Meet Our Board of Directors
Kerry Lenahan, Chair, Healthy Directions LLC
Ms. Lenahan is director of Internet Marketing at Healthy Directions, LLC, a leading provider of health newsletters, nutritional supplements and solutions available direct to consumers. As a marketing and communications professional, she has 10 years of experience driving communications strategies and tactics that increase response, customer engagement and return on investment. Her strengths include online marketing, consumer research, and project and client management. Among her other areas of specialization are nonprofit fundraising communications, comprehensive quantitative and qualitative consumer and political research, and online marketing. Ms. Lenahan holds a Masters from Northwestern University. She joined the board in 2007 and and from August of 2012, serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
Jennifer Clinton, Vice Chair, National Council for International Visitors
Dr. Clinton is the President of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV), a non-profit membership association with over 50 years of leadership in citizen diplomacy. Most recently, Dr. Clinton served as Executive Vice President of The Washington Center (TWC), where she successfully led the organization's strategic planning processes, secured signficant public and private resources, led a comprehensive rebranding effort, leveraged and integrated new technology platforms, and launched an organization-wide research agenda to position TWC as a thought leader in experiential learning. Before TWC, Ms. Clinton was involved in international trade and education, working as a manager of international marketing for the Telecommunications Industry Association, as a special assistant to the executive vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and as program manager for the STS Foundation, an international educational exchange organization. Dr. Clinton earned her M.B.A. from the University of Maryland and also holds a Ph.D. from U.C. Davis. Dr. Clinton joined Academy of Hope’s Board of Directors in 2010 and currently serves as a Vice-Chair and on the Committee on the Board.
David Ottenbreit, Treasurer, Navigant
Mr. Ottenbreit is a Director in the Washington DC office of Navigant Consulting, Inc. Throughout his career, he has worked on a broad range of consulting engagements including business valuation, the review and/or determination of financial impact associated with commercial disputes, and investigations related to allegations of fraud. Mr. Ottenbreit has written expert reports and provided expert witness testimony. In addition, Mr. Ottenbreit is a volunteer arbitrator for the DC Bar’s Attorney/Client Arbitration Board (ACAB), which provides an arbitration service for DC Bar members and their clients to resolve disputes about legal fees and legal malpractice. Mr. Ottenbreit has served as Treasurer of the Washington Winter Show since 2005. He joined the board of directors of Academy of Hope in 2007 and serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee.
Diane O'Hara Folckemmer, Secretary, Navigant
Ms. Folckemmer is a Managing Consultant in the Disputes and Investigations practice of Navigant Consulting, Inc. Ms. Folckemmer has provided support to counsel in defending several litigation matters related to nationwide class action lawsuits. She has also assisted counsel in several payer-provider reimbursement disputes over various contractual terms for professional and facility claims. In addition, Ms. Folckemmer has worked on a number of other healthcare matters involving pharmacy benefit managers, pharmaceutical pricing, provider third-party administrators and post-acquisition disputes. Ms. Folckemmer obtained a B.A in Economics from The College of William and Mary. She joined the board in 2011 and serves on the Committee on the Board.
Arthur Budich, Calibre CPA Group
Mr. Budich has worked since 2003 for Calibre CPA Group, a firm specialized in servicing the tax exempt community. Currently, Mr. Budich works as a Manager and handles numerous nonprofit clients of varying size and complexity. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Washington DC and Virginia and graduated from James Madison University. Mr. Budich is passionate about Academy of Hope’s mission and joined the Board of Directors in 2011. Currently Mr. Budich lends his expertise on the Finance committee.
Patrina Clark, Pivotal Practices Consulting LLC
Ms. Clark is President and Founder of Pivotal Practices Consulting LLC, a DC based human resources and management consulting firm. Ms. Clark has more than 25 years of experience in effective change management, performance improvement, strategy development, and organizational development. She has held leadership positions at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Federal Election Commission (FEC), Department of Navy, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Ms. Clark is certified as a Human Capital Strategist (HCS) and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She is active in several professional organizations, including the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC), U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) among others. Ms. Clark holds a Master of Science in Management (MSM) from the University of Maryland. She joined the board in 2011 and serves on the Committee on the Board.
Hazel Denton, Educator
Dr. Denton is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a professorial lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she teaches courses on population and development. An economist by training, Dr. Denton holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. She spent 1981 to 2001 with The World Bank, where her assignments included work on Romania, Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia, Yemen and Nigeria. Previously she was an economist with the National Security Council, at the Congressional Budget Office, and an Assistant Professor at the Harvard Business School. Dr. Denton has been a volunteer instructor at the Academy of Hope since 2001 and joined the Board of Directors in 2010. She serves on the Development Committee.
Nadia Elguindy, DC Vote
Ms. Nadia Elguindy is the Development Manager at DC Vote, leading the organization's fundraising and development efforts. Ms. Elguindy worked previously at Potomac Riverkeeper, an environmental nonprofit that works on water quality issues in the Potomac Watershed. As the Program and Development Coordinator she was responsible for membership development, volunteer recruitment and management, event management, and fundraising assistance. Ms. Elguindy graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL with dual B.A. degrees in International Relations and International Business and has a Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University. Having been a District resident for over six years, she is excited to serve on Academy of Hope's board, which she joined in December of 2012. Ms. Elguindy is currently lending her expertise in fundraising to the Development Committee.
Kim R. Ford, University of the District of Columbia Community College
Ms. Ford serves as Acting Dean of Workforce Development at the University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC). She provides leadership and direction for programs related to College and Career Readiness, Career Transition, high school partnerships and dual enrollment. She also works to develop relevant and innovative career and technical education curriculum that provides a cohesive blend of academic and job-related skills that will assist in preparing students for the 21st century workforce. Prior to joining UDC-CC, Ms. Ford served in the Obama Administration’s Recovery Implementation Office. While at the White House, she also coordinated the neighborhood revitalization initiative for the Department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation at Saint Elizabeths. Previously, Ms. Ford worked for Nissan North America in the Advanced Planning & Strategy department. Ms. Ford is a native Washingtonian and cares deeply about her community. She has led development efforts for Sibley Memorial Hospital and the Sidwell Friends School. Ms. Ford serves as an Adjunct Professor of Public Speaking at the Community College. Ms. Ford holds a B.S. in International Business from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the Board in August of 2012.
Kevin Hagan, Feed The Children
As of April 2012, Mr. Hagan steps in as President and CEO of Feed The Children, an Oklahoma-based organization with national and international lifesaving programs that deliver food and other essentials to people in need. Mr. Hagan has led an array of operational and cultural transformations and has a proven track record of best practices for good stewardship and fiscal responsibility. Most recently he served as Chief Operating Officer for Good360, he he was responsible for day-to-day operations including customer service, human resources, security and compliance, and distribution logistics. Before Good360, Mr. Hagan served in two capacities at U.S. Foodservice, Inc., as the Director of Corporate Ethics and Training, preceded by his role as the head of corporate communications. His experience also includes nearly a decade of experience as an innovative national level manager at the United States Postal Service. Mr. Hagan earned his Master’s in International Affairs from American University. He joined the board in 2011 and serves on the Development Committee.
Scott Hallworth, Capital One
Mr. Hallworth serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Model Risk Officer at Capital One since August 2011. He leads TIBS, Capital One’s Analytic R&D function, as well as the Model Risk Office, and the Model Validation function. Prior to Capital One, Mr. Hallworth managed Business Intelligence and Analytics for Travelers Insurance and served as Chief Actuary. During his tenure at Travelers, Mr. Hallworth focused on providing advanced analytic insights, models, and business intelligence tools, as well as established strategic direction with internal partners and operational functions. In addition, Mr. Hallworth has been active across industries where he has served on the Casualty Actuaries of New England Board, a member of the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and Information Institute for Highway Safety Boards (IIHS), Teradata Advisory Board as well as college/university Education Panels. Mr. Hallworth received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a major in Applied Actuarial Mathematics from Bryant University. He joined the board in December of 2012 and serves on the Finance Committee.
Bryan Rivera, US Department of Health and Human Services
Mr. Rivera currently serves as a grants management specialist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he manages and monitors a grant portfolio of more than $30 million for national and tribal federally-approved Community Health Centers. Previously, he was a program officer for AmeriCorps in Washington, D.C. After receiving an M.A. in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago in 2008, he served as Assistant Project Manager for the city of Chicago’s Supportive Housing Division. He is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in French. Mr. Rivera joined the Academy of Hope’s Board of Directors in 2010 and serves on the Program Committee.
Terry Salinger, American Institutes for Research
Dr. Salinger is an Institute Fellow at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Previously she served as Managing Director and Chief Scientist for Literacy Research, where for 15 years she has conducted research focusing on interventions for struggling readers from children just starting school to adolescents and adults. At AIR, she was the senior content advisor on a federally-funded study of explicit instruction for adult ESL students and on the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). Dr. Salinger’s professional experiences prior to joining AIR include serving as the director of research at the International Reading Association; conducting research on classroom-based assessment approaches at Educational Testing Service; and teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in reading instruction and theory at the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Cincinnati. She began her career as a New York City public school teacher, during which time she also did clinical intervention work with adult struggling readers. She is a member of the board of directors of DC Voice, the nonprofit that seeks to improve local public schools and for three years was the chair of the National Adolescent Literacy Coalition. Dr. Salinger received her doctoral degree from New Mexico State University. She joined the Board in April of 2012 and serves on the Program Committee.
Anne Savage, Residential Real Estate Agent
Ms. Savage has more than 15 years sales experience in the Washington DC area. Currently she is a Realtor in Georgetown focusing her talents on DC buyers and sellers. Her sales career also includes nine years in the pest control industry and two years in telecommunications. She served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for the District of Columbia in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood and volunteered as a reading teacher for the Academy of Hope for 5 years, partnering with a variety of co-teachers in an effort to gain more supporters and volunteers. Ms. Savage joined Academy of Hope’s Board of Directors in 2010 and currently serves on the Development Committee.
Anshu Sheth, AFL-CIO
Ms. Sheth is Assistant Controller with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). She brings her experience in developing and implementing financial systems, strategies, processes and controls to the Academy of Hope Board of Directors. When asked why educating adults is important, Ms. Sheth responded, "Educating adults empowers them with confidence, skills, and values that have a positive effect on the families and community". She joined the Board in August of 2012.
Brad Stern, The Mergis Group
Mr. Stern is a Senior Account Executive at The Mergis Group. Prior to this, he worked at Ajilon Finance and MultiLingual Solutions, Inc. Mr. Stern obtained is B.A. in Telecommunications Indiana University in Bloomington. When asked why he joined the Board of Directors , he said "I wanted to join the Academy of Hope because I was taken back when first hearing about the mission of the organization. Academy of Hope has such a profound impact on the lives of the members of the DC community and I wanted to be a part of contributing to this mission." He joined the Board in August of 2012.
Jessica Venegas, Community Solutions, Inc.
Ms. Venegas is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Community Solutions, Inc. Based in Washington DC, she works nationally to build long term partnerships and resources that further the organization's efforts to end homelessness through capacity building, housing development and policy change. She loves connecting people and resources to facilitate big systems change. She brings her vast experience working with corporate partners, stakholders, and policy makers to Academy of Hope. Ms. Venegas is bilingual in Spanish and has a diverse educational and professional background. She joined the Board in August of 2012.
Ryan Young, Center for Community Change
Mr. Young is an experienced nonprofit management executive and currently serves as the Director of Operations and Finance for the Center for Community Change. He has previously served in a number of management capacities in both domestic and international nonprofit organizations. His career has focused on providing strong strategic leadership to organizations promoting positive change for national and international social justice issues. His expertise and experience includes strategic financial management, governance, regulatory compliance, and innovative technology initiatives. Mr. Young joined the Academy of Hope in 2001 as a volunteer teaching Social Studies and Science; he later joined the Board of Directors in 2004 and has served in a number of Executive Committee roles. As of 2009, Mr. Young has been serving as the Chair of the Academy of Hope Board of Directors.