Executive Director
Stephen Hansen
Contact: staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Board of Directors 2022-2023
President: Bonnie LePard, Macomb Street (first term exp. 2023)
Contact: president@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Vice Presidents: Leila Afzal, Ordway Street (second term exp. 2024) and Rick Nash, Newark Street (second term exp. 2023)
Treasurer: Julia Rogers, Macomb Street (second term exp. 2024)
Secretary: Karen Lightfoot, Ordway Street (first term exp. 2023)
Carol Lynn Bamford, Lowell Street (first term exp. 2024)
John Buchanan, Newark Street (first term exp. 2023)
John Chelen, 30th Place (second term exp. 2024)
Karen L. Davis, Connecticut Avenue (second term exp. 2025)
Ana Tejblum Evans, Ashley Terrace (first term exp. 2025)
Saveria Emblad, 30th Street (second term exp. 2025)
Patricia Franco, Macomb Street (first term exp. 2025)
Kevin Spence Kelso, Connecticut Avenue (first term exp. 2025)
Judith Kennedy, Newark Street (first term exp. 2023)
Pamela Kurland, Ordway Street (first term exp. 2025)
Vicky Marchand, Rodman Street (second term exp. 2025)
Elisabeth “Betsy” Merritt (first term exp. 2025)
Pat Norris, 30th Street (first term exp. 2025)
Lois Orr, 34th Street (second term exp. 2025)
Andrea Pedolsky, Connecticut Avenue (first term exp. 2024)
Barbara Zadina, Norton Place (first term exp. 2024)
(Scroll to the bottom of this page for board biographies.)
Committees of the Board
Executive Committee 2021-2022: Bonnie LePard, President; Leila Afzal, Vice President; Rick Nash, Vice President, Julia Rogers, Treasurer, Karen Lightfoot, Secretary
Membership: Contact for membership inquiries: Stephen Hansen, staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org
Architectural Review Committee 2022-2023
ARC members include current and former CPHS board members and other CPHS members with relevant professional expertise. 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 Stephen Hansen 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 in 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.
Carol Lynn Bamford, Lowell Street
Cleveland Park has been my home since 1993 when I moved here for my job. I first lived on Norton, Macomb, and Conn Ave before buying our home on Lowell Street (in Cleveland Park’s “Oak View” section) twenty years ago. My husband Jim and I have raised our two daughters and three dogs in our 1919 Foursquare, home also to the Mondale and Stenhouse families for many decades. We couldn’t be happier amidst great neighbors, places to walk, shop and dine, and the lovely landscapes with abundant trees (and cicadas!). During the day I am curator of musical instruments at the Library of Congress and, when not at work, I have been active in our neighborhood serving on the boards of the Cleveland Park Historical Society, Cleveland & Woodley Park Village, Cleveland Park Club, CPCA (forthcoming), or as founder of Girls on the Run-DC and Prince Georges County. For my service to DC residents, I received the Trailblazer Award. During my 20+ years as member or board member of CPHS, I have spearheaded programs such as the antiques auction, geology day, gingerbread house decorating, two house tours, and a garden tour. I enjoy celebrating our neighborhood with activities for all while at the same time finding collaborative ways to support issues that face our changing and growing community.
John Buchanan, Newark Street
John Buchanan has lived in Cleveland Park since 1987, along with his wife Denise, a former teacher and Director of Admissions at National Cathedral School. Their house in the 3300 block of Newark Street, where they raised their four sons, was built in 1904 and has been shown on the CPHS House Tour. In addition to his service in various capacities for CPHS over the years, John has been active in other Cleveland Park organizations, including St. Albans School, the Cleveland Park Congregational Church and the National Cathedral. John is Senior Counsel at the law firm of Covington & Burling and also serves as an Adjunct Professor at U. Conn. Law School’s Insurance Law Center. Born in Pittsburgh, he is a graduate of Princeton, Oxford and Harvard Law School, where he studied architecture on the side at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
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, and provided legal representation for CPBA.
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.
Ana Tejblum Evans, Ashley Terrace
Ana is a 30-year resident of Cleveland Park, although her interest in historic preservation precedes her move to DC. While her daughters were growing up, she was an active participant in many community organizations, as president of the John Eaton Home and School Association, through various stints on the board of CPHS, as Treasurer of the Cleveland Park Club, and on the board of CPCA. Ana has served on the Architectural Review Committee of the CPHS for several years. Her professional background is in banking and finance. She believes the soul of a city comes out of the diversity of its built environment, and treasures the old and the new in architecture and design.
Patricia Franco, Macomb Street
Patti and her husband Charles Clark have lived in Cleveland Park since 1997 as only the second owners in a 1905 home. They raised three children (and several dogs and cats) in the home; the children attended many schools including John Eaton, St. Albans School, National Cathedral School and Holy Trinity School in Georgetown. Patti is an attorney and has a Masters in Teaching. In addition to her service in various capacities at her children’s schools, Patti has served as board chair at San Miguel School and has taught at Washington School for Girls. She presently teaches English to adults at Washington English Center. She assists in a pro bono capacity at Catholic Charities Legal Network, volunteers with the Holy Trinity Migrant Team and has been active in cases on behalf of the neighborhood before the Historic Preservation Review Board.
Kevin Spence Kelso, Connecticut Avenue
Although I have been a resident of Woodley Park for over two decades, I feel I have dual citizenship with Cleveland Park because of the time I spend in the neighborhood. Cleveland Park’s many attractions have me making excursions across Klingle Valley on nearly a daily basis for shopping, dining, or just to stretch my legs. I am the Director of Finance and Operations for The Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington; two of our member schools are in Cleveland Park, and several more are in adjacent neighborhoods. As a long-time Citizen Forester and Board member of Casey Trees, I have planned and participated in numerous tree plantings in Cleveland Park, including the Tregaron Conservancy and Melvin Hazen Park. I also serve on the National Capital Apple Macintosh Users Group board, which regularly meets (in pre-pandemic times) at the Cleveland Park Library.
Pamela Kurland, Ordway Street
Pamela serves as a Senior Attorney at the US Department of Health and Human Services, providing legal advice on health care safety net provider issues. Pam and her husband, David Marchick, live on Ordway Street and have two children.
Judy Kennedy, Newark Street
Judy and her husband are only the third owners of their 1903 home on Newark Street, where they have lived for 35 years. She is past president of the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders, representing private capital lending and investing in low- and moderate-income communities. Judy testified frequently on Capitol Hill and before U.S. bank regulators on housing finance and community development. She served on the regulators’ Minority Depository Institutions Advisory Committee, the Treasury/HUD Task Force on Predatory Lending, the Fannie Mae Advisory Committee, and the boards of the National Housing Conference and Women in Housing and Finance. Earlier in her career, Judy worked for Sallie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Congressional Banking Committees, the White House Commission on Housing, and HUD.
Bonnie LePard, Macomb Street
Bonnie LePard is an environmental and historic preservation lawyer. Bonnie is currently the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse. Since 1992, she and her husband Bruce Reed have lived on Macomb Street, where they raised a daughter and a son. As President of Friends of Tregaron for ten years, Bonnie led the successful fight to stop numerous massive housing developments and secure thirteen acres to create the Tregaron Conservancy in 2006. With the help of the Cleveland Park neighborhood, Bonnie and the Tregaron Conservancy worked to restore the lily pond, stone bridges, stairs, meadows, woodlands, and trail system. In 2015, Bonnie stepped down as Executive Director of the Tregaron Conservancy and became Executive Director at Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, a National Trust for Historic Preservation site in northern Virginia. She later served as Executive Director of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Karen Lightfoot, Ordway Street
I have always loved this neighborhood for its tree-lined streets, diverse architectural styles, and ability to be both bucolic and urban. We have lived in Cleveland Park for nearly three decades now, but in 2003 bought our 1919 bungalow on Ordway Street. I previously served on the Cleveland Park Citizens Association board and have been a long-time member of the Cleveland Park Historical Society. I greatly respect the CPHS work to preserve our community’s architectural heritage and would welcome the opportunity to play a more active role as it continues its vital work.
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).
Elizabeth (“Betsy”) Merritt
Betsy Merritt serves as Deputy General Counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where she just celebrated her 38th anniversary on May 1, 2022. During that time, she has been passionately committed to enforcing laws protecting historic properties. She has been actively involved in hundreds of precedent-setting historic preservation cases over the years, in federal and state courts around the country. But she has an even stronger interest in using administrative advocacy to persuade agencies to make more preservation-sensitive decisions in the first place. Locally, Betsy has lived in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park since 1982, and has been a property owner since 1989 in the historic Woodley Park Towers condominium on Devonshire Place, NW. She was actively involved in researching and supporting the successful nomination for the Woodley Park Historic District, designated in 1990. Betsy has also previously served on the board of the DC Preservation League. She is a native of Seattle, Washington, and graduated from Mills College and Harvard Law School.
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.
Patricia Norris, 30th Street
I moved to Cleveland Park in 1995 after living in Woodley Park for several years. Over the years, I have enjoyed renovating my historic house, built in 1927, and establishing its garden. I am honored to display the historic marker obtained from the Historic Society on the front of my home which symbolizes the beauty and significance of our community. In the past, I participated in CPHS‘s beautification committee and I am very excited about continuing my involvement in CPHS by engaging in various activities that impact our community.
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.
Andrea Pedolsky, Connecticut Avenue
When Andrea Pedolsky and her partner, Nicholas Smith, saw the Broadmoor Cooperative Apartments on one of their where-should-we-live scouting visits to DC in 2002, they immediately knew they had found their new home. In both New York City and DC, Andrea has worked in publishing in various editorial capacities, including as acquisitions editor, executive editor creating new imprints, director of publishing, and literary agent. Andrea currently is providing editorial services to global health organizations. She also volunteers as an ESL writing tutor at the Washington English Center. Andrea served on the Broadmoor’s board of directors for three consecutive two-year terms. During her last term, Andrea served as board liaison to the cooperative’s Ad Hoc Committee on the DC Comprehensive Plan, which reported to the board on such issues as revisions to the Comprehensive Plan, changes in zoning, and streetscape development.
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 were thrilled to put 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. 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.
Barbara Zadina, Norton Place
Barbara purchased her 1925 home on Norton Place in 2017, after living in the area since the 1990s. When she discovered a satchel in the attic with old photos and letters, she connected with the granddaughter of the original homeowner who told her stories of growing up in early Cleveland Park, so she feels a deep connection to her house. She loves gardening, and is the current co-chair of the upcoming CPHS Garden Tour which will take place in spring 2022. She previously served on the fundraising board of the Montgomery County MD Habitat for Humanity. Barbara is a policy communications executive who has worked in politics, technology, entertainment, and international development in over 20 countries, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School.
Staff
Stephen Hansen, Executive Director
Stephen is an historic preservation specialist, architectural historian, and author. For the past 15 years he has served as principal at Preservation Matters, LLC, an historic preservation policy and architectural history consulting firm, advising organizations and clients on historic preservation policies, and representing positions and cases before the DC Historic Preservation Review Board, Mayor’s Agent, DC Zoning Commission, Old Georgetown Board, Commission on Fine Arts, and the DC Council. He is the immediate past Chair of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City and former chair of its Historic Preservation Subcommittee.
Stephen holds a B.A. from Oberlin College, an M.A. from The George Washington University, and a professional certificate in historic preservation from Goucher College. He is the author of the books: A History of Dupont Circle: Center of High Society in the Capital and Kalorama Triangle: The History of a Capital Neighborhood. He also authors the website Washington Chronicles that focuses on the history of Washington, DC through the stories and images of its people, neighborhoods, and architecture.
