SEE THE CURRENT BOARD LIST HERE
Historical Board of Directors Lists
Directors
Krystal Odom, Co-Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
Carol Foster, Chair
Josie Hoover, Vice-Chair
Jozanne Summerville, Treasurer
Julie Mulvihill, Secretary
Ashanti Brown, Director
Kate Spanos, Director (through April 2021)
Board Emeritus
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas Yeuell, Executive Director (1989-2014)
Natalie Adler, Chair
Hallie Sherard, Vice Chair
Lindsay Dean, Treasurer
Beth-ann Roth, Secretary
Loida Begley, Director
Scott Berhang — Director
Katie Cissel Greenway — Director
Stacey Kohl — Director
Aleta Margolis, Director
Lisa Rosenberg — Director
Marvin Washington, Director
Julie Meyer, Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
Mary Chase, Executive Director (ex officio)
Krystal Odom, Co-Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
Elizabeth Watson, Co-Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
Board Emeritus
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas Yeuell, Executive Director (1989-2014)
Heidi Thiboheim, Chair
Natalie Adler, Vice Chair
Kevin Edwards, Treasurer
Beth-ann Roth, Secretary
Katie Cissel Greenway, Director
Anita LaRue, Director
Aleta Margolis, Director
Hallie Sherard, Director
Marvin Washington, Director
Board Emeritus
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas Yeuell, Executive Director (1989-2014)
Heidi Thiboheim, Chair
Natalie Adler, Vice Chair
Alan Helfer, Treasurer
Beth-ann Roth, Secretary
Mannone Butler, Director
Samantha Caruth, Director
Katie Cissel Greenway, Director
Kevin Edwards, Director
Stacey Kohl, Director
Anita LaRue, Director
Aleta Margolis, Director
Hallie Sherard, Director
Marvin Washington, Director
Steve Barberio, Executive Director (ex officio)
Board Emeritus
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas Yeuell, Executive Director (1989-2014)
Heidi Thibodeau, Chair
Rokas Beresniovas, Vice Chair
Beth Marie Buck, Treasurer
Beth-ann Roth, Secretary
Natalie Adler, Director
Hemant Bakshi, Director
Samantha Kirby Caruth, Director
Alan Helfer, Director
Stacey Kohl, Director
Min Lee Mitchell, Director
Anita LaRue, Director
Steve Barberio, Executive Director (ex officio)
Board Emeritus
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas Yeuell, Executive Director (1989-2014)
HEIDI THIBODEAU, Chair
Currently a Program Director with BAE Systems, Heidi has more than 15 years of experience working with organizations to improve efficiencies, streamline business processes, and facilitate organizational change. She has worked with a wide range of federal government organizations including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. Heidi holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development and an MBA from Bowling Green University. She has been a JOMDC student for over 10 years and is currently a member of the adult student company Tappenstance.
BETH MARIE BUCK, Treasurer
Beth is a Certified Public Accountant who has held a variety of executive positions throughout her career. She spent four years as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, serving a wide variety of clients in the Pittsburgh area. From there she joined the H.J. Heinz Company where she implemented the first world-wide foreign currency translation and consolidation software in addition to other financial duties. Beth then furthered her education with a master’s degree in finance from Carnegie Mellon University, graduating from the program with distinguished honors. During the course of her career, she held executive positions in investment banking, venture capital, and privately held service organizations. Beth has served as Chief Financial Officer in several pre-IPO situations and served as CFO of a $250 million public IT organization during the Sarbanes-Oxley implementation. She recently served as CFO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during a difficult financial transition, spearheading changes that narrowed a large deficit to a breakeven financial position. Currently, she is the president of a family firm based in Pittsburgh, and enjoys involvement with a variety of dance organizations including JOMDC. A champion of the arts, Beth strongly believes artistic endeavors to be great balancing factor in relation to finance and the technical aspects of today’s world.
MICHAEL WOLLAND, Secretary
Michael is thrilled to be a member of the JOMDC Board.A native of Washington, DC, Michael started his journey with Joy of Motion Dance Center at age 17. In 1999 he leapt his way into Cornell University, graduating in 2003 with a BA (Magna Cum Laude) in Theater. He moved to New York City shortly thereafter and began a career including several Broadway National Tours, Off-Broadway Shows, and too many regional credits to list. In 2010 Michael returned to his hometown of Bethesda where he currently lives with his husband Isai and daughter Isabella. While he hasn’t yet retired his dancing shoes, he has since become a successful Realtor in the DC Metro area.
LAURA SAWYER, MA, CAE, Executive Director (ex officio)
Laura has more than 18 years of prior experience in executive nonprofit management. She holds a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Performance & Communications from DePaul University Chicago, a Certificate in Performance from the Royal National Theatre (London), is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity union and the American Society of Association Executives, and holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest professional designation in the association management field. During her decade as a professional performer on the Chicago stage, Laura was named one of Chicago’s “Elite 8 Actresses” in the Chicago Sun-Times for her role as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, appeared in numerous commercials and independent films, and to this day is occasionally recognized for her recurring role as Syd on Fox’s Prison Break. Laura began taking dance classes at age six and worked as a professional dancer for three summers at Unto These Hills in Cherokee, North Carolina. Other dance credits have come as part of her roles in musicals, such as Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Lead Female Dancer in The Music Man. Laura also serves on the Board of Directors of Pebbles of Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the odds that premature babies worldwide will not only survive, but thrive. A native of Athens, Georgia, Laura spent the last 20 years as a devotedly urban Chicagoan until her recent relocation to Arlington, Virginia, with her family. She is delighted to make her living once again in the arts and to be back where she’s not the only one who occasionally says “ya’ll” or orders “sweet tea.”
VALERIE GRAFF, Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
STEVE BARBERIO, Executive Director (ex officio)
Steve Barberio most recently served as the advancement director for the Keshet Dance Company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was responsible for increasing revenues to support the organization’s mission. Previously, he spent 17 years as the artistic director of Stages Theatre Company, a youth performance and education organization just outside of Minneapolis. During his tenure there, he led the development of a 37,000 square foot multi-disciplinary arts facility, an effort that spurred both community collaboration and economic development. Barberio also has produced or directed over 150 professional theater productions and presented a wide range of performing arts events that have included contemporary music, modern dance, variety shows, and cinema.
NATALIE ADLER, Director
Natalie brings more than 23 years of social marketing, non-profit and public affairs to the strategic development, execution and management of a range of campaigns and programs on behalf of government, corporate, and non-profit clients. Currently Senior Vice President of Social Change at Ogilvy’s Washington office, Natalie’s current and past clients include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Merck Vaccines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (FDA CTP), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Susan G. Komen, LIVESTRONG Foundation, American Cancer Society (ACS), and Johnson & Johnson. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Natalie worked at Porter Novelli (1992-2007). Natalie served as president of the Georgetown Day School Alumni Board from 2006-2011. She graduated from Bates College with a B.A. in history and lives with her daughter, Lucy and husband, Chris in Washington, DC.
ROKAS BERESNIOVAS, Director
Rokas is currently Vice President and head of expansion at the State Bank of India (California) in Washington, DC. Born in Lithuania, Rokas emigrated to the U.S. with a marketing degree from Kaunas College. He began his career in the retail industry as Southwest Regional Distribution Manager with Whole Foods Market in Dallas and then became Specialty Operations Manager in Washington, DC. At Whole Foods, Rokas received two Regional Awards for Excellence. He also won several awards and boosted revenue working as head of one of the largest DC stores in the CVS Caremark Corporation from 2004 to 2006. In 2006, Rokas began his work in the financial services sector with Bank of America. In August 2007, Eagle Bank hired Rokas as a Vice President of Business Development for the Washington DC market where he helped grow the bank by double digits. He also brought in key banking relationships with entertainment professionals, politicians, local schools and hospitals. Following this success, Rokas was recruited by HSBC Bank USA, one of the largest banking and financial services organizations in the world. As Vice President of Global Business Banking, Rokas helped grow and sustain their international presence in the Washington DC market. In 2013, Rokas was recruited by the State Bank of India USA to head its east coast business expansion. Giving back to the community is also important to Rokas. In 2007, he joined the GBA and was named VP in 2011 and President in 2012. In the past, Rokas served on the Board of Directors for the CSAAC, the GMC, Young Executive Society of DC, and the NJH. Currently, Rokas is a founding board member of Pebbles of Hope and the Perisphere Theater. He is also an honorary board member of The Embassy Series. Rokas is the founder of the Lithuanian nonprofit organization Global Lithuanian Leaders (GLL).
HOWARD FLETCHER, Director
Howard, a Washington native, has been an active member of the Metropolitan Area business and nonprofit community for over 25 years. After receiving Bachelor of Science degrees in management, marketing and business from Georgia Tech and the University of MD, he accepted an associate position at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross working on the Combined Federal Campaign. Howard returned to the University of Maryland a few years later to pursue a Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology. While studying at Maryland, he founded and developed a successful personal training company that targeted elite athletes. Looking for a new challenge, Howard entered the Real Estate after being urged to partner with one of his training clients. As a result, Howard has been one of the most productive Commercial and Residential Realtors in the Washington Metropolitan Area. He specializes in Waterfront properties from Annapolis to Calvert County, and leased or sold commercial buildings in Montgomery County, Washington DC, and NoVa. Deeply committed to giving back to his community, Howard was worked on the fundraising and executive committees of the DC Air Society/NJH, Diamond Dream Foundation, Men Against Breast Cancer, American Red Cross Blood Services, and the Network for Progress. He currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland with his pug, Jack.
KATIE CISSEL GREENWAY, Director
Katie, Senior Vice President at Glover Park Group, has spent the last ten years utilizing innovative research methods to help clients understand public opinion, develop target insights, and inform strategic communications campaigns. She designs and leads research programs for Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, trade associations, advocacy organizations and leading foundations, providing clients with expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, digital research, message development, creative optimization, strategic planning, communications and reputation management. Clients have included leading non-profit organizations in the education reform, women’s health and environmental communities, as well as well-known brands from the banking and telecommunications industries. Katie lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband, toddler son and rescue pup.
CHARLENE HARDY, Director
Charlene is an attorney with 15 years of experience providing legal guidance to senior management on employment law issues. Through her work with nonprofit organizations, Ms. Hardy is furthering her interest in the intersection of art and the law, including the legal issues facing collectors, galleries, artists, and arts organizations related to the acquisition, retention, and disposition of fine art. Ms. Hardy currently serves as Assistant General Counsel for a federal government agency.
JANICE MARKS, Director
BETH-ANN ROTH, Director
Beth-ann Roth arrived in Washington, DC 30 years ago to join the legal staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Upon arrival she happily discovered Joy of Motion, and over the years has enjoyed taking classes at each of the studios and from nearly every discipline. When she isn’t dancing, Beth-ann continues to practice law, having served as Associate General Counsel of Calvert Investments and the Calvert Foundation, and as Deputy General Counsel for the Foundation for International Community Assistance. She practiced law with Dechert and later established a solo office, and what started out as a service to an expat West Indian community to help navigate the regulatory maze of importing a local ceremonial overproof rum for weddings and festivals grew into a business importing organic, biodynamic and fair trade wine. She and her husband have a combined family of 7 children, all grown, some of whom are accomplished artists in their own right. They have 4 grandchildren, including a 12-year-old who is an active member of a local Bolivian cultural dance troupe. The newest 3 are all under 2, so we’ll give them some time.
STEPHANIE MEYER, Immediate Past Chair
Stephanie first started taking classes at Joy of Motion Dance Center more than 10 years ago, where she is now a veteran of our jazz classes, performance classes, and has even dabbled in hip hop. She recently joined the ranks of JOMDC parents, with a four-year-old son (whose favorite tap move is the “shovel hop”), and a four-year-old daughter (who changes into leotard and tights everyday as soon as she arrives home from school). Stephanie has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree from Yale. In her professional life, she has more than 12 years of experience in community and economic development, including experience in communications and nonprofit management. These days Stephanie is a community development finance consultant, working primarily with a nonprofit community development loan fund and a community development bank. She has experience in financing for small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and real estate developers.
Advisory Council
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
Founder and Former Program Director, National Dance Education Organization
Board Emeriti
Michelle Ava
Founder, Joy of Motion Dance Center
Douglas E. Yeuell
Executive/Artistic Director, Joy of Motion Dance Center, 1989–2014
STEPHANIE MEYER, Board Chair
Stephanie first started taking classes at Joy of Motion Dance Center more than 10 years ago, where she is now a veteran of our jazz classes, performance classes, and has even dabbled in hip hop. She recently joined the ranks of JOMDC parents, with a four-year-old son (whose favorite tap move is the “shovel hop”), and a four-year-old daughter (who changes into leotard and tights everyday as soon as she arrives home from school). Stephanie has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree from Yale. In her professional life, she has more than 12 years of experience in community and economic development, including experience in communications and nonprofit management. These days Stephanie is a community development finance consultant, working primarily with a nonprofit community development loan fund and a community development bank. She has experience in financing for small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and real estate developers.
HEIDI THIBODEAU, Vice Chair
Currently a Program Director with BAE Systems, Heidi has more than 15 years of experience working with organizations to improve efficiencies, streamline business processes, and facilitate organizational change. She has worked with a wide range of federal government organizations including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. Heidi holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development and an MBA from Bowling Green University. She has been a JOMDC student for over 10 years and is currently a member of the adult student company Tappenstance.
TIMOTHY FLANAGAN, Treasurer
BETH MARIE BUCK, Treasurer
Beth is a Certified Public Accountant who has held a variety of executive positions throughout her career. She spent four years as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, serving a wide variety of clients in the Pittsburgh area. From there she joined the H.J. Heinz Company where she implemented the first world-wide foreign currency translation and consolidation software in addition to other financial duties. Beth then furthered her education with a master’s degree in finance from Carnegie Mellon University, graduating from the program with distinguished honors. During the course of her career, she held executive positions in investment banking, venture capital, and privately held service organizations. Beth has served as Chief Financial Officer in several pre-IPO situations and served as CFO of a $250 million public IT organization during the Sarbanes-Oxley implementation. She recently served as CFO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during a difficult financial transition, spearheading changes that narrowed a large deficit to a breakeven financial position. Currently, she is the president of a family firm based in Pittsburgh, and enjoys involvement with a variety of dance organizations including JOMDC. A champion of the arts, Beth strongly believes artistic endeavors to be great balancing factor in relation to finance and the technical aspects of today’s world.
LOREN AMDURSKY, M.D., Secretary
Board Secretary since August 2009, Loren also serves on the Executive Committee and the Governance Committee, and co-chaired the first four galas. Loren is a Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist in private practice in Chevy Chase, and a member of both the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society of the Greater Washington Area. She has served on the boards of Temple Sinai in Washington, DC, as well as Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, MD, and has served as Co-President of Adat Shalom. Loren is currently a national board member of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement, in the capacity of Chair of the Commission on Youth and Education. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University, and medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dancing with Joy of Motion since the mid-’90s, Loren has performed with the Jazzemotion ensemble and numerous performance classes. A regular student in JOMDC’s Jazz and Modern classes, she occasionally enjoys ballroom, ballet, belly dance, and hip hop. Loren believes strongly in the JOMDC community emphasis and welcoming atmosphere that attracts dancers of all ages and abilities. Her daughter, now in college, danced with both DanceFusion Jazz Project and Raqs Jameel companies at JOMDC.
LESLIE ADELMAN, Director
CEMIL ALYANAK, Director
ALLISON FEIRABEND, Director
JOHN HANCE, Director
MARGARET RIDDLE, Director
HEIDI THIBODEAU, Director
MICHAEL WOLLAND, Director
Michael is thrilled to be a member of the JOMDC Board.A native of Washington, DC, Michael started his journey with Joy of Motion Dance Center at age 17. In 1999 he leapt his way into Cornell University, graduating in 2003 with a BA (Magna Cum Laude) in Theater. He moved to New York City shortly thereafter and began a career including several Broadway National Tours, Off-Broadway Shows, and too many regional credits to list. In 2010 Michael returned to his hometown of Bethesda where he currently lives with his husband Isai and daughter Isabella. While he hasn’t yet retired his dancing shoes, he has since become a successful Realtor in the DC Metro area.
HEIDI SCHIMPF, Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
LAURA SAWYER, MA, CAE, Executive Director (ex officio)
Laura has more than 18 years of prior experience in executive nonprofit management. She holds a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Performance & Communications from DePaul University Chicago, a Certificate in Performance from the Royal National Theatre (London), is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity union and the American Society of Association Executives, and holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest professional designation in the association management field. During her decade as a professional performer on the Chicago stage, Laura was named one of Chicago’s “Elite 8 Actresses” in the Chicago Sun-Times for her role as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, appeared in numerous commercials and independent films, and to this day is occasionally recognized for her recurring role as Syd on Fox’s Prison Break. Laura began taking dance classes at age six and worked as a professional dancer for three summers at Unto These Hills in Cherokee, North Carolina. Other dance credits have come as part of her roles in musicals, such as Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Lead Female Dancer in The Music Man. Laura also serves on the Board of Directors of Pebbles of Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the odds that premature babies worldwide will not only survive, but thrive. A native of Athens, Georgia, Laura spent the last 20 years as a devotedly urban Chicagoan until her recent relocation to Arlington, Virginia, with her family. She is delighted to make her living once again in the arts and to be back where she’s not the only one who occasionally says “ya’ll” or orders “sweet tea.”
Advisory Council
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
Founder and Former Program Director, National Dance Education Organization
Board Emeriti
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director, Joy of Motion Dance Center, 1989–2014
Stephanie Meyer, Chair
Timothy Flanagan, Treasurer
Loren J. Amdursky, Secretary
Leslie Adelman, Director
Cemil Alyanak, Director
Allison Feirabend, Director
John Hance, Director
Margaret Riddle, Director
Heidi Thibodeau, Director
Douglas Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
Heidi Schimpf, Interim Executive Director (ex officio)
Advisory Council
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
Founder and Former Program Director, National Dance Education Organization
Board Emeriti
Michelle Ava, Founder
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director, Joy of Motion Dance Center, 1989–2014
Stephanie Meyer, Chair
Timothy Flanagan, Treasurer
Loren J. Amdursky, Secretary
Leslie Adelman, Director
Allison Feirabend, Director
Margaret Riddle, Director
Kaveh Shirazi, Director
Heidi Thibodeau, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
Founder and Former Program Director, National Dance Education Organization
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Stephanie Meyer, Chair
Timothy Flanagan, Treasurer
Loren Amdursky, M.D., Secretary
Leslie Adelman, Director
Allison Feierabend, Director
Dawn Harris, Director
Margaret Riddle, Director
Kaveh Shirazi, Director
Heidi Thibodeau, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Stephanie Meyer, Chair
Beth Marie Buck, Treasurer
Loren J. Amdursky, M.D., Secretary
Allison Feierabend, Director
Timothy Flanagan, Director
Dawn Harris, Director
Wanda Jones-Yeatman, Director
Margaret Riddle, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Stephanie Meyer, Chair
Beth Marie Buck, Treasurer
Loren J. Amdursky, M.D., Secretary
Karen Batra, Director
Allison Feierabend, Director
Margaret Riddle, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Rima Faber, Ph.D.
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Adrienne Masters, Esq., Chair
Kathleen Delaney, Esq., Vice Chair
Jill Roberts, Treasurer
Doug Barker, Director
Rima Faber, Director
Stephanie Meyer, Director
Helen Trilling, Director
Stephanie Meyer, Chair
Beth Buck, Treasurer
Loren Amdursky, M.D., Secretary
Karen Batra, Director
Allison Feierabend, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Adrienne Masters, Esq., Chair
Kathleen Delaney, Esq., Vice Chair
Jill Roberts, Treasurer
Doug Barker, Director
Rima Faber, Director
Margel Highet, Director
Stephanie Meyer, Director
Helen Trilling, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY BOARD
William H. Leffler
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Adrienne Masters, Esq., Chair
Kathleen Delaney, Esq., Vice Chair
Jill Roberts, Treasurer
Margel Highet, Secretary
Doug Barker, Director
Rima Faber, Director
Deborah Sams, Director
Helen Trilling, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY BOARD
William H. Leffler
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Adrienne Masters, Esq., Chair
Kathleen Delaney, Esq., Vice Chair
Margel Highet, Secretary
Doug Barker, Director
Rima Faber, Director
Jill Roberts, Director
Helen Trilling, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)
ADVISORY BOARD
William H. Leffler
BOARD EMERITA
Michelle Ava, Founder
Margel Highet, Chair
Doug Barker, Secretary
Michelle Ava, Director
Adrienne Masters, Director
Jill Roberts, Director
Deborah Sams, Director
Douglas E. Yeuell, Executive/Artistic Director (ex officio)