Alan P. ("Al") Alborn

Award winning columnist

It was time to take a break, I wrote my last column for InsideNoVA, Around Prince William, on July 6, 2023. I am grateful for the opportunity my column gave me to learn about journalism, writing, and interacting with readers. Now I am exploring other ways of communicating using my blog, social media, vlogs, etc. I am particularly excited about the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the future of news. AI is in its infancy. It is maturing fast. I suspect it will revolutionize the future of news at all levels as content may be created using open source, include analysis and AI driven opinions, and feed the public's desire for more. We shall see. As for my history in journalism, I have been writing about technology, political issues, conservation, the environment, and things that just interest me for the past twenty-five years. I blogged for a number of years when potomaclocal.com picked me up as a contributing columnist. My career as a paid freelance journalist started in 2015 when InsideNoVA picked me up as a regular columnist. I focus on community issues in Prince William County. Northern Virginia Media Services reaches 120,000 households in Arlington, Fairfax (the Great Falls/McLean area), Prince William and North Stafford, plus Belvoir and Quantico. You will find my column in their hardcopy, E-Edition, and on their website every other week. It's called Around Prince William. I was both surprised and honored to be selected by the Virginia Press Association as 2nd place columnist within category in 2020, and 1st place columnist within category in 2021. I was voted a Readers Choice in the Prince William Times in 2021. I hope you read my column and weigh in with your opinion. I am available for interesting projects as a compensated freelance writer. I haven't done much with my blogs in a while. My bi-weekly column replaced them. I plan to start writing blog columns and adding video (vlogs) to the mix soon. My old blog posts are still available for those who might be interested. My opinion Connecting the technology dots Connecting the dots of my life I am a member of the Virginia Press Association (VPA).

Conservationist Outdoor communicator

I am the Virginia Troutbum (troutbumva). I spend my free time chasing native Brook Trout in the headwaters of Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains and exploring its hidden streams and rivers.  I look for spots few others frequent.  Along the way, I pay attention to the state of Virginia’s environment, its water quality, and how the many critters that call the Commonwealth their home are doing.  I engage in both Western and Japanese (Tenkara) fly fishing, constantly exploring new techniques to fool Brook Trout into taking whatever fly I am offering. I consider myself to be a pragmatic conservationist and naturalist. I prefer research based approaches and sound science over "hair on fire" emotional arguments when addressing environmental issues.  I always want to see the math.   I finished certification as a Virginia Master Naturalist, a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Volunteer, a Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener (Emeratus), and an Audubon Society of Northern Virginia Audubon at Home Ambassador.  I am also a volunteer with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. I am available for interesting Conservation projects as an outdoor communicator to help tell the story.   You may follow my exploration of the Blue Ridge Mountain backcountry and other outdoor atventures on my blog - TroutbumVA. I am a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA).

BIOGRAPHY

I am a retired Regular Army Officer, Retired Fortune 200 Executive, entrepreneur, political and social activist, community volunteer, Conservationist, and writer.  After serving a twenty-two year career in the Army retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4)  

I successfully transitioned to the private sector.  I have held senior positions with three Fortune 200 Companies. Al was an Engineering Project Leader with GE Aerospace (Fortune #1), Chief Engineer for Texas Instruments software (Fortune 100), and Vice President/Division Manager/Senior Scientist for SAIC (Fortune 200).  I left SAIC to start my own business, Al Alborn & Associates. I am now freelance journalist pursuing projects I find interesting. Over half of my military career was spent overseas including eight years in the Far East and five in Europe. This has given me a unique perspective on the world we live in. It influenced my life and the decisions I make. I am active in Prince William County Government, and have been a member of four budget committees as well as the 2008 and 2012 PWC Strategic Planning Teams.  I graduated of the Leadership Prince William Program and the Prince William County Police Department Citizens Police Academy. 
My current focus is exploring new ways of communicating ideas to the public using modern communication tools such as blogs, social media, and other evolving communciations media.   My articles have been picked up by several local and national news outlets and have occasionally evolved into front-page news stories. I have earned a Bachelors of Science, Computer Science from American Technological University and a Masters of Science, Systems Management from the University of Southern California.  i spend my free time fly-fishing in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, working with Wounded Warriors, and advocating for outdoor conservation issues. You will find my professional resume on linkedin/Al Alborn
I live in Prince William County, Virginia’s Semi-Rural Residential Area ("Mid-county") in a log cabin on a pond within walking distance of the Occoquan River.
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Copyright © 2022 Alan P ("AL") Alborn. All rights reserved.