Executive Director
Carin Ruff
Contact: staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Board of Directors 2018-2019
President: Rick Nash, Newark Street (first term exp. 2020)
Contact: president@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Leila Afzal, Ordway Street, Secretary (first term exp. 2021)
Hadley Debevoise Allen, 34th Place (second term exp. 2020)
Myra Best, Quebec Street (second term exp. 2020)
John Chelen, 30th Place (first term exp. 2021)
Polly Ghazi, Ordway Street (first term exp. 2020)
Mike Goldstein, Lowell Street (first term exp. 2021)
Christine Hobbs, Norton Place (first term exp. 2019)
Stefan Hurray, Tilden Gardens (second term exp. 2019)
Shaun Jones, Newark Street (first term exp. 2019)
Valerie Leonard, Quebec Street (first term exp. 2020)
Roberta Mathews, Macomb Street (second term exp. 2020)
Nick Netchvolodoff, Vice-President, Quebec Street (second term exp. 2019)
Shannon Penberthy, Treasurer, Porter Street (first term exp. 2019)
Raina Regan, Connecticut Avenue (first term exp. 2021)
Julia Rogers, Macomb Street (first term exp. 2021)
Frank Swain, Newark Street (first term exp. 2019)
(See the bottom of this page for board biographies.)
Committees of the Board
Executive Commmittee 2018-2019: Rick Nash, President; Nick Netchvolodoff, Vice-President; Shannon Penberthy, Treasurer; Leila Afzal, Secretary.
Preservation Task Force: Myra Best, Christine Hobbs, Stefan Hurray, Mike Goldstein, Rick Nash, Raina Regan, Frank Swain. The Preservation Task Force makes recommendations to the board on matters of ongoing concern that are not covered by the Architectural Review Committee’s project review mandate, such as advocacy with DC Council and agencies, prevention of demolition by neglect, Connecticut Avenue corridor issues, Eaton school renovation plans, etc. Contact the PTF at preservation@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org.
Membership Committee: Nick Netchvolodoff, Roberta Mathews, Julia Rogers. Contact for membership inquiries: Carin Ruff, staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Events Committee: Valerie Leonard, John Chelen. Contact for events and programs: Carin Ruff, staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Architectural Review Committee 2018-2019
ARC members include current and former CPHS board members and other CPHS members with relevant professional expertise. We will be adding ARC member biographies shortly. The ARC conducts project review for alterations to properties in the Cleveland Park Historic District when they are referred by the DC Historic Preservation Office.
Visit this page for more information about preservation design review and the ARC’s work.
Download the ARC’s operating guidelines here.
For ARC-related business, contact Carin Ruff at staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org.
Win Brown
Ana Evans
Phil Eagleburger
Christine Hobbs
Stefan Hurray
Danny Ince
David Kay
Tina Mead
Ron Ngiam
Lois Orr
Anne Weir
Board Member Biographies
Leila Afzal (Ordway Street)
“I have always felt lucky to live in our local treasure of Cleveland Park, first as a renter and now as a homeowner (35 years total). I have been a longtime advocate of the wonderful institutions and features of our community. I was on the John Eaton Home and School Association Board. I was co-president of the Cleveland Park Club. I represented the Cleveland Park historic district on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. I have been a long-time member of the Cleveland Park Historical Society. The CPHS has been a vital and important part of our community. I want to be more active and offer my energy, and hopefully talents, to continue its educational role and contributions to our neighborhood.”
Hadley Debevoise Allen (34th Place)
Hadley Allen and her husband, Bradley Allen, moved to Cleveland Park in August 2013 when they purchased their first house. Hadley was born and lived her early childhood on Porter Street, just a few blocks away from their current house on 34th Place. Hadley also attended NCRC, Beauvoir and National Cathedral School so she feels Cleveland Park has always been a home for her. Hadley works in real estate on the Morrell-McCormick-Roth Team at Compass. She has a master of science in real estate and is a LEED Accredited Professional. She adores her hometown of Washington, and after a few years of living in New York, she and Bradley are so happy to be back living in Cleveland Park with their daughter Milly and rescue dog, Daisy.
Myra Best (Quebec and 36)
Myra moved to Quebec Street with her husband, Fred Bellemore, and daughter, Margot in November, 2011. A native of North Carolina, since her arrival in Washington 17 years ago, Myra has been an active member of citizens organizations in and around Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan. Before that, she lived in Taiwan as a language student and in Italy for twelve years, where she enrolled at the Università degli Studi in Florence and later taught Italian language and literature at Trinity College’s Rome campus. In addition to her graduate research (she has a PhD in Romance Studies from Cornell University) and teaching, during this time Myra coordinated volunteer services at refugee centers in both Florence and Rome. After returning to the United States, she volunteered as an ESL teacher in Adams Morgan, helped manage a lively community garden near Dupont Circle and served as President of her Adams Morgan-based coop. As a Vice President at Meridian International Center, Myra designs public diplomacy projects for the State Department on a range of topics, including human rights, sustainable development and civic activism.
John Chelen (30th Place)
John is an attorney with substantial experience on technology, energy, and environmental matters. He holds degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has worked in commercial, government, and public interest sectors at all levels, including the World Bank, District Government, and Greenpeace. He has directed the development of numerous landmark software, modeling, and communications applications, testified before the US Congress on Internet and environmental issues, and participated in several White House information infrastructure initiatives. Locally, he has lived in Cleveland Park for nearly 40 years, served as President and Board Member of CPCA, served on the Executive Committee of the Ward Three Democrats, provided legal representation for CPBA, and will appear again, soon, as President Grover Cleveland for the opening of the new Cleveland Park Library.
Polly Ghazi (Ordway Street)
Polly Ghazi is a self-employed sustainability writer, editor and communications strategist. A British citizen, she is the former Environment Correspondent of the Observer, the Sunday version of the Guardian. Since arriving in Washington, DC, 17 years ago, she has worked for the World Resources Institute and Context sustainability communications consultancy, as well as freelance. She has also authored three books on environmental and work-life topics, published in the UK. Polly and her husband Allan, a founder of Greenpeace, have been Cleveland Park residents for 11 years and have raised two children in the neighborhood. Jessie is a rising college junior and Grace is a 4th grader at Eaton Elementary.
Mike Goldstein (Lowell Street)
Mike previously served as a member of the CPHS Board and as Vice President for Regulatory Affairs. Mike is Senior Counsel at the global law firm, Cooley LLP, where he founded and long served as leader of the firm’s education practice. Prior to establishing the education practice Mike was Associate Vice Chancellor for Urban and Governmental Affairs and associate professor of urban sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and before that served as founding director of the New York City Urban Corps, Assistant City Administrator and Director of University Relations in the New York City mayor’s office. He is a long time member of the Board of Directors of The Washington Ballet, the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, the Friendship Fire Association, the DC Fire & EMS Foundation and the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation. He holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Fielding Graduate University, in 2014 was awarded the Richard Jonsen Award for lifelong commitment to improving postsecondary educational programs and services through innovative uses of technology, and in 2010 was awarded the President’s Medal by Excelsior College for exceptional contributions to the field of adult and distance education. Mike is a graduate of Cornell University, holds a law degree from New York University and was a Loeb Fellow in Advanced Urban and Environmental Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He and his spouse Jinny have lived on Lowell Street opposite the National Cathedral since 1998.
Christine Hobbs (Norton Place)
Christine is a long-time resident of Cleveland Park and her children grew up on Norton Place. She is currently the co-chair of CHHS’s Architectural Review Committee, and previously served on the CPHS Board. Christine was the Director of Targeted Affordable lending in the Multifamily Division of Freddie Mac, and prior to that, the Director of Freddie Mac’s Low-income Housing Tax Credit Program. She has also worked for the National Cooperative Bank. Christine currently serves on the boards of Sarah’s Circle and the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home, both providers of housing and services to low-income seniors in Washington. She also serves on the board of Cinnaire, a community development financial institution headquartered in Lansing, MI. She is a past president of the Affordable Housing Investors Council, an association of corporate investors in Low-income Housing Tax Credits and a past board member of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund. Christine has a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning.
Stefan Hurray (Tilden Gardens)
Stefan Hurray has been a resident of Cleveland Park for 4 years in Tilden Gardens but has worked in the neighborhood for over 10 years with Barnes Vanze Architects. Originally from Pittsburgh, Stefan received his degrees in architecture and architectural history from Carnegie Mellon University. 10 years ago he founded the blog ArchitectDesign to share his interest in architectural history and design. In his spare time Stefan enjoys travel, interior design, and playing the piano. As a CPHS board member for the past three years, Stefan has worked on collaborative projects with the Art Deco Society of Washington, including the landmark nomination for Sedgwick Gardens and the Art Deco tour of Connecticut Avenue.
Shaun Shelby Jones (Newark Street)
Shaun and Michael along with their three children moved to Cleveland Park in 2006. They purchased their home from the estate of Carolyn Bennett Patterson, the first female Senior Editor of the National Geographic Magazine, in December 2003, which began a two-year remodeling project on 3607 Newark Street (the oldest house in Cleveland Park apart from Rosedale and Twin Oaks). Both Michael and Shaun are natives of Shreveport, Louisiana. Shaun graduated from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She worked in Human Resource both in Louisiana and in Washington, DC. After law school, Michael proposed and accepted a job offer to work at Kirkland and Ellis, LLP. Shaun and Michael moved to the Washington Metropolitan Area and purchased their first home in Fort Washington, Maryland where they lived for seventeen years. After their first child was born, Shaun became a stay-at-home mother in 1989. Shaun and Michael remain members of their church, Ebenezer A.M.E. Shaun is also a member of Jack and Jill of Washington, DC, where mothers focus on providing their children with opportunities to assist others through community service and leadership development. Jack and Jill partners with organizations such as Martha’s Table, ThriveDC, Reading Partners, and local Libraries where the children may prepare or serve food, read to and interact with children, donate books to local schools and libraries, and assist local schools in need of repair by painting and cleaning to maintain a beautiful setting for learning. Prior to living in Fort Washington, Shaun and Michael lived in the Grosvenor Apartments in Rockville. They loved driving through Cleveland Park seeing the beautiful homes as they drove into Washington, DC to work. They placed Cleveland Park as a place they would love to live and in June 2006 their dream came true when they officially moved into our home. Their family loves Cleveland Park and all it has to offer: friends, school, restaurants, entertainment, and great neighbors. Their daughters love coming home. Maria visits from Emory University and Lori from University of Chapel Hill Medical School. Michael Jr. is a St. Albans student who enjoys having his sisters come home.
Valerie Leonard (Quebec Street)
I have a lifelong connection to Cleveland Park. My house was built by my grandparents in 1923, and it has always been owned by family. Long ago, I schooled one year at Sidwell (first grade) and one year at Hearst (fifth grade). I spent the bulk of my working years in Alaska where zoning was almost non-existent. That experience is probably responsible for the great respect I have for Cleveland Park’s historic preservation ethic. I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful neighborhood, and I appreciate it every day. I am retired now, and would be very pleased to serve on the CPHS board. I would particularly enjoy working on the house and garden tour event.
Roberta Mathews (Macomb Street)
Roberta and her husband Matt moved to Macomb Street three years ago with their children. Roberta grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and gained undergraduate and law school degrees from the University of Mississippi. She spent twelve years in Australia, where she worked to restore seven landmarked properties and was president of the St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation. Most recently, Roberta restored a landmarked brownstone in the West Village of Manhattan. After eight years in Manhattan, her love of historic homes drew her to the Cleveland Park neighborhood.
Rick Nash (Newark Street)
Rick Nash and his family have lived in a 1910 house on Newark Street since 2000. Rick has longtime interests in historic preservation and conservation, and he values Cleveland Park’s walkable, vibrant “village in the city” character. Rick has been a director of the Rosedale Conservancy since 2006, and his prior board experience includes service on the boards of CPHS and the Cleveland Park Citizens Association. Rick is general counsel of Conservation International, which works to protect land and ocean areas in 30 countries through science, policy and partnerships. Earlier in his career, Rick worked in the information technology and communications sectors and lived in Europe and Central Asia. Rick and MaryAnn have a son and daughter in college and a daughter in high school.
Nick Netchvolodoff (Quebec Street)
Nick has lived in Cleveland Park since 1996. He grew up in Missouri and moved to Washington soon after graduating from Brown University in 1984. Nick worked for telecommunication companies for many years and an investment bank specializing in the communication sector. He and his wife Cathy Livingston have a son and daughter who attend St. Albans and National Cathedral School.
Shannon Penberthy (Porter Street)
Shannon Penberthy has lived in Cleveland Park (on Porter Street near 34th) with her husband Stratton since 1998. They were attracted to the neighborhood by its sense of community, diversity of architecture, excellent schools, and proximity to stores, dining, and national treasures such as the Cathedral. Professionally employed in Global Government Relations for Procter & Gamble, Shannon has served in various roles on the non-profit boards of the National Hemophilia Foundation, the World Federation of Hemophilia – USA, and the Personal Care Products Association. She grew up in North Carolina and received a B.S. in Economics and a MBA from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington before moving to Washington in 1991. Shannon and Stratton have two children who attended John Eaton Elementary School before matriculating to National Cathedral School and The Field School. Their Cleveland Park home was build in 1923.
Raina Regan (Connecticut Avenue)
Raina is a preservation professional who began her career in Indiana, working with local preservation groups in her job with Indiana Landmarks on strategic planning, applying for grants, developing public programs, and advocacy strategies. She currently manages the the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s preservation easement program, which involves working with property owners to oversee major rehabilitation projects and providing technical assistance as they work to repair protected properties. Raina fell in love with Cleveland Park during an internship in DC in 2009, and when she accepted the position at the National Trust, she immediately focused her apartment search on Cleveland Park. Raina lives at 3801 Connecticut. She hopes that she can represent younger apartment dwellers in the neighborhood in her work with the Cleveland Park Historical Society.
Julia Rogers (Macomb Street)
Julia and her husband, Ed, moved to Cleveland Park in October of 2016 when they purchased their first home. Julia was drawn to Cleveland Park by the history, architectural charm and abundant green spaces. She and her husband have lived in various neighborhoods within DC and spent some years living in North Carolina and New York; after all of the moving they are thrilled to be putting down roots in Cleveland Park. Since moving into the “Gingerbread House” on Macomb Street, she has enjoyed learning more about the Sears’ homes in the area and the history of her home. Julia grew up in Roanoke, VA and attended University of Richmond for undergraduate and University of Virginia for graduate school. She is a CPA and works for a Real Estate Investment Trust. Julia volunteers with the District Alliance for Safe Housing and in her free time enjoys travel, reading and spending time outdoors exploring DC.
Frank Swain (Newark Street)
A Corning, NY native, Frank grew up in an 1848 Greek revival house. After many years in Washington, Frank moved to Cleveland Park in 2011. Before moving, Frank and his wife Hilary each spent quality time in Cleveland Park through many years of delivering children to Cathedral school events and to local friends’ houses. The children have dispersed, but the Cleveland Park friends happily remain. Frank is an attorney, specializing in government contract compliance and general regulatory and administrative law matters. He has been a partner with Faegre Baker Daniels for more than 25 years. Frank was nominated and served as Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration. He is a graduate of Colgate University and Georgetown University Law Center. He is a Director and for several years chaired the Metropolitan Club Preservation Foundation. He appreciates the opportunity to support neighborhood preservation priorities.