Sandy Wilkes is Chairman of The Wilkes Company, a Washington, D.C. real estate development company specializing in urban mixed-use development. Mr. Wilkes is Chairman of The Washington Children’s Foundation, a Trustee of The Federal City Council, Chairman Emeritus of the D.C. Policy Center, and a founding member of The Developer Roundtable. He is a member of The Urban Land Institute, a founding director of the NoMa Business Improvement District, Chairman of the NoMa Parks Foundation, a founder of Illumen Capital, and a member of the James Madison Council at The Library of Congress.
Genny Ryan is an attorney with significant experience in trade and commercial ventures. She previously served as President of Business Capital Group, an international business development firm. Mrs. Ryan served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. Before joining the Department of Commerce, Mrs. Ryan was a Counsel to the Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Don Borut has more than 40 years’ experience in municipal government and organizational leadership in the public interest sector. He served as the Executive Director of the National League of Cities from 1990-2012, managing the nation’s largest national organization representing municipal governments. Prior to his NLC appointment, he was Deputy Executive Director of the International City Management Association. He also serves on a number of other non-profit boards including Levine Music and The Washington Chorus.
Carol Laxalt† was an active supporter of numerous non-profit organizations in the Greater Washington D.C. region. She served the following capacities: Board Member for Blair House; Co-Chair of “Friends of Blair House”; Chairman of U.S. Senate Spouses (former Senate Spouses); Advisory Council Member and past Chairman of Republican Women’s Federal Forum. Carol served as the Fundraising Chair for the National Fund for U.S. Botanic Gardens, which led to the construction of the First Lady’s Water Garden. She served as Public Relations Consultant for Civic Service, Inc. 1982-1984. Carol passed away in August of 2025. In October 2025, The National Theatre Foundation Board of Directors passed a resolution naming her Director Emerita.
René Augustine is an attorney who has served in all three branches of government and in the private sector. Most recently, she was Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust in the U.S. Department of Justice. She has served in the White House Counsel’s Office in two presidential administrations and was appointed to serve on the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
Peter Jablow has managed non-profit organizations and diverse media companies during a career that has spanned more than four decades. Most recently (for almost nineteen years), Peter served as the President and CEO of Levine Music and, prior to that, as Chief Operating Officer of NPR. His unique background blends commercial business acumen, with a significant mission-based skill set. During his career, he also launched the TicketMaster franchise in the mid-Atlantic region, was a founding Board member of the Helen Hayes Awards, and has served as the Board Chair of Woolly Mammoth and RoundHouse Theatres.
Jonathan Kirn is Senior Managing Director at Siebert Williams Shank & Co, LLC, a national investment banking firm specializing in public finance, which provides investment banking services to governmental clients primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. A long-time DC area resident, part-time actor and an avid theatre goer, Jon saw some of his first theatrical performances at The National. Jon also serves on the board of Helping Hearts Through the Arts. His love of theater has extended to investments in several Broadway productions. Jon is a member of SAG-AFTRA.
Fred Klein is senior counsel in DLA Piper LLP (US), an international law firm, where he handles real estate transactions throughout the US for both domestic and foreign clients. Fred also serves on the board of regents for The Mercersburg Academy, the board of directors of Urban Ecosystem Restorations, Inc., and the board of directors of the Children’s Law Center. Fred has devoted thousands of hours to pro bono clients, including the Capital Area Food Bank, Martha’s Table, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and other community based non-profits. He is also an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University law school.
Jean Komendera has over 35 years of high-level account management, strategic planning, and creative direction experience with international and regional advertising agencies. She founded Gold Dog Communications in 1998 on the premise that excellent work results from the perfect balance of strategy and creativity. As President of Gold Dog, the company has produced award-winning work with leading corporations and organizations across a broad spectrum of industries. Committed to her community, Jean has orchestrated pro bono campaigns for the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, The Leaderboard Foundation, Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and the Washington Humane Society. In addition, she served on the board of The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and was active in the Business Volunteer for the Arts program.
Dan O’Neill most recently served as Regional President for the Virginia Region of Truist Bank. A 31-year veteran, through the merger of BB&T and SunTrust to form Truist, Dan has worked in various roles such as Division President of SunTrust MidAtlantic, Head of Wholesale Risk Management as well as positions in Corporate and Investment Banking and Commercial Banking.
Michael C. Rogers is the Managing Partner of Michael C. Rogers Consulting, LLC, a strategic advisory and government relations firm serving businesses and nonprofits. Having served as chair of Leadership Greater Washington, The Council for Court Excellence, The Council for Community and Justice (NCCJ), and on the Board of Directors of DC Apple Seed, National Capital Red Cross, The National Capital Area Chapter of the American Heart Association and the Nonprofit Roundtable, Michael Rogers is an expert in board governance.
For the past 20 years, Mike Ryan has been a member of the faculty at Georgetown University. He has taught more than 2,000 students as an adjunct professor in both the McDonough School of Business and the College of Arts & Sciences. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Equity Group Holdings, the investment vehicle of Steven and Mitchell Rales. Mr. Ryan has worked as a certified public accountant, an officer and director of non-profit organizations, and as the director of the SEED Foundation.
Jay Adams is President and CEO of Bowman Companies in Fredericksburg, VA, a former distillery, now a real estate holding company. After attending military school and entering military intelligence, Jay served as a Captain in U.S. Army Intelligence at an agency in Warrenton, VA during two years of active duty. Jay’s professional affiliations include serving as current President and CEO of NF Adams and Sons, LLC; Vice-Chairman of the Virginia National Bank of Charlottesville, VA; and Trustee of the Glass- Glen Burnie Foundation.
Christina Silberman is an attorney and community volunteer. She previously practiced law at Sulloway, Hollis & Soden in Concord, NH, and at Sullivan Cromwell in New York. Over the past 20 years she has chaired and served on committees for numerous nonprofits in the DC area, with a focus on education, the arts, and child welfare. She has volunteered with the Wounded Warriors Project, the Red Cross, and currently serves as a pro bono attorney with the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and George Washington University Law School.
Tony Williams, the former Mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999-2007), is the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal City Council, an organization focusing the creative and administrative talents of Washington’s business and professional leaders on major problems and opportunities facing the District of Columbia. In addition to his duties at the Federal City Council, Mayor Williams is a Senior Advisor to King and Spaulding, LLP. He serves on several company boards as well as the boards of the Urban Institute and the National Geographic Society. He holds a BA from Yale, an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a J.D. from the Harvard Law School, and has received a number of awards and honorary degrees, including Governing Magazine Public Official of the Year in 1997. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former President of the National League of Cities.
Daryn Dodson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Illumen Capital, an investment firm, where he serves a broader mission of transforming the investment ecosystem by addressing bias while creating economic value. His groundbreaking research with Stanford SPARQ, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, empowers investors to recognize and overcome biases that limit both performance and potential. Guided by a deep commitment to serve and develop others, he serves as a Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches MBA students. This dedication to nurturing talent and collective growth extended through his five-year service on the Stanford Graduate School of Business Management Board. Daryn also serves as Audit Committee Chair on Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors, where he focuses on stewardship and impact in 30+ countries.
Karen M. Hardwick is an accomplished C-Suite executive, chief legal officer and nonprofit board trustee and officer. Most recently, she served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Washington Gas and WGL Holdings, Inc. Ms. Hardwick brings more than 30 years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She began her career at Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells LLP). Ms. Hardwick served as General Counsel for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), where as a member of the president’s cabinet she helped lead the ongoing transformation of the university. Before her role at UDC, Ms. Hardwick served as general counsel to Annapolis, Maryland, and managed all the city’s legal affairs. Ms. Hardwick also worked as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, leading the legal negotiation of public and private real estate development projects near the Washington National’s Stadium and the Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront. Since 2006, she has served as Vice President of the Washington Children’s Foundation and served in leadership roles on the Boards of organizations including the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Greater Washington. A native Washingtonian, Ms. Hardwick is a graduate of the University of Virginia and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. She and her husband reside in Washington, DC and Annapolis, MD.