Board of Trustees

Deborah "Debbie" E. Bowles is an award-winning financial advisor, who recently retired from Wells Fargo after a 36-year career helping her clients achieve their financial goals. Debbie has been a resident of Washington, DC, since 1981.

She began her money management career as a financial advisor with Prudential Securities in 1987, and following a series of mergers, became part of the Wells Fargo team in 2008. During her career, Debbie took the full planning approach with her clients. She earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 2002 and also was an Accredited Domestic Partner Advisor.

Debbie was recognized in the Forbes Magazine’s “Best in State” rankings, and while with Wells Fargo, she ranked in the top 4 percent of her top-tier Wells Fargo peer group.

Debbie is a native of Jacksonville, FL, where both sides of her family had lived for several generations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Auburn University in Auburn, AL. She later earned a Master of Business Administration and international finance from American University in Washington, DC.

Debbie is known for her cooking and lively dinner parties, her love of gardening, and her inability to say no to any travel invitation. And she has always been known for her passion for theater. She served on the board of directors for the United States National Arboretum for several years, and also served as the arboretum’s treasurer and chair of their annual “Cookout Under the Stars.” In Provincetown, MA, she served for several years on the board of trustees of the Tennessee Williams Festival, and as both their dinner chair and treasurer.

Debbie is married to Derik Burgess of Provincetown, MA. They maintain two residences, one in DC and one in Provincetown. Their pet cat, Greyson, resides in Provincetown.

Jeffrey M. Busch is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Global Medical REIT, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed company, trading under the ticker symbol GMRE. Founded by Mr. Busch in 2014, GMRE specializes in acquiring medical real estate in the United States and currently has over $1 billion of assets under management. His work with GMRE is the latest of his ventures that combines healthcare, leadership, and innovation.

Mr. Busch has had a distinguished career in public service, which included serving in senior positions in several presidential administrations, as well as serving as a Chief of Staff to a United States Congressman. As a government official, Mr. Busch oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development programs.  As part of the United States diplomatic corps, Mr. Busch represented the United States before the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Busch also serves as the Chairman of Safe Blood International Foundation. He founded Safe Blood for Africa Foundation in 1999 due to the lack of focus on blood safety in the fight against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Having served as a top advisor to several medical companies and having worked in the blood supply and management field, Mr. Busch used the combination of diplomatic skills, entrepreneurial expertise, and management skills in blood services to support the establishment of blood services in more than 25 countries and attracted governmental, corporate, and non-governmental funding in excess of $1 billion for the purpose of improving the safety and availability of blood in the developing world.

Mr. Busch has had a successful career in the private sector. He is the founder of a chain of FM radio stations and founder of a successful real estate development firm. He has served on the Board of Directors of several public companies, as well as an investment banking house.

Stemming from his successful career as an investment banker, Mr. Busch possesses substantial finance expertise. He has built and underwritten companies from a wide array of sectors and is a skilled business developer and financier.

Mr. Busch has a Bachelors of Science in Business Management from New York University, a Masters of Public Administration from New York University, and a Juris Doctorate from Emory University School of Law.

Anthony Coley is a NBC News on-air political analyst, former Head of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice, and Founding Partner of Corner Office Strategies.

As a trusted adviser to Cabinet secretaries, senators, and CEOs, Anthony has shaped public opinion and communications on some of our nation’s most significant debates and challenges.

During the first two years of the Biden Administration, Anthony led public affairs at the U.S. Justice Department and served as Attorney General Merrick Garland’s chief spokesman. At the end of Anthony’s tenure, Attorney General Garland presented him with the Edmund J. Randolph Award – the Department’s highest honor. In the Obama Administration, Anthony served as Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary for Public Affairs, closely collaborating with President Obama's economic team on issues related to the debt limit, capital markets, banks, and non-bank financial institutions.

Anthony has also led communications for prominent democrats across the political spectrum – from liberal lion Ted Kennedy to southern conservative Zell Miller, and moderate democrat Harold Ford to pragmatic progressive Jon Corzine. Earlier in his career, Anthony worked on the communications staff of two presidential campaigns, Gore-Lieberman 2000 and Kerry-Edwards 2004.

In the private sector, Anthony was Executive Vice President, Communications, at Managed Funds Association, the trade association for the alternative investment industry. He has also worked at the Brunswick Group, where he advised Fortune 500 companies and other high-profile clients. Currently, Anthony is an on-air analyst at NBC News, CNBC, and MSNBC, and founding partner of boutique public affairs firm Corner Office Strategies. He received a BA in Business Administration from Morehouse College and a MA in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University.

As a senior vice president and a market leader for the PNC Private BankSM, Celandra oversees a team of professionals striving to achieve the highest level of client satisfaction. Her top priority is that the team not only meets, but also exceeds, the client's expectations. Through Celandra's leadership and commitment, she helps ensure that the client benefits from a full complement of investment, trust, financial planning and private banking services to help them achieve their financial goals.

Prior to joining PNC Wealth Management, Celandra served as a Senior Manager of Advice Services for a financial planning group within a large mutual fund company. She played a significant role in impacting the breadth of financial planning services delivered to high net worth clients. Celandra had also served in several client facing wealth management, leadership, and project management roles.

Celandra graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and with a Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Celandra holds the Certified Financial PlannerTM designation. Celandra is an active member of the community through the Financial Planning Association and the National Black MBA Association. She is also a member of the Wharton Club of DC, Penn Alumni Club, and the Chicago Booth Alumni Club of DC.

Born in Vernon, British Columbia, a village next to the Rocky Mountains (three years before Arena had its first performance in 1950), Edgar Dobie is one of five brothers raised by his Dad Edgar, a mechanic and small businessman, and Mom Connie, a telephone operator and union organizer. Edgar is the only Dobie to make a career in theater. Luckily for him, drama was an arts elective that he was offered at the tender age of 12, so he hung up his hockey skates and joined the drama class, led by teacher Paddy Malcolm and her fledgling Powerhouse Community Theater after school. By the time he graduated from high school, Edgar and fellow volunteers had built themselves a 200-seat fully equipped theater on its own piece of land in the center of town and found a sell-out audience for the full season of plays they had on offer. That experience taught him so many lessons about the power of theater to foster collaboration and share meaningful stories, as well as the public values that attach themselves to building a safe place where everyone is welcome. All those lessons served Edgar well as a managing leader and producer both sides of the border and both sides of the commercial and non-profit theater divide. Arriving at Arena Stage in 2009 makes him feel like he is well-equipped for the best job in the world.

Kristen Donoghue is Senior Vice President of Capital One Financial Services Previously, she was a Managing Vice President at Capital One where she led Compliance for the Retail Bank, Enterprise Services, and Privacy across all of Capital One's businesses and operations. Kristen joined Capital One in 2019 after more than eight years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). While at the CFPB, Kristen served as part of the implementation team that established and built the Office of Enforcement. She thereafter held a number of different roles in the office, including serving as the Bureau’s Enforcement Director where she led a team of more than 140 lawyers and staff charged with enforcing federal consumer financial law.

Before joining the Bureau, Kristen was a litigator at Hogan Lovells, a Practitioner-in-Residence at American University’s Washington College of Law, and a judicial clerk for Judge Fred Parker of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Kristen holds a JD, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School and a BA, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and two children. In addition to loving the theater, Kristen loves to read fiction (and is a member of two book clubs), and enjoys hiking, skiing, biking, and cooking with friends.

David’s interest in the dramatic arts can be traced to his first theater experience as a youngster when he attended an unforgettable performance by Art Carney in Harvey at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut near David’s hometown of Essex. Honing his theatrical skills in the high school drama club, he performed lead roles in, among other plays, The Monkey’s Paw, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and The Diary of Anne Frank.

From his auspicious start as a thespian, however, David’s career path veered off-course to engineering school—Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—from which he earned a degree in Management Engineering. David then received his J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Following a stint in the U.S. Army, David headed to Washington where he took a federal agency attorney position and made Arena’s southwest neighborhood his home, often enjoying Arena Stage productions. After a 30-year career with the Federal Government practicing environmental and tax law, David joined the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia where he currently serves as the Deputy Attorney General for the Commercial Division, putting his Master of Laws in Taxation degree from Georgetown University to good use in tax and real estate law.

Now, finally coming full circle, David is delighted to return to his first love, the theater, by joining Arena’s Board of Trustees. David and his wife, Patricia, a former arts administrator with the National Endowment for the Arts, live in the District.

Vicki J. Hicks has expertise in crisis management, political risk assessment, public policy advocacy, strategic partnerships and alliances, and political strategy and fundraising. She has served as the head of the Washington government affairs office for a large bank and has engaged in a federal government affairs practice at prominent Washington law and lobbying firms.  Her government relations practice has been focused on counseling clients from a wide array of agribusiness and commodity interests, technology companies, large state universities, and food and drug companies.

Before joining the private sector, Vicki previously served as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Clinton Administration, where she directed a staff of 400 employees and managed a multibillion-dollar operation as the Farm Service Agency’s Deputy Administrator, Commodity Operations. Prior to her appointment to USDA, Vicki was legislative assistant for agriculture, foreign affairs, and international trade for Senator Quentin Burdick (D-ND).

Vicki has served on the board of directors of the Business-Government Relations Council and the Public Affairs Council. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Arena Stage, a prominent Tony Award-winning regional theater in Washington, DC. Vicki received her BS in Political Science from Phillips University and her juris doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. 

Vicki resides in Washington, DC, and enjoys playing golf, attending theater, and visiting art museums during her many travels. As a native Oklahoman and graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Vicki is a dedicated supporter of the Sooners.

Alethia Jackson has been a leading health care lobbyist in Washington, DC for over 10 years. She is currently Senior Director of Federal Government Relations for Walgreen Co., where she serves as Head of Federal Advocacy.  During her tenure, Alethia has helped the company increase and maximize its advocacy presence in the nation’s capital. She oversees outreach initiatives to Members of Congress and stakeholders. In this position, Alethia develops strategies and programs to advance the Company’s policy priorities. In addition to managing the lobbying team, she oversees third party partnerships and corporate giving on the federal level.

Prior to joining Walgreens, Alethia was Vice President of Federal Affairs at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). In that capacity, she provided substantive, strategic, and political counsel to health insurance executives of Fortune 500 and not-for-profit companies and advocated on their behalf before Congress. Alethia helped provide substantive expertise on various provisions of the health care reform law. Prior to joining AHIP, Alethia served as Assistant Counsel for Health Policy with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), where she served as liaison for state insurance regulators with Members of Congress, federal agencies, and consumer advocacy groups. During her tenure at the NAIC, Alethia was responsible for monitoring and responding to federal legislative and regulatory proposals, as well as developing policy recommendations to address issues in state insurance markets.

A respected health care expert, Alethia is a frequently asked to speak at government relations and health care conferences. Her speaking engagements have included: Climbing the Hill: How to Accelerate Your Federal Government Relations Strategy, Public Affairs Council (June 2013) and Improving Health Care Quality, 6th Annual National Leadership Summit on Health Disparities, National Minority Quality Forum and the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust

Alethia sits on the Corporate Advisory Council for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. She is also a member of Calibr Global Leadership Network, a leadership and professional development group for mid-to-senior level corporate executives. Additionally, she sits on the Board of Directors of Running Start. Alethia also serves on the Board of Directors of the Women Under Forty Political Action Committee.

Alethia’s community involvement includes her work with the 12 Days of Christmas, Inc. Her involvement in the 12 Days of Christmas, Inc., includes helping the organization raise over $40,000 annually to assist local families in need with the purchase of back to school supplies, children’s clothes and Christmas gifts.

Alethia holds a BA in English from the University at Albany and a JD from Syracuse University College of Law. She has studied comparative health law and policy abroad in England, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Alethia is a member of the New York State and Washington, DC bar associations.

Raymond Janvier, JD, is CEPA® Senior Vice President, Senior Relationship Strategist at PNC Private Bank.

As a senior vice president and a senior relationship strategist, Raymond coordinates a team to assist you and your family in pursuing the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the important aspects of your financial life are thoughtfully orchestrated. Through a dynamic discovery process, Raymond is able to help build and maintain a thorough understanding of your needs and priorities. Helping you and your family with the successful achievement of your goals and aspirations is our primary focus. Raymond has the knowledge, experience, and desire to help bring about successful outcomes as your trusted advisor.

Raymond has over 16 years of experience in financial services and most recently served as a Principal and Senior Client Strategist at BNY Mellon. In his previous role for BNY Mellon Wealth Management, he served as a trusted and strategic advisor to ultra-high net worth families, business owners, and non-profit institutions.

Prior to joining BNY Mellon Wealth Management, he served as a Private Client Advisor and Senior Vice President at Bank of America Private Bank, where he was responsible for the acquisition of new clients.

Raymond graduated with a bachelor's degree from Mercy College and with a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Raymond holds the Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation. Raymond serves on the boards of the Washington Opera Society and The Howard County Estate Planning Council. Raymond speaks fluent French and Creole. In his free time, Raymond enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and is a jazz and opera enthusiast.

Daniel L. Korengold currently serves as President of Ourisman Automotive of Virginia in Alexandria. He is a graduate of Trinity College and has lived in the DMV community for over 60 years.

He is currently involved with various charities in the area including Mt. Vernon, Winterthur, the Decorative Arts Society, Blair House, Holton Arms School, Washington Antiques, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Nantucket Historical Association. Danny is past Chairman of Norwood School, the Washington Performing Arts Society and Washington Automobile Dealers Association. He also served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, the Chevy Chase Club, Landon School, Travelers Aid, National Child Research Center and Trinity College. He currently serves on the board of the Sconset Trust.

He enjoys golf, decorative arts, antiques, travel, and fitness and has raised four children with his wife, Martha.

David Martin advises companies, directors, financial professionals, investors, and other clients in corporate, corporate governance, securities regulation and transactional matters. His practice also includes enforcement cases before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, internal investigations and corporate compliance issues. David served seven years with the SEC, where he held a number of positions, including Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and special counsel to the Chairman. He is the immediate past chair of the Corporate Laws Committee of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section. Previously, he was on the boards of the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society, the Washington Chamber Symphony, and the Washington Revels.

Catherine Guttman-McCabe is a Partner with more than twenty years of experience in employment and education law. Her unique practice focuses on educational institutions, including colleges and universities, public and independent schools, associations, courseware developers, and service providers. In addition to employment matters, she provides advice and counseling related to federal and state education regulations, accreditation, distance education, governance, faculty tenure, student discipline, equal educational opportunity, campus security, privacy, student financial assistance, and consumer protection. She has a deep understanding of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Jeanne Clery Act, the Higher Education Act, and other federal, state, and local statutes concerning education.

Ms. Guttman-McCabe regularly advises organizations on personnel policies and practices, employee handbooks, compensation, worker classification, leave issues, background checks, performance management, employment agreements, equal employment opportunity, internal investigations, termination of employment, dispute resolution, and training. She helps clients comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and other federal, state and local statutes concerning employment.

In addition to providing advice and counseling, Ms. Guttman-McCabe conducts internal investigations, compliance reviews, and training. She represents clients before administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights, and the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education. She has authored public comments for state and federal agency rulemaking proceedings and represented clients in federal audits and reviews of educational institutions.

R. Lucia Riddle is the owner of Sister Strength, LLC, a fitness company devoted to the wellness, cardio/strength training, and physical conditioning needs of women 50 years of age and older. Ms. Riddle is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). She also holds NASM's Weight Loss Specialist (WLS) and Special Populations Specialist (SPS) certifications.

Until March 2012 she served as Vice President – Federal Government Relations with the Principal Financial Group. In that capacity she directed the federal legislative and regulatory strategy for issues affecting the company, ranging from health care to tax policy to financial services. Ms. Riddle holds an MBA from Drake University, is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI), and holds designations from America's Health Insurance Plans and the International Claims Association.

Ms. Riddle serves on the Board of Directors and as Audit Chair of TD&P Consulting Inc., a privately held firm based in Silver Spring, MD. In addition, Riddle served on the Boards of Directors of the National Women's History Museum, Arena Stage, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (Emeritus), the Des Moines Art Center (Emeritus), the Board of Advisors of Pathfinder International (Emeritus), and NCBA. She also is Co-Chair of the External Advocacy Committee of the Executive Leadership Council, an alumnus member the Capital City Chapter of The Links, Inc.; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and Sigma Iota Epsilon, an honorary business fraternity.

In 2008 and 2012, Ms. Riddle was named by Savoy Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America." The prestigious list showcases leaders with exemplary accomplishments, influence in their companies and communities, and an ability to inspire others.

In 2011, Ms. Riddle received the President's Award the Washington Government Relations Group and in 2022 received the Washington Heads of Office Legacy Award.

Hana S. Sharif has enjoyed a multi-faceted theater career, including roles as an artistic leader, director, playwright, and producer with a specialty in strategic and cross-functional leadership. Hana began her professional career as an undergraduate student at Spelman College. From 1997 to 2003, Hana served as the co-founder and Artistic Director of Nasir Productions, a theater dedicated to underrepresented voices challenging traditional structure. Hana joined the Tony Award-winning regional theatre, Hartford Stage, in 2003. During her decade-long tenure at Hartford Stage, Hana served as the Associate Artistic Director, Director of New Play Development, and Artistic Producer. Hana launched the new play development program, expanded the community engagement and civic discourse initiatives, and developed and produced Tony, Grammy, Pulitzer, and Obie Award-winning shows. Starting in 2012, she served as Program Manager at ArtsEmerson, a leading world theater company based at Boston's Emerson College. During her tenure at ArtsEmerson, Hana launched an Artists in Residency program, led a research program assessing barriers to inclusion across the region, and leveraged her regional theater experience to freelance produce for smaller theater companies looking to expand and restructure their administrative teams. Hana was Baltimore Center Stage's Associate Artistic Director from 2014 to 2019 and was the architect of the innovative CS Digital program: a platform that pushes the boundaries of traditional theater and looks at the nexus point between art and technology. Her other achievements at Baltimore Center Stage included prototyping the Mobile Unit focused on historically underserved audiences, strengthening community engagement, producing multiple world and regional premieres, and helping to guide the theater through a multi-million dollar building renovation and rebranding effort. Hana became the first Black woman to lead a major regional theater in 2018 when she was named the Augustin Family Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. During her tenure at The Rep, Hana guided the organization through a strategic alignment, revolutionized the New Works program, expanding access to underserved communities, and centering equity and anti-racism as the organization's foundational values.Hana holds a BA from Spelman College and an MFA from the University of Houston. Hana is the recipient of USITT's 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award, Spelman's 2022 National Community Service Award, the 2009-10 Aetna New Voices Fellowship, EMC Arts Working Open Fellowship, and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) New Generations Fellowship. Hana is a founding member of The Black Theatre Commons (BTC). She serves on the board of directors for the TCG, BTC, and the Sprott Family Foundation.

David Shiffrin is a former real estate attorney with over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate field. He was a partner with the law firm of Linowes and Blocher until 1991 when he joined the Resolution Trust Corporation where he was Senior Counsel for Real Estate. He also served in that capacity at the FDIC when the RTC completed its work. After leaving the FDIC, Mr. Shiffrin was a Special Advisor to the FCC Auctions Division, assisting the Commission with its auction program of wireless telecommunications spectrum.

Mr. Shiffrin served from 1999-2000 as the Interim Executive Director of CulturalDC (fka Cultural Development Corporation), a private nonprofit organization in Washington, DC, that engages in real estate development for the arts.

Mr. Shiffrin serves on the Boards of several nonprofit associations, including Arena Stage, the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and CulturalDC. He co-chaired the capital campaign for the Source Theater, a project of CulturalDC. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of WETA, Facilitating Leadership in Youth (FLY), and the Clark University Board of Visitors, and served for many years at The Maret School as a senior advisor to the Scholarship Auction. Mr. Shiffrin served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Arena Stage from 2010 until 2013 and as President of the Board from 2013 until 2016.

Mr. Shiffrin has a BA from Clark University and a JD from the New England School of Law. Mr. Shiffrin is married to the former Peggy Kobacker. They have two children.

Mignon Smith has a breadth of experience as an entrepreneur and senior instructional leader. She has supported systems of curriculum, instruction and assessment in secondary public and private schools across the country. For over a decade, she has led educators in successfully navigating complex environments and has achieved outstanding results for children. In addition to math programming and leadership, she has expertise in business operations, project management, strategic planning, and fundraising.

In 2019, Mignon and her husband decided to open a restaurant in her hometown to inspire social change in their local community, one meal at a time. Through conversations and events, guests build their understanding of cultural and social issues that impact their local community. Mignon oversees the growth strategy, product development, pricing, and operations. Also, she is managing the branding and marketing strategy to transform the historic restaurant, which denied African Americans entry for more than 40 years, into a modern gathering hub for all patrons to enjoy.  

During her years in education, she was a Founding Math Teacher for the successful KIPP Texas Public Schools – Houston from 2004 through 2007 and remained an advocate of school choice in underrepresented and underserved communities. Mignon was also a department chair, curriculum specialist and assistant principal. Additionally, she worked with two charter schools in their startup years and has consulted numerous schools on school improvement and content development.

Before education, Mignon worked as an Analyst and Industrial Engineer at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Marietta, Georgia. As an Analyst, she supported the cost and scheduling efforts during the closing of the P-3 Patrol program. As an engineer, she analyzed systems and processes to improve production performance on the C-130 and F-22 aircraft programs. During her employment at Lockheed Martin, Mignon frequently volunteered at the local elementary school, where she developed a passion for educating young people in STEM.

Mignon is an active member in several professional organizations and support philanthropic causes frequently. Mignon was a member of the founding cohort of the Young Patron Board at Arena Stage. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM).

Mignon is a graduate of Tuskegee University, was born and raised in Georgia, and lives in the District of Columbia with her husband.

Andrew R. Ammerman attended Georgetown University and the University of Rochester, majoring in Asian-American Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in theology. After graduating, Mr. Ammerman taught with an agency located in Thailand. The Ammerman Partnerships are located in the Washington, DC, area. He is a co-patron of the Fund for the Future of our Children, a not-for-profit organization that promotes peace, education and multicultural understanding. 

Mr. Ammerman is a former member of the Board of Regents of Georgetown University and is now acting in a community liaison capacity. The Ammerman’s Memorial Scholarship at Georgetown University has granted financial resources to over 500 students since 1975. Mr. Ammerman has continued the support of the partnership between Georgetown University and Arena Stage involving Georgetown students in all stages of the theatrical process and providing hands-on opportunities to work with Arena Stage staff and visiting artists. 

He serves on the honorary board of the Foundation for Jewish Studies, and is on the board ofthe Washington Jewish Historical Society. Andrew is a former member of the Board of Governors for his alma mater, the Mercersburg Academy (Mercersburg, PA), and the Ammerman Family provides funds to allow over half the student body to attend plays and experience talkbacks during the academic year here at Arena Stage.

Linda Baumann is a partner in the DC Office of Arent Fox LLP. She advises clients across the country on health law related issues, including False Claims Act investigations, the Stark Law, the anti-kickback statute, corporate compliance and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement. In addition, Linda has helped clients conduct due diligence in connection with acquisitions and financing, return overpayments and submit voluntary disclosures. Linda has represented a wide range of companies from Fortune 50 corporations and national chains to community health care providers. Her clients include hospitals, nursing homes, drug and device manufacturers and distributors, therapy and diagnostic facilities, trade associations, and other types of organizations doing business in the health care industry.

Before joining Arent Fox, Linda practiced in the DC area with another nationally recognized law firm. Previously, Linda worked in the General Counsel’s Office of the Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Division, and in the Legal Advisor’s Office at the US Department of State. She also has been an adjunct professor at Princeton University.

Linda is the Editor in Chief of a well-known treatise, Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Practical Perspectives, is on the advisory board of several legal publications, and is a frequent speaker before national audiences on various health law topics. She has been ranked AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell, as a Top Lawyer by Washingtonian, and as a leading lawyer by Chambers in health care. She also has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Legal 500, and numerous Who’s Who publications. In addition to chairing the American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section, she has served on various other Boards including the McCarter Theatre Associates Board, the Princeton University Friends of the International Center Board, the Appleseed/Public Interest Law Center of NJ Board, and the HiTops Board (a not for profit organization providing sex education and health services to young adults). She also has served on the Princeton University Committee on the Status of Women, served as a liaison to the ABA Commission on the Status of Women, and chaired the ABA Breast Cancer Task Force.

Jeri Epstein and her husband Gary moved to Washington, DC, in 1971. They have two children, three grandchildren, and one large brown dog. After 15 years of teaching foreign language in high school, Jeri changed direction and became a VP of Business Development for several companies. Her background in helping businesses to define their markets, build solid well-funded foundations, and correctly assess their entry into the marketplace translates well to working on Arena’s business development and special events committees. Jeri retired from the position of Executive Director of a non-profit organization helping wounded veterans in March 2017.

Jeri and Gary believe strongly in the revitalization of the city and both volunteer time and resources to make Washington a livable environment with arts programs that are inclusive for all of the residents and their children.

Richard Feinstein is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP. He has practiced antitrust law—in both the government and private practice—in Washington since 1977. He returned to his current firm in December of 2013 following four years as the Director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission.

Rich has been a subscriber to and supporter of Arena Stage since moving to Washington in 1977. His lifelong fondness for theatre and film may stem in part from his father’s work in the movie theatre business. Over the years, his other outside activities and interests have included: the Yale Alumni Schools Committee, the Yale Alumni Fund, the All Saints All Day Child Care Center (now known as Wonders, where he served as both a Director and President of the Board), A Wider Circle (volunteer and advisor), the Howard University School of Law Moot Court Team (advisor), and coaching youth sports. He is also an avid long distance runner and a passionate fan of Pittsburgh sports.

Rich graduated from Yale University with a BA in American Studies in 1974, and received a JD from Boston College Law School in 1977. He lives in Chevy Chase with his wife Pam (a volunteer and board member at A Wider Circle) and a Dalmatian named Bucco (see Pittsburgh sports above). Their sons, Paul and David—also theatre, movie, and Pittsburgh sports fans—live and work in Washington.

Elliot J. Feldman, Senior Partner and National Leader of BakerHostetler’s International Trade Remedies Practice for the last sixteen years, has been practicing international law in Washington since he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988. He is the former Director of the University Consortium for Research on North America at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs, where he served on the Center’s Executive Committee.

Elliot served as Special Project Officer for the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Installations, Logistics) in the Reagan Administration, focused on the sustainability of the all-volunteer force and planning for conventional war. After graduating from MIT (PhD 1972), he taught political science, public policy, political theory, and strategic decision-making at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, the University of British Columbia (in the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration), Brandeis, and Tufts Universities. He has lived at least a year or more in Boston, Chicago, London, Paris, Vancouver, Bologna, and Washington.

Elliot and his wife Lily (the former Harry & Helen Gray Senior Fellow and Director, Society, Culture and Politics Program at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies of Johns Hopkins University) have endowed at the University of Chicago an undergraduate internship in Human Rights and the annual Theodore J. and Angèle Lowi Memorial Lecture at the University’s Paris Center, where Elliot was the first Distinguished Alumni Lecturer.

They are the proud parents of two daughters: Shira, an Associate at Pierce Bainbridge in New York, and Batya, Manager for International Strategy at the A+E Network. Batya is an alumna volunteer of Arena Stage, where she spent many hours helping to organize Molly’s library. During the 2014/15 Season, Elliot was the legal consultant for John Strand’s The Originalist and has been a post-performance speaker for the play in Chicago and New York. Lily and Elliot, along with Baker & Hostetler LLP, commissioned Sovereignty for Arena’s 2017/18 Season and Celia and Fidel in the 2019/20 Season.

Stephenie Foster is a recognized voice in women’s leadership and empowerment. She is currently a Partner at Smash Strategies, a firm dedicated to advising businesses, foundations and non-profit organizations on how to achieve better results by focusing on women’s leadership and gender equality.

Before co-founding Smash Strategies, Stephenie served at the U.S. Department of State from 2012-2017. There, she was a Senior Advisor and Counselor to the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues and managed a wide range of key policies and programs, including the women, peace, and security initiative, women’s political participation, and women’s economic empowerment. As a senior official, Stephenie represented the U.S. in multilateral and bilateral forums. Stephenie also served at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she focused on women and civil society and traveled extensively to work with individuals and organizations advancing the role of women in Afghan society.

Stephenie has broad and deep experience in government, policy, and the law. She served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT); was General Counsel of the U.S. General Services Administration; founded her own consulting firm; and served in senior management positions in the non-profit sector. She began her career as an attorney, and was a litigation partner in San Francisco, California.

In addition to the Arena Stage board, Stephenie is on the boards of the Friends of the American University of Afghanistan, where she serves as Vice Chair and Foreign Policy for America.

Ricki Kanter graduated Sophie Newcomb College of Tulane University in 1978 with a double major in Psychology and Economics. Ricki is proud to continuing her service there by serving on the Newcomb College Institute Director’s Advisory Council. She earned her JD degree from Stetson University in 1981. She practiced law for a few years in the field of labor law but found greater happiness selling residential real estate that she continued until her second and third children (twins) were born. Ricki was a founding member of the Nomadic Kenyan Children’s Educational Fund (NKCEF) in 2001. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Board for Kenya Education Fund (KEF) following the NKCEF and KEF merger of 2009. She has served on the Board of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Her interest in this work is to find a cure for the disease that affects her daughter. In addition, Mrs. Kanter served for many years on the Board of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA, and on the Board of Wolf Trap Associates. She also serves currently on the Board of the Residences at CityCenter. Politically, Ricki has been active with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and has participated in Voter Protection work in a legal capacity. She is married to Joel Kanter (Tulane, 1978) and has three grown children. In her spare time, Ricki enjoys her Havanese dog, playing bridge, reading, traveling, and attending all sports, plays, and concerts. 

Daphne Kwok is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Asian American & Pacific Audience Strategy at AARP. Her work empowers Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to choose how they live as they age.  She brings to AARP her experience as a “leader of leaders” through her community service in promoting and empowering the AAPI community. 

Ms. Kwok was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010 to chair his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Commission served as the “eyes and ears” of the community advising the President and the federal government about the issues impacting the AAPI community.  The priority policy issue addressed was data equity and data disaggregation.

Previously, Ms. Kwok was Executive Director of Asians & Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California. She was also the Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation in San Francisco. For 11 years, she was the Executive Director of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national membership based civil rights organization. She was the first elected Chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a network of national APA organizations. She also served as Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. 

A 1984 graduate of Wesleyan University, Ms. Kwok is the first Asian American to serve on its Board of Trustees, is a trustee emeritus, and chaired the Wesleyan Alumni Association.

Ms. Kwok’s current community service includes: Chair of the Amplify AAPI Advisory Council; board member of Committee of 100 and normal next. Past service includes: Chair of APIAVote; a member of the Comcast-NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Advisory Council; Co-Chair of the Nielsen External Asian Pacific Advisory Council; and board member of the Asian American Advertising Federation.

Elissa Leonard is a filmmaker. She is currently an executive producer on Bruce Beresford’s film Ladies In Black, a comedy based on the popular Australian novel The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John.  

Elissa produced directed and co-wrote the feature film Sally Pacholok, based on the true story of an ER nurse who takes on the medical establishment when she uncovers an epidemic of misdiagnosis. The film stars actress Annet Mahendru (from The Americans on FX) and it premiered at the 2015 DC Independent Film festival where it was voted Best Feature.

Elissa was previously a producer/writer at WNET-TV Channel Thirteen's Innovation series, the Senior Story Editor at National Geographic Television's Explorer series, and a producer at The Educational Film Center's Powerhouse and Give and Take series.

Elissa is the Chair of the Board of Managers of the Chevy Chase Village municipal government, a member of the Board of Trustees of Levine Music, on the Board of Directors of the Chevy Chase Historical Society, and on the Advisory Board of the DC Independent Film Festival. She is married to Jay Powell and they have three adult children.

John Lynham is a tax attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s Estates & Trusts practice group. He concentrates his practice on the areas of estate and trust planning and administration; estate, generation-skipping, gift, and income taxation; real estate sales, leasing and settlements; tax-exempt organizations, including the formation and operation of foundations; and litigation. Mr. Lynham represents clients before local courts with regard to will and trust defense, and estate and trust administration; and the IRS with regard to audit and compliance issues.

Prior to joining Foley, Mr. Lynham was a partner in the law firm of Ross, Marsh & Foster. While there, he had significant involvement with the preparation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and estate, gift, income and inheritance tax returns; as well as the administration of probate and trust estates.

Mr. Lynham frequently lectures to both lawyer and non-lawyer groups on estate, trust, tax and asset protection matters. He has also counseled businesses on employment, bankruptcy, pension plans and other matters.

A graduate of George Washington University (JD), Mr. Lynham received his masters of law in taxation from Georgetown University (LLM). He is also a graduate of the University of Maryland (MBA) and Trinity College (BS).

Mr. Lynham is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He currently serves on the D.C. Superior Court Advisory Committee on Probate and Fiduciary Rules. In the past, he has been a member of the D.C. Bar’s Estates, Trusts and Probate Steering Committee, Task Force on the Uniform Trust Act of 2003, and Task Force on the Omnibus Trusts and Estates Amendment Act of 2000.

Mr. Lynham has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review rating system and has been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America”® since 2006. He was designated a 2012 Five Star Wealth Manager for the Washington, DC area, in the estate planning field, selected as one of the top four Washington trusts and estates attorneys by the Washington Business Journal, and has been named as one of the best estate planners in the Washington metropolitan area by Washingtonian. In addition, he has been selected since 2013 for inclusion in “Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers “® list for his work in estate planning & probate, estate & trust litigation, and real estate.

B. Thomas Mansbach practices law with Russin & Vecchi’s Washington office. His practice focuses on international financial transactions, with an emphasis on project finance, corporate transactions, international investment, and political risk insurance. Mr. Mansbach has represented a variety of corporations and financial institutions, involving projects in over 100 countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Central/Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.

Mr. Mansbach began his U.S. government career in 1967 and worked with the political risk insurance and project finance programs of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in a number of different capacities, including Managing Director for Latin America; Managing Director of Natural Resources and Financial Services; Managing Director for Europe, the former USSR and North Asia; and Managing Director for Major Markets. He joined the Washington office of Dewey Ballantine in 1993 and moved to Russin & Vecchi in 2000.

Mr. Mansbach was also the co-editor of Investment Incentive Programs in Western Europe, a compendium and description of more than 500 investment incentive programs. He has lectured at or for a number of organizations and universities including the American Bar Association, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the American Life Underwriter’s Association, the American Management Association, Yale University’s School of Management, The Business School at the University of Michigan, and the Law Schools at the University of South Carolina and George Washington University.

Mr. Mansbach has been a member of the Governing Board of Arena Stage since 1999. In addition, he is a trustee of the Philips Collection, The Children’s Research Institute at the Children’s National Medical Center, Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation, and the Salzburg Global Seminar. He is also a member of the Cosmos Club and the Arts Club of Washington.

Mr. Mansbach received his BA from Yale College, where he graduated cum laude, and his LLB from The Harvard Law School.

Michael S. Steele made history when he became the first African-American to be elected to statewide office in Maryland, where he served as lieutenant governor from 2003 to 2007, and when he was chosen to be the first African-American chairperson of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2009 to 2011.

As chairman of the RNC, Steele was charged with revitalizing the Republican Party. Under his leadership the RNC broke fundraising records, with more than $198 million raised during the 2010 congressional cycle; and Republicans won 63 House seats, the biggest pickup since 1938. Steele’s commitment to grassroots organizing and party-building at the state and local levels produced 12 governorships and the greatest share of state legislative seats since 1928, reflecting a pickup of more than 600 seats.

As lieutenant governor of Maryland, Steele’s priorities included improving the quality of Maryland’s public education system (he championed the state’s charter school law); expanding economic development in the state; reforming the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program; and fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations to help those in need.

Steele’s abilities as a communicator and commentator have been showcased through his current role as a political analyst for MSNBC. He has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, and Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. In addition to his work in television, Steele can be heard each week on his radio program, Steele & Ungar, on the POTUS Channel on SiriusXM. Steele is a member of Bipartisan Policy Center’s Board of Directors

Steele’s writings on law, business and politics have appeared in TheGrio, The Root, BET.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Politico, Townhall.com, The Journal of International Security Affairs, and Catholic University Law Review, among others. He is the author of Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda, and a contributor to The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis.

Born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Steele was raised in Washington, DC. Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 1981, he entered the Order of St. Augustine, where studied for the priesthood. He is a 1991 graduate of Georgetown Law Center, an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, and a fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

George White and his wife Patti moved to the DMV in 2017 after having lived in London, England for over 22 years. George is a retired corporate lawyer. During his 36-year career with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, he worked on professional matters in 28 different countries around the globe. Today, George’s main interests are in the areas of music, theater, education, and the visual arts. He is President of the American Foundation for the Courtauld Institute of Art and serves on the board of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.

Karen Zacarías is thrilled to have the opportunity to play on every single stage of her beloved home theater of Arena Stage: Legacy of Light directed by Molly Smith (2009, Crystal City), The Book Club Play directed by Molly Smith (2011, Kogod Cradle), Destiny of Desire directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela (2015, Kreeger Theater), Native Gardens directed by Blake Robison (2017, Kreeger Theater), and now her adaptation of The Age of Innocence directed by Hana S. Sharif (2025, Fichandler Stage). Karen has been hailed by American Theatre magazine as one of the most-produced playwrights in the US. Her adaptation of Shane premiered last year at the Guthrie Theater and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and heads to Dallas Theater Center and to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this season. Other large regional productions include the world premiere of The Age of Innocence at The Old Globe directed by Chay Yew, a revival of her award-winning time-travel comedy Legacy of Light at McCarter Theatre, and The Book Club Play at Cincinnati Playhouse. She currently has three Broadway-bound musicals, including Destiny of Desire and Five Notes with composer/superstar Gloria Estefan. Other award-winning plays include The Copper Children, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and adaptations of Just Like Us, Into the Beautiful North, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, and a bilingual Romeo y Juliet. She also has ten award-winning TYA musicals with composer Deborah Wicks La Puma. Karen is a core founder of the Latino Theatre Commons—a large national organization of artists seeking to update the American narrative with the stories of Latinos—and the founder of the award-winning Young Playwrights’ Theater. Karen was voted a 2019 Washingtonian of the Year and awarded the 2019 Sine Fellowship at the American University School of Public Policy, the 2019 Lee Reynolds Award for “social, cultural, or political change with theater,” and the 2019 Medallion by the Childrens Theatre Foundation. She is a 2021 recipient of the United States Artists Fellowship. Karen lives in Washington, DC, with her husband Rett, their three children, and two dogs. She is represented by the Gersh Agency; published by Concord Theatricals and Dramatic Publishing; and has a collection of plays with Oberon Books. www.karenzacarias.com

A 1957 University of Maryland Graduate with a BS in Civil Engineering, Lee G. Rubenstein has been actively engaged in the Washington, DC Metro area building industry and with leadership roles in many non-profit organizations.

He worked as a builder and developer, overseeing the construction of over 2,652 properties. He worked as a designer and planner of 2,635 properties including Forest Park, Virginia Commons, London Woods, and Stafford Hills.

In addition to serving on the Board of Arena Stage, he has served on the boards of the Washington DCJCC, Theater Trustees of America, Sidwell Friends School, MCIP-Bell Multicultural High School, and Jubilee Enterprises.

Mr. Rubenstein has completed professional advisory work to more than a dozen nonprofit organizations from museums, theaters, educational and community services to multiple arts. The accomplishments were in future planning, facility usage, Board organization including requirements to raise funds, capital campaign, case statement and the steps necessary for success.