Washington Area Women's Foundation
Our Community
Sign Up for E News

Board of Directors

Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Board of Directors is a diverse group of people who work to ensure that The Women’s Foundation stays focused on the mission and heart of the organization. The Board is committed to innovation, fiscal responsibility and growth. Board Members serve three-year terms. Each Board Member participates in one or more of the organization’s six board committees: Executive Committee; Board Development and Governance; Communications; Development; Finance and Audit; and Program. The members of the Executive Committee are noted below by an asterisk.

IMG_0516 Rachel S. Kronowitz*
Board Chair

Attorney
Gilbert LLP
———————————————————————————————-

Rachel Kronowitz is a founding partner and vice chair of Gilbert LLP.  Prior to joining Gilbert, Rachel was a partner in the Complex Dispute Resolution Group at Dickstein Shapiro.  Previously, she was affiliated with Covington & Burling.

In addition to serving as chair of The Women’s Foundation board of directors, Rachel is a member of the Washington 100 leadership network.  She is on the board of Equal Justice Works, is a trustee of the Jewish Council for the Aging and is an active participant of the Georgetown Day School Parent Service Association.

CarolynBerkowitz Carolyn S. Berkowitz
Development Committee

President, Capital One Foundation and Vice President, Community Affairs
Capital One
———————————————————————————————–

Carolyn is responsible for Capital One’s community relations, contributions and volunteerism.  Prior to joining Capital One, Carolyn served as Senior Vice President for Community Mobilization for the America’s Promise Alliance and as Vice President of the Points of Light Foundation.  She is also a member of the Washington 100.

Carolyn lives in Burke, VA with her husband Alan.  They have two children, Leslie and Josh.

AudreyBraceyDeegan-089-(73x88)

Audrey Bracey Deegan
Managing Director
OMG Center for Collaborative Learning
———————————————————————————————–

Audrey is responsible for directing the growing portfolio of strategy development initiatives at OMG and heads the Washington, DC office.  Prior to joining OMG, Audrey worked collaboratively with leaders in global relief, arts education, volunteerism, community engagement and international development.

She currently sits on the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Board of Visitors and the MSFS Program’s advisory board.  She has been a board member of several national and global organizations that protect and advocate for women and girls.

JenniferCortner Jennifer Cortner
Group Account Director
Discovery Communications
————————————————————————————————-

Jennifer currently leads the Account Services team at Discovery Creative, the in-house advertising agency for Discovery Communications.  Prior to working at Discovery, she was the co-owner and president of EFX Media, a media communications company specializing in video and interactive media.

Jennifer is extremely active in the DC-area business and nonprofit communities.  She is also on the board of the DC Ad club and is on the Advisory Board of Women in Film and Video, where she also served as president.

SiobhanDavenport Siobhan Davenport
Finance Committee; Program Committee
; Strategic Planning Task Force
Executive Director
The Rocksprings Foundation
————————————————————————————————-

As Executive Director of The Rocksprings Foundation, Siobhan oversees all aspects of the organization’s programming.  The Foundation primarily focuses on funding programs that help low income women and youth.

Prior to her role at The Rocksprings Foundation, Siobhan had a career in broadcast news.  She is the mother of two young children.  She is also a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100.

Allison Dyer Thumbnail Allison Dyer*
Executive Committee, Treasurer; Finance Committee Chair; Investment Committee

Partner
Deloitte & Touche LLP
————————————————————————————————

A partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Allison has worked at the accounting and consulting firm for 20 years.  Prior to working at Deloitte & Touche, she was a financial systems manager at Cushman & Wakefield.  Previously, she worked as asset manager for a portfolio of commercial mortgage loans and served as controller for Lennar Partners.

Allison is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

AnnaFlores Anna Flores
Development Committee

Vice President, Consumer & Community Affairs
American Express
————————————————————————————————-

Prior to her current position at American Express, Anna served as Director of Consumer Programs for the AARP Foundation.  She was also Director of Consumer Services for the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. Anna is also a former Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators.

In addition to serving on the board of The Women’s Foundation, Anna is also on the board of directors of the National Consumers League and Nueva Vida – A Support Network for Latinas with Cancer.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Anna received an undergraduate degree in communication from Canisius College.  She currently resides in Maryland with her husband Daniel and their two sons.

Anna Flores is Vice President of Consumer and Community Affairs at American Express.  Prior to her current position, Anna served as Director of Consumer Programs for the AARP Foundation. She was also Director of Consumer Services for the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. In addition, Ms. Flores is a former Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators.
In addition to serving on the board of The Women’s Foundation, Anna is also on the board of directors of the National Consumers League and Nueva Vida – A Support Network for Latinas with Cancer.
A native of Buffalo, New York, Anna received an undergraduate degree in communication from Canisius College.  She currently resides in Maryland with her husband Daniel and their two sons.
Deb Gandy Thumbnail Deb Gandy
Audit Committee Chair; Governance Committee

Managing Director
Chevy Chase Trust
————————————————————————————————

Deb has more than 20 years of experience in the wealth management industry and is responsible for advising clients in the areas of investment management and wealth planning.  Prior to joining Chevy Chase Trust, Deb was the director at Citi Private Bank, a division of Citicorp North America.  She also worked for Signet Bank, which is now Wachovia, and was a senior vice president at U.S. Trust.

Deb’s philanthropic projects have included becoming a member of the Washington 100, serving on the board of Goodwill of Greater Washington and serving as vice chair of Arlington’s Signature Theatre.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Deb lives in northern Virginia and has two adult children.

Cathy Isaacson Thumbnail Cathy Isaacson*
Board Secretary; Executive Committee; Governance Committee Chair; Strategic Planning Task Force

Retired Attorney & Philanthropist
————————————————————————————————

Before returning to her hometown of Washington in 2003, Cathy worked as an attorney in private practice in Boston and New York.

In addition to her work with The Women’s Foundation board of directors, Cathy is also a member of the Washington 100 and has served on the board of Maret School, and is a member of the Fellows’ Advisory Board and Washington Programming Committee of the Aspen Institute.  She is also a member of the Bezos Scholars Selection Committee.

Cathy received a B.A. from Smith College and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Julie Jensen headshot Julie Jensen
Finance Committee
; Investment Committee
Jenesis Group
———————————————————————————————–

Julie serves as COO of The Jenesis Group based in Irving, Texas.  This private family foundation brings innovation and an entrepreneurial philosophy to philanthropy.  She is also the co-founder of The Chasdrew Fund, which provides pro bono technical assistance to charities that are associated with disadvantaged youth.

Julie is a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 leadership network.  She received a B.A. in biology from Grinnell College as well as a law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

SandraBrockJibrell Sandra Brock Jibrell
Development Committee

Civic Investments Director (Retired)
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
————————————————————————————————-

Before joining the Casey Foundation, Sandra was a Senior Program Officer at the Academy for Educational Development in Washington, D.C.  Her previous positions include Senior Research Associate with the National Governors’ Association’s Center for Policy Research and a Program Officer with YouthWork, Inc.

Sandra is a gubernatorial-appointed trustee of the Reginald R. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture, and is a member of the DC LISC Advisory Board and the Capital City Charter School Board. She holds a B.A. from Virginia State University and an M.A. from Trinity College in Hartford.

She is also a member of The Women’s Foundation’s African American Women’s Giving Circle and the Washington 100.

Beth Johnson Thumbnail

Beth Johnson
Development Committee

President
RP3 Agency
————————————————————————————————-

Beth is the co-founder and owner of RP3 Agency, a collective of forward-thinkers with a long track record of solving tough marketing challenges.  Prior to starting the advertising agency, Beth was an executive vice president at Rosenthal Partners.

LeonadeJones Leonade D. Jones, Esq.*
Board Vice-Chair; Development Committee; Executive Committee; Finance Committee; Strategic Planning Task Force Chair
————————————————————————————————-

Leonade is a director of several mutual funds managed by Capital Research and Management Company.  Previously, she served as a financial executive with The Washington Post Company, including its broadcasting division.  Leonade is co-founder and former CFO of VentureThink LLC and Versura Inc.

She earned a JD/MBA from Stanford Law and Business Schools.  She is a Trustee Emeritus of Simmons College, her undergraduate university.  Leonade also serves on the board of City First Bank, DC and Studio Theatre.

She is a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 leadership network.

lynn

C. Lynn McNair
Development Committee Chair

Vice President for Development
Salzburg Global Seminar
————————————————————————————————-

Prior to joining Salzburg Global Seminar, Lynn was the director of development of the American Association of University Women.  She also directed fund development and corporate programs for the National Governors’ Association.

Lynn is a co-founder of the African American Women’s Giving Circle.  She also sits on the board of the Center for Women Policy Studies and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

She is a graduate of Upsala College and received an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.  Lynn is also an alumna of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government’s executive management program.  She has two teenage children, Marcus and Sasha.

KimNatovitz Kim Natovitz
Audit Committee; Development Committee

President
The Natovitz Group
————————————————————————————————-

Kim owns her own insurance agency which specializes in disability, life and long-term care insurance.  Prior to establishing her own firm, Kim was a life insurance and pension specialist with Safeco Life Insurance Company.

She has been a guest lecturer for the Baltimore County Commission on Aging and Georgetown University Law School.  Kim has also conducted programs for consumer groups such as the Arthritis Foundation and local chapters of the AARP.

Kim serves on the board of Eaglebank.  She is also a member of the Washington 100.

alex_orfinger_100x133

Alex P. Orfinger
Publisher
Washington Business Journal
————————————————————————————————-

Alex is the publisher of Washington Business Journal.  The weekly journal and its accompanying website remain the primary sources of local business in greater Washington.

Alex is active in the local business community and has a long history of service to community boards.  He currently serves on the boards of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the United Way of the National Capital Region.  He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine, Business Person of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Greater Washington’s Regional Leadership Award in recognition of his efforts to bring the region together.

Julie Rogers for the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

Julie L. Rogers
President & CEO
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
————————————————————————————————-

Julie leads The Meyer Foundation, an organization nationally recognized for its programs that strengthen the leadership and management of its grantees and for a deep commitment to strengthening philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

A leader in national and regional philanthropy, Julie works to find innovative and collaborative ways to support The Meyer Foundation’s grantees and meet community needs.  She founded the Washington AIDS Partnership and was the founding chair of Washington Grantmakers.

Before joining The Meyer Foundation in 1986, Julie served as staff director of the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on Human Services and taught in the Montgomery County public school system.

SonalShah

Sonal Shah
Former Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of the White House Office on Social Innovation and Civic Participation
————————————————————————————————-

Sonal recently stepped down from her position as deputy assistant to the President and director of the White House Office on Social Innovation and Civic Participation.  She also served on President Obama’s transition team overseeing the Technology, Innovation, Government Reform working group.

Before joining the White House, Sonal led Google’s global development initiatives for its philanthropy initiative Google.org.  Prior to Google, she served as vice president at Goldman Sachs, Inc., where she developed and implemented the firm’s environmental strategy.  At the same time, she co-founded a nonprofit, Indicorps, which offers fellowships for Indian-Americans to work on development projects in India.

BarbaraforWeb Barbara Strom Thompson
Strategic Planning Task Force

Child Development Specialist
————————————————————————————————-

Barbara is in private practice in the greater Washington area.  She has broad experience in the child advocacy, early childhood and parent education fields.  For the last 20 years, she has conducted work site seminars and consulted with parents and schools on children’s learning and behavior.  She is the founder and director of the Parent Encouragement Program’s Friendship Camp, which promotes leadership and social skills.

Barbara has served on boards and parents associations from the preschool to upper school levels.  She is also a founding member of the Ohio University Women in Philanthropy Initiative.

Her involvement with The Women’s Foundation has included memberships in the Rainmakers Giving Circle and the Washington 100 leadership network.