WNDC Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Rosalyn L. Coates recently retired after 40 years of federal service. She began her legal career as Assistant Regional Attorney with Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.
She moved to Washington, DC to serve as Legal Counsel to the Chief of the Equal Employment Opportunities Office at the Library of Congress. During her tenure at the Library of Congress, she served in several positions including Assistant General Counsel and Legislative Counsel. She retired as legislative counsel with the US Merit Systems Protection Board in January 2020.
Ms. Coates has extensive experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and organizational development gained through her years of service as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union and President of the Board of Directors of the Oracle Set Foundation, Inc.
Ms. Coates holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Iowa, College of Law.
Anita joined WNDC in February 2021 and has served on the Programs, Membership and Finance Committees, along with the 2023 Nominating Committee and support for the ‘Sisterhood in Democracy’ initiative.
In June 2002, Anita happily retired from a long career in finance and accounting, primarily in transportation companies including rail, barge and ocean shipping and airlines and consulting engagements helping an airline and an online retailer with finance and accounting issue.
Anita is also a delegate for the Ward 3 Democrats since 2018 and is the Co-Chair of the Ward 3 Dems Transportation & Environment Task Force. She has a BA and an MBA in finance and statistics from the University of Maryland. She came late to community activism but has been motivated in her retirement to get more active and contribute, in a small way, to protecting our precious democracy and our endangered environment.
Joan Rogliano has been a longtime volunteer and activist on women’s issues and has consistently worked on political campaigns with her concentration to GOTV. She has gathered a wealth of knowledge and experience through her careers as a teacher, an inflight supervisor, the founder of a non-profit and for the last 20 years, the owner of her own real estate company which specializes in assisting divorcing families.
A native New Yorker who was most recently living in CO, Joan returned to the east coast in 2022 settling in DC. Since her 2021 semi-retirement, her focus has been to contribute to the political arena and what better place to do that than WNDC!
Carol Baer Mott has been active as both a volunteer and staff person at non-profits throughout her life. Highlights of her volunteer work in both Philadelphia, her hometown, and Washington, her home since 1994, include leadership roles with the League of Women (LWV), a community center, a theater, a religious organization, and the WNDC.
At the LWV, Carol served as Philadelphia president and on the state board. Also, for nearly twenty years with the LWV she negotiated, produced, and arranged television coverage for local and state primary and general election debates. She was Philadelphia debate director for the 1984 Bush-Ferraro Vice Presidential debate.
Carol joined the Woman’s National Democratic Club more than twenty years ago, serving as secretary, vice president for administration, and nominating committee chair. She also headed events and worked on the fund raising, bylaws, building, and finance committees.
At her synagogue in Bethesda, Carol is a long-time member of the finance committee and has served as chair and treasurer. She also manages large building repair/replacement projects for the organization. Carol currently chairs the audit committee of a national organization.
Professionally, Carol worked in communications for architecture firms before becoming the executive director of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). At the national AIA in Washington, she held several positions including running a leadership non-profit within the professional society and 850-person conventions
Committee Directors & Chairs
Conceico has been the Chair of our Archives Committee since 2021. Born in Horta, Faial, Azores Islands, Portugal, she currently lives in Maryland. She taught Portuguese at Harvard University and The World Bank Organization. She also worked as a translator, interpreter, and editor and in library science at several university libraries. She has a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Diploma and a bachelor’s degree in French and Anthropology, from American University, Washington DC, and graduated from Horta High School, Portugal.
She examined the story of Snow White or Mary of the Wooden Dress, (included in Stories of My Azorean Grandmother/Histórias da Minha Avó Açoriana) at the AICL Colloquium (International Association of Colloquiums of Lusofonia) in her presentation, Stories of My Azorean Grandmother: The Symbolism of the Bull. Additionally, she authored various manuals for teaching Portuguese, namely Portuguese for Business Travelers I, for the World Bank, as well as other works for Library Science, Boletins Bibliogáficos e Informativos, e o Manual de Biblioteconomia for the Library of Public Works, Maputo, Mozambique.
She volunteers at various organizations in the Washington D.C. area, including teaching English to immigrants. Her other interests include painting (her works have been exhibited in Brazil and the US), birding, astronomy, and learning languages.
As Director for Building and Grounds, Michael Beidler is responsible for property management and maintenance.
As Principal and founder of Trout Design Studio, Inc., a full service architectural and interior design firm in Washington, DC, Michael has been implementing custom, highly specialized architectural design for over 35 years with a focus on high end residential and specialty commercial projects. He is actively involved in local and regional historic preservation organizations serving as long term active member, frequent officer, committee chairperson and President of both the Dupont Circle Conservancy, the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, and the ANC2B Preservation Zoning and Development committee. Michael is a former Historic Building Inspector and Senior Preservation Specialist in the DC Historic Preservation Office in the DC Office of Planning.
Michael is a current Board member of the WNDC Educational Foundation, having served as its President from 2013-2016. He was also a member of the WNDC Board of Governors and the EXCOM from 2013–2019.
Michael coordinated renovations of Whittemore House (the Wolf Ballroom, first and second floor bathrooms and extensive building infrastructure improvements) over the last eight years with long term solutions to major building systems problems, creating a firm footing on which the WNDC continues to build its organization and generate income.
Janice Haynes Davis, a native of Washington was born and grew up in Georgetown where she developed a love of history and preservation. She attended DC Public Schools and has a BA from Wilson College and an MA from George Washington University.
A life-long Democrat, she has participated with the party in many ways. She has been active and held offices in her ward, and is a past president of the Metropolitan Women’s Democratic Club, The DC Federation of Democratic Women and the National Federation of Democratic Women. Her love of legislation and women’s rights has led her to serve on and chair several non-profit boards. In addition, she has worked on several campaigns as chair and manager. She welcomes this opportunity to work with WNDC board.
Professionally I started out as a biologist, but after 6 years in the lab turned this experience to editorial matters, going into business for myself in 1978. From 1984 to 1995, I was managing editor of National Geographic’s scholarly quarterly, Research & Exploration, and when they closed the journal, I returned to free-lance employment full-time and evolved into a science writer who attends federal meetings (often 1 or 2 days long), takes notes, and tells people what they talked about.
I joined WNDC after I began to retire, in 2015, VAMA in 2016, EF in 2017 (I now serve as EF board’s secretary), and became Director of Communications in 2019. Member since 2015.
Courtney Phelan currently works at the National Wildlife Refuge Association as their Director of Development and is in charge of building a vibrant and sustainable individual and major giving program. Prior to NWRA, Courtney worked at Restore America’s Estuaries as their Senior Development Manager. She focused on fundraising for their 1,200 person biennial Summit and their individual giving program. Prior to that, she was the Director of Development at Earth Day Network, where she raised $750,000 in a matter of a few months for an event on the National Mall and raised over $100,000 in new donations in a single week using online crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising.
Courtney received her B.S. in Sustainability, focusing on Sustainable Ecosystems at Arizona State University, and her M.S. in Environmental Studies, focusing on Sustainable Development and Climate Change at Antioch University New England. Courtney received her international Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification in October 2021 which is the gold standard of fundraising with only 8,000 people in the entire world with it. Courtney enjoys spending her spare time with her three cats and husband. She also enjoys camping, fishing, and golfing in the great, local spots by her home in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Mindy Burrell has been active in the WNDC since 2012, most recently leading the GOTV task force and its contribution to the 2018 and 2020 Blue Waves. Having held leadership positions in various nonprofits, international organizations, and political campaigns, Mindy brings decades of experience managing large and diverse teams in cross-cultural settings.
Michelle has been an active member of the WNDC’s GOTV Committee since 2019, working with the Winning Wednesday team of activists. After earning a BA in Political Science and JD from the University of Buffalo (UB), she began her career as a litigator before moving to the DC area to work as Legislative Counsel for US Congressman John J. LaFalce (D-NY 29th). She went on to serve as VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for the American Cleaning Institute, a DC-based trade association, for nearly a decade before starting her second career as a yoga studio entrepreneur, founding Grace Studios in 2014.
She has served on executive committees at Woodlin Elementary and St. Andrew’s Episcopal schools, as well as Chair of UB Law School’s DC Alumni Chapter. Michelle lives in Silver Spring, MD, where she raised her two college-aged children, Robyn and Callie, with her husband Brian and two dogs, Coco and Lucky.
Renee Williams originally hails from the small town of Hubbard, Ohio; but spent many years in Pittsburgh, earning her BA (in theatre arts) from Point Park University and then JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Renee has worked in non-profit leadership for the past decade and is currently the Executive Director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Being passionate about children’s issues, she stays connected to the community as well. She mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters, volunteers at Children’s National Hospital, and advocates for children as a court-appointed special advocate.
She has been a member of the WNDC for just over a year and resides on a farm in Upper Marlboro.
Hollin Dwiggins since the age of 10 has been interested in politics and passionate about who we elect to represent us. From school officer to US president, elections matter. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, she and her husband moved to Washington, DC in 1985.
She served President Clinton in the Visitors office and in the Office of Scheduling and Advance. For President Obama she served as a Field Director in Northern Virginia in 2012. She has been a volunteer at The River School, Landon School, and The Field School. She also has been a three-term Deacon at McLean Baptist Church.
The common thread through her professional and volunteer career has been hospitality and inclusion. WNDC has the opportunity to involve the next generation of aspiring leaders with opportunities to find their passion for service and to hone their skill sets.
Hollin has enjoyed needlepoint since childhood and recently has become an amateur painter.
Laura Foster Whitaker brings over two decades of experience leading teams and organizations in the private sector to her service to WNDC. Her professional background includes starting up offices overseas, overseeing budget and project management for large company divisions as well as startup organizations, developing relationships with corporate executives, public speaking at industry conferences, and most importantly nurturing the careers of staff.
Active involvement with the Club includes diving in to participate in the Program Committee, as well as Board service with the WNDC Educational Foundation where she serves as liaison for programs. As a WNDC Board Director for Programs since 2020, Laura ensured the continuation of a robust calendar of popular and diverse virtual events during the unforeseen Zoom era, keeping the Committee engaged through new technologies that boosted collaboration and using data to refine the ways the Club thinks about its Program offerings.
Kathy Hochman joined the WNDC in June 2022 and became a member of the Public Policy and Political Action Committee (PPC). Kathy looks forward to supporting her special interests of preserving democracy, women’s reproductive rights, and civil rights and humanitarian treatment of disenfranchised members of our society particularly immigrants and the LGBT community along with other critical issues impacting our society today.
Prior to her retirement in June 2022, Kathy’s professional background included 42 years of federal service with the Army Corps of Engineers and then with the Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) where she served in the Senior Executive Service as the Chief Human Capital and Training Officer. During her tenure with DHS Kathy was recognized by the DHS Secretary with an award for Leadership Excellence, and USCIS Director Awards for Distinguished Contributions to the USCIS Mission; Leadership in Successfully Integrating Programs Across the Agency; and Delivering on the Promise (the USCIS pledge to new immigrants).
Prior to her federal career, Kathy taught English and Language Arts at the middle school level and worked for an educational association providing on-site governmental experiences to high school students. Kathy hopes to bring her experience in leading teams, developing and delivering programs, results and building community to the WNDC.
Nuzhat Sultan has been active in the arts community since 1972. Prior to opening her own business, she worked for the Smithsonian Resident Associates program. She was Executive Director and Principal for 29 years of Washington Arts Associates, conducting educational art tours and seminars in the United States for major museums, in the UK, US and Canada. She was the Exhibitions Chair of the Arts Club of Washington for a number of years, where she curated and juried exhibitions, and organized an art lecture series. She has also chaired numerous benefits and was a board member of Art Table and on the board of Pyramid Atlantic, a nationally respected center of print and paper making. Her work brought her in touch with museum professionals whose advice she relies on for her work at the WNDC.
Since 2011, when she joined the WNDC, she has taken an active interest in the WNDC collection and eventually created the Visual Arts and Museum Committee for the purpose of restoring and cataloging the collection to meet museum standards. Nuzhat continues to curate mid-career artists from the Washington area to exhibit in the Ballroom Gallery and the Upstairs Gallery. This has brought the local arts community to the Club, including collectors, directors and curators of museums. More importantly, the art works sold at these exhibitions generate income for the club. Recently, with the help of committee member Jennifer Post and the very able and consistent help of Claire Sandberg, VAMA Coordinator, a docent program has been implemented.
Loretta Neumann, has been involved with WNDC for many years, starting on staff as membership & communications coordinator in 2013, leaving to become a full member in 2018. Professionally, she served with the National Park Service, a House Congressional Committee, the White House, and for 10 years owned a government relations firm.
Loretta has been active in many national and local nonprofit organizations, and in 2022 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Historic Preservation by the DC Preservation League. She currently serves on WNDC’s Program Committee.
Laura Foster Whitaker brings over two decades of experience leading teams and organizations in the private sector to her service to WNDC. Her professional background includes starting up offices overseas, overseeing budget and project management for large company divisions as well as startup organizations, developing relationships with corporate executives, public speaking at industry conferences, and most importantly nurturing the careers of staff.
Active involvement with the Club includes diving in to participate in the Program Committee, as well as Board service with the WNDC Educational Foundation where she serves as liaison for programs. As a WNDC Board Director for Programs since 2020, Laura ensured the continuation of a robust calendar of popular and diverse virtual events during the unforeseen Zoom era, keeping the Committee engaged through new technologies that boosted collaboration and using data to refine the ways the Club thinks about its Program offerings.