THE EDBUILD TEAM
Staff Members:
Jacquelyn L. Lendsey, President and CEO
Jacquelyn L. Lendsey comes to EdBuild with 35 years of education, policy, and executive level experience here in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Most recently Jackie was the President and CEO of Women in Community Service (WICS), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the number of women and youth living in poverty by promoting self-reliance and economic independence while addressing critical national issues surrounding employment, job training, welfare reform, poverty and cultural diversity. Jacquelyn guided the work of more than 100 staff nationwide working in eight offices. She provided leadership on WICS largest contract with the US Department of Labor's Job Corps, the nation's largest education and employment training program for youth 16-24.
Prior to joining WICS, Jacquelyn served as Vice President for Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., where she led government relations, state and affiliate program development, grassroots initiatives, global partnerships, public policy litigation and law, the Federation's Political Action Committee (PAC) and Planned Parenthood Republicans for Choice. Jacquelyn has also served as Vice President for Corporate and Community Development for Greater Southeast Healthcare System, where she led communications, public relations, fundraising, board relations and community relations. Under her leadership Greater Southeast ran the only school-based health clinic in the District of Columbia at Ballou Senior High School.
Jacquelyn began her career in education serving as a teacher and school administrator in the Prince George's County Public School System. Over a 20-year career in the system she served as a classroom teacher and system-wide teacher trainer. She served at the executive level as Supervisor of Public Affairs and Communications, Special Assistant to the Superintendent for Business and Community Relations and Executive Vice President for the Superintendent's 100-member Advisory Council for Business and Industry.
Jacquelyn serves on the Board of Directors of the National Health and Human Service Assembly and the National Collaboration for Youth. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the Mentors, Inc., Davis Memorial Goodwill, The National Minority Aids Council, and The Washington Region for Justice and Inclusion, Leadership Washington, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's National Board of Directors, and she chaired the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington.
Jacquelyn is a native Washingtonian who attended Garfield and John Burroughs Elementary and Taft Junior High Schools. She brings a passion for the children of the District of Columbia, a commitment to quality education and extraordinary, proven leadership to the EdBuild team. Jacquelyn holds a Bachelors of Science in Education from Adelphi University in New York, and a Masters in Education from Howard University.
Susan R. Cunningham, Chief Operating Officer
Susan comes to EdBuild from The SEED Foundation where she leveraged $30 million in both public and private funds to redevelop a vacant, burned-out DC public school building into The SEED School, one of the largest new public school campuses in Washington, D.C. and the first urban public boarding school campus in the nation. Susan managed all aspects of campus planning, design, construction and operations. In addition, she led strategic planning for the national organization and coordinated summer programs and academic tutoring for the local school, which has sent 100% of its graduates on to college.
As a senior associate at Dean & Company Strategy Consulting, Susan led data-driven strategic analysis for large telecommunications, retail bank and public utility companies. As a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Malawi in southeast Africa, she taught applied physics and renewable energy studies to the country's top college students and helped develop and build the communications technology infrastructure for Parliament.
Susan holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University and serves on a number of community boards including The Fishing School, GreenHOME, and St. Mark's Capitol Hill Outreach Board.
Gretchen M. Dudney, Real Estate Specialist
Gretchen comes to EdBuild with more than 25 years of real estate development experience in the Washington, DC area including senior development positions with The Oliver Carr America (which became CarrAmerica) and The Kaempfer Company (which became part of Charles E Smith/Vornado Real Estate). Her responsibilities included joint venture formation, budgeting, master planning, phasing, entitlements, community liaison, finance and oversight of leasing, marketing, management and accounting in addition to project management. Some of Gretchen's better known development projects include: The Willard Hotel and Office Building; Carlyle, a seven million square foot development in Alexandria; The Investment Building, 1501 K Street NW, and Waterfront, also known as Waterside Mall.
Gretchen is vice president, member of the board and member of the Executive Committee of the DC Building Industry Association (DCBIA) and was named one of the "50 Women Who Mean Business" by the Washington Business Journal in Fall 2004. She also serves as an adjunct professor of Real Estate Development for the graduate real estate program at Johns Hopkins University and as Director on the board of Bresler and Reiner, Inc., a Rockville-based, publicly traded real estate investment company.
Gretchen holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts-Journalism, Magna Cum Laude, from Southern Methodist University.
Joy Roberson, Strategic Initiatives Associate
Joy comes to EdBuild from IDEA Charter School, where she taught high school Spanish and led the Costa Rica Immersion Program, which supported students in a scientific investigation of their choice while immersing in the Spanish language and Costa Rican culture.
As a native Washingtonian, former public school teacher and graduate of DC Public Schools' Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Joy is deeply committed to closing the gaps between student goals and academic achievement in Washington, DC.
Joy received her bachelor's degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Fordham University.
Katie Severn, Director of Academic Services
Katie comes to EdBuild from The SEED Public Charter School of Washington DC, where she served as Principal, Assistant Principal and Special Education Coordinator. Katie trained as a school leader with the New Leaders for New Schools Program, a national non-profit organization that selects and trains educators to become urban school principals. Katie began her career in education by teaching English in rural and urban Namibia through the Center for Global Education. Upon her return to the states, she joined the Teach for America program as a high school special education teacher in Houston where she was awarded new teacher of the year and special education teacher of the year.
Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Grinnell College and master’s degrees in special education from University of St. Thomas in Houston , Texas and in Education Leadership from Trinity College in Washington , DC .
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James Forman, Jr.
James Forman, Jr. is an Associate Professor at Georgetown Law School where he teaches Education Law and Criminal Justice. James’ work as a lawyer principally defending youth from the District's high poverty neighborhoods, demonstrated the limits of the practicing law. In the best of circumstances, he would send his clients back to the bad situation from which they came. He was able to defend them in the courtroom, but not to help them stay out of the courtroom altogether.
Forman began working with David Domenici, son of U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, on a solution. They asked Forman's clients what they needed, and the answer was "work." So they began an after-school program that offered youth who had had trouble in the criminal justice system a job and tutoring. Soon realizing that an after-care program was not enough, Forman took a leave of absence, and in 1997 he and Domenici launched a private tuition-free school, funded by private foundations, and directed, again, toward helping youth in trouble. A year later, the Maya Angelou School (named for Forman's godmother) became a charter school. In 2003, Forman and Domenici received funding to expand to three additional campuses in the District over the next seven years. The initial expansion has been a success; in the fall of 2004, Maya Angelou opened a second campus in partnership with the D.C. Public School system.
Darrin L. Glymph
As a municipal finance attorney at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, Darrin represents issuers and underwriters in long term general obligation and revenue bond financings, including financings for hospitals, educational facilities, housing authorities and water and sewer authorities.
Darrin serves on a number of local boards and commissions, including: Local Business Opportunity Commission, Mayor's Commission for Martin Luther King, Friendship House Association and Washington Very Special Arts.
Darrin is a graduate of Williams College and Tulane University Law School.
John Hill
John Hill is Chief Executive Officer of the Federal City Council, with more than 28 years of experience in leading federal, state, local and private sector entities.
Prior to joining the Federal City Council, John served as CEO of In2Books, Inc., director of state and local government consulting services for Arthur Andersen, LLP, and founding executive director of the Washington, DC Financial Control Board. John has also served as a director in the U.S. General Accounting Office, director of audits with the Marriott Corporation and audit manager for Coopers and Lybrand and Price Waterhouse.
John serves on several local community boards, as Vice Chair of the National Minority Aids Council, Treasurer of the DC Shakespeare Board, and Director of the DC Board of Library Trustees, In2Books, Inc. and the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust.
Jordan Meranus
Jordan Meranus is a Partner at the NewSchools Venture Fund, a national philanthropic organization with a track record of supporting high quality public schools, including both charter schools and reform-minded school districts. Jordan was previously Managing Director at Imagitas, a company which partners with government agencies to demonstrate that entrepreneurial business ideas can help the public sector better serve citizens. Jordan also co-founded Jumpstart, a nonprofit organization built on a simple idea: that providing intensive early literacy services to low-income children is a great investment in ensuring that children in underserved communities enter school prepared to succeed. Jumpstart currently operates in over 30 cities nation-wide, working with more than 6,000 children in Head Start.
Jordan serves as a board member for CivicBuilders in New York City, the Excel Academy Charter School in East Boston and Mastery Charter School in Philadelphia. In addition, he is an advisor to EdVestors, a philanthropic organization that funds academic-focused initiatives in public schools. Jordan holds a bachelor's degree in history from Duke University and a master's degree in both Education and Public Administration from Harvard.
Eric W. Price
Eric is currently Vice President of Abdo Development, a District of Columbia construction/development company that specializes in residential and retail development in the urban core of Washington, DC and other close-in communities. Eric has also served as Senior Vice President, Neighborhood Markets, for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and as Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development in Washington, DC. As deputy mayor, Eric worked to revitalize neighborhoods, expand and diversify the District's economy, promote employment opportunities for District residents and incorporate individual community concerns in the citywide planning process.
He has also served as Chief Investment Officer and Director of Housing Production at the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and Development Officer for the Shore Bank Development Corporation, working to create affordable multifamily housing in Chicago's Westside neighborhoods. In addition, Eric has been a Project Development Manager for Isler & Associates and Contracts Account Manager for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation.
Eric holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Brenda L. Richardson
Brenda L. Richardson is a consultant with over twenty years of professional experience in developing and coordinating private/public partnerships. Her specialty areas include community development, public affairs, outreach, strategic planning, advocacy and training. Brenda has held several leadership positions in Washington, DC including Executive Director of the Anacostia/Congress Heights Partnership; Director of Resident Services for the DC Housing Authority; Managing Director of Metropolitan Dialogue bringing together interfaith voices to discuss civic issues; and various consulting positions with clients from the Robert Woods Johnson "Cover the Uninsured" Outreach Project to facilitating Mayor Williams' comprehensive housing strategy for the city with the Department of Economic Development and Planning.
Brenda has an undergraduate degree in political science from The University of Michigan and a master’s of social work from the University of Maryland. Brenda received an Environmental Award form the U.S. Department of Justice in 1994.
Chris Smith
Chris Smith is the chairman and CEO of Williams C. Smith & Co, Inc., a DC based multidisciplinary real estate firm. The 30-year-old firm currently owns and/or manages a portfolio in excess of 10,500 residential units. Under Chris's leadership, William C. Smith & Co. has become a leader in the rehabilitation and revitalization of challenged neighborhoods, focusing on developing affordable multi-family communities while concurrently managing a portfolio of market rate housing.
Chris holds a real estate brokers license in Washington DC and Virginia. He was instrumental in forming the non-profit organization Building Bridges Across the River, which spearheaded the effort to build the THEARC, an arts and recreation center in Southeast Washington. Chris sits on the board of directors for Building Bridges Across the River, the DC Building Industry Association, the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, the Metropolitan Washington Builders' Council, the Housing Alliance of Washington DC, the Historic Charles Street Renaissance Corporation, the Fannie Mae DC Partnership Advisory Council and LISC.
Donna Rattley Washington
Donna Rattley Washington was most recently the Vice President and General Manager of Comcast of the District. In this position Donna was responsible for managing all daily operations of the cable system serving over 100,000 customers. Before joining Comcast, Donna was a partner at the law firm of Cole, Raywid & Braverman, LLP, where she specialized in telecommunications, Internet law, franchising, right-of-way and competitive issues.
Donna is a third generation Washingtonian and maintains a strong commitment to both business and civic communities in her hometown. She serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Washington Area, The City Museum and the Lincoln Theatre. Donna is the parent of a Washington, DC public school student.
Donna is a graduate of Brandeis University and Georgetown University Law Center. She also holds a certificate in international relations from the Universite Haute de Bretagne, Rennes, France.
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