PROFILES OF LOCAL BUSINESS & ORGANIZATION LEADERS 2023/2024

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Published, December 1, 2023

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself Gene, how did you end up in the home improvement business?
A. I was born in Washington DC and grew up in Beltsville MD. Following in the footsteps of my father in the paint business after graduating from the University of Richmond Business School I went to work for Benjamin Moore & Co. and was a sales rep for over 13 years. In the fall of 2000, I left Benjamin Moore & Co. to work the retail side of the business as GM of Monarch Paint & Design Centers. After working 15 years for Monarch Paint my brother Andy and I purchased them.
Q. How long have you been in Chevy Chase and was there any specific reason you chose this area?
A. The store dates to the early 1900’s and is the original site of Chevy Chase Paint & Hardware. Around 1940 Mr. Winslow purchased the store and started the Winslow Paint Co. which ended up becoming one of the largest Benjamin Moore paint dealers in the country with multiple locations in the metro Washington DC market. Upon his death in the early 1980’s the store was sold to Victor and Eileen Krause and became Monarch Paint.  Mr. Winslow’s original oak desk remains in the office of the building.  
Q. What do you most like about being in Chevy Chase?
A. It is the perfect location for a business like ours since there are so many grand old houses that residents are constantly refurbishing and preserving. We are committed to providing a local destination for home improvement and décor and preserving the history of the Chavy Chase neighborhood for many years to come.
Q. Is this your only store or are you involved with any other Monarch Paint & Design Centers?
A. Monarch has two additional locations in DC, one in Glover Park and the other in Ivy City at The Hecht Warehouse, and five locations in Northern Virginia which we operate under Potomac Paint & Design Centers. 
Q. I know that paint is not the only product you carry; what are some other items that your business carries that people might not know about?
A. In addition to paint, we are an authorized Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer and offer a full line of Hunter Douglas window treatments. We have a Hunter Douglas Gallery Showroom at our Chevy Chase store along with an extensive library of wall covering books.
Q. Do you employ any specialists for various services such as certified color consultants?
A. We have Design Consultants on staff to assist clients with their decorating needs, including in-store color and decorating assistance. We also offer In-Home Color Consultations.
Q. Do you have any events or seminars that people can take advantage of?
A. At this time we do not have anything scheduled but you can visit our website for updates as they become available or sign up for our newsletter and you will be sent information regarding upcoming seminars. 
Q. What is something interesting about yourself that people don't know or would be surprised to learn?
A. My passion for sailing ultimately drove my decision to move to Annapolis a while back and leave corporate America and initially go to work for Monarch Paint. 

Published, January 3, 2024

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself and your background that made you decide to start Goods for Good (G4G)?
A. I am originally from New York City and Connecticut. I came to DC in 1988 for college at GWU and never left. I ran a catering company while in graduate school, earned my Master’s in Psychology from American University, got married, moved to Friendship Heights then Chevy Chase, raised two beautiful girls, and spent over 30 years working in local community-based social services. As my kids were growing up, we hosted neighborhood yard sales to raise funds for small, local nonprofits. The first one was just a simple folding table of my kids’ toys. We raised $50. The last one filled our porch, front yard, back yard, and sidewalk — and raised $4,000. Then my daughter said, “Imagine what we could do if we had more space and more time.” And that’s how G4G started, as a way to turn furniture, household, and clothing goods into dollars for selected nonprofits through pop-up sales. We organized two volunteer-led gigantic rummage sales in 2018-2019 in a warehouse and raised more than $32,000. 
Q. What do you feel was the tipping point that made your organization the current mainstay that it is for providing aid to those in need?
A. COVID changed everything. Local nonprofits were struggling to meet their clients’ needs, and life got even more difficult for our area’s disadvantaged neighbors and communities of color. Since large gatherings like rummage sales were too risky, I started cooking dinners for a shelter where residents were quarantined, and funding did not cover three meals a day. Within weeks a couple of friends joined in, and after a few months, we had 40 people from the community cooking on a regular basis. 
Q. I recently read a story in the Washington Post about nonprofits needing more help than ever yet struggling to attract volunteers. Does Goods for Good face the same issue?
A. Luckily, we have not had that experience. And thank goodness because we are volunteer-powered. We designed G4G to provide volunteer opportunities to community members in flexible ways. People can come and go as they please, volunteer at home or at our site. Over 500 people participated in our work in 2023 and we hope to grow that number by 20% in 2024. 
Q. Even though you are located in the greater Chevy Chase DC area, what is the breadth of your impact in DC?
A.G4G’s mission is “to strengthen the community through collective acts of kindness.” Since we officially began in 2020, we’ve supported over 40 partner organizations in the DC area that serve people in our most disadvantaged and under-resourced neighborhoods, primarily in Wards 1, 5, 7, and 8. In just a few years, we’ve supported adult seniors, migrants and refugees, families from low-income households and communities, neighbors living in shelters, domestic violence survivors, LBGTQIA+ and more. We’ve secured more than $375,000 of in-kind products. Most importantly, we’ve helped more than 50,000 people.
Q. People used to drop off donations on your front porch. Now you have an office at the Episcopal Children's Center. Has that made a difference?
A. Ha! My house still serves as one of the 11 G4G Ally area collection sites, so my porch still is often filled with donations. However, instead of filling the first floor of our home, everything makes its way to our current HQ on the campus of ECC. This space has been a game changer for us. Now we can do more and bigger projects, and we have room to sort and store much larger quantities of things. We also have space there for our clothing pantry.
Q. What are ways people can get involved and support G4G?
A. We rely on individual donations, and with low overhead costs every donated dollar helps us help others. We offer monthly sponsorship opportunities and love it when our neighboring Chevy Chase businesses or individuals get behind a particular project and help in its success. For example, last summer, local realtors came together and sponsored a project that resulted in more than 400 fans for low-income seniors and families without adequate cooling systems. We also had a neighbor sponsor our multicultural book drive for kids reading below grade level, and another sponsored Boo in a Box that provided 150 kids living in shelters with Halloween crafts, games, candy, costumes, and decorations. Businesses and individuals can also become Annual Sponsors. Our website has info on how to donate, sponsor, and get involved in our activities.  
Q. Lastly, what is something about you that people would be surprised to learn?
A. When I was 12 years old, I fell in love with a cow that lived in a pasture near a summer vacation spot. I named the cow Gordon. Once I grasped that my friend could also be my dinner,  I could never eat meat again. I became a strict vegetarian and even raised our daughter’s vegetarian from birth. Maddie (22) remains a vegetarian and Charlotte (19) has since turned (and turned me too) vegan.  

Published, February 1, 2024

Q. Hi Stephanie, so tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
A. I have been working with older adults since I was 18. I was a certified home health aide when I was in college pursuing my social work degree.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but this would set the path for my career. Thirty years later, I have worked in all levels of senior living, and geriatric care management before coming to Northwest Neighbors Village.
Q. How did that prepare you for your role as Executive Director of Northwest Neighbors Village (NNV).
A. Throughout my career, so many of my clients could have benefited from earlier preventative measures that would have delayed or precluded them from requiring a higher level of care. Relatively simple, low-cost interventions like regular grocery shopping, social engagement, and transportation could have helped them avoid a crisis. These crises often came at a significant financial cost and had a dramatic impact on their quality of life and that of their families. Working with Northwest Neighbors Village (NNV) offered an exciting opportunity for me to help older neighbors access preventive support. It is never lost on me how fortunate I am to work with older adults. It is such a shame that our society values youth when we have so much to gain from older generations. By building supportive, engaged communities of neighbors, Villages can positively change the way people relate to aging. I am grateful to be a part of a local organization that actively works toward our vision of a generous, supportive community where all older adults are valued, can age with dignity, and enjoy growth and engagement opportunities.
Q. What is the mission of NNV and what is the geographic area that it covers?
A. Our mission is to enable all older adults to thrive as they age in our community by offering a robust network of resources and opportunities. We serve neighbors who live in American University Park, Barnaby Woods, Chevy Chase, Forest Hills, Friendship Heights, Hawthorne, Tenleytown, and Van Ness. The DC Metro area boasts the largest concentration of Villages in the nation. There’s a good chance that neighbors outside of our area can find a Village near them (in DC or MD/VA).
Q. NNV is now in its 15th year and you are in the 8th year of being in your position. How has NNV grown and changed over the years?
A. Northwest Neighbors Village has grown in every way with more members, more volunteers, robust programming, and greater visibility in the community. Currently we have 292 members, 183 supporting members (those who support our mission and enjoy exclusive access to NNV’s full breadth of programming and vendor referrals) and 109 full members (who benefit from volunteer services and professional support, in addition full access to our programming). I am most proud of our Village’s ability to be nimble and meet the changing needs of our older neighbors.  During the height of the pandemic, it felt like we were pivoting our programs and services every week. We learned a lot from that experience and continue to make thoughtful changes, albeit less frequently, to become a more inclusive organization. Today, much of our programming is open to the community, we offer waived membership fees to neighbors with low-income, we’ve become a trusted resource for information on aging issues, and we have made thoughtful steps toward increasing diversity in our organization.
Q. I know you have many members and membership levels but as integral as members are to NNV so are its legions of volunteers. How does it all mesh?
A. The secret lies in the neighbor-to-neighbor relationships. Every volunteer service is an opportunity to make a meaningful connection. Volunteers are the eyes and ears in our community. Because volunteers are trained to recognize and report concerns, we are often able to help our members get the help they need before a small concern becomes a big issue. Our volunteers also serve on working groups and help with administrative tasks that are vital to our ability to do all that we do.
Q. Are there any concepts or programs that you are looking to implement for 2024 or in the near future?
A. I’m very excited about our work to become a more diverse and inclusive Village. There are so many people to meet and opportunities that we have yet to explore. This spring, we will share NNV’s new strategic plan, which incorporates a multiyear plan to make sure that our community is better reflected in every aspect of our Village.
Q. Finally, what is something about you that people would be surprised to learn?
A. I love Pilates. In fact, I love all things wellness. I attribute this to the many older adults that I’ve known. I want to be like the 90-year-olds that I know who still volunteer, exercise, drive, create, learn, and laugh. In order to do that, I know that I have to take care of myself today. I’m turning 50 this year, and thanks to my many wonderful role models, I know there’s so much to look forward to in the coming decades.  

Published, March 1, 2024

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself Ruth and how you got involved with Friends of Chevy Chase Circle (FoCCC)?
A. Like a lot of us. I would drive, white-knuckled, around the circle with one intention: to get out unscathed. What went on in the circle was not my concern or of any particular interest. But late in the 1990’s that changed as a neighbor, Barbara Price, began a fund-raising campaign to make improvements in the circle. She initiated the first incarnation of Friends of Chevy Chase Circle and my learning curve about all things circle began. Many people do not know this, but our circle is National Park Service (NPS) property. I have spent lots and lots of time camping and hiking in our national parks, so it seemed like a natural fit. Plus, I am an organizer by nature and firmly believe that we need to leave our world a better, more beautiful place. What better way to do that than to work locally? So, in 2013 when Barbara was ready to pass the torch, I stepped up and with Gerri Carr we began to put together the new officially sanctioned nonprofit, Friends of Chevy Chase Circle, Inc.
Q. What is the overall mission of FoCCC and how does that manifest itself in the activities that you promote?
A. We actually have an official mission that is spelled out in our By-laws: Friends of Chevy Chase Circle is a local volunteer organization working with the NPS and charged with renewing, beautifying, maintaining, and protecting Chevy Chase Circle. Ten years ago, we began with a to-do list of  “needs” for the circle. Today, most items have been addressed and the circle is in better shape than it has been in years thanks to the efforts of the NPS in renovating the fountain and the continued financial support of this community in helping us to purchase such things as new trees, benches, plantings and most recently, new lights for the fountain. 
Q. FoCCC is unique in that it involves residents from both MD and DC. How has that impacted the work that you do?
A. The circle literally straddles the DC/Maryland boundary line so pulling in residents from both DC and Maryland to serve on our volunteer Board only makes sense. But we must deal routinely with federal, state, and local entities in most everything we do.
Q. You have now been president of FoCCC for 10 years? Do you plan to continue in your role?
A. I am very grateful you asked that question at this particular time. We are looking to expand and reconstitute our Board as most members have served for many years. Community stewardship of the circle is necessary. FoCCC will have failed in its mission if we cannot generate a continuous stream of committed community volunteers willing to step-up and serve on our Board. The circle is a very special resource that functions as a landmark and a beautiful accent to our neighborhood. It is a gateway site to both Maryland and the Nation’s capital. When it comes to maintenance and improvements to the circle, NPS has its heart in the right place, but their resources and staffing are limited. The community must partner with the Park Service to maintain the circle. I have taken my turn and now I am ready to move on and look to others in the community to step up. We are definitely looking to bring in residents from both DC and Maryland who have an interest in serving their community. Interested folks can contact me for more information. 
Q. What can you tell us about the FoCCC Board and the work they do?
A. We have twelve community volunteer representatives on our Board, and it is pretty much an even split between DC and Maryland residents. The Board sets policy and oversees expenditures, fund-raising, and all the contracts we have with maintenance crews.
Q. Are there any new initiatives we can look forward to in the near future?
A. We have worked hard to reduce what needs doing but safety on and around the circle is and will remain a big topic. You may still think of the circle as an over-grown traffic circle but like it or lump it, the circle has a beautiful working fountain surrounded by lush flowerbeds and multiple benches and people will want to use the circle as a park. Anybody who wants to cross into the circle deserves safe passage and studies show crossing into the circle from the two traffic splitters that lie north and south of the circle is the safest and best way into the circle. Besides safety issues we will focus on fund-raising to re-set the circa 1933 stone path that encircles the fountain. And since permission has been granted by the NPS, we will begin the process of physically removing the Newlands name from the fountain’s stonework without damaging the structure itself. 
Q. What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn?
A. I have two sons. One lives in Australia and one in Seattle. Great places to visit, but too far for Sunday dinners. If you instill in your kids a sense of adventure and wanderlust, this could very well be the payback. The solution is to join them. In recent years, I have taken to traveling solo in a camper van and I have crisscrossed the country and both coasts. This summer I will make my way out to Seattle.  

Published, April 1, 2024

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself Carl and how you first got involved with Historic Chevy Chase DC (HCCDC)?
A. My wife and I joined HCCDC in 2010 after its annual walking tour of the neighborhood. We had moved to Chevy Chase DC from Friendship Heights earlier that year and were looking for a way to meet neighbors and do something useful for the neighborhood. We were recruited by a Board member who had my mother as his second grade teacher in Stratford, Connecticut.
Q. What aspects of your background helps with overseeing so many diverse and unique events for Chevy Chase?
A. Program development has been a theme in the various stages of my 45 year career in academia, think tanks, and the federal government. My last position before retiring in 2020 was director of European Area Studies program at the State Department. This involved conceiving courses and preparing course materials, recruiting and managing instructional staff, and extensive networking in the global affairs community aimed at bringing hundreds of experts to the Foreign Service Institute to share their expertise with our diplomats in training. The challenge was to provide a deep sense of context while treating the topical, cutting-edge issues our diplomats were likely to encounter. During the same period, I managed the sister-city relationship between Arlington County and Aachen, Germany. All of these skills are relevant to my work at HCCDC.
Q. HCCDC was founded in 1990 and you have been President of the organization for 10 years. How has it grown since its inception?
A. HCCDC was founded in the aftermath of the restoration of partial home rule in DC when the city’s political dynamics were transformed by the empowerment of its minority-majority African American population. The HCCDC founders wanted to define a neighborhood identity under these new circumstances. This impulse led to a 2004-2008 campaign to create a Chevy Chase historic district. The outcome was the discovery that neighbors loved and wanted to develop their homes in the eclectic manner imprinted in the suburb’s beginnings in 1907 and viewed the historic district overlay as unnecessary and unhelpful. An ANC survey of those living in the proposed boundaries of the historic district demonstrated that neighbors--by a three to one margin--had no appetite for a historic district. Learning from that experience and respecting the will of the neighborhood, HCCDC did not submit the application it had prepared.
The context for local action was then transformed during the Obama years. If from 1990 to 2008 the focus was architecture and streetscapes, from 2009 onward HCCDC, while not abandoning these interests, developed an abiding interest in who lived in our neighborhood and who was excluded, and how we relate to the rest of the city. A signature moment came in 2021 with the renaming of Lafayette Park to honor the displaced African American descendants of Captain George Pointer, who worked with George Washington on what became the C&O Canal. In recent years HCCDC has felt compelled to address the implications of its research for reimagining our commercial strip, Civic Core, and their immediate environs. Forward thinking about streetscapes involves making a contribution to affordable housing and equipping ourselves for climate mitigating measures. These, along with HCCDC’s ongoing attention to specific preservation projects, are our current issues of priority.
Q. What programs and activities does HCCDC sponsor that people might be interested in?
A. HCCDC offers two neighborhood walking tours. The next one covers a new route and is scheduled for May 4th. Together with CCCA we offer brass house plaques celebrating the year, architect, and builder. Working with other neighborhood organizations such as Ch/Art, we are also refurbishing 1920s-era call boxes. The most recent call box honors our late neighbor, Astronomer Vera Rubin. We co-sponsored the landmarking of the Chevy Chase Bank building (now PNC). Since 2020, HCCDC has staged many public Zoom webinars on a variety of topics from house history to the neighborhood’s history of racial displacement and reimagining our Connecticut Avenue commercial strip. Recordings and other information pertaining to our work, including an entire house history series, is on our website. 
Q. HCCDC currently has a 13-member Board. What's your selection process, and how does one get involved?
A. HCCDC is governed by a working board of directors who love and wish to serve the neighborhood. It meets monthly. Our programs are whatever Board members are motivated to pursue. HCCDC members elect the Board, and the board appoints its officers. Please join us.
Q. In 1998 a book about Chevy Chase’s history was published (Chevy Chase - A Home Suburb for the Nation's Capital) that was effusive in its praise for and extolled the virtues of Francis Newlands without any mention of the personal traits he is now known for. HCCDC was very active in the process that has recently examined his history. What changed over these 25 years?  
A. Newlands was a white supremacist, and progenitor of today’s woefully benighted “replacement theory.” As a U.S. senator, he actively attempted to rescind the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed the right to vote for African Americans. As a developer, he espoused the white utopia of Chevy Chase. He drove out our Black neighbors. What has changed is our recent attention to this country’s racial history and current practices. We should not celebrate Newlands’ project of exclusion.
Q. What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn?
A. I walk a lot. While working in Arlington I often made an 18 mile circuit from home to work and back, sometimes achieving 2400+ miles per year over the decade 2004-2014. Nowadays you are more likely to find me on neighborhood streets or on the trails of Rock Creek Park. 

Published, May 1, 2024

Q. So, tell us a bit about yourself Robyn, what led you into the field of Psychology?
A. I am originally from Maine, I grew up in a rural town where people didn’t have access to the types of medical care that we do. I watched family members travel hours for their care, only to return home worried and isolated between medical appointments. I realized their experiences could be improved with more support between visits. When I moved to DC in 2000, I aimed to complete my Master's degree and then move on to medical school. But after interning in a few hospitals, I became fascinated by the interplay between mental and physical health. My desire to pursue medicine was replaced by a desire to study the psychology of medical conditions, and I ended up doing just that, receiving my PhD in Medical and Clinical Psychology in 2009 from the Uniformed Services University, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine.
Q. Why did you decide to open this practice in Chevy Chase DC and how long have you been here?
A. In March 2020, my practice had offices in Bethesda and Dupont Circle. Of course, COVID created chaos and overnight we switched to full-time telehealth. We worked remotely for more than a year, taking extra precautions due to the high-risk status of many of our clients. I wasn't sure how many of our clients would come back to in-office appointments, but I longed for face-to-face meetings. So, I opened a small office in Chevy Chase in 2022, settling on a spot midway between Bethesda and Dupont that was also near my home. That office, above the Parthenon, has been a cozy home for our group for the past two years. Now we’ve expanded our team and our office footprint, moving just down the hall into the larger office above Starbucks. We're here to stay.
Q. What do you feel makes Chevy Chase unique and what do you enjoy doing to interact with the community?
A. As a local business owner, some of my favorite things about Chevy Chase DC are the other small businesses and their owners. There are so many, but here's a quick snapshot: I learn Krav Maga with Master Breunig, our team worked with Dr. Jeffrey Haggquistt's team at Quist MD on the psychology of chronic pain, we attend workshops with Melina Selimbegovic at Artsy Beast, and recently partnered with Ferrall Dietrich to offer a free stress management class to Core 72 patrons. I am a strong supporter of other local small businesses.
Q. Besides you, who else is part of Health Psychology Partners?
A. HPP currently has five exceptional mental health professionals. Each provider brings distinctive expertise, but as a team we are united by a shared interest in the relationship between physical health and mental well-being. We also remain at the cutting-edge of the field through our non-clinical work, be it participating in academic medical conferences, holding positions on professional boards, or connecting with local medical professionals. Most importantly, our team comprises authentic individuals with their own lived experiences. We aim to create a safe, comfortable place for people to feel truly seen. 
Q. What services does Health Psychology Partners provide that would be of special interest to neighbors?
A. Perhaps most importantly, our neighbors may be happy to hear that we have availability for new clients. Like many mental health practices over the past few years, we were recently only accepting waitlist clients. Thanks to our recent expansion, we have immediate openings for new clients, including kids ages 10+, in person, both here, or virtually in 43 states around the U.S. And truthfully, medical conditions do not discriminate. All of us will navigate health challenges at some point, whether our own health or that of those we love. 
Q. Is there anything that makes you and your partners unique in terms of how you work with individuals?
A. Like many mental health professionals, we can treat anxiety, depression and life transitions; yet we stand apart through our expertise helping those who are struggling with the psychological aspects of health and disease management. For example, we all share a specialization in the treatment of weight-related struggles, including the psychology of weight management and treatment of eating disorders. We also have a unique niche in working with people using the newer weight loss medications like Ozempic or Zepbound. There are very few therapists that understand the science of weight and weight loss medications like we do. Additionally, each team member has a unique health psychology related specialty. To name just a few, we treat individuals navigating cancer, epilepsy, diabetes (type 1 or 2), long Covid, ADHD, POTS, and OCD related issues like skin picking or hair pulling. We also love working with caregivers, those who sacrifice so much and need a unique type of support themselves.
Q. What is something about you specifically that people would be surprised to learn?
A. The fact that I am a boxer dog lover is probably no surprise to anyone who has seen me walking my 80-pound best friend around the neighborhood. But one surprising thing about me is that I started learning Spanish two years ago and last summer I took my 8-year-old daughter on a Medical Mission to the Andes mountains of Ecuador where we spent time in four different rural communities helping native Ecuadorians and Venezuelan refugees with their health.