Leadership

Board and Staff Impact


board of directors
1,357
hours were contributed by board members, valued at nearly $90,000


Volunteer Team
6,327
volunteers were recruited and managed by the NVFS Volunteer Team

Staff
400+
staff members help provide the breadth and depth of services that our community needs

Board of Directors

Officers

Jennifer Lindsey, M.D., FAAP, FACC Chair

Inova Children's Cardiology

Jennifer Lindsey, M.D., FAAP, FACC Chair

Inova Children's Cardiology

Dr. Jennifer Lindsey is a fetal and pediatric cardiologist at Inova Children’s Cardiology. She cares for fetal to young adult patients with congenital heart disease.

Born and raised locally, Dr. Lindsey has worked as a pediatric cardiologist in our region for more than 21 years.  She attended the Madeira School (fellow Madeira alumna Misti Mukherjee introduced her to NVFS!), Haverford College (B.S., Mathematics), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Pediatric Internship and Residency), and the University of Virginia (Pediatric Residency, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship).  During her pediatric residency, exposure to patients living at/below the poverty line led Dr. Lindsey to work as a general pediatrician in rural South Carolina for a year before pursuing Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship training at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Lindsey has presented at national and international scientific meetings, is published in peer-reviewed medical journals, authored a textbook chapter, and has received both teaching awards (Andy Ford Award; Resident Teaching Award), and professional awards (Washingtonian Top Doctor 2010 and 2012; SuperDoctor 2011, SuperDoctor.com; Patients Choice Award 2015, Vitals.com; Patients Top Choice Award – US News & World Report, current).

As a former athlete (Co-Captain, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Lacrosse teams, Haverford College; All-American in women’s lacrosse; National College Athletes Hall of Fame inductee), Dr. Lindsey has a special interest in heart disease in athletes and athletic participation for children with congenital heart disease. She spends her free time with her husband, two grown children, family and friends, volunteering at a local homeless shelter (The Lamb Center), donating time and raising funds (schools, church, LoVE Orphanage, The Lamb Center, Feed the Hungry, NVFS), and trying to get in 30 minutes of daily exercise.

 

Xenia Garofalo, J.D. Vice Chair

Eversheds Sutherland

Xenia Garofalo, J.D. Vice Chair

Eversheds Sutherland

Xenia Garofalo is a partner at a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland, as well as a former adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law, where she routinely serves as a guest speaker. Ms. Garofalo’s practice is focused on federal income taxation, with particular emphasis on providing tax and structuring advice for a wide range of clients (including institutional and global investors, fund sponsors, and multinational companies) on US tax matters related to their structuring, operation, investment activities, and transactions.

Ms. Garofalo regularly advises clients on US tax matters related to structuring, operation, investment activities and transactions. She serves as co-chair of the firm’s Private Capital group, which guides clients to success with seasoned advice and practical and innovative solutions for raising, managing, deploying and investing in private capital. Ms. Garofalo has counseled clients on the tax-efficient use of special purpose vehicles and real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Ms. Garofalo also advises charities, on a pro bono basis, regarding various formational, international, and operational issues. Ms. Garofalo has been recognized as “Philanthropist of the Year” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Washington, DC chapter for her longstanding work with human services organizations that address the causes of social and systemic inequities. She has been honored multiple times by The National Black Lawyers as one of its “Top 40 Under 40.” She has previously participated in NVFS’ Village of Impact service activities.

Kevin DeSanto Treasurer

KippsDeSanto & Co.

Kevin DeSanto Treasurer

KippsDeSanto & Co.

Mr. DeSanto is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of KippsDeSanto & Co., a premier investment banking firm headquartered in metropolitan Washington, DC.

Mr. DeSanto has a broad base of experience in providing corporate transaction advisory services. He has been personally involved in advising shareholders, boards of directors and management teams of over 100 companies in connection with strategic alternatives assessments, acquisitions, sales and divestitures, going-private transactions, raising of private debt and equity financing, fairness opinions, solvency opinions and general corporate planning.

In 2012, Mr. DeSanto was recognized as a finalist at the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Corporate Citizenship Awards (Emerging Influential of the Year) and as a “40 under 40” award winner by The M&A Advisor. He was recognized in 2011 on Washington Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list of outstanding regional business leaders and as the Dealmaker of the Year – Investment Banker by the Association for Corporate Growth’s National Capital Chapter.

Throughout his career, Mr. DeSanto has been instrumental in transaction execution, business development, operational and recruiting efforts. Mr. DeSanto received a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in finance from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He has remained engaged in campus activities, including participating in the Alumni Admissions Program, MSB Young Alumni Mentor program and serving as a member of the Board of Directors for Hoyas Unlimited and the Baseball program. In addition, Mr. DeSanto is a member of the Fundraising Committee for the non-profit NextStep Fitness.

Luanne Gutermuth Secretary

LSG Solutions LLC & Good Spirit Farm

Luanne Gutermuth Secretary

LSG Solutions LLC & Good Spirit Farm

Luanne Gutermuth is a senior executive with broad functional experience and over 20 years in the energy industry.  She brings particular expertise in the areas of talent, strategy and governance.  Luanne’s career reflects a demonstrated track record of developing and implementing strategies that improved corporate performance and effectively addressed talent needs.  She successfully led multiple enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, including M&A integration, business process outsourcing, large-scale system implementations, and organizational culture change.

Luanne recently retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of WGL, a $4.5B energy solutions company, and its primary subsidiary, Washington Gas, a local gas distribution company serving 1.2 million customers in the Greater Washington, DC area.  She was responsible for key corporate functions including Human Resources, Information Technology and Supply Chain as well as all customer-facing activities for the utility, including Consumer Services and Sales & Marketing.  Previously she served as Chief Human Resource Officer where she created and implemented talent strategies that improved leadership capability, delivered a skilled, engaged workforce and drove an inclusive culture.

Luanne is a member of the Washington Performing Arts Board, its Governance Committee and serves as Vice Chair of its Equity Committee.  She is a Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and previously served as Secretary of the Board and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.  She also serves on the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation Board, and is affiliated with several community organizations and industry associations.

Luanne received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from William & Mary, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland, and a Certificate in Organization Development from Georgetown University. She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Washington’s Class of 2020.

Stephanie Berkowitz President & Chief Executive Officer

Stephanie Berkowitz President & Chief Executive Officer

Stephanie Berkowitz is President & CEO of Northern Virginia Family Service, a human services organization recognized locally and nationally as a leader and innovator of social impact.  NVFS delivers responsive programs that address evolving community needs, providing over 35,000 individuals and families in need each year with the essential building blocks for financial, emotional, and physical wellbeing and economic independence.

Stephanie has spent her career working in the nonprofit sector building public and private partnerships, and architecting innovative responses to community needs. Stephanie’s keen business acumen coupled with her strategic leadership and focus on impact have been instrumental in NVFS’ growth and development. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Stephanie served as the Director of the Survivors’ Fund Project, a $25 million long-term recovery program for victims of the attacks. The Survivors’ Fund became recognized nationally as a model program for community response following a disaster.

Stephanie has served on numerous boards focused on strengthening the greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan region, and improving opportunities for children and families. Stephanie currently serves on the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Council, and Leadership Fairfax Board. Stephanie also serves on the Northern Virginia Chamber’s DE&I Advisory Board, and was appointed as an inaugural member of the Leadership Fairfax Equity Council.

In 2019, Stephanie was selected as a Women Who Mean Business award winner by the Washington Business Journal. In 2023 Washington Business Journal named her to their Power 100 as a Community Advocate and Game Changer. In 2024, Stephanie was named one of Northern Virginia’s 50 Most Influential People by Northern Virginia Magazine.

Stephanie earned a BA in Psychology from Lafayette College and an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. She loves spending time with her family, enjoys the theater, and is a lifelong tennis enthusiast.

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Members

Marjie Alloy, J.D. Alloy Family Foundation

Marjie Alloy, J.D. Alloy Family Foundation

Marjie Alloy earned her B.S. in Psychology from Tulane University and her Juris Doctor from The American University Washington College of Law. She practiced law at Reed Smith for 8 years, after which she exited the workforce to raise her three children. For many years Marjie was a volunteer and a Parents Association President and board member at her children’s schools.

Marjie has been an involved volunteer at Women Giving Back since 2010. She previously served on the board of directors and advisory board of directors of Jewish Social Service Agency. Marjie has volunteered for Fairfax CASA as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, which is a role to provide services and support to abused and neglected children with family court cases. She currently is a CASA Board Member.

Marjie is active philanthropically, serving as President of the Alloy Family Foundation. The Alloy Family Foundation is focused on supporting charitable organizations that provide services and support to those most in need, primarily in the Northern Virginia community. Its strategic focus areas are homelessness, social services, hunger, health care and educational access and readiness. In addition, the Alloy Family Foundation supports high quality national and global organizations in those areas, as well as supporting medical research and the arts.

Marjie and her husband, Steve, live in Vienna. Marjie loves spending time with her family, traveling and playing tennis and pickle ball.

Mitch Bashur Verizon

Mitch Bashur Verizon

Mitch Bashur is an Associate General at Verizon in Ashburn, Virginia. His practice involves providing legal advice regarding the sale of Verizon products and services to federal government customers and government contractors.

Mr. Bashur is active in the American Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel, including holding several leadership positions. Mr. Bashur graduated from Dickinson College with a degree in Law and Policy and received his JD from George Mason University where he served as a Notes Editor of the George Mason Law Review.

Lynda Boggs Deloitte Consulting

Lynda Boggs Deloitte Consulting

Lynda is a leader in Deloitte’s Government Public Services practice. She serves as the Lead Consulting Partner for Deloitte’s work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In this role, Lynda leads a portfolio of transformational projects within the VA to help modernize their operations and improve care to the Veteran and their families such as modernizing the supply chain, improving health care operations and transitioning to a new financial management system.

Lynda also serves as a champion of our Human Capital offering for the Federal Health sector. In this role she aligns market needs to internal capabilities in the areas of organizational, workforce and human resource transformation. She also supports the development of talent aligned to the offering and the deployment of resources to fulfill market needs. She coaches and provides mentoring to staff and clients to achieve their program and other professional objectives through facilitated sessions in our Greenhouse Lab and by serving as co-dean for leadership programs such as Life Science and Health Care Manager Success.

Lynda formerly worked at U.S. Department of State as well as U.S. Health & Human Services.

Donald Caron, Jr., CIMA Morgan Stanley

Donald Caron, Jr., CIMA Morgan Stanley

Don Caron is a Managing Director – Private Wealth Advisor with Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management Group in Washington, D.C.

Working closely with his team, Don focuses on providing Ultra High Net Worth families, Family Offices, and Institutions with comprehensive wealth solutions across their balance sheet with a special focus on owners of privately held businesses, and their management team. He takes tremendous pride in the close personal relationships developed over the years, and serving multiple generations, allowing us to understand the values of our clients and the legacy they would like to leave behind, both essential to our work. In addition, Don was named to Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors ranking in March 2023, which recognizes leaders in the profession. Don has been with Morgan Stanley for 30 years and is also a Senior Portfolio Manager, Lending Specialist and Alternative Investment Director.

Don received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Pennsylvania State University, his CIMA designation from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is a native of Saratoga Springs, New York. Currently, Don resides with his family and four daughters in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Jessica (Jessie) Clark Carefree Boat Club

Jessica (Jessie) Clark Carefree Boat Club

Jessie Clark is the Owner of Carefree Boat Club, a members-only boat club with 80 locations around the world. She also serves as the company’s Vice President of Marketing and Member Relations. She joined forces with her husband 12 years ago to engage fully with the business. Prior to that, she worked in international marketing and has expertise in strategic marketing and branding, product life-cycle management, cross-cultural communications, customer retention, research and project management. She held senior positions at VeriSign, Iridium and Global One/Sprint International.

Jessie is an active, hands-on volunteer. She is TESOL-certified and teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and volunteers as a pro-bono business consultant for nonprofits through COMPASS. She has been a board member of the Reston YMCA since 2018. Her history with NVFS goes back to 2012 when she began serving on the Marketing Committee and she made the transition to the NVFS board of directors in February 2020.

Jessie is a graduate of Ohio State University with degrees in Japanese and German and has a Master’s of International Management from Thunderbird (American Graduate School of International Management).

Mahsa Dornajafi pgEdge

Mahsa Dornajafi pgEdge

Mahsa Dornajafi is the CFO and VP of Operations at pgEdge, where she oversees the company’s financial architecture, leads people operations, manages investor relations, and handles contracts. Prior to joining pgEdge, Mahsa served as the VP of Finance & Operations at Zephyr AI, where she was responsible for establishing the company’s strategy, finance, and operations functions.

Ms. Dornajafi has held multiple leadership positions in finance and operations, playing a crucial role in building various companies’ infrastructure for growth. Before her tenure at Zephyr, she was the VP of Finance & Operations at IonQ Inc. (NYSE: IONQ), where she was part of the executive team that successfully took the company public. At IonQ, Ms. Dornajafi was instrumental in a successful IPO. In 2019, Mahsa was recognized as a Technology CFO Rising Star Honoree of 2020 by the Northern Virginia Technology Council and was named Tech CFO Star multiple years in a row.

While in graduate school, Ms. Dornajafi co-founded FlexEl, a thin-film battery design company. She progressed from a founding engineering position to President of the company, co-authoring one patent and numerous publications on thin-film battery and transistor design.

Ms. Dornajafi holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Virginia Tech, where she received multiple scholarships and honors.

Lynne Halbrooks, J.D. Nichols Liu

Lynne Halbrooks, J.D. Nichols Liu

Lynne Halbrooks has served in multiple legal and leadership roles in government and industry. She was the General Counsel at three agencies: the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, and the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Defense. In 2019 she became the Chief Compliance Officer at a 6,000+-employee government contracts company in Reston, Virginia.

Lynne is currently a partner at Nichols Liu law firm in Washington, DC, serving government contractors.

 

Richmond Hill Ed.D. Northern Virginia Community College

Richmond Hill Ed.D. Northern Virginia Community College

Dr. Richmond Hill is the Provost of the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Woodbridge Campus. Prior to his current role, he was the Associate Vice President of Student Support Services at NOVA, where he oversaw the offices of Access and Accommodations; Wellness and Mental Health; Financial Stability and Advocacy; Title IX; Financial Aid; and Veteran and Military Services. He previously served as a counselor, high school outreach coordinator, retention counselor, and coordinator of Student Success on the Woodbridge Campus.

Hill’s passion for mental health and student success has been the driving force throughout his career. He served as Supervisor of Secondary Counseling and Student Support Services at Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) where he also held roles as a school counselor, director of school counseling, and GED program administrator.

A 22-year Prince William County resident, Hill is a graduate of the 2023 Leadership Prince William class and has served as past-president of the Prince William Regional Counseling Association. He has also served as a member of the PWCS Career and Technical Advisory Council, PWCS Growing our Own Advisory Council, PWCS Safe Schools Advisory Council, the Greater Prince William Trauma-Informed Care Network and The Good News Community Kitchen Scholarship Committee. At the state level, he has served on the advisory board of Project Hope-Virginia, a program that ensures the enrollment, attendance and school success of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

He has also developed and implemented several successful mentoring and leadership development programs designed to foster the personal, social, and academic development of boys and men of color.

He has been honored with the Prince William County Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth Local Hero Award; the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.’s Minerva Community Service Award; Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s Man of the Year Award; and as Counselor of the Year by both the Prince William Regional Counseling Association and the Virginia School Counseling Association. He also received the Prince William County Human Rights Commission Award.

Sam Hill, Ed.D. Retired

Sam Hill, Ed.D. Retired

Dr. Sam Hill is retired after serving as the provost for the Woodbridge Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, a position he held since 2005.  Prior to joining the Woodbridge Campus of NOVA, Dr. Hill served at community colleges in Texas and Illinois.

Dr. Hill has a history of community involvement.  He served as a commissioner on the Prince William County Future 2030 Commission, the Board of Directors for the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, and the Greater Manassas/Prince William Center for the Arts.  He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Manassas Ballet Theater, and the Potomac Health Foundation.  He is also a member of the Lake Ridge Rotary Club, a 2007 FBI Citizens Academy graduate at Quantico, a 2013 graduate of the Lead Virginia program, and most recently, a 2016 graduate of the Prince William County Citizens Police Academy.

Dr. Hill’s educational background includes a doctorate in higher education administration from Texas Tech University (Lubbock), master degree in counseling the deaf and hearing impaired from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor degree in economics from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.  He attended elementary and high school in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa).

Dr. Hill is married to Lillian who is also a graduate of Gallaudet University, and Spellman College (Atlanta, Ga). Lillian is a retired pre-school teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools. They have one daughter, Lisa, who works as a massage therapist in Kankakee, IL.

Brenda Johnson Jerome and Brenda and Associates, Inc.

Brenda Johnson Jerome and Brenda and Associates, Inc.

Major Brenda Johnson, Retired entered the United States Army as a commissioned communication officer, Second Lieutenant, upon graduating college.  As a communications officer in the Army Signal Corps, she served in the U.S. and overseas supporting Air Defense and Field Artillery combat service organizations. Brenda served in the Gulf War, Desert Shield, and the Desert Storm. Throughout her career she received numerous awards for her service and valor and retired while serving her last duty station with the Pentagon.  In 2003, Brenda and her husband became entrepreneurs and opened a franchise under the Dunkin /Baskin Robbins and have established multiple locations supporting the Northern Virginia area of Pentagon, Crystal City, Alexander, Woodbridge, and Charlottesville communities.

Brenda is service oriented and active in organizations that deliver service and support to multiple communities. As a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc®, Omicron Chi Omega Chapter, she has served as a board officer, committee leader and supported special projects benefiting students at local schools and support of Northern Virginia Community College. Her leadership on the Salute to the Harlem Renaissance/Black Arts Movement and Environmental Awareness resulted in many awards at regional and national levels.

Brenda is an involved leader, member, and fundraiser for charitable and community organizations that support children, higher education, and the arts in Prince William County. She is a board member of Epsilon Sigma Boule Foundation, Inc® which supports education through scholarships, and educational awareness to the community, such as the Tuskegee Airman Rise Above Traveling Exhibit. Also, she is a board member and active fundraiser for the Ivy Foundation of Greater Prince William County, Inc® which provides charitable and educational support to the county. Brenda is involved in arts organizations including the Prince William County Arts Council and the Creative and Performing Arts Center (CAPAC) in Prince William.  Brenda and her family support the Boys and Girls Club; to include the Big Kid fundraising mentoring program where she raised over $14,000 for the organization.

Brenda enjoys playing golf with her friends and with her business partner, husband Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Johnson, Retired, especially in charitable tournaments.

Katie Joyce Joyce Insights Group

Katie Joyce Joyce Insights Group

Katie Joyce brings nearly 20 years of health and human services sector expertise, including across a range of public sector income security, workforce development, and public health programs. She most recently worked to extend KPMG’s Economic Services’ footprint across the healthcare and human services market. She has expertise in program evaluation, TA initiatives for grant/entitlement programs, and performance measurement, and leads Go to Market (GTM) activities across a number of markets. She is experienced in bridging advisory/consulting and organizational improvement skills with data science and traditional research methods. Prior to KPMG LLP, she served as executive vice president for Ipsos Public Affairs. At Ipsos, she secured the company’s largest ever contract in its 40 year history, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ $100M single award Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP).

Kris Manning Clark Construction Group, LLC

Kris Manning Clark Construction Group, LLC

Kris Manning is Chief Operating Officer of Clark Construction’s Infrastructure Group. Kris has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Delaware, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland – Robert H. Smith School of Business and Lean Enterprise Certificate from San Diego State University.

Over the past 25 years, Kris has worked with Clark Construction in various roles across the country. As Chief Operating Officer, Kris works with leaders nationally across the group’s seven divisions on their approach to acquisition and project delivery including safety, quality, and client satisfaction.

Kris and his wife, Stacey, currently live in Oakton, VA with their two children.

 

 

Sonia McCormick PNC Financial Services Group

Sonia McCormick PNC Financial Services Group

Sonia McCormick is Senior Vice President and Director of Client & Community Relations for PNC Bank in Greater Washington.

With responsibility for overall marketing, communications and client and community strategies, Sonia develops and manages corporate and philanthropic partnerships, chairs the local PNC Foundation disbursement committee, executes corporate programs at the local level, and oversees internal communication, volunteerism, events, and client entertainment.

Sonia joined Riggs Bank, PNC’s predecessor, in 2001, where she managed internal and external communication.  When PNC acquired Riggs in 2005, she remained in a communications role, serving as vice president and media relations manager, as well as manager of all local philanthropy and employee engagement.  In 2012, she was promoted to her current position.

Prior to working for the bank, Sonia spent a year as the director of public relations for a start-up (Admine.com), and 11 years at the American Bankers Association serving as a spokesperson for the banking industry.

A native of the Washington area, Sonia holds a Master’s degree in Public Communication from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from George Mason University.  She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Washington’s Class of 2010 and serves on its board of directors.  She also proudly serves on the board of Northern Virginia Family Service.  In 2018, the Washington Business Journal named her a “Woman Who Means Business.”

L. Alexander McDonald, J.D. Capital Impact Partners

L. Alexander McDonald, J.D. Capital Impact Partners

Alexander McDonald is the Senior Director of Lending Operations at Capital Impact Partners (CIP), part of the Momentus Capital brand community. CIP/Momentus is an industry leading, Aeris-rated, and Department of Treasury certified non-profit and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). CIP/Momentus provides lending and investment capital to low-wealth communities for socially impactful commercial real estate projects across a spectrum of sectors, through an array of competitive, socially impactful loans, funds, and investment In his present role, Alexander leads five business teams across the nation: Originations Closing, Construction, New Market Tax Credits, CIP Loan Servicing, and CDC Portfolio/Loan Servicing. His teams support hundreds of millions in capital deployment and management to underserved, high-potential markets.

Alexander is from Chicago and currently lives in Los Angeles. He enjoys lifting weights and devouring Indian cuisine.

Alexander holds a JD from the Howard University School of Law, an MBA from the Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University, and a BBA from the Oakwood University School of Business.

Rose Odenyo, CPA Ernst & Young LLP

Rose Odenyo, CPA Ernst & Young LLP

Rosebella (Rose) Odenyo is a Partner in the Financial Services Organization (“FSO”) practice of Ernst & Young LLP. She has over 18 years of audit experience and has served entities of all sizes from start-ups to large global companies. Her professional experience includes performance of public integrated audits and quarterly reviews as well as private company audits within the Asset Management, Financial Services and Strategic Growth industries.

A graduate of Virginia Tech, Rose is a certified public accountant in Virginia and is a member of the AICPA and Virginia State Society of CPAs.

Lauren Peterson The Peterson Family Foundation

Lauren Peterson The Peterson Family Foundation

Lauren was born in Alexandria and has been a lifetime resident of Northern Virginia.  A lifelong Equestrian, she currently lives in Middleburg, Virginia with 6 horses, 4 dogs and 4 cats.  She has two daughters, Megan Fellows and Jillian Dill.

Most of her professional career has been in the real estate industry and philanthropy.  At The Peterson Companies Lauren has primarily been involved with Human Resources, Marketing and The Peterson Family Foundation, of which she is President.

Following the family philosophy that we need to give back to the communities where we live and work, Lauren has consistently been involved with major charities in the Metropolitan area.   Her current charitable activities include: Chairman, Rainbow Therapeutic Riding; Vice Chairman, Washington International Horse Show; Board Member, Inova Foundation; Committee Member, Inova Cancer Services; Trustee, Shenandoah University: Member, Middleburg Economic Council; Board Member, Venture Philanthropy Partners; Board Member, Northern Virginia Family Services. Her equestrian affiliations include: USEF, USHJA, VHSA . Lauren previously served on the Board of Teach for America.

Phillip Quintana Burke and Herbert Bank

Phillip Quintana Burke and Herbert Bank

Phil is the Regional President for Burke and Herbert Bank.  With over 25 years of banking, finance, and leadership experience covering regions in New York, Florida, Texas and the Mid Atlantic, he is responsible for the Commercial Real Estate Banking, Commercial Banking and Portfolio Management lines of business for Northern Virginia.
Phil earned an master’s and bachelor’s degree from Dowling College in New York where he was a scholarship athlete on the baseball team.  He continued his education, completing the Consumer Bankers Association’s Graduate School of Retail Bank Management and the Effective Leadership Institute of Leadership Greater Washington.  He is currently completing a Post-Graduate Certificate in Accounting from the University of Virginia.
Phil lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Karri and two sons.

Deborah Rosenberg DR HR Solutions

Deborah Rosenberg DR HR Solutions

Debbie Rosenberg brings over 20 years of experience working in executive HR leadership roles for publicly traded, global organizations. She has held positions in multiple industries including infrastructure, financial services, and technology. Debbie has deep experience in HR strategy, organization development, and strategic change management.

Debbie runs her own HR consulting business, where she focuses on fractional/on-demand Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) support and HR program/project consulting.

Barbara Rudin, Ph.D. Management Concepts

Barbara Rudin, Ph.D. Management Concepts

Dr. Barbara Rudin is the Chief Growth Officer at Management Concepts. In this role, she is responsible for driving strategy and growth across Management Concepts Products and Services business units.

Dr. Rudin has spent 30 years in government contracting. Most recently she served as Executive Vice President for Manhattan Strategy Group, as small business specializing in social services training and technical assistance. Prior to that she served as the Executive Vice President and Group Leader for the health, education and social programs $300M+ business unit at ICF. She began her career as survey researcher working closely with military and civilian agency clients.

Rene Salas, CPA Intra-Cellular Therapies

Rene Salas, CPA Intra-Cellular Therapies

Rene is a senior business executive with over 35 years of experience in accounting and advisory services, specializing within healthcare and technology industries. He currently serves as a board member of Intra-Cellular Therapies (ITCI) and Embody, Inc. and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Rene retired from EY where he was a senior client service partner and regional leader of the firm’s Mid-Atlantic biotech practice. In addition to his client service roles while at EY, Rene developed a successful record of guiding national and regional diversity, equity and inclusiveness programs to broaden representation in leadership positions and impact culture change. He also served as the firm’s regional representative for the Association of Latino Professionals for America.

Rene has extensive experience working with nonprofit organizations, including serving as the Board Chair of several regional organizations. These organizations focus on education, early childhood health and development, housing and immigration legal services and serve diverse clients, most of whom live in poverty.

Rene, a first-generation college graduate, attended the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Vandana Sinha American City Business Journals

Vandana Sinha American City Business Journals

Vandana Sinha is the Regional Editor at American City Business Journals where she supports multiple local newsrooms in the area of content strategy. Previously she was editor-in-chief for the Washington Business Journal, where she oversees the digital and print operations for the publication. She joined the newsroom in 2006 and had covered biotech, health and energy before moving into editing roles. Before the WBJ, Sinha was an associate editor at the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at the American Press Institute, helping develop content for business journalism training programs around the country. She has worked at The Virginian-Pilot, the daily newspaper in Hampton Roads, as well as at technology publications formerly owned by The Washington Post Co. She is a past board member of the Maryland Media Inc. Alumni Association and the South Asian Journalists Association.

Leadership Team

Stephanie Berkowitz President & Chief Executive Officer

Stephanie Berkowitz President & Chief Executive Officer

Stephanie Berkowitz is President & CEO of Northern Virginia Family Service, a human services organization recognized locally and nationally as a leader and innovator of social impact.  NVFS delivers responsive programs that address evolving community needs, providing over 30,000 individuals and families in need each year with the essential building blocks for financial, emotional, and physical wellbeing and economic independence.

Stephanie has spent her career working in the nonprofit sector building public and private partnerships, and architecting innovative responses to community needs. Stephanie’s keen business acumen coupled with her strategic leadership and focus on impact have been instrumental in NVFS’ growth and development. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Stephanie served as the Director of the Survivors’ Fund Project, a $25 million long-term recovery program for victims of the attacks. The Survivors’ Fund became recognized nationally as a model program for community response following a disaster.

Stephanie has served on numerous boards focused on strengthening the greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan region, and improving opportunities for children and families. Stephanie currently serves on the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Council, and Leadership Fairfax Board. Stephanie also serves on the Northern Virginia Chamber’s DE&I Advisory Board, and was appointed as an inaugural member of the Leadership Fairfax Equity Council.

In 2019, Stephanie was selected as a Women Who Mean Business award winner by the Washington Business Journal. In 2023 Washington Business Journal named her to their Power 100 as a Community Advocate and Game Changer. In 2024, Stephanie was featured as one of Northern Virginia’s 50 Most Influential People by Northern Virginia Magazine.

Stephanie earned a BA in Psychology from Lafayette College and an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. She loves spending time with her family, enjoys the theater, and is a lifelong tennis enthusiast.

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Jacqueline Dendievel, SPHR Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Jacqueline Dendievel, SPHR Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Jacqueline Dendievel, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, serves as Executive Vice President, Human Resources, responsible for the Agency’s human capital strategy and championing all talent-related initiatives and programs across the organization. Prior to NVFS her career spanned a variety of industries and companies, including both HR leadership and consulting roles at International Data Group, Leidos, Helios HR, Leidos and Georgetown University Medical Center. She holds an MBA, International Concentration from Babson College; B.S. in Public Relations, French Concentration from Boston University; Certificate in Organization Development from Georgetown University; Certificate in HR Management & Analytics, Wharton Executive Education; Certificate in Employee Relations from Cornell University and is an Agile HR Certified Practitioner. She speaks French, is a beginner in Spanish and Italian, and is an avid runner, with numerous marathons and other competitive races to her credit.

Contact: jdendievel@nvfs.org, 571.748.2525

Andrea Eck Executive Vice President, Programs

Andrea Eck Executive Vice President, Programs

Andrea Eck has worked in the nonprofit human service field for 25 years and has been an employee of Northern Virginia Family Service for 20 of those years. She has held several positions from direct service to executive leadership, administering programs for individuals and families with low incomes in Northern Virginia.  As the executive vice president of programs, Andrea provides critical leadership in the key areas of strategic planning, program development, quality assurance and grants administration.  Andrea has a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Marymount University in Arlington, VA., and a master’s degree in public administration and a certificate in nonprofit management from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.   

Contact: aeck@nvfs.org, 571.748.2601

Kathleen McMahon Executive Vice President, Development & Communications

Kathleen McMahon Executive Vice President, Development & Communications

Kathleen McMahon joined Northern Virginia Family Service in 2019 as the Executive Vice President of Development and Communications. As a professional and a volunteer, Kathleen has worked tirelessly to build capacity for organizations focused on youth development, volunteer service, dropout prevention, workforce development, education, and mentoring. She has held leadership roles at a number of nonprofits and social enterprises, including the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and the policy research firm Civic, where she served as the Chief of Staff and COO. Earlier in her career, Kathleen led teams at Capital Partners for Education, WAVE, and the Points of Light Foundation to develop programs and generate individual, foundation, corporate, and government support.

Kathleen is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Syracuse University and earned a Masters in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of Leadership Greater Washington’s Class of 2022. Kathleen lives in Vienna, VA with her husband and three daughters. She loves to travel, practice yoga, and explore new restaurants.

kmcmahon@nvfs.org, 571.748.2535

Cliff Yee

Clifford Yee Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Clifford Yee Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Cliff YeeClifford Yee joined Northern Virginia Family Service in March 2018 as its Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for the Agency’s Finance, Information Technology, Risk Management, Procurement, Facilities Management, and NVFS Ventures social enterprise functions.

Cliff brings over two decades of professional experience gained in the consulting, financial services, and nonprofit sectors delivering business results and social value. Prior to NVFS, Cliff was the Managing Director of Corporate Social Responsibility consulting services at Raffa-Marcum where he advised organizations on assessing, improving, and implementing their social impact and partnership strategies. Earlier in his career, Cliff was the SVP/Senior Director of Community Affairs & Market President Network at Capital One, a strategy consultant with CAST Management Consultants, the Associate Executive Director of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity & Foundation, and an information technology consultant with Broughton Systems.

Cliff earned an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and a BS in Business Administration cum laude from the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond. He also holds a Certificate in Social Sector Leadership from the University of California – Berkeley, a Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a Certified ScrumMaster with the Scrum Alliance.

Additionally, Cliff is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Greater Washington, Virginia Business magazine’s 2021 CFO of the Year (Large Nonprofit) award winner, a 2020 Washington Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award winner, a DCA Live Star Nonprofit CFO honoree, a NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award recipient, and an Adjunct Professor in Nonprofit Studies at George Mason University.  In July 2020, then-Virginia Governor Northam appointed Cliff to serve on the Advisory Board on Service & Volunteerism for the Commonwealth. He was re-appointed by Governor Youngkin in 2023 and is currently Chair. Cliff also serves on the Virginia Service Foundation (Treasurer, Past Chair), Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission, as well as the MPA Advisory Council at GMU’s Schar School of Policy & Government. His previous civic engagement includes volunteer roles with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Omicron Delta Kappa (National Treasurer), Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington (Treasurer), Northern Virginia Workforce Development Board, Leadership Greater Washington, Tahirih Justice Center, Points of Light Civic Accelerator, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, and both his alma maters. Cliff and his wife reside in Fairfax, Virginia.

Contact: cyee@nvfs.org, 571.748.2510

Malinda Langford Senior Vice President, Programs

Malinda Langford Senior Vice President, Programs

Malinda Langford serves as the Senior Vice President of Programs for Northern Virginia Family Service. Malinda manages the early childhood education, therapeutic foster care, and the access to health and nutrition services within the agency. Malinda previously served as training and technical assistance specialist for the Office of Head Start’s Region Three Division in Philadelphia, PA 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in human relations from Trinity University in Washington, D.C., and has worked in the field of early childhood education for the past 42 years. She has one daughter who is a stage actress and resides in Los Angeles 

Contact: mlangford@nvfs.org, 571.748.2555 

Sarah Crosley

Sarah Crosley Vice President, Development

Sarah Crosley Vice President, Development

Sarah joined Northern Virginia Family Service in August 2015 and oversees community engagement for the agency, including fundraising events, in-kind drives and volunteer opportunities. She has nearly twenty years of experience working in the education and nonprofit sectors leading classrooms and teams, managing events and projects, and engaging volunteers in mission-centered work. Prior to joining NVFS, Sarah worked for the Heart of America Foundation where she leveraged her previous teaching experience to help build projects that centered student choice and created more meaningful volunteer experiences for corporate partners.

Originally from Collegeville, PA, Sarah has lived in the DC metro area since 2004 but is still (and always will be) a Phillies and Eagles Phan. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and completed graduate licensure coursework in Special Education through the University of Virginia. She is an avid cyclist, runner and hiker and lives in Sperryville, VA with her husband, son, and yellow lab.

Kendra Dunbar Vice President, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Kendra Dunbar Vice President, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Kendra is the vice president of equity, diversity, and inclusion and joined the NVFS community in August 2022. Previously, Kendra served as the assistant director for equity and inclusion at Fordham University, where she worked alongside the chief diversity officer to deepen Fordham’s institutional commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable campus environment.  Kendra focused on strengthening students’ sense of belonging, enhancing campus discourse, and advancing the development of a university-wide strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

 Kendra is a Maryland native, committed to equity, peacebuilding, racial justice, and the transformation of communities through education, engagement, and leadership formation. She brings approximately 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, human rights, social justice education, and strategic planning to her role. Kendra has extensive domestic and international experience, having worked with communities and institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe. Kendra received a bachelor of arts degree from Williams College, a master of divinity from Union Theological Seminary, and a master’s of science degree in clinical mental health counseling from Loyola University Maryland. 

Ann Durbin Director, Individual Giving

Ann Durbin Director, Individual Giving

Ann Durbin joined Northern Virginia Family Service in 2024 to lead the individual giving strategy for the agency. An emerging leader in the nonprofit sector, Ann enjoys working with community members to connect passion with purpose and drive social change in local communities. Prior to joining NVFS, Ann served as a development leader at two other local nonprofits, United Community and the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation, where she demonstrated proven success in cultivating high-impact partnerships and enhancing organizational sustainability to build stronger, more equitable communities in Northern Virginia. Ann also serves as the co-lead for the Northern Virginia Affinity Group of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) DC Chapter and as a volunteer grant reviewer for the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.

Ann holds a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Michigan State University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. She is currently pursuing her Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential. Originally from Michigan, Ann now resides in Centreville, Virginia. She loves reading, traveling, and exploring new coffee shops and bakeries.

Contact: adurbin@nvfs.org

Venita Julien Director, Homeless Services

Venita Julien Director, Homeless Services

Venita Julien joined Northern Virginia Family Service as the Director of Homeless Services in February 2024. Venita has devoted over two decades to Social Services, demonstrating unwavering commitment to transforming the lives of disenfranchised individuals. Her mission centers on guiding those experiencing homelessness toward housing stability and economic self-sufficiency, fueled by a deep belief in the potential of every individual to thrive.

Holding a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science and a Master of Arts with distinction in Psychology, Venita possesses a profound understanding of the intricate relationship between social environments and human resilience. Her academic knowledge is enhanced by practical expertise in housing systems, program development, mental health, and community empowerment.

Prior to joining NVFS, Venita served as the Program Manager for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program at the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, MD. Under her transformative leadership, countless families and individuals have experienced profound change, achieving housing permanence, financial stability, and the fulfillment of their aspirations.

As a passionate advocate for empowerment, she champions initiatives that uphold dignity, foster respect, and expand access to essential resources, embodying a steadfast dedication to systemic change. Through her work, she inspires hope and resilience, demonstrating that with the right support, every individual can realize their full potential.

Contact: vjulien@nvfs.org or 571-748-2585

Sara Kreitzer, NVFS director of corporate and foundation relations

Sara Kreitzer Vice President, Development

Sara Kreitzer Vice President, Development

Sara joined Northern Virginia Family Service in December 2018 and oversees the private fundraising efforts for the agency. A leader in the nonprofit sector for more than a decade, Sara works to create meaningful partnerships with stakeholders and donors to build capacity and drive social change. She has spent much of her career focused on corporate engagement, establishing and enhancing employee volunteer programs and cause marketing campaigns for corporations across the globe. Most recently, Sara worked for First Book, facilitating a variety of corporate partnerships aimed at providing access to educational resources for children in need. Prior to First Book, Sara worked for Volunteer Fairfax, connecting individuals and corporations with meaningful volunteer opportunities in support of local nonprofits.

 

Sara is originally from Madison, WI, but has called Northern Virginia home since 2011. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and History from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Sara is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Fairfax and a 2022 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 Award recipient. She lives in Gainesville, VA with her husband, three kids, and yellow lab.

Contact: skreitzer@nvfs.org, 571.748.2560

Jay Liverman Vice President, Technology & Workplace Solutions

Jay Liverman Vice President, Technology & Workplace Solutions

James (Jay) Liverman joined Northern Virginia Family Service in March 2022 as the Vice President of Technology & Workplace Solutions with responsibility  for all aspects of technology and facilities management.

Jay brings a wealth of experience in technology, operations, and process management gained from previous roles with Freddie Mac, Capital One, and several small business and nonprofit organizations.  His depth and breadth of technology knowledge comes from more than 25 years of mission critical operational experience in strategic roles spanning planning, vendor, risk management, and project solutions delivery.  His facilities background includes lease management, space planning, capital budgeting, and corrective and preventative maintenance.

Jay is particularly passionate about the work that nonprofits do to help uplift communities  and the role technology can play as an enabling and scaling function. As the founder of Capital One’s Technology Corps, he was a respected community leader in helping to connect skilled technology volunteers with nonprofits on pro bono projects. Jay is also a 2010 graduate of Leadership Greater Washington and served on the 501cTech board of Directors for  from 2008 to 2014 culminating with his service as Board Chair.

Jay is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in Finance and is a Lean Six Sigma Certified Green Belt. He lives in Falls Church with his wife and family.

 

Contact: jliverman@nvfs.org, 571.748.2532

Meredith McKeen Vice President, Programs

Meredith McKeen Vice President, Programs

Meredith McKeen, MSW, is a social worker with more than 20 years of experience administering, managing, and providing the following: services to at-risk youth; trauma recovery and disaster response services; and services to domestic violence survivors and child witnesses to violence.

Throughout her career in violence prevention and trauma recovery, Meredith has specialized in providing services to Spanish-speaking and Latino populations, with the goal of ensuring that immigrants and their family members have access to appropriate and effective services.

Meredith, who holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Austin, began her social work career with the Victim Services Unit of the Austin Texas Police Department, providing services in English and Spanish for children and adults experiencing family violence and then worked in a domestic violence shelter for women and children in Washington, D.C. For the past 15 years her work with Northern Virginia Family Service has included: providing and managing youth violence prevention services; managing several trauma-recovery programs including the 9-11 Survivors’ Fund Project and the Hurricane Katrina Project; and providing training to staff of NVFS and other organizations.

A graduate of Leadership Fairfax, Meredith currently serves as NVFS’ Vice President, Programs overseeing the Multicultural Center, Youth Initiatives, and Healthy Families service delivery areas ensuring the Agency provides an array of holistic language- and culture-specific trauma-recovery, mental health, case management, intervention, and prevention services for youth and adults.

Contact: mmckeen@nvfs.org, 571.748.2574

Beth Dargatis Director, Finance

Beth Dargatis Director, Finance

Beth has over 25 years of accounting experience, with more than 20 of those years in the nonprofit sector. She joined Northern Virginia Family Service in 1998 and manages the financial operations of the agency, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, monthly close, financial reporting, and grants management, as well as overseeing and managing audits by the agency’s independent auditors and numerous grant funders. She ensures that NVFS’ financial records are in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Federal compliance requirements. Beth provides leadership, planning, and project coordination to the staff in the Finance Department, while concurrently facilitating efficient operations to meet both agency and staff needs.

Beth’s work experience prior to NVFS was as an auditor with Deloitte, where she worked primarily with nonprofit clients. She received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Muhlenberg College. She and her husband, David, live in Vienna, Va.

Contact: bdargatis@nvfs.org, 571.748.2511

Karen Horowitz Director, Community & Volunteer Engagement

Karen Horowitz Director, Community & Volunteer Engagement

Karen Horowitz is the Director of Volunteer & Internship Engagement for Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) and has been with the agency in volunteer management and fundraising roles since 2009. In her current role, Karen has implemented best practices in volunteer administration throughout the agency by streamlining the volunteer onboarding process, significantly increasing volunteer involvement and engaging volunteers more strategically to increase the agency’s capacity and impact.

She has spent her career in the nonprofit sector focusing on volunteer management, building community partnerships and fundraising. Prior to joining NVFS, she worked for Alternative House and the Northern Virginia Chapter of MADD. Karen is a Northern Virginia native and graduate of George Mason University and the Leadership Fairfax class of 2010. She holds a Certificate in Volunteer Administration (CVA).

Contact: khorowitz@nvfs.org, 571.748.2626

Adrianne Hosein Director, Community Housing

Adrianne Hosein Director, Community Housing

Adrianne Hosein joined Northern Virginia Family Services as the Director of Community Housing in October 2022. Adrianne is a New York City native who brings more than 10 years of experience working in the health and human services sectors, partnering with communities to ensure children, adults, and families have the resources they need to thrive.

Prior to NVFS, she served as project manager for the Bronx Accountable Healthcare Network, where she spearheaded a successful criminal justice program and partnership with Rikers Island Correctional Health Services. Her work and passion include project development, quality management, and combatting social determinants of health disparities nationwide. She previously held various positions at Bronxworks, where she worked on community-based programs including eviction prevention, family rewards, and provided case management support for families that are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Adrianne holds a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Criminal Justice from Virginia Union University (HBCU). Outside of the office, Adrianne loves to arrange flowers and travel.

Contact: ahosein@nvfs.org, 571-356-5499

Jackie Maldonado Director, Work, Life, and Innovation

Jackie Maldonado Director, Work, Life, and Innovation

Jackie Maldonado joined NVFS in June 2022, as the director of work, life, and innovation. Jackie brings more than 19 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector focusing on health and human services.  

 Most recently, Jackie worked at Greater Prince William Health Center (FQHC) in Prince William County, where she held multiple positions, and most recently served as the director of public relations and community partnerships.  

 Jackie is a powerful advocate for communities.  Her focus has been increasing awareness of all social determinants of health and ensuring communities have access to comprehensive services that lift and support individuals and families.   

 Jackie holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Universidad Mayor de San Simon. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and her fur babies.  

Nanci Pedulla Director, Healthy Families

Nanci Pedulla Director, Healthy Families

Nanci Pedulla is the director of the regional Healthy Families program and has been with Northern Virginia Family Service since 2006. Nanci has more than 35 years of experience in international and domestic agencies serving families in need. 

Throughout her career, Nanci has focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes among marginalized populations in the U.S. and abroad. In her current position, Nanci leads a team of 41 Healthy Families staff, serving more than 800 vulnerable families each year in Alexandria city and Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William counties. The Healthy Families program provides intensive and comprehensive home visiting services to expectant and new parents, successfully mitigating children’s risk for poor childhood outcomes including child maltreatment.  

Previously, Nanci managed reproductive health programs in Latin America for Pathfinder International and INTRAH and provided a variety of health education services to immigrant families and populations with low incomes in New York City and Washington, D.C. Nanci lived in Latin America and Europe for nearly 10 years, including a four-year tour as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, and is fluent in English and Spanish. She received a Bachelor’s degree in American Culture from Vassar College and a Master’s in Public Health with a focus in maternal and child health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Contact: npedulla@nvfs.org, 571.462.7219

Michael Perini, Ph.D. Director, Quality Assurance

Michael Perini, Ph.D. Director, Quality Assurance

Dr. Michael Perini is the director of quality assurance at Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS). He provides planning, project coordination, and management of the agency’s method of continuous program and process quality improvement and monitors the agency’s risk in areas of compliance and incident reporting, as is relates to service delivery, throughout the organizational ecosystem.

Prior to coming to NVFS in 2021, Michael served as a dean, director, professor and program manager in higher education settings for nearly 20 years. He worked in admissions, instruction, library circulation and reference, assessment, advising, healthcare, and administration. Michael’s strengths lie in assessment and analysis, and he is keen at solving problems utilizing unconventional approaches afforded by his diverse experience. Michael has published a book, numerous chapters, and articles on an assortment of topics, including identity theory, for-profit education, the public and civic good, distance education, library management and theory, student engagement, and martial arts theory.

Michael received a Bachelor of Arts degree in classics and history, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2003, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta, as well as a Master of Arts in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2006. He was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Pi and completed the requirements for the Master of Arts in interdisciplinary studies for higher education administration at George Mason University in 2011. Michael received his Doctor of Arts in community college education from George Mason University in spring 2015.

Michael also proudly serves his country and commonwealth as a commissioned officer in the military. He has been decorated for achievement on several occasions and oversaw and supported emergency operations on various deployments.

Michael resides in Springfield, VA with his family.

Marvin Quintero Director, Community In Reach 

Marvin Quintero Director, Community In Reach 

Marvin A. Quintero is the Director of Community In Reach at Northern Virginia Family Service.  He leads a fantastic team helping individuals and communities impacted by a lack of resources and investments.  This department will leverage outreach and resource navigation to conduct in-reach in specific, targeted neighborhoods, and partner with residents and other trusted stakeholders to build and strengthen community resiliency. 

Marvin has more than 20 years of professional experience in human services in management, healthcare, and human resources.  He has served as chief business officer at HealthWorks for Northern Virginia, director of human resources at Bluepoint Medical Associates, and most recently at Inova’s Ambulatory Patient Relations Department.  Marvin believes all stakeholders deserve the finest support and service, including clients, community leaders and partners, volunteers, and coworkers. He loves to be a resource for his team and superiors, supporting common goals that promote a thriving community and environment. 

Marvin holds a business administration bachelors’ degree from Washington Adventist University, summa cum laude, and received his MBA in medical services management from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. 

Marvin has lived in Northern Virginia for most of his life.  Marvin enjoys volunteering at a local food bank every Saturday, hiking in the local parks, and cooking for his family.

Contact: mquintero@nvfs.org 

Kate Reen Director, Youth Initiatives

Kate Reen Director, Youth Initiatives

Kate Reen has been with Northern Virginia Family Service since 2008 and currently serves as the Director of Youth Initiatives, which provides mental health, therapeutic case management, and groups services to youth exposed to violence, youth at risk of gang involvement, and recently immigrated youth reunifying with family.

A common theme in her work is strengthening families for children who have experienced trauma with an international component. Prior to coming to NVFS, Kate worked in intercountry adoption, providing education to prospective adoptive parents and managing programs for adoptions from Eastern Europe. Kate joined NVFS as part of the therapeutic foster care program, providing therapeutic support to children in foster care, recruiting, and training foster parents.  Simultaneously, Kate provided case management services for unaccompanied minors and their families in the reunification process, eventually moving to manage and develop the Family Reunification Program as well as case management programs for adult immigrants and refugees. In 2013, Kate joined the Youth Initiatives team uniting the Family Reunification Program with the Intervention, Prevention, and Education and Violence Prevention and Intervention Program.

Kate received her Bachelor’s degree from Cedarville University in Social Work and her Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in Child and Family Services from Roberts Wesleyan University.

Contact: kreen@nvfs.org, 571.748.2808

 

Madeline Robison Director, Human Resources

Madeline Robison Director, Human Resources

Madeline Robison is the human resources director and joined NVFS in November 2017. Madi enjoys managing employee benefits and wellbeing programs. Prior to joining NVFS, Madi worked in employee benefits for nearly five years and spent a majority of that time in the role of population health management director, developing customized wellness programs with employers she supported.  

 As a champion of NVFS’ five-dimensional wellbeing model, Madeline enjoys facilitating NVFS’ internal Wellbeing Committee, a group of employees from across programs and departments. This group of well-being champions develops and communicates activities that will best support health and wellness across the agency.  

Madi earned her bachelor of arts degree in integrative studies from George Mason University and her master of arts in human resource management from Marymount University. She enjoys practicing and teaching yoga, hiking the great outdoors, and trying new activities with her husband and two daughters.

Contact: mrobison@nvfs.org  

Paola Sandoval-Moshenberg Director, Multicultural Center

Paola Sandoval-Moshenberg Director, Multicultural Center

Paola is the Director of the Multicultural Center where she leads an impressive group of mental health, social work, and legal professionals. Prior to becoming director, Paola served as Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center (MC) and, from 2009-2014, as a mental health therapist for survivors of torture, domestic violence and sexual assault.

Paola has over ten years of direct service experience with immigrant survivors of violence and a background in program management and supervision at a local nonprofit for under-resourced immigrant youth. Paola brings extensive expertise in the field of accessible, culturally specific mental health services and a commitment to supporting the staff and clients of the MC. She is a passionate advocate for immigrant and underserved populations, and she considers cultural awareness and validation the foundation for any successful working relationship.

Paola is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, where she graduated as a Psychologist and worked primarily with children exposed to violence. After immigrating to the United States, she graduated from George Mason University with an M.Ed. with emphasis in Community Counseling in 2009. She has been licensed as a professional counselor in Virginia since 2013, and she is also a registered supervisor with the Board of Counseling.

Contact: psandoval@nvfs.org, 571.748.2827

Charlene Sarmiento Director, Marketing & Communications

Charlene Sarmiento Director, Marketing & Communications

Charlene Sarmiento is the director of marketing and communications at Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS). She leads the development of the organization’s marketing and communications strategy, strengthens brand awareness and builds brand connections with NVFS, a nearly 100-year-old nonprofit organization. She leads NVFS’ content creation, social media, brand management and public relations.

Prior to joining NVFS in March 2022, Charlene worked in marketing, brand development, communications and public relations at Goodwill Industries International, a social enterprise and North America’s leading nonprofit provider of education, job training and career services for millions of people with disadvantages and disabilities. During Charlene’s time at Goodwill, she led the development of multimedia storytelling and video projects, managed national marketing and communications campaigns and provided MarComm counsel to 155 local Goodwill organizations.

Prior to her career in nonprofit communications and marketing, Charlene worked in television news as a writer for WJLA-TV and a news producer for Voice of America television. Charlene has a bachelor of arts degree in global studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a masters of business administration (MBA) from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Contact Charlene at csarmiento@nvfs.org or (571) 462-7226.

Anna Shermeyer Director of Grants Administration

Anna Shermeyer Director of Grants Administration

Anna joined Northern Virginia Family Service in January 2018 and transitioned into the role of Director of Grants Administration in May 2022. Anna is responsible for oversight and management of the agency’s government grants and contracts, serving as a compliance resource to administrative leadership to assess, elevate, and manage agency workflows pertaining to grants administration. Prior to assuming this role, Anna authored and guided the development of grant proposals for private, local, state, and federal grant opportunities in collaboration with NVFS program, finance, and leadership teams.

Before relocating to Northern Virginia, Anna worked at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia where she supported strategic initiatives, developed new academic programs, and managed academic enrichment programs. She earned both her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Master of Business Administration from Widener University. Anna is the current Chair of the Widener-PMC Alumni Council.

In her spare time, you can find Anna spending time with her family, reading, hiking, baking pies, and/or watching the Phillies.