The Giving Circle of Alexandria: Information about Nominees, Appointees, and Current Officers and Directors-at-Large

Information about Nominees, Appointees, and Current Officers and Directors-at-Large

Nominees are proposed for one or two year terms to encourage service by other Giving Circle members and to promote continuity of management. A brief description of each nominee is presented for your consideration.

Cathleen Phelps / Co-President and Director / 2010-2012
Karen Snow / Co-President and Director / 2010-2012
Maura Powell / Secretary and Director / 2010-2012
Pamela Larson / Membership Officer and Director / 2010-2012
Jane Knops / Communication and Marketing Officer and Director / 2010-2012
Tracy Nickelsburg / Nominating Officer and Director / 2010-2012
Karen Devlin / Director-at-Large / 2010-2012
JoAnn Maldonado / Director-at-Large / 2010-2012
Helen Morris / Director-at-Large / 2010-2012
Sue Setliff / Director-at-Large / 2010-2012

Bios for current Officers, Directors at Large and appointed positions can be found following the nominee bios. When you are done reading here, go to the instructions for voting.

Cathleen Phelps has served as Communication and Marketing Officer since 2009. A member of The Giving Circle since 2006, Cathleen served as Director-at-Large during the 2008-2009 year, and has managed The Giving Circle website since 2007. Cathleen’s volunteer experience includes website management at other Alexandria non-profit organizations, car seat inspections and volunteer coordination at Alexandria CARES, and various activities at her children’s schools. Cathleen spent nine years at Accenture in the Process and Change Management consulting practices before her children were born. She also worked as the Executive Director at The Athenaeum. Cathleen is nominated to serve a two-year term as Co-President and Director.

Karen Snow has served as Co-Chair of the Gift Committee since 2008. A Giving Circle member since 2006, she has continuously served on the Gift Committee and has participated on the Community Service Committee as well. Karen has been an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Alexandria for the past 18 years. She also has served on the boards of other non-profits and as an alumni trustee of Hamilton College. Karen is nominated to serve a two-year term as Co-President and Director.

Maura Powell has been a Giving Circle member since 2008 and has served on the Membership Committee since that time. She has worked with various local charitable organizations, such as Wright to Read; Christmas in April (now known as Rebuilding Together); Georgetown Jingle; and Hopkins House. Professionally, Maura has been owner of an Interior and Landscape Design Firm in Old Town for over twenty years. Maura is nominated to serve a two-year term as Secretary and Director.

Pamela Larson has been a member of The Giving Circle since the spring of 2009. Pamela began as a member of the Membership Committee and has worked with the team to organize a series of Open Houses through the Fall and Winter of 2009. She has extensive volunteer experience as an event planner and fundraiser and is a frequent volunteer at her children’s schools. Prior to joining The Giving Circle, Pamela lived with her family in London, UK and The Hague, The Netherlands for years. While there, Pamela completed her M.B.A. studies, worked for Mitsubishi Motors and coordinated, directed and fundraised for The Pink Gala — the largest Not-For-Profit Fundraising Event for Breast Cancer in The Netherlands (raising over 500,000 Euro). Pamela is nominated to serve a two-year term as Membership Officer and Director.

Jane Downing Knops has served as a Giving Circle Director-at-Large since July 2009. In addition, she has been a member of The Giving Circle’s Gift Committee since 2006, serving as co-liaison to Healthy Families Alexandria, and an active member of HFA’s Resource Development Committee. She’s on the Outreach Committee at Christ Church and volunteers for local agencies served by them. She also volunteers at her sons’ schools. Prior to joining The Giving Circle, Jane lived with her family in London for seven years. While there, Jane was a board member and desktop publisher/editor for Kensington Chelsea Women’s Club. Previously, she was a director at the National Association of Children’s Hospitals; she now works for them part-time. Jane is nominated to serve a two-year term as Communication and Marketing Officer and Director.

Tracy Nickelsburg has served as Nominating Officer and Director and a member of the Membership Committee since July 2008. Tracy joined The Giving Circle in January 2006 and was a member of the Gift Committee and co-liaison to grant recipient Healthy Families Alexandria from September 2006 until June 2008. She is an active tutor and volunteer at her children’s elementary school and is currently Secretary of the Healthy Families Alexandria Resource Development Committee. Tracy is nominated to serve a two-year term as Nominating Officer and Director.

Karen Devlin has served as a Director and a member of the Management Committee since July 2006. Karen is a Founding Member of The Giving Circle and was the Founding Chair from the fall of 2004 to June 2006. In the past three years, she has taken a lead marketing role for The Giving Circle. Karen also led the first community service projects for members in February 2007 — a children’s book drive and a local food bank — as part of the first Community Service Day. After 16 years in marketing leadership positions with IBM, Karen began her philanthropic career with founding The Giving Circle. Karen is nominated to serve a two-year term as Director-at Large.

JoAnn Maldonado was appointed as a Giving Circle Community Director in June 2009. She has spent two decades in human services management, working with nonprofit and government agencies to address the needs of foreign-born individuals, refugees, immigrant families and the communities in which they live. Recognizing the need for a coordinated focus on an increasingly diverse population, the City of Alexandria hired Ms. Maldonado as its first Multicultural Services Coordinator in 2000. In that capacity, Ms. Maldonado established a citywide Multicultural Services Initiative, developing strategies to ensure that all City residents have equal access to services and resources. She created the City Language Assistance Plan to provide document translation and interpretation services to all departments. She coordinates the Annual Citizenship Day event, in partnership with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and serves on various committees, including the Local Jurisdictions Language Access Coordinators Group and the Community Foundation for the Capital National Region Partnership for Equity. Ms. Maldonado also serves as the Division Chief of Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach within the Alexandria Department of Human Services, where she continues her efforts to ensure equal access to services and works to increase awareness and appreciation of the myriad contributions made to our community by the various cultures represented here. JoAnn is nominated to serve a two-year term as Director-at-Large.

Helen Morris has been a member of the Giving Circle of Alexandria since 2007 and a Director-at-Large since 2008. In addition to her Giving Circle work, Helen is a member of the Alexandria City School Board. She has a 20-year professional career in education policy, working with school districts on both local and federal policy issues. She advocates for high quality preschool opportunities in Alexandria and the resources parents and children need to support their academic success. Helen is nominated to serve a two-year term as Director-at-Large.

Sue Setliff has served as Membership Officer and Director and Chair of the Membership Committee since July 2008 and as a Director-at-Large since July 2006. A member of The Giving Circle since the spring of 2005, Sue began as a member of the Membership Committee and was one of the organizers of a series of educational Open Houses that took place in the fall of 2007. She has volunteer experience as a literacy tutor, fundraiser, treasurer and gardener. Her last professional experience was as a Vice President of Mellon Bank. Sue is nominated to serve a two-year term as Director-at-Large

Information about Current Officers and Directors-at-Large not Subject to Election in 2010

Holly Sloan, President Ex-Oficio and Director, is a founding member and has served as President Ex Oficio and Director as well as a member of the Gift Committee since July 2009. Holly previously served as the Giving Circle’s President, Gift Committee Chair, and has been active in the Giving Circle’s Community Service initiatives. In the past year, she also served as a member of the Community Service Committee and the Resource Development Committee. Holly currently serves as the Board Chair of the Children’s Research Triangle based in Chicago and is a trustee for Burgundy Farm Country Day School. Prior to moving to Alexandria ten years ago, Holly lived in New York City where she focused her career on leading and managing international women’s community service and advocacy organizations. She was the CEO of Junior League International and served as the President of the New York Society of Association Executives.

Peggy Stypula, Gift Officer and Director, has served as Giving Circle Co-Gift Officer and Director since July 2009. She has been a Giving Circle member since 2007 and has served as a member of the Membership and Gift Committees since joining. Peggy has worked for the City of Alexandria Department of Social Services as a social worker in Child Welfare for the past 16 years and works as a trauma social worker at Children’s National Medical Center. Peggy serves on the board of the Laila Rose Foundation and volunteers with other community organizations.

Leslie Woolley, Treasurer and Director, has served as Treasurer and Director and as a member of the Management Committee since July 2007. She has been a Giving Circle member since April 2005. Leslie has had a long career in public service, most recently as the Chief of Staff for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. A Hill veteran, she previously spent over twenty years in the Senate and the House working primarily on banking and financial services issues. Leslie also has worked for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Conference of State Bank Examiners, the Investment Company Institute and Chemical Bank.

Christine Labrecque, Director-at-Large has served as a Giving Circle Director since July 2006, as Communication and Marketing Officer and a member of the Management Committee from 2007 to 2009, and is currently serving as a Director-at-Large and Chair of the Community Service Committee. Previously, she organized two of The Giving Circle’s larger membership events. Christine also has co-chaired the annual Family Picnic at George Washington’s River Farm and is active with the TGL Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for lung cancer research. Christine was a sales and marketing executive in the entertainment and cable TV industry for 12 years, with a focus on new technologies and on demand movie delivery.

Elsa Riveros, Director-at-Large, has been a member of The Giving Circle since 2006 and has served as a Director-at-Large since July 2009. Elsa is the President of the Tenants and Workers United (TWU) board and is very involved with the TWU Health Group advocating for reduction of waiting list duration for new, uninsured, low income patients at the Arlandria Clinic. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Elsa came to the United States to finish her studies in political science at Towson University. She worked with TWU (at that time Tenant’s and Worker’s Support Committee) organizing the Latino community (Arlandria-Chirilagua) in support of the Alexandria Living Wage. Elsa returned to Colombia, then moved to Guatemala where she married and began a family. After returning to Alexandria, she again worked with TWU, first organizing hotel workers then working as their grassroots fundraiser.

Margaret Rizzi, Director-at-Large, has been a Director and member of the Management Committee since July 2006. She is currently serving as Director-at-Large and a member of the Gift Committee. A Giving Circle member since early 2005, Margaret previously served as the Chair of the Community Service Committee, a member of the Management Committee and coordinated the Giving Circle nominating and election process. Margaret is also an active volunteer with other community organizations and local schools. She previously worked as a corporate lawyer.

Hallie Smith, Director-at-Large, has been a Director-at-Large since July 2009 and serves on the Giving Circle’s Community Service Committee. A member since 2006, Hallie organized the Giving Circle’s 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr./National Day of Service baby basket project at Burgundy Farms Country Day School and coordinated the February 2008 Community Service Day with ALIVE! She previously worked as a management consultant in Deloitte’s healthcare practice for six years. Hallie is active in children’s education at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, and has chaired the annual Family Picnic at George Washington’s River Farm. She has chaired several Parents’ Association Committees at Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School, and chaired the 2009 Beauvoir Scholarship Auction.

Carri Stoltz, Director-at-Large, has served as Director-at-Large since July 2009 and has been a member of The Giving Circle since 2006. Carri serves on the Gift Committee and has assisted in coordinating the playgroup initiative and has been involved in training current and potential playgroup facilitators. Carri is the Early Childhood Coordinator for Alexandria City Public Schools and serves on the boards of Children Together and the Center for Alexandria’s Children. Her background is as a Speech-Language Pathologist and Early Childhood Special Educator.

Information about Appointed Directors not Subject to Election in 2010

Peggy Morrison-Curtis has served as President and Co-President of The Giving Circle since July 2008. She joined The Giving Circle in early 2007 serving as a Director-at-Large and chair of the Community Service Committee in 2007-2008. An Alexandria resident since 1991, Peggy has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations in the Washington Metropolitan Area, including the Washington Performing Arts Society and the MedStar Visiting Nurses Association Foundation. As a consultant to non-profit organizations, she assists groups on matters including governance, strategic planning, program development, communications and fundraising. As outgoing President and Director, Peggy is appointed to serve a two-year term as President Ex-Oficio and Director and will continue to serve on the Management Committee of the Giving Circle.