Executive Director
Camilla Carpenter
Contact: staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Board of Directors 2019-2020
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)
Karen Davis, Connecticut Avenue (first term exp. 2022)
Saveria Emblad, 30th Street (first term exp. 2022)
Polly Ghazi, Ordway Street (first term exp. 2020)
Mike Goldstein, Lowell Street (first term exp. 2021)
Christine Hobbs, Norton Place (second term exp. 2022)
Shaun Jones, Newark Street (second term exp. 2022)
Vicki Marchand, Rodman Street (first term exp. 2022)
Roberta Mathews, Macomb Street (second term exp. 2020)
Ron Ngaim, 34th Street (first term exp. 2022)
Lois Orr, 34th Street (first term exp. 2022)
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 (second term exp. 2022)
(See the bottom of this page for board biographies.)
Committees of the Board
Executive Committee 2019-2020: Rick Nash, President; Shannon Penberthy, Treasurer; Leila Afzal, Secretary.
Preservation Task Force: Myra Best, Christine Hobbs, 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: Roberta Mathews, Julia Rogers. Contact for membership inquiries: Camilla Carpenter, staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Nominating Committee 2020: Rick Nash, Myra Best, Raina Regan
Architectural Review Committee 2019-2020
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 Camilla Carpenter at staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org.
Win Brown
Ana Evans
Phil Eagleburger, ARC co-chair
Christine Hobbs, ARC co-chair
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.
Karen Davis, Connecticut Avenue
Karen Davis and her husband, Clark Madigan, have lived in historic neighborhoods since shortly after they were married 35 years ago—first on Capitol Hill and then, beginning late in 1999, when they moved to Cleveland Park with their daughter Caithlin into a house they had begun renovating—with Cleveland Park Historical Society approval, of course!—in 1998. They now live at the Kennedy-Warren. Karen, a military brat, gained a lasting appreciation for historic architecture living in Italy as a teenager, and she has great respect for the role the CPHS plays in our community. Professionally, Karen has always worked in the non-profit sector, typically in fundraising and communications. Currently, as a semi-retired consultant to a project that has had Federal funding, among other tasks she is supporting women with disabilities who are survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. As a volunteer, she has served on a variety of different boards and committees over the years, from the auction committee at her daughter’s school, to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation local chapter board, to the DC Quality Trust board and, currently, as a member of the board of the DC Rape Crisis Center.
Saveria Emblad, 30th Street
Saveria moved to 30th Street with her husband, Stefan Emblad, son Sebastian (17) and daughter Louise (15) in April 2016. The international family (Saveria is French and Stefan is Swedish) lived in Bethesda 10 years ago and has reconnected with a lot of excitement in the DC area. Before that, she lived in Cambodia, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. In addition to being an engineer in telecommunications, Saveria became a teacher in 2011 and now teaches at Sidwell Friends School after being at the International School of Geneva. When not in a classroom, Saveria is often seen practicing Yoga and Pilates, running, hiking, skiing or playing golf. She loves gardening and cooking for her friends. She volunteered with A Wider Circle and helped to coordinate the service program in her school. Saveria and her family love Cleveland Park and all it has to offer: friends, school, restaurants, nature, entertainment, and great neighbors. She thinks it is a privilege to live in such a great neighborhood and would love contributing to helping to maintain the atmosphere she loves in this special place in DC.
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 CPHS’s Architectural Review Committee, and has 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.
Vicky Marchand, Rodman Street
Vicky became a Cleveland Park resident in 1972, attended John Eaton and Maret, and returned to raise her three sons in homes on 34th Street and Rodman Street. She has worked on early childhood education and family support initiatives at the Administration for Children and Families and at several think tanks in Washington, DC. Vicky is currently pursuing her Master of Library and Information Science degree and has interned with the Historical Society of Washington, DC. She has served on the Boards of Directors for Woodley House, Inc. and Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ).
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.
Ron Ngiam, 34th Street
Ron is an architect in Washington, DC, specializing in multifamily and commercial office buildings. Ron and his wife, Kathleen Claire, also an architect, made a decision to move to Cleveland Park in 2008. Ron is currently working at the DC firm CORE architecture + design. A few notable projects in the DC area include 600 Massachusetts Ave NW in Washington DC, Concord Apartment in Arlington VA, and 2501 M in Washington DC. He has served as a member of the Architectural Review Committee since 2012.
Lois Orr, 34th Street
Lois has been a member of CPHS for nearly all of the 20 years she has lived in Cleveland Park. She has served in a number of CPHS roles during this time, including president of the board; currently she is a member of our Architectural Review Committee. One of her favorite CPHS activities was chairing the Call Box Restoration Project. Prior to her retirement, Lois was an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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.