Meet Our Staff
Lynn Golub-Rofrano, Executive Director
Lynn Golub-Rofrano is the Founding Executive Director of Georgetown Village which launched in 2011. Since launching Georgetown Village, Lynn has guided the Village’s expansion to almost 200 members while increasing the level of services to meet the needs of some of our aging and frailer members. In addition, Lynn has worked to increase the number of programs and activities for the many active members of Georgetown Village. Lynn strongly believes in the Village movement and the concept of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Thrive as well as the value of community building. She has been active in working closely with her colleagues to establish the formalization of the DC Village Collaborative. (DCVC)
Lynn’s husband is a federal employee and like many of you, they have lived overseas while working for the government. These experiences definitely reinforced the importance of community and neighbors helping neighbors. In her spare time, Lynn enjoys going to the theater, reading, knitting, traveling, and spending time with her two grown children.
Lynn has a Master’s degree in Social Work and an Education Specialist (Masters +30) in Education and Administration Supervision. As Executive Director of Georgetown Village, Lynn also served on faculty for Catholic University of America as a field supervisor for social work students.
During her time at Georgetown Village Lynn completed the Washington Area Geriatric Education Consortium Master Faculty Certification in 2015. In 2017, Lynn attended the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, and holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Varnita Holtzclaw, Executive Assistant
Varnita joined the staff of Georgetown Village in 2017. Since that time, Varnita has taken an active role in Village Office Administration and Village program support.
In addition, Varnita works closely with GV Committee Chairs and Board Members to assist them as they fulfill their roles and responsibilities. Prior to working at Georgetown Village, Varnita served as an Executive Administrative Assistant and Office Administrator for ACAP. She has more than twenty years of experience in Customer Service, Human Resources Management, Database Management, and various Operations and IT Support roles for non-profit, State, Local, and Federal Government agencies.
Varnita has three children Patrick, Dorian, and Taylor ages 17, 16, and 14. Our members and volunteers often comment on how much they enjoy Varnita’s can do attitude, and positive approach. Give us a call and we’re sure you’ll enjoy speaking with Varnita as well!
Bethany Whitfield, Volunteer and Member Coordinator
Bethany Whitfield joined Georgetown Village as the Volunteer and Member Coordinator in March 2023.
In this position, Bethany works to support members and volunteers of this wonderful community. Originally from Florida, Bethany has lived in the DMV for the past seven years. She previously worked in publishing and international education, and is excited to bring her passion for community-based work to Georgetown Village. Feel free to reach out at any time if you have any support needs, questions, or simply to say hello!
Meet Our Board of Directors
Judith Bunnell, President
Judith offers a unique background and perspective in entrepreneurship, finance, and complex budget strategies and implementation. She is a proven entrepreneur and investor. In addition, she has been an investment banker and has led the development and management of large municipal budgets and operations. Judith is a leader in concrete organizational growth, financial strategies and business acumen in K-12 education and state and local governments. Judith has decades of experience in programming and development for a variety of education-related non-profits and for-profits. She has managed outreach and financial campaigns both large and small, and started, grew and sold her own education for-profit company.
Currently, she serves as an angel investor and volunteer leader on multiple boards including Harvard University, Georgetown Ministry Center and her Parish Council. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University and a B.A. from Yale University.
Emily Sommers, Vice President
Ms. Sommers is a Washington, DC native. She has a J.D. from Catholic University Law School, where she was a teaching assistant and an editor on the Law Review; an M.A. from George Washington University; and a B.A. from the University of Maryland. She retired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 2018, where she had worked since 1990.
While at the FDIC, Ms. Sommers worked as a supervisory counsel in the failed bank section of the General Counsel’s office, supervising a staff of 13 employees in investigating failed banks and analyzing and determining whether litigation should be instituted against professionals associated with failed institutions. If so. Ms. Sommers and the staff worked to develop a case to present to the FDIC Board of Directors for authority to sue. After she graduated from law school in 1977, and prior to coming to the FDIC, Ms. Sommers worked for the Department of Energy, supervising a litigation staff of 11 employees in preparing and trying violations of DOE oil pricing regulations by major U.S. refiners before the agency administrative bodies and the federal courts. Ms. Sommers lives in Hillandale, and enjoys travel, theater, walking/hiking, 2 book groups, and the many wonderful museums, lectures, concerts and other activities life in Washington offers.
Michael LaCour-Little, Treasurer
Michael LaCour-Little is Professor of Finance-Emeritus at California State University Fullerton. Prior to retiring from the university in 2016, Dr. LaCour-Little was Chair of the Department of Finance and Executive Director of its Real Estate and Land Use Institute.
He has also recently retired from Fannie Mae, where he was a Senior Director – Economics in the Economic and Strategic Research group for six years. In that role, he managed a portfolio of research projects and a team of economists. Dr. LaCour-Little was an executive in the mortgage industry prior to joining the faculty of Cal State Fullerton in 2006. From 2003-2008, he also served as Executive Vice President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association. Prior to earning his doctorate in 1996, he spent decades in banking at both Wells Fargo and Citigroup.
His main research interest is real estate finance. He has published over forty articles and book chapters on housing finance and mortgage markets in peer-reviewed academic journals, including Real Estate Economics, The Journal of Banking and Finance, The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, The Journal of Housing Economics, The Journal of Real Estate Research, The Journal Fixed Income, and Housing Policy Debate, and serves on a number of editorial boards. A native of California, he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of California.
Betty Greenwold, Secretary
Betty graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a psychology major and an MA degree from Lesley University. She has worked as a small business administrator and a mediator for the majority of her career. Betty has also been a volunteer in the field of senior services since 1970, a member and then long-time president of the National Council of Jewish Women, DC section, and worked in their joint program for seniors with the Washington JCC. She has served on the Hillandale Board where she resides and has been a Georgetown Village volunteer with Village for several years. She has been married to Mark Greenwold for 58 years, and has three children and six grandchildren. Fortunately, two daughters and four of their grandchildren live in DC.
Carol Kelly, Past President
With forty years of successful advocacy work, Carol A. Kelly is the founder and CEO of Kelly Advocacy Outcomes which assists clients in Washington and across the country with their legislative and regulatory needs for healthcare matters. She currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at the Milken Institute School of Public Health (George Washington University) and has served previously on the board of the Society for Women’s Health Research.
Ms. Kelly has worked twice for the public sector and has represented companies and trade associations, giving her a wide-ranging view of the advocacy and policy environments of Washington. She joined the Board and Executive Committee of the American Benefits Council serving as its first Chairwoman from 2002-2003. Ms. Kelly has an MA from the University of Virginia and a BA from the University of Delaware.
John Doolittle
John Doolittle grew up in LaGrange, Illinois a western suburbs of Chicago. He took an early interest in public speaking which lead to a fascination with first radio and by 1949 television. He attended Northwestern University majoring in communication with a specialization in Radio-TV and Film. After graduation he joined WBBM Radio, Chicago as a producer and later as the station’s press information director. He worked on air for stations in Hammond and South Bend, Indiana before moving to Atlanta to join WSB Radio where he covered the growing racial and anti-Viet Nam War events. The station is also where he met his future wife, Ellen Baker, who was employed in the television side of the facility.
In 1970, John received a Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. From there, he and his wife moved to Madison to pursue doctoral degrees at the University of Wisconsin, his in Communication Arts, hers in Psychology. After finishing their degrees, John and Ellen moved to Indiana University where he taught in the School of Journalism and she was a Post Doctoral student in Clinical Psychology. In 1980 Washington beckoned with new challenges.
John joined the American University School of Communication faculty where he designed and taught courses in radio-television news production. He also served as Director of the Schools Journalism division for several years. In addition he kept his skills sharp working one summer as producer of WRC’s morning hours of talk radio and writing and producing news for the Voice of America. Subsequently, he was a visiting professor at Stanford University where he pioneered the Journalism programs which included student-produced newscasts on local cable tv outlets. Later years at A.U. he became an associate director of the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence which helped faculty develop their technical teaching skills. Research interests included studies of the effects and history of mass media. His book, Don McNeill and His “Breakfast Club” chronicled the development and growth of early morning network programing and sparked a renewed interest in one of the pioneers of broadcasting.
Now an Emeritus Professor from American University since 2013, Doolittle volunteers with: The National Park Service and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of Theodore Roosevelt Island, the Washington National Cathedral, the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive, and Georgetown Village. Doolittle and his wife are original owners of their Cloisters home moving there in 1987. As a Georgetown Village volunteer John’s most frequent assignment is to assist Village members with computer-related issues. His years working in electronic media environment and experience preparing faculty and students to use technology more effectively have paid off handsomely.
Sherri Anne Green
Sherri Anne is a Global Luxury Ambassador and an award-winning REALTOR® having earned the prestigious International President’s Elite Award being recognized in the 3% of agents world-wide. Sherri Anne is a 30-year resident of the DC area. Her love of the arts, architecture, culture, and design which influence her vision for real estate, is evidenced by her support of, and memberships in, various organizations such as the Phillips Collection, Wolf Trap, The Washington Ballet, and The Corcoran. Sherri Anne rooted in the community as a volunteer for Georgetown Village and former Board Member for the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park has also lent her commitment to various business and community groups including the Citizens Association of Georgetown, Georgetown Business Association, Rosslyn Business Improvement District, the Dupont Circle House Tour, and the board of directors for the American Advertising Federation DC and the Jefferson Awards. She is a graduate of The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science with a joint degree in Advertising and Consumer Economics.
Andrew Koenig
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Andy Koenig has been a member of the Georgetown community since 2008. He attended Georgetown University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Biology and later earned an MBA from the same institution. Andy currently serves as a senior assistant to Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia, in whose office he has worked for the past 12 years. In his current role, Andy works closely with the President, Chief of Staff, and other University executives to ensure alignment across functional units and to advance the President’s priorities and special projects.
Aside from Georgetown Village, Andy is active in several Georgetown organizations, including the Potomac Boat Club, Epiphany Catholic Church, and formerly the City Tavern Club, where he served as Membership Chair. In addition, Andy volunteers on the staff of the Nantucket-Treweryn Beagles, a field sporting organization based in Clarke County, Virginia.
Patricia Murphy
A native of New Jersey, Patty Murphy moved to Georgetown in 1965 after graduating from Saint Francis University. She has lived here in a variety of houses, from tiny Pomander Walk to her current “real” house on Dent Place. She had an interesting career in the Intelligence Community, primarily in the legal and legislative arena, and spent a year on a Congressional Fellowship working on legislation resolving the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. During those years she also completed a Masters at Georgetown University.
Patty is a founding member and volunteer of Georgetown Village, and enjoys seeing the organization grow and prosper. She also volunteered at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital for twelve years, and briefly volunteered at the Peabody Room helping to preserve documents that were damaged after the library fire. Patty enjoys entertaining friends and family, cooking, gardening, and traveling.
Frederick R. Rickles, MD, FACP
Frederick R. Rickles, MD FACP, attended Indiana University as an undergraduate and received his MD degree from the University of Illinois. He trained in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Following training, he served in the Army Medical Corps as Director of the Coagulation Research Laboratory at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and is a Vietnam Veteran.
Dr. Rickles was recruited to GWU as the Associate Vice President for Health Research and Technology Transfer in 1998, and joined the Division of Hematology/Oncology as Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Pharmacology and Physiology. He established a practice in his area of expertise, disorders of blood clotting (e.g. thrombosis and hemostasis), and has had a thriving practice with referrals from all over the world. Author of 110 peer-reviewed publications, 69 books, book chapters, editorials and reviews, and 115 abstracts, Dr. Rickles served as Vice President of the National Hemophilia Foundation and a member of multiple Study Sections of the NIH, American Cancer Society and American Heart Association. He was one of the co-founders of the Subcommittee on Cancer and Thrombosis of the International Society of Hemostasis and Thrombosis and a member of multiple scientific and education committees of the American Society of Hematology. He was an editorial board member of the Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Thrombosis Research, Thrombosis and Hemostasis and Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis.
Before coming to GWU, Dr. Rickles had been on the faculties of the University of Connecticut, Emory University and was the Deputy Director of the Hematologic Disease Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. He retired from active practice at The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, as of July 1, 2021, but continues to teach residents and fellows at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, DC, GWU and the NIH. He remains an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at GWU, an honor he received in 2016.
Dr. Rickles and his wife, Kathryn, a retired medical social worker, live in Georgetown and Kathryn is a volunteer for Georgetown Village.
Toni Russin
Toni joined the board in September 2014. She and her husband Jonathan have lived in Capitol Hill, Cleveland Park, finally settling in Georgetown in the 1990’s. During many of these years they worked overseas, in Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Spain and Russia. They raised four sons in Santo Domingo and Washington. In 1990, Toni was the co-founder and head social worker of Hope Housing Inc. providing affordable cooperative housing to formerly homeless families. She also worked as a social worker in the Washington Head Start programs and community organizing at Howard University. She is committed to the village concept of neighbors helping neighbors of all income levels. Toni has a BA cum laude from Smith College and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University in 1963. She currently serves as Past President, and chairs the membership committee for the Village.
Michele Seiver
Michele Seiver is a well-known and active resident of Georgetown and has volunteered her time for many worthwhile organizations. She has been a volunteer for Georgetown Village for almost 6 years and has a special interest in helping older adults. Michele was extremely helpful during the vaccination assistance program that Lynn directed for us, cheerfully driving our members across the city to ensure they were able to receive a vaccine. In conversations with our leadership, Michele has stated she is willing to serve as the chair of the Event Committee that would focus on our annual fundraiser, coordinating with the Development Committee and other member entertainment events, in addition to assisting with membership. Michele is a talented interior designer and has been recognized for her award winning work.
Rabbi Hyim Shafner
Rabbi Hyim Shafner began as Rabbi of Kesher Israel in August 2017. Prior to coming to Kesher Israel, he served as Rabbi of Bais Abraham Congregation in Saint Louis, Missouri, for 13 years, as Campus Rabbi at the St. Louis Hillel at Washington University for eight years, and for a year as Rabbi of India under the auspices of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
Rabbi Shafner has Smicha (rabbinical ordination), a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW), and an MA in Jewish philosophy, from Yeshiva University in New York City. Additionally he also holds a Certificate in Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute.
Michael Sherman
Michael Sherman is a second generation Washingtonian, who attended public schools in Chevy Chase DC before going away to college and law school. After graduating from law school, he returned to Washington, and, except for a few brief years in “far away” Bethesda-Chevy Chase MD, he has lived in the city his entire life. He was a resident of Georgetown for over 23 years.
Michael had a 40-year legal career in private practice, specializing in administrative law with a focus on trade matters. Primarily representing domestic and international energy companies throughout the supply chain from retail gasoline stations through crude oil and natural gas producers and everyone in between, including jobbers, refiners, and global trading companies, Michael predominantly handled issues involving U.S. Customs law, economic sanctions, export controls, and legislative concerns. He was co-counsel on behalf of the Republic of Venezuela in the mid-1990s in one of the first cases brought pursuant to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade before the then newly-created World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and his practice included appearances in federal court as well.
Prior to law school, Michael was a stringer for Time Magazine for a year and, taking a short hiatus from the practice of law when still young, he was Editorial Page Editor of The Paterson News in Paterson, New Jersey.
Since his retirement, Michael has served on the Board of the Georgetown Ministry Center and is a trustee of Kesher Israel Congregation, also known as The Georgetown Synagogue. Michael has a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School and an A.B. from Yale University.
Rebecca Risser Siemer
Originally from Dallas, Texas; I have a Bachelor’s in International Comparative Politics from the University of Central Florida and a master’s in Global Security and Strategy from Johns Hopkins University. I’ve lived in DC for 15 years, I met my husband here and we have two beautiful boys. I have worked in politics and policy as well as the Tech industry. I discovered my talent for fundraising while serving as Political Assistant at the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and have put this to use recently raising money for Classroom Grants as a volunteer with the Daughters of the American Revolution. For many years I volunteered as a museum docent at Anderson house and have been volunteering with Georgetown Village since its 2nd year.
Michael D. Usdan, PhD
Michael Usdan served as President of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) from 1981 through 2001. As of July 1, 2001, he became a Senior Fellow at the organization. Before joining IEL Mr. Usdan was Connecticut’s Commissioner of Higher Education from 1978 through 1981. From 1974 through 1978 he was President of the Merrill-Palmer Institute in Detroit.
Michael received his masters and doctoral degrees from Columbia University, having previously completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University. He worked on the staff of the late Dr. James B. Conant in the latter’s famous studies of American education and has taught at Columbia University, City University of New York, Northwestern and Fordham Universities, and in schools in New York City and White Plains, and served as a member and president of the school board in the city of New Rochelle, New York from 1969 to 1974.
Mr. Usdan has written many articles and books on various aspects of education. Several themes dominate his writing: problems relating to urban education, the relationship of government and politics to education, and the growing interest in developing closer relationships between elementary – secondary and higher education. He has been a consultant to local and state boards of education and educational organizations throughout the country and has spoken at and participated in numerous meetings, both in the United states and internationally in nations such as China, India, Nepal, Hungary, Russia, and Japan.
Martha Williams
I am a lifelong resident of the Greater Washington area, born at Columbia Hospital for Women growing up in first in the Glen Echo area and then in post war Rockville. Except for a brief time in New Hampshire where my husband was stationed with the Navy and a few brief years in the Kenwood area of Bethesda, I’ve lived my entire adult life in the city of Washington. I graduated from Hood College in Frederick, prepared to teach English, however by the time my oldest child was college aged and I was ready to return to the work force, I decided instead to try Real Estate. I began with Begg Real Estate, originally a Georgetown firm, then spent most of my 35 plus year career with Evers and Company, now associated with Long and Foster. In order to work in the whole metropolitan area, I held licenses in DC, Maryland and Virginia.
While the children were growing up, we lived in Chevy Chase, DC where along with a lot of volunteerism at Lafayette School, I was an ANC 3-G Commissioner. I have served as a Vestry member and as Junior Warden at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church where I have been a member for many years. I have also served on the Board of Directors for both The Westchester where I currently live, and The Kenwood House where I lived prior to moving to The Westchester. My membership in Georgetown Village was the result of outreach done by Lynn and Gail Nordheimer.
As I was considering retiring and wondering what to do with my time, they did a presentation at The Westchester which opened the Village world for me. Up until then, I was unaware of how active and vital the movement was for the seniors of this city. It has enriched my life and been an essential connection with the community and the rest of the outside world, particularly during Covid.
Joan Kennan, Advisory Board Liaison
Upon hearing about the Village concept at a community meeting many years ago, Joan was glad to be in on the ground floor of starting a similar Village in Georgetown. She became a founding board member of the Georgetown Village and has been an active supporter ever since, driving members to doctor’s appointments and serving on both the Volunteer and Communications committees.
Joan has seen the role that the Georgetown Village has played in the lives of its members. Not only do members rely upon the Village’s many volunteer services, but their lives are enriched by the Village’s social activities which afford members a greater sense of belonging to a community – so important for people living alone. Not all older residents – Georgetown residents who are still active and independent – feel that they need services, but fortunately, if and when they do, the Village will be there.
Advisory Board
Thomas L. Birch
John Bradshaw
Nancy Taylor Bubes
Barbara Hall
Joshua Kuhnert
Henrietta Q. LaMotte
Gail Nordheimer
Malcolm Peabody
Nancy Regan
Nancy Roll
Ann Satterthwaite
Patricia Scolaro
Leslie C. Smith
Elizabeth Verville
Toni joined the board in September 2014. She and her husband Jonathan have lived in Capitol Hill, Cleveland Park, finally settling in Georgetown in the 1990’s. During many of these years they worked overseas, in Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Spain and Russia. They raised four sons in Santo Domingo and Washington. In 1990, Toni was the co-founder and head social worker of Hope Housing Inc. providing affordable cooperative housing to formerly homeless families. She also worked as a social worker in the Washington Head Start programs and community organizing at Howard University. She is committed to the village concept of neighbors helping neighbors of all income levels. Toni has a BA cum laude from Smith College and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University in 1963. She currently serves as Past President, and chairs the membership committee for the Village.