Annual Meeting + Election
/Since 1925, the BCA has been promoting the interests and advocating policies for Burleith residents and homeowners. As elected representatives, the Board provides a strong, unified voice to the community’s concerns, communicates important and timely information, and engages and advises governmental and other agencies, institutions, and neighboring civic associations on important issues. As the community grows and changes, the Board is tireless in its efforts and works with members and friends to ensure Burleith stays safe, strong, dynamic, engaged, and diverse.
Editor’s note: This October 3 post has been updated to include new information about the meeting time, location, and agenda.
The annual meeting of the Burleith Citizens Association will be held on Thursday, November 8, from 6:45–9:15 pm, at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts media center (library). Enter through the front door on 35th Street; signs will direct you to the location. Registration, ballots, and refreshments start at 6:15 pm; the business meeting will begin at 6:45 pm.
The proposed slate for the 2019 Board will be voted on by eligible members. See below for candidate bios.
Per the BCA bylaws, BCA members who are Burleith residents or who own property in Burleith are entitled to vote. For voting purposes, membership must have been current 30 days before the vote (i.e., on October 9) and on the day of the vote (i.e., November 8). Resident-owner households have two votes, and other qualified voters have one vote. Procedures for additions to the proposed slate of officers and non-officer directors appear at the end of this post.
The meeting will cover a review of BCA activities over the last year and presentation of the proposed budget for 2019. Elected officials, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, will report on the state of the city, Ward 2, and ANC 2E. We will focus especially on the police report—in light of recent concerns about crime. Representatives from DPW and Parking Enforcement along with the DC Department of Health official in charge of rodent control and abatement will share their views on their agencies’ work. We will also hear from Georgetown University and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Silver Diner is providing pre-meeting refreshments.
Officers
President: Eric Langenbacher. Eric and his wife, Kayoko (Kay), have lived on T Street since 1997, a year after they moved to Washington. They have two sons, Adam (20), who attends the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Max (16), who is at School Without Walls. Eric is the director of the Honors Program and a teaching professor in the Department of Government, Georgetown University. He studied German and political science in Canada before completing his PhD in government at Georgetown in 2002. He spends his free time gardening.
Vice President: Nan Bell. Before becoming vice president of the BCA, Nan served as president and treasurer. As VP, Nan sits on the Georgetown Community Partnership (GCP) steering committee and works closely with the six GCP working groups that have Burleith representation. Most of Nan’s professional career has been in the field of international educational and professional exchange at the U.S. Department of State. She holds an MA in French literature from George Washington University, a BA in French from Rhodes College in Memphis, and a certificate in executive international business from Georgetown University. Nan travels to France with her partner, Robert Kane, whenever possible and has lived in Burleith since the late 1970s.
Co-Recording Secretary: Brian Garback. Brian and his wife, Alison, moved to Burleith in 2013 shortly after being married. After renting a lovely house on T Street and the arrival of their first child, they decided to join the other 535 homeowners and buy a place of their own. Today, after a full home renovation and with daughters Eloise (4) and Gwyneth (2), Brian and Alison are looking forward to a lifetime of memories in Burleith. Brian earned a 5-year Master’s in Computer Science at UVA, and spends his days working at IBM in Analytics Solutions. You’ll catch him tending his garden, chanting om at Down Dog Yoga, and biking his girls to school. He’s committed to building a tighter community among Burleith’s young families with a focus on social activities, “bikeability,” parks, and schools.
Co-Recording Secretary: Robert Russell. Robert and his wife, Emily, moved to Burleith in 2004, and Robert has been on the BCA board for last two years. Heidi, their dog, was the first addition to the family soon after buying the home. They have two daughters: Annika (10) and Ingrid (7), who attend Stoddert Elementary. Robert, who grew up mostly in Europe and graduated from Colgate University, works for General Dynamics Information Technology serving the federal government as a consultant on national security and emergency preparedness issues. He coaches both daughters’ soccer team, loves winter weather, and is an avid skier, and looks forward to continuing to support the great community of Burleith.
Corresponding Secretary: Linda Brooks. Originally from Southern California, Linda moved to Burleith in 1983. She holds a master’s degree in mathematics and worked in software development, metrics, cost estimation, and process improvement for many years before retiring from Northrop Grumman. In 2009 she set up Burleith’s online membership database and joined the board in 2012 as corresponding secretary, responsible for membership. Since then BCA membership has increased 35%. Linda's other two passions are hiking and Scandinavian folk dancing. She and her husband, Ross Schipper, spearheaded the startup of the now-popular Burleith Special Interest Groups, led the BCA’s fire call box restoration project, and host the Winter Gløgg Party. She also represents Burleith on the GCP Metrics and Data and the Safety and Student Life working groups.
<NEW> Treasurer: Linda Dager Hall. Linda moved to DC in 1999 and to 39th Street in 2011. She has a PhD in mathematics education, and has spent her career teaching and conducting research in the field of mathematics education. She taught mathematics at the elementary, secondary, and college levels, most recently at St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School. She is also a researcher, most recently at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Currently Linda does consulting work on national and international mathematics tests, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study. Her husband, Dick, a retired English teacher, moved to Burleith in 2014, when he and Linda married. Together they have four children and four grandchildren. Linda enjoys gardening, hiking, playing piano, knitting, and reading. Linda and Dick have recent experiences with the DC building permit office, the BZA, and the ANC.
Non-Officer Directors (At-Large)
<NEW> Alicia Amling. Alicia and her husband, Matt, moved to Burleith this fall from Georgetown. The neighborhood feel and sense of community attracted the couple to Burleith, and Alicia hopes that by joining the BCA she can help perpetuate that sentiment to all neighbors. Alicia and Matt moved to Washington after college (Matt is nearly a native, having grown up off Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda), and have enjoyed living in Georgetown and Eastern Market. On weekends they’ve been spending a lot of time on house projects and are starting to dabble in the garden—there’s lots of good yard-spiration in Burleith. Alicia works as the Chief of Staff in a family office downtown.
Ann Carper. Ann is the BCA webmaster and a former editor of the Burleith Bell. Now retired, she held writing/editing, marketing, and public affairs positions with the Smithsonian Institution and other organizations. Ann has a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a BA from Vassar College. She moved to Washington in 1980 and has lived on 39th Street with her partner, Beth McKinnon, since 2001. Ann occupies her time by vegetable gardening, traveling, and occasional freelance editing.
Edith Cecil. Edie has been a resident of Burleith for over 20 years and has served on the board as treasurer and at-large member since 2012. She spends her professional time as vice-president of the Institute of International Education (IIE), a global non-profit focused on providing opportunities for higher education worldwide. When not working for IIE, you will see Edie in her garden, where she tries to contribute to the beautification of the neighborhood.
<NEW> Andrew Dunnaville. Andrew has been a Burleith resident since February 2014. Andrew grew up in New Jersey and attended Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. After law school, he served as an Air Force JAG (military lawyer), and was stationed in Ohio and Colorado. Andrew returned to the East Coast in 2007 and is currently an Administrative Judge for the Federal government. Before moving to Burleith, Andrew lived in Van Ness. While in Van Ness, he served as vice-president for his condo board. Andrew and his wife, Massa, and son, Zayn, love the walkability, charm, and sense of community that Burleith offers.
<NEW> Michael J. McDuffie. Michael and his wife, Natasha Joukovsky, moved to R Street in 2017 after spending six frenetic years in New York City. They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child in December 2018. Michael studied molecular biology at the University of Virginia (where he and Natasha met) and law at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an attorney with experience in commercial litigation and government investigations, but enjoys spending his free time rooting for his hometown Denver Broncos, baking French desserts, and burning off the calories from said desserts by running around beautiful Burleith.
Francine Steininger. Francine is celebrating her 20th anniversary as a resident of Burleith. She is a graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Barnard College, and Johns Hopkins University. Professionally, she has worked in the international development field for over 20 years, apart from a brief interlude of four years working with a US-based firm specializing in the evaluation of electricity utility energy-efficiency programs. Francine has served as the BCA and BCF treasurer for the last 3 years, and now wants to focus her efforts on her role as the BCA sustainability coordinator. Francine is exploring opportunities for Burleith residents to transition to “greener” living, including such ideas as a waste-free picnic and a community bees initiative. Francine enjoys weekends on the Chesapeake Bay, hosting friends in her home, visiting family in France, dancing tango, and sailing.
Additions to the proposed slate of officers and non-officer directors may be made according to the current bylaws, which read:
“…any individual not nominated by the Nominating Committee, who is eligible for an officer or non-officer director position under the bylaws and wishes to be considered for such position by the membership at the Annual Meeting, shall be deemed nominated for such position if he or she submits a written petition signed by individuals representing no less than 30% of the voting membership of the Association, to the Corresponding Secretary of the Association no later than 14 days before the day of the Annual Meeting.”