Ann Vaughn
President
Bio
Ann Vaughn
President

Ann Vaughn began teaching music at Holton-Arms School, an independent school for girls in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1992. During her tenure there, she taught general and choral music to girls in grades 3 though 8. As Chair of the Music Department, she supervised music faculty in all three school divisions. She led curricular review and development for the department, as well as departmental participation in school-wide strategic initiatives. Ms Vaughn served for three years on the Holton-Arms Board of Trustees as the Faculty Trustee.

Ms Vaughn was active throughout her career in the Maryland Music Educators Association, the State’s professional association for music teachers, serving as President from 2003-2005. She presented over the years at state, regional and national music conferences on a wide range of topics in general and choral music education. Of particular interest throughout her career was global music education. She travelled twice to Ghana to study traditional music in a small village in the Volta region, and she became known as a area resource for incorporating Ghanaian music into school programs. She was a strong advocate for Holton’s now well-established Global Education Program and served as a trip leader to Senegal for the first group of Upper School students to participate in the Junior Journeys program.

During her last several years of teaching, Ms Vaughn became immersed in community outreach efforts on behalf of the School. She was instrumental in establishing a partnership around arts education projects with the Washington School for Girls, a Catholic school for girls in Anacostia. She continued to volunteer as a music teacher at WSG after her retirement from Holton and tutored at-risk students through a program to help with mastery of basic reading skills. 

Ms Vaughn received a B.A. In English from Ohio Wesleyan University and earned her Master of Music degree from the Catholic University of America.

“For me the most compelling idea in the Impact 100 model is that individual women – who join together, who pool intellectual and financial resources, and who educate themselves about the greatest unmet needs and inequities in their community – can become significant agents of change.”

Latina Fauconier
Vice President & Chair, Finance Committee
Bio
Latina Fauconier
Vice President & Chair, Finance Committee

Latina Fauconier, CPA, is currently a Professional Accounting Fellow in the Office of the Chief Accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington DC. Prior to joining the SEC, Latina spent 17 years in public accounting at PwC and most recently led PwC’s Capital Market Accounting Advisory Services Deals practice in Detroit Michigan. Latina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Latina is passionate about community service, having served on the executive board of the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (“NABA”) for over 8 years, mentoring college students at Wayne State University’s Mike Illitch School of Business through PwC’s Multicultural Professional Readiness Education Program (“MPREP”) Scholars program, teaching financial literacy to high school students through the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (“DAPCEP”) in partnership with Wayne State University. Latina has also been a regular leader and advocate for diversity and inclusion initiatives within PwC and Michigan’s Association of Certified Public Accountants (“MICPA”). 

Latina now resides in Maryland with her husband and two young daughters. 

“Impact 100 is an organization of amazing women working together as a collective to provide high impact grants to nonprofit organizations making a difference in the local community where we live, work and play.” 

Dorothy Durden
Chair, Education Focus Area Committee
Bio
Dorothy Durden
Chair, Education Focus Area Committee

Dorothy began her professional career at IBM in New York City, in its stockholder relations department.  She advanced to a career in marketing and management where she worked with IBM marketing representatives to educate new customers on the values and benefits of moving to automated office systems. 

Her IBM management and marketing positions led her to transition to the Human Resources field, where she worked as the Director of Human Resources for Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland until December 2017.  She is currently working part-time as the Human Resources Manager for a small minority-owned business. In both roles her responsibilities have encompassed employee relations, recruitment, health and retirement benefits, and payroll. 

Dorothy is passionate about helping others and has served on the board of the Organization for Training Others in Need (OF/TON), where she facilitated classes in an underserved community. She also served on the Board of Trustees and various board committees at Holton-Arms.

Dorothy has a BS in Business from Marymount College of Fordham University and a Masters in Human Resource Management from American University. 

“I have always made it a priority to contribute to my community. Once I learned about Impact100 DC I could not pass up the opportunity to join a diverse group of women across the DC Metro area to make a truly meaningful impact by providing significant support to our community. I am particularly inspired by Impact100 DC’s vision to address the needs of our community prioritizing those that result from systemic racism and structural inequity.”

Betty Dziura
Treasurer
Bio
Betty Dziura
Treasurer

Betty currently serves as Vice President-Controller at Hines, a global real estate investment, development and management firm.  Over the past 25 years, she has gained experience in all aspects of real estate accounting and financial reporting for office, apartment, condominium, and multi-use developments.

Since 2012, Betty has had responsibility for the Hines East Region Accounting Group, comprised of over 50 real estate accounting professionals in Boston, New York and D.C.  In this role she provides oversight and supervision of 9 controllers responsible for the financial management and reporting for projects in the region. Betty also oversees compliance with internal controls at Hines and coordinates with external audit and tax firms to ensure timely completion of annual audit reports and periodic tax filings.

Betty received her B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Bonnie Harkness
Grantee Liaison
Bio
Bonnie Harkness
Grantee Liaison

Ms. Harkness began her legal career as an estate and trust officer in 1979 in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1981 she moved to Washington, DC and became a legislative assistant to a Senator on Capitol Hill. She managed banking, housing, taxes, and Indian affairs. After a few years, Ms. Harkness started her family and began a career of volunteer service. She was a Girl Scout leader for five years, volunteered in the schools, and at “So Others Might Eat.” Once her children left the nest, she began working at Crossway Community, a three-year skill-building and residential living program for economically disadvantaged single mothers and their children. At Crossway Community, she worked on fund raising, writing grant applications, working in the before school breakfast program, and wrote the application for the first charter school in Montgomery County.  She was on the Board of Hope for Children, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the education and welfare of children whose parents were affected by AIDS and poverty. In 2012, after moving to Chicago, Ms. Harkness was on the Board of “Save Abandoned Babies (SAB),” a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of the safe, legal options under the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. The work at SAB included fund raising, lobbying and educating the community about the law. Ms. Harkness graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in psychology, sociology, and philosophy and a J.D. from the law school.

“My hope is to help unite and empower women for the greater good. Impact 100 accomplishes these goals by bringing women together to support non-profits in a meaningful way in the greater Washington area.”

Ellen Sivon
Secretary
Bio
Ellen Sivon
Secretary

Ellen Sivon began her career as a senior administrator and legislative director for the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA), administering professional development programs in international education through contracts with the Office of International Training of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).  As part of her MA in International Development she authored a study for NAFSA, Private Sector Funding Available to Foreign Students in the United States.  After earning a Certificate to Teach English as a Second Language, she was a private ESOL tutor and substitute ESOL teacher for Montgomery County, MD, Public Schools.  Her volunteer work has included Board membership and fundraising for The Center to Prevent Childhood Malnutrition and serving as a host for international visitors arriving in the DC area through Meridian House International.  Ellen also had a 20-year volunteer affiliation with the St. Columba’s/Truesdell Education Partnership (STEP) in Washington, DC, a program that provided academic and extracurricular activities to enhance long-term educational opportunities for 73 inner-city students. Her responsibilities included Board membership, tutoring, mentoring, fundraising and serving as volunteer coordinator responsible for recruitment, training, and assignment of volunteers.  Ms. Sivon has two grown daughters in the DC area and lives in Bethesda, MD. 

“What attracted me to Impact 100 is the simplicity of the model: one woman/one vote/big impact! Each member has a stake in the outcome and thus a real connection to her giving, and an opportunity to make a real and visible difference for those in need in her community.”

Janelle Haskell
Non-Profit Liaison & Chair, Health and Wellness Focus Area Committee
Bio
Janelle Haskell
Non-Profit Liaison & Chair, Health and Wellness Focus Area Committee

Janelle worked for over 4 decades as a reporter, editor and producer for local, national and international broadcasting organizations. She began her career in Poughkeepsie, NY as the first full-time female broadcaster in the Hudson Valley where she anchored the news and covered local events from car crashes to country board meetings. She moved to Washington D.C. to work for the Voice of America, where her assignments ranged from the Pope’s U.S. visit to the first International Women’s Year Conference in Mexico City.  After taking 10 years off to raise her three children, Janelle joined the Washington bureau of ABC Radio as an editor, then finished out her career producing a public radio interview program and daily features for AARP.

 

Janelle has always been active in her community. She served as President of her Civic Association in Silver Spring, and is currently Vice President of her Civic Association in Arlington.  She was a committed advocate for public schools in Montgomery County, testifying before the Board of Education in a successful effort to save a pioneering language immersion program, and on the front lines of a contentious, ultimately winning campaign to build a sorely-needed new high school.

 

For the past 7 years, Janelle has taught English as a Second Language to adults throughout the DMV in the classroom and online. The opportunity to interact with and help people from every corner of the world and every conceivable background has been the most rewarding, joyous challenge of her career.  

 

Janelle lives in Arlington with her husband, Byron Johnson, a retired engineer who spent his career at the FAA. Between them they have 6 children and 7 (and counting) grandchildren.

 

 From the moment I first heard about it, I thought the concept of Impact100 DC was brilliant! I love having the opportunity to get together with other women to pool resources and award a grant that can truly make a difference.  We get to expand our own horizons and, hopefully, leave the DMV better for it.

Jenny Backus
Co-Chair, Membership
Bio
Jenny Backus
Co-Chair, Membership

Jenny Backus is the founder and President of Backus Consulting, a strategic communications firm. A nationally recognized spokesperson and expert on strategic communications and partnerships, Backus has worked for Fortune 500 companies, national trade associations and NGOs and in the political arena serving in leadership positions in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and on Presidential campaigns.

Jenny previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor and Head of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement for Google and in the Obama Administration as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy & Planning at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A graduate of Brattleboro Union High School and Brown University, Backus lives in Washington D.C. with her husband Ed Pagano and son Jack.

 

Sharon Dennis
Chair, Grants Committee & Environment Focus Area Committee
Bio
Sharon Dennis
Chair, Grants Committee & Environment Focus Area Committee

Ms. Dennis began her career in social justice and child advocacy when, as a recent college graduate, she joined the National Black Child Development Institute, which focused on improving conditions for Black children in the areas of education, child welfare, and health.  There, she helped develop a program to mobilize the community in five pilot cities to work one-on-one with at-risk youth to increase their chances of success in school and beyond.  Following law school, Ms. Dennis worked as a staff attorney for the National Audubon Society, where she built a powerful coalition that brought social justice groups to lobby alongside the environmental community on a range of issues.  While stepping away from the law to raise two daughters, she volunteered as a community leader in her children’s California school district, where she was active in fundraising and promoting student achievement, as well as outreach to new immigrant communities.  Upon her return to DC in 2009, Ms. Dennis received specialized student advocacy training from the Took Cowell Institute for At-Risk Youth at the U.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law.  She went on to co-found and direct a DC-based nonprofit that paired volunteer mentors to work individually with homeless middle school-aged youth.  There she was responsible for all facets of board development, community outreach, program administration, and fundraising.  Ms. Dennis received a B.A. in Politics from Mount Holyoke College, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

After years of providing direct services through a number of nonprofits in DC, I’m drawn to the idea of creating a single transformational grant that can change an organization — and the people it serves.”

Carole Mumin
Co-Chair, Membership and Communications
Bio
Carole Mumin
Co-Chair, Membership and Communications

Carole Mumin is one of Washington, DC’s admired playwrights, producers, directors, literary artists, educators, and civic leaders. The former White House Aide; University of the District of Columbia adjunct professor; public and private sector program consultant, and adult education trainer has over thirty years of programmatic and administrative experience in the District of Columbia.

She Co-Founded, the Organization for Training Others in Need (OFTON) that has trained hundreds of DC residents. The organization was awarded the Jesse Battle Empowerment through Employment Award and is celebrating its 29th Anniversary. She is also a Founding Member of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington. Her education and art credits include Where Eagles Fly, eLearning Tool, The Perfect Pet, The Green-Eyed Monster Series, The World Is My Oyster Series, The Lemonade Stand, I Just Want to Tell Somebody, and Malcolm, Martin, Medgar, Director.

She served with distinction in three White House Administrations: Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Carter where she became the first Muslim to work directly for a U.S. President as a White House staffer.

Katy Gathright
Chair, Marketing and Communications
Bio
Katy Gathright
Chair, Marketing and Communications
Katy Gathright has been working in marketing and communications for nonprofits, corporate clients, and social enterprises for the last decade. In 2012, she co-founded an online marketplace for sustainable and socially-conscious products called Designed Good. She then led marketing and communications for Groundswell, a DC-based nonprofit that helped neighborhoods come together to purchase more affordable clean energy. While at Groundswell, she focused on making the clean energy movement accessible to diverse communities, with a particular goal of making the environmental movement more inclusive for Black families and Black-owned businesses. She joined Bully Pulpit Interactive, a DC-based digital advertising agency, in 2016 and helped lift up and fundraise for women political candidates with her client EMILY’s List. While at BPI, she also implemented digital advertising programs for Uber, Save My Care, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Katy subsequently led the marketing division at Bethesda-based Wellness Corporate Solutions, helping employers understand the benefits of offering additional health and wellness programming for their teams. Currently, Katy is the Director of Marketing and Communications for GiveCampus, with a mission of making education more affordable and accessible through top-tier fundraising technology.
Katy graduated with a B.A. in English and History from Williams College, including a year of study in English at Oxford University. She lives in Washington, DC.
Ranit Schmelzer
Membership Co-Chair
Bio
Ranit Schmelzer
Membership Co-Chair

Ranit Schmelzer has worked for more than 25 years at the intersection of communications, policy, and advocacy as a lead strategist and spokesperson in the Executive Branch, in Congress, and in the advocacy world. Today as the President of Schmelzer Strategies, she advises nonprofit organizations, universities, and foundations on the development, planning, and implementation of comprehensive communications strategies.

Prior to entering private practice in 2012, Ranit led public affairs at the Corporation for National and Community Service in the Obama Administration and before that, she worked in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including ten years as Communications Director for U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. In the nonprofit world, she served as Vice President for Communications at the National Women’s Law Center.

A graduate of the University of Rochester, Ranit lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband, two children, and one big labradoodle.

Mary Cohen
Chair, Arts & Culture Focus Area Committee
Bio
Mary Cohen
Chair, Arts & Culture Focus Area Committee

Mary Cohen has spent her career in education. Upon graduating, she worked as a special education teacher in Kentucky.  She then spent the next twelve years working for a professional organization advocating for the educational rights of students with disabilities and students who are gifted. Over the course of the next several years, she was responsible for the content of an on-line special education bulletin board, consulted with a county in Maryland on the development of an evaluation system for their special education program, served as an administrative assistant in a Maryland independent school, and worked as a substitute teacher.

Mary has volunteered with a number of organizations including the Special Olympics, the Girl Scouts, the Community of Concern and providing meals for a men’s shelter.  She is a former board member of the Parents Council of Washington and continues to moderate an upper school and middle school student leader discussion for the organization.

Mary became involved in Impact100 DC because of the organization’s commitment to diversity and to seeking out organizations who are working to address systemic inequity.  She is proud to be part of an all-women philanthropic organization that is able to provide transformational grants to a local non-profit.

Mary Ellen Taylor
Chair of the Family Focus Area Committee
Bio
Mary Ellen Taylor
Chair of the Family Focus Area Committee

Mary Ellen had a 30+ year career in financial regulation. After 5 years on Capitol Hill working on legislation, she transitioned to the executive branch, helping to oversee a variety of financial institutions and then concentrating on housing finance. At the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) & its predecessor,  her work included leading the agency’s Congressional Affairs office, serving as  Senior Policy Advisor,  Associate Director in the Office of Strategic Initiatives, and finishing  as Associate Director in the Division of Conservatorship. (FHFA is the regulator & conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the regulator of the Federal Home Loan Banks.)

Mary Ellen also worked in the private sector in Washington for a few years, and in local government in London in the mid-1980’s. Early in her career, after getting a post-graduate Diploma in Montessori (an early education method) she taught for two years.

Mary Ellen’s charitable and professional organization activities include a longtime affiliation with Women in Housing & Finance (including serving as President), coordinating monthly deliveries of food for Martha’s Table from a group of 20+ volunteers (-& preparing meals monthly for over 25 years), serving on the Archdiocesan School Board and leading our Parish Council (after serving as Finance Committee Chair while we undertook fundraising for major building improvements).

“One of the wonderfully attractive elements of the Impact 100 model is the synergy it provides – taking advantage of diverse member experiences and knowledge, and bundling contributions to achieve a significant impact in addressing unmet needs in the community.”

Heather Johnson
Membership Chair
Bio
Heather Johnson
Membership Chair

Heather Johnson is a founding member of the Impact 100 DC chapter.  She was initially attracted to the organization by the concept of a diverse group of women supporting, in a significant way, the needs of those in the Washington Metropolitan area.  She served on the Health and Wellness committee her first two years reviewing grant proposals and is excited to join the board to expand her opportunities to “give back.”

Heather is currently an actively practicing gynecologist and recently retired obstetrician after delivering over 3500 babies during her 40-year tenure.  She is senior partner at Reiter, Hill & Johnson, an Advantia practice. She received her MD at Yale University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  She served in the U.S. Army for eight years prior to going into private practice.

While a mother and nana (she has two adult children, an attorney, and a physician, and 2 adorable granddaughters) and an OBGYN at heart, Heather is also passionate about giving back to her community.  She has served on boards and committees at Columbia Hospital for Women, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Hospital for Sick Children, Mary’s Center, The Landon School, and Stoneridge, and is currently on the Medical Advisory Committee for the National Menopausal Foundation and a member of the Women’s Wellness, Health & Aging Project/Johns Hopkins.  She enjoys teaching and has been at numerous worksites and on blogs and zooms discussing subjects from breast feeding to osteoporosis, to menopausal signs and symptoms to postpartum depression and many more. She has recently published two books for her patients, one on preconception/pregnancy and postpartum life and another on pre/peri/menopausal and postmenopausal life.

“I am looking forward to using my experience, skills, and talents to better the lives of the many in our community who do not have a voice.  I see Impact 100DC as the best way to accomplish this goal.”

Jenna Boig
Events Chair
Caitlin Van Orden
Co-Chair, Grants Committee
Bio
Caitlin Van Orden
Co-Chair, Grants Committee

Caitlin is a fundraising professional with 20 years of experience working for non-profits focused on advocacy, social justice and human rights. Caitlin started her career at USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. She later moved to Community Change where she learned about the power of community organizing to make social change. She has since held leadership positions with the League of Women Voters and RESULTS, an organization dedicated to using advocacy to increase funding for that will reduce poverty globally and in the United States.

Since 2019, Caitlin has led the major gifts and events program at NARAL Pro-Choice America. 

Caitlin has lived in Washington D.C. since 2007 and previously served as the treasurer of the board for Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS), an organization dedicated to ending gender-based harassment and assault in D.C.

Caitlin has a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Stockton University. She lives in the Rosedale neighborhood of D.C. with her husband, young son, and dog, Wally.

Kate Rodgers
Co-Chair, Education Focus Area Committee
Bio
Kate Rodgers
Co-Chair, Education Focus Area Committee

Kate Rodgers is a career educator with a background in management, marketing
and sales. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in
Philadelphia before transitioning to work within the field of educational publishing
and learning solution services. She has held a variety of positions for Pearson
Education (now known as Savvas Learning Company), McGraw-Hill Education
and Benchmark Education Company. She has trained and led teams of various
sizes with her skills recognized with the Terry McGraw Sales Leadership Award.
She has partnered and collaborated with school systems of all sizes throughout
the Mid-Atlantic Region to analyze and develop solutions to meet the
instructional needs of their students and teachers within their classrooms. In
addition, Rodgers spent three years as the Director of Enrollment, Marketing and
Alumni Engagement for a local elementary school. During that time, she also
assisted with the launch of a Pre-K program as well as a needs based grant
called Fund A Scholar. Along with this professional experience, in 2012, she
established a student service and social outreach program called Greater Love at
St. Bernadette School in Silver Spring, MD whose while chairing their school
advisory boards for two years. Additional board work includes the National Park
Trust in Rockville, MD.

Rodgers received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.Ed in
Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College. She has two daughters. She
lives with her husband in Silver Spring, MD.

Meagan Van Orden
Co-Chair, Finance Committee
Bio
Meagan Van Orden
Co-Chair, Finance Committee

Meagan Van Orden is a Professional Accounting Fellow in the SEC’s Office of Chief Accountant’s International Group. She primarily works with securities regulators and other regulatory bodies around the world on the development of international financial and sustainability reporting standards, auditing standards and other initiatives to promote investor protection and confidence in global capital markets. Prior to joining the SEC’s Office of Chief Accountant, she spent 13 years with KPMG where she primarily focused on providing accounting and audit services to public financial services companies, both domestically and abroad.

Meagan received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting from Binghamton University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania and California.

Martha Coven
Board Member
Bio
Martha Coven
Board Member

Martha Coven currently wears three professional hats: she is a Visiting Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public & International Affairs, the author of Writing on the Job: Best Practices for Communicating in the Digital Age (Princeton University Press, 2022), and the founder of Coven Consulting LLC, a consulting practice serving philanthropic and nonprofit clients.

Earlier in her career, she served as a congressional aide, a nonprofit advocate, and in the Obama White House. She holds a B.A. in economics and a J.D. from Yale University.

Martha is a longtime resident of the District of Columbia, where her children were educated in the public schools.

Open Positions

The Impact100 DC Board of Directors is a working, all-volunteer board. We are currently looking for a Friends of Impact Co-Chair to raise funds for operating expenses and our fellowship program.

If you are interested in joining the Board of Directors, please complete the Statement of Board Interest form. Or contact president@impact100dc.org.