Robert B. France was one of the pioneers in model-driven engineering and instrumental in shaping the field of model-driven engineering from two complementary dimensions: research and building collaborative communities. In both dimensions, an overarching quality is the notion of inclusiveness and bridge building. Dr. France built bridges between research communities, between researchers and practitioners, between individual researchers, and between senior and junior researchers. This article describes a few highlights from both dimensions, focusing on the "bridging" aspects in each