FONZ Board of Directors

Andrew M. Shore, President of the Board of Directors
Andrew M. Shore, the current President of the FONZ Board of Directors, is a founding partner of Jochum Shore & Trossevin PC, a government relations and law firm in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was a partner at Mayer Brown LLP. He was formerly the Chief of Staff for the one of the Congressional Leadership offices in the US House of Representatives.  He has served as an advisor to several senior Members of Congress.  Mr. Shore was also the founder and publisher of HillZoo.com website.

Mr. Shore earned his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Kansas and his J.D. at the George Mason University School of Law.  He has been listed as one of the top 50 Congressional staffers by Roll Call, and, in 2004 and 2005, was one of “The Hill’s Top 35 Under 35 Staffers” by The Hill newspaper.  He is currently a National Journal “Insider” and has appeared on Fox Business and CNBC to discuss political issues of the day. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Evidence Based Medicine and received the “Public Policy Award” from the Hemophilia Foundation in 1997.

Mr. Shore, his wife Cindi and their two children live in Arlington, Virginia.

Karen Silberman, Vice President of the Board of Directors
Karen Silberman is the Executive Director of the Federal Bar Association (FBA). The FBA is a 16,000 member organization dedicated to the advancement of the science of jurisprudence and to promoting the welfare, interests, education, and professional development of all attorneys involved in federal law. Prior to her work with the FBA, Karen served for seven years as the Executive Director of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of SHRM and was established to advance and support the human resource profession by funding original research, innovative educational products and scholarships.

Karen has also served as executive director of the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA), an advocacy organization. NCPPA members include the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, Nike, the American College of Sports Medicine and the International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association.

Previous to NCPPA, Karen worked at the Association Management Group where she served as executive director and chief operating officer for several national and local trade and professional associations. Karen has also worked at the Points of Light Foundation and the American Heart Association.

A Washington, D.C., native, Karen earned her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree in public affairs from Indiana University. In 2005, she became a certified association executive (CAE). Karen also serves on the board of the Association Foundation Group.

Sheila D. Stinson
Sheila D. Stinson is a Family Wealth Advisor with GenSpring Family Offices, where she is team leader in the delivery of wealth management services. Her responsibilities include oversight of investment advisory and asset management services, tax and estate planning issues, philanthropic endeavors, family governance matters, and management of special projects. Previously, from 1987 to 2003, she served in various positions at Bank of America and predecessor banks, most recently as Private Client Manager with the Private Bank of Bank of America.

Ms. Stinson is a member of the Financial Planning Association of the Washington Capital Region. She is Parliamentarian of the Board of Directors of the Junior League of Washington (JLW), and previously served in various JLW leadership positions including Treasurer and Vice Treasurer of the Board of Directors. She also served on the Finance Committee of Bright Beginning.

Ms. Stinson earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Florida State University, a master’s degree in Business Administration from The George Washington University, and is a Certified Financial Planner. A resident of Washington, D.C., Ms. Stinson has a lifelong interest in animals and their habitats.

Bryan Sivak, Treasurer
Bryan Sivak was appointed by former D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in October 2009 to the Cabinet post of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the District of Columbia. As CTO, Mr. Sivak leads the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), an organization of more than 500 employeesthat provides technology services and leadership for 86 agencies, 38,000 employees, residents, businesses, and millions of visitors.

Mr. Sivak has more than 15 years of international experience in building software and internet technologies and organizations. In 2002, he founded and developed InQuira, Inc., a multi-national technology solutions company, whose products are used at top private and public sector organizations, including Bank of America, UK Ministry of Defence, Nokia, and T-Mobile. During his tenure, he oversaw every aspect of the business from design and development of the product to sales, marketing, and management activities relating to the overall execution of InQuira's business plan and growth of the company. In 2005, he moved to London and opened the European office of the company, which he grew from zero to 30 percent of the company’s revenue in four years.

Prior to his work with InQira, Mr. Sivak founded Electric Knowledge LLC, which provided the world’s first Natural Language Search engine available on the web. The company’s customers included Bank of America and Fidelity Investments among others. Electric Knowledge eventually merged with Answerfriend, which was the basis for the formation of InQuira.

Mr. Sivak holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Chicago.

Sheila D. Walcoff, Secretary
Sheila D. Walcoff, J.D., is a health and science attorney and the founding principal of Goldbug Strategies LLC, a boutique consulting firm offering business strategy, federal legislative and regulatory advocacy, and legal counsel related to genomics and personalized medicine, laboratory developed diagnostic tests, companion diagnostics/therapeutics, medical devices, biologicals and other FDA regulated medical products. Previously, she was a partner in the health law and FDA/personalized medicine practice of international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP. Her senior executive government service includes counselor for science and public health policy to US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and associate commissioner for external affairs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Ms. Walcoff serves as the Vice Chair of the Food & Drug Law Institute (FDLI) Policy Forum Editorial Advisory Board, is a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI) Strategy and Policy Council, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Personalized Medicine in Oncology. She is a frequent speaker on FDA regulation, legislation and policy issues related to genomics and personalized medicine, laboratory companion diagnostics, biological/biosimilars and other medical products. She is quoted in trade and national media, has co-authored an article on evidentiary standards for comparative effectiveness research for Health Affairs, authored a book chapter on recent developments in FDA law and policy, and appeared as a guest on the TV morning show, BioCenutry ThisWeek.

Outside of her health law and policy practice, Ms. Walcoff is an entrepreneur and co-owns several veterinary hospitals. She has substantial experience in veterinary hospital development and financing, facility design and construction, hospital operations, management and marketing. Ms. Walcoff earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993 and resides in Maryland with her husband, Dr. Jeff Walcoff, their two young sons and two Labradors.

Ann H. Bissell
Ann H. Bissell is the owner and principal of Associated Designers. The firm, which she established in 1978, specializes in lighting design and residential construction project management. Projects have included Marriott Hotels and Eastbanc Condominiums, as well as countless residences, churches, schools, and law firms in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country. Prior to founding the firm, Ms. Bissell was the registrar of the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, and managed the Fendrick Gallery in Georgetown while completing graduate studies in art history at Yale University.

A native Washingtonian, Ms. Bissell attended Sidwell Friends School. She has served on the Alumni Board of Sidwell Friends, and was display chairman of the Sidwell Auction for 20 years. She received a B.A. in history and government from St. Lawrence University. She is currently on the finance and property committees of St. Albans Parish, where she has been a parishioner since childhood.

Ms. Bissell expresses her interest in the National Zoo and animal conservation by volunteering in the Elephant House three days a week and by traveling to Asia to work on projects involving both Asian elephants and clouded leopards. In addition, she serves on the planning committee of the ZooFari auction. Other interests include cycling, hiking, art, music, and photography.

Michael Caplin
Michael Caplin is an attorney specializing in social entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. As chief executive of Turtle Island Group, he provides strategic counsel to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. He is President of the Board of the New York Center for Children, and Chairman of the Board of the Phoenix Project Social Innovation Program at GMU and a member of that organization’s faculty, teaching nonprofit strategic planning. Mr. Caplin is also a Member of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Commission, appointed by the President in 2010.

Mr. Caplin previously served as founding Director of East Coast Operations for Childhelp USA, a $20 million national nonprofit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. For his work on behalf of children in crisis he received the Northern Virginia Leadership Award, the Governor’s Commendation for Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth, and a Certificate of Excellence from the Virginia Department of Social Services.

Mr. Caplin is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the University of Virginia School of Law, Georgetown University Law School, and Georgetown University Public Policy Institute.  His career includes service as a public defender; a clinical instructor at Georgetown University Law School; Special Trial Attorney in the Criminal Section of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; entertainment law counsel to jazz and pop artists, classical musicians, dancers and variety artists; founding Executive Director of the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C.; and manager of the lectures and seminars division of the Smithsonian Institution Resident Associates Program.  He is a member of the bar associations and admitted to practice law in New York, Virginia and the District of Columbia. He is also a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, a husband and the father of three great children who all love the Zoo!

Stacy Cavanagh
Stacy Cavanagh joined the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of the Under Secretary for Science in 2005. She is the current Senior Executive Officer in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science. Stacy serves as the principal advisor and assistant to the Under Secretary for Science on financial, administrative and management policies and issues relating to the management of the Institution’s science units. Stacy’s prior positions in the office include Program and Management Specialist, and Administrative Officer.

Prior to her arrival at the Smithsonian Institution, Stacy worked overseas for the United States Peace Corps. As the Associate Director for Administration, Stacy managed a myriad of operational duties in Slovakia, Georgia, and Bulgaria. Stacy also served domestically as the Russia/Armenia Country Desk Officer for the Peace Corps. She served as a rural community development Peace Corps Volunteer in Bembereke, Benin, West Africa.

Stacy received her undergraduate degree in human services administration and Spanish from the George Washington University. She is the single mother of a nine-year-old boy, Gabriel.

Thor C. Cheston
Thor C. Cheston is the General Manager of the restaurant Brasserie Beck located in downtown Washington, D.C. He is also a managing partner of Mussel Bar, located in Bethesda, Maryland. He has been at Brasserie Beck since 2007, after relocating from Philadelphia.

Mr. Cheston earned a B.A. in history from Georgetown University in 2001, where he was president of the It’s for the Kids project of the Global AIDS Fund at Georgetown University Hospital. The project raised more than $70,000 for local AIDS charities. He then completed the Post-baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program at Georgetown University in 2004, before following his passion for restaurants. Mr. Cheston has become a leader in the restaurant industry through his promotion and elevation of beer in a fine dining environment. His efforts were honored in Brussels in 2009, when he was inducted into the Knighthood of the Brewers’ Mashstaff of the Belgian Brewers’ Guild.

While at Brasserie Beck, Mr. Cheston has been a strong supporter of the National Zoo by participating in ZooFari and Brew at the Zoo, as well as arranging for in-kind donations for the Young Professionals night at ZooLights. He hopes to contribute to FONZ and the National Zoo by utilizing his skills in the hospitality industry to improve the overall experience of guests while visiting the Zoo, and to help organize and increase awareness of the Zoo’s fundraising efforts among Washington area restaurant professionals.

Mr. Cheston lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Leah.

Enoh T. Ebong
Enoh T. Ebong joined the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) in 2004, where she serves as an Assistant General Counsel. Ms. Ebong addresses legal issues associated with USTDA’s program development in Africa and the Middle East, and provides advice on matters affecting the operation of USTDA. Ms. Ebong served as the Acting Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa from May 2007 until February 2008.

Prior to joining USTDA, Ms. Ebong was an associate in the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., practicing in the area of business and finance. Her practice included the representation of public and private companies, with an emphasis on financing transactions for both start-ups and established companies, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance issues.

Having grown up in Nigeria and England, Ms. Ebong came to the United States for her graduate education and now resides in Cleveland Park. As a near neighbor of the National Zoo, she enjoys first-hand all that the Zoo has to offer, and recognizes the importance of the Zoo to the local community. Ms. Ebong also volunteers with The Reading Connection, an organization dedicated to bringing books and a lifelong love of reading to children in housing crisis.

Ms. Ebong received her undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh, and her Master of Arts in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

David F. Grimaldi
David F. Grimaldi is Chief of Staff to Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn at the Federal Communications Commission. In that role, he advises the commissioner on all aspects of the FCC’s regulatory authority, including wireless, media, enforcement, and wireline issues/rulemakings.

Previously, Mr. Grimaldi was Senior Counsel to U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, serving as an advisor to the Whip on a number of different issue areas, including foreign affairs, financial industry matters, and technology and telecommunications. He also participated in weekly planning and strategy meetings involving the Democratic Congressional Leadership and senior staff.

Mr. Grimaldi has also been a Principal at The Raben Group, a leading Washington lobbying firm, where he advised clients on issues relating to intellectual property, finance, and technology. Prior to that, he served as Legislative Counsel to Representative Ed Towns (NY-10), a senior member of the House Government Reform Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee. During his time as a Congressional aide, Mr. Grimaldi participated in delegations to the Middle East, Africa, Cuba, Europe, and China. Additionally, he was a member of the Obama/Biden Congressional Relations team at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, assisting with Congressional Member Services operations. He also served on the voter protection legal team for the Obama/Biden campaign and participated in primary election outreach for Obama/Biden in Delaware, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Grimaldi earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, followed by law school at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. During law school, he worked in the chambers of Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and as a law clerk for the Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Grimaldi has also taught a course in legislative strategy and was a frequent commentator on a political news program. He is a Washington, D.C., native and currently lives in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood.

David B. Harrison
David B. Harrison, CPA, is a partner with Deloitte and Touche LLP (Deloitte & Touche), the Audit and Enterpise Risk Services (ERS) function specific subsidiary of Deloitte LLP; a leading global professional services firm. Mr. Harrison is based in Mclean, Virginia, and provides leadership toward aligning the efforts and goals of more than 120 risk advisory ERS professionals in Greater Washington with the national and regional goals of the ERS practice. His areas of focus and specialization include Finance Operations and Controls transformation and internal audit transformation services primarily in the Financial Services—Banking Industry.

Mr. Harrison also leads the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) talent acquisition component of the Deloitte U.S. firm’s D&I strategy. His responsibilities include developing tactics and key performance measures to drive the achievement of the short and long-term D&I recruitment goals for the Deloitte US firm, reporting to the Chief Diversity and Inclusion officer. In addition, he also champions other important strategic initiatives for the firm.

Prior to joining Deloitte & Touche, Mr. Harrison was a shareholder and Chief Consulting Officer with Cornerstone Business Solutions, LLC, a firm that provided end-to-end finance and accounting outsourcing and business process transformation services. Mr. Harrison was also a Principal at Arthur Andersen and was instrumental in launching Arthur Andersen’s finance and accounting outsourcing practice. He later served as the Director of Technology Strategy & Process for the Americas and was responsible for aligning, monitoring and measuring the activities of over 700 technology professionals with the business objectives of Arthur Andersen in North and Latin America.

Mr. Harrison is a proud graduate of Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City and maintains active CPA licenses in the states of New York, Florida, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. He is a lifetime member of the National Association of Black Accountants and has served as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Board of Examiners, which is responsible for the strategy and execution of the national CPA exam, and the AICPA’s Minority Initiatives Committee.

Walter F. Jones, Ph.D., Visitor Experience Committee Chair
Dr. Walter F. Jones is the Executive Director of the Office of Naval Research (ONR). As the senior civilian manager at ONR, he provides executive, technical, and scientific direction for all Navy and Marine Corps science and technology programs. ONR invests over $3 billion each year in a wide variety of disciplines, including oceanography, information, materials, aerospace systems, and human performance.

Dr. Jones has held a wide variety of positions in government and academia. Dr. Jones most recently was Director of Plans and Programs for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), where he was responsible for the processes that defined AFRL’s $3-billion annual technology investment. He has also served as Director, Aerospace and Materials Sciences at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and as Senior Program Analyst with the Office of the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence for Community Management. He has held several other positions with the Air Force, including Deputy for Research Sciences with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), and Deputy for Science and Technology with the Office of the National Security Space Architect. In addition, Dr. Jones has held faculty positions at the University of Florida, University of Tennessee, and Clemson University.

Active in international programs, Dr. Jones is a member of the NATO Research and Technology Board, which oversees all NATO science and technology programs. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. and M.S. in engineering mechanics and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Clemson University. He also has an M.S. in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a Certificate in Legislative Studies from the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University.

Maureen Lemire
Maureen Lemire is Vice President of Development with Earth Touch, a wildlife multi-media company. She focuses on television production and bringing the natural world to viewers around the globe. Her most recent work was producing 31 hours on sharks and marine exploration for the National Geographic Channel.

She was an Executive Producer at Discovery Channel for 13 years, where she focused on International Co-Productions and Specials and worked on award-winning projects including “Planet Earth”, “Blue Planet”, and “Wild Discovery.” Ms. Lemire has successfully overseen hundreds of hours of primetime production specializing in the genres of natural history, expeditions and science, and has had the pleasure of working with wildlife filmmakers around the world.

Ms. Lemire began her documentary career with the BBC as a researcher in their Anthropology Unit on a series on the Maasai. She then spent a decade running the gamut of production work including directing, writing and editing. She is a graduate of the National Film and Television School in the UK and has an M.A. in anthropology from San Francisco State University and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara. She lives in Bethesda with her husband, Bernie, and the wonderful wildlife that frequents their feeders.

Carin Rosenberg Levine
Carin Rosenberg Levine is the co-creator and owner of Hitched and Hitched Maids, DC’s “go to” bridal spot for all things weddings.  Since opening in 2005, Hitched has received tremendous recognition in the DC area, quickly becoming popular with area brides and bridesmaids, as well as with the vendors in the wedding community. Hitched is regularly featured in media including the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, WJLA-TV (ABC), WTTG-TV (Fox), as well as Martha Stewart Weddings. Hitched has received numerous local awards for best bridal shop and remains dedicated to maintain their strong reputation a customer service leader in the DC market place.

Before Hitched, Ms. Levine ran her own firm which consulted with foundations and non-profit organizations.  She worked with a range of organizations, (including Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Embassy Series, and Sarah Lawrence College) developing strategic plans, fundraising through grant writing, and developing ways to self-fund by creating revenue generating businesses.

Prior to consulting, Ms. Levine managed the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in New York City for the Entertainment Industry Foundation.  Attracting over 40,000 participants, it is one of the largest fundraisers for women’s cancers in the country.

Ms. Levine earned her MBA from Yale University and her BS from Northwestern University.  A DC native, she lives with her husband (Jason), four year old daughter (Leia) and one year old son (Gabriel) in Bethesda, MD.  The Levines are frequent zoo goers, and especially look forward to the Guppy Gala and Boo at the Zoo events.  Leia enjoys taking classes at the Zoo while Gabriel is still working on getting over his fear of seeing the apes so up close!

Timothy P. Lynch
Timothy P. Lynch is the Senior Director of the Washington Government Relations and Public Policy practice for the law firm Morgan Lewis. In this position, Mr. Lynch advises firm clients on a wide range of government relations challenges in both the legislative and regulatory arenas. Working with attorneys from all of the Morgan Lewis practice groups, Mr. Lynch helps develop and coordinate strategies that will assist firm clients to anticipate and respond to changes in public policy. Prior to joining Morgan Lewis in 2010, Mr. Lynch was the Senior Vice President for Government Relations for the American Trucking Associations. In that capacity, Mr. Lynch was responsible for directing the Capitol Hill operations of the association, including its lobbying, grassroots and PAC programs.

Mr. Lynch was the former President of the Motor Freight Carriers Association, an organization that represented the interests of trucking companies that were signators to the national freight contract with the Teamsters union. Prior to that, Mr. Lynch spent five years a a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate, working for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. His responsibilities included working with the U.S. Olympic Committee on issues affecting amateur sports.

Mr. Lynch is a long-term resident of the Washington, DC metropolitan area and earned his B.A. and M.B.A.. degrees at the University of Maryland. He has over ten years of volunteer experience with Montgomery Soccer, Inc. and Bethesda Chevy Chase Baseball Inc. He also is a Board member of the U. S. Capitol Historic Society where he is a member of the 50th Anniversary Committee. He is married with two college-age children. Mr. Lynch is a regular hiker in Rock Creek Park and can be seen most mornings with his three labs exploring new trails.

Vicky Marchand
Vicky Marchand works as a consultant with an emphasis on early childhood policy and practice and community change initiatives.  She has worked with The Finance Project, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and Ready By 21 to contribute to the development of resources and initiatives that increase the effectiveness of efforts to improve outcomes for families and children at the community level.

Formerly a Senior Associate for the Pathways Mapping Initiative, Ms. Marchand co-authored several publications, including the Pathway to the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, a cross-disciplinary, knowledge framework about what works to impact seemly intractable challenges.  She was selected as a 2005 Leadership Development Initiative Fellow of Zero To Three, a national organization dedicated to advancing the health development of babies and young children.

Ms. Marchand graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Human Biology.  She earned her master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health from Boston University. Selected as a Presidential Management Intern, she worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families in the Boston and Chicago Regional Offices and at the Head Start Bureau in Washington, D.C. 

Ms. Marchand is a Board Member of Woodley House, Inc., and has volunteered with many organizations, including the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, Georgetown Day School, and the Families and Children Together Hotline. A native of Washington, DC, she has long enjoyed exploring the National Zoo, now with her husband, Greg, and three young sons.

John Piper
John Piper is a founding member of the Piper McMillan Group of Wells Fargo Financial Advisors. He is a 401k Professional Plan Consultant (PPC). Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Mr. Piper was an Institutional Fixed Income Trader/Core Cash Management Specialist for UBS Financial Services. He has been a NASD Registered Representative since 1989, obtaining his Series 7, 63, 65, and 3 licenses. Mr. Piper is a 1988 graduate of Lynchburg College with a B.A. in economics. He was recognized as a member of "The Outstanding College Students of America," and served on the College’s Alumni Board from 2002 to 2007. He continued his graduate studies in economics at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Currently, he serves as a Special Advisor to the President of the American Sportscasters Association and is a Director for European Technology International (ETI ).

Mr. Piper is the Deputy Commander of the Good Samaritans Memorial Regiment. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Defense Foundation and the Good Samaritans of the Knights Templar. He coaches youth basketball and flag football in Arlington, Virginia.

From the age of 11, Mr. Piper grew up on the family farm in northern Fauquier County, Virginia, just a few miles from the Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center (CRC), and from a young age he has been fascinated with the CRC’s history and activities. He currently resides in Arlington with his wife and two children.

Melissa Rentz
Melissa Rentz returned to the Washington, DC area in 2010 as Vice President of Marketing for the Washington Wizards & Washington Mystics.   She oversees marketing, communications and community relations for Washington’s NBA and WNBA teams.   She has taken a lead role in launching the new red, white and blue look for both the Wizards & Mystics, now under the ownership of Monumental Sports & Entertainment.  Prior to her role with the Wizards & Mystics she worked with the NFL’s Houston Texans as their Director of Marketing and Executive Director of the Houston Texans Foundation.  Her career in sports started with the Washington Capitals in 1999.  In 2004 she began to work with the American Dairy Association and the NFL on a nutrition and fitness campaign throughout the NFL teams.

A native of Winchester, Virginia, Ms. Rentz has valued the many school and family trips to the zoo.  She graduated from George Mason University in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and currently resides in Arlington, VA.

John F. Ring
John F. Ring is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. His practice focuses on advising clients in connection with strategic business planning, with a particular emphasis on the negotiation and administration of labor contracts, multi-employer benefit funds, and corporate restructurings. He represents management interests in collective bargaining, employee benefits, litigation, counseling, and litigation avoidance strategies.

Mr. Ring has extensive experience in the negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements, most notably the multi-employer agreement in the trucking industry. He has served as a member of the national negotiating team for the National Master Freight Agreement, and he has been involved in other negotiations in a variety of industries. He has represented clients in numerous proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board.

In addition, Mr. Ring serves as counsel to several multi-employer benefit funds, and has extensive experience with pension and health and welfare fund administration in the trucking industry. Mr. Ring also has experience in labor and employment litigation, in both federal and state courts and in arbitrations under collective bargaining agreements and private alternative dispute resolution.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Ring serves as pro-bono counsel to the Washington Jesuit Academy, and has been active in supporting the establishment of this tuition-free Jesuit elementary school for low-income boys. He serves on several committees at Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown . Mr. Ring earned his B.A. and J.D. degrees at Catholic University of America. He and his wife, Betsy, live in Bethesda, Maryland, with their three children.

Mark D. Rothman
Until its sale in April 2002, Mark D. Rothman owned and operated The MYTA Corporation, one of the largest IT staffing firms in the Washington, D.C., area. After graduating with an engineering degree from Ohio State University in 1984, Mr. Rothman moved to D.C. to pursue the area’s many technology opportunities. Over the next eight years, he worked as a software engineer for IBM and as a software contractor for MCI. While at IBM, he helped design and implement system upgrades for the FAA’s air traffic control system. At MCI, Mr. Rothman worked on several projects pertaining to the company’s growing network management system.

While a contractor at MCI, Mr. Rothman saw the need for qualified IT specialists in the D.C. region and decided to start his own consulting company. In 1992, he landed his first contract, a three month assignment at Fannie Mae. Over the next ten years, the MYTA Corporation assisted some of the region’s largest companies, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Verizon, the World Bank, Lockheed Martin, Cable & Wireless, AT&T, and the Discovery Channel. At its sale, MYTA’s revenues were more than $25 million, with a growth rate averaging more than 100 percent per year. MYTA ranked as one of the region’s top ten IT staffing firms by the Washington Business Journal, and in 1998, Mr. Rothman was named a Maryland Small Business All Star, and in 2000, was named Washington, D.C.’s Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young.

Currently, Mr. Rothman remains an active member of the area business community, serving on the boards of several private companies. He also works with numerous philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, including The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, the Education Committee of Friends of the National Zoo, and many others.

Anne W. Salladin
Anne W. Salladin is Senior Counsel (International Affairs) in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she advises senior policymakers on international monetary and economic affairs, including sovereign debt restructuring, financial crises (Mexico and Asia) involving intergovernmental negotiations, reform of the international financial architecture, and national security reviews of acquisitions of U.S. companies before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Before joining the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 1994, Ms. Salladin was with the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City, where she advised clients in the United States and Asia on financial matters.

Ms. Salladin earned her B.A. from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1979, where she majored in American civilization and art history with a minor in Asian studies. After living in Japan after college, Ms. Salladin returned to the United States and joined the Japanese Consulate in New York City, where she was a public relations analyst. Soon after, she joined Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York as a corporate officer responsible for relationships with major Japanese financial institutions. In the mid-'80s, Ms. Salladin returned to graduate school and earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1988, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Journal of International Law. She has been a guest lecturer in international law at the Georgetown University Law Center, and currently serves on the boards of the Washington Foreign Law Society and the Friends of the Law Library of Congress.

Raised in northern California, Ms. Salladin resides with her daughter in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where, together, they spend as much time as possible in Rock Creek Park. She also enjoys museums, photography, skiing, hiking, and, occasionally, international travel.

Karen Silberman, Oversight and Nominating Committee Chair
Karen Silberman is the Executive Director of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation; she has been with the SHRM Foundation for five years. The SHRM Foundation was established to advance and support the human resource profession by funding original research, innovative educational products and scholarships. Ms. Silberman's responsibilities include growing the endowment, managing a comprehensive grant program, overseeing an annual scholarship program, building and maintaining strategic relationships, defining a national role for the Foundation and leveraging the organization's resources to advance the human resource profession.

Prior to the SHRM Foundation, Ms. Silberman served as executive director of the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA), an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Previously, she worked at the Association Management Group where she served as executive director and chief operating officer for several national and local associations. She has also worked at the Points of Light Foundation and the American Heart Association.

A Washington, D.C., native, Ms. Silberman earned her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree in public affairs from Indiana University. She also serves on the Alexandria, Virginia, Consumer Affairs Commission.

James C. Weinberg
James C. Weinberg has been a Vice President in Booz Allen Hamilton's information systems group for 15 years and is a member of the leadership team for the Information Technology practice. At Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Weinberg focuses on strategic transformation programs and building I/T-enabled capabilities for automotive, aerospace, and industrial clients. Mr. Weinberg has been responsible for consulting assignments that involve business transformation, information technology and operations effectiveness improvement, enterprise resilience and security, innovation capability improvement, and supply chain restructuring and systems implementation.

Mr. Weinberg earned a B.S. in business from Southern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He has been a consultant to Fortune 500 companies for more than 30 years and before joining Booz Allen Hamilton was a partner with KPMG.

Mr. Weinberg recently relocated to Booz Allen Hamilton’s McLean, Virginia, office from Chicago, where he lived for more than 30 years. He and his wife, Christine, are updating a 100-year-old rowhouse in Washington, D.C.’s Mount Pleasant community. Christine and Jim enjoy sailing, traveling, and biking. His previous volunteer activities include serving on the Technology Committee of Barrington Public Schools in Chicago, on the Corporate Coordination Committee of Rebuilding America, and as the Booz Allen Hamilton Coordinator of the Lincoln Park Zoo Ball.

Dennis W. Kelly (Ex Officio)
Dennis W. Kelly is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a 163-acre public zoo in Washington, DC and the 3,200-acre Smithsonian Conservation and Biology Institute (SCBI), in Front Royal, Virginia. Kelly is responsible for the operations of the zoo and manages its research programs, including groundbreaking work by Zoo scientists in conservation biology. He also oversees the fundraising and education programs coordinated by its nonprofit membership organization, Friends of the National Zoo.

Prior, Kelly was president of Zoo Atlanta, where he is credited with revamping the scientific and animal welfare programs while raising more than $40 million in public and private funds during his six-year tenure.

Kelly has held key executive positions for such renowned companies as Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company and Green Mountain Energy Company. Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.