District.

Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.