ERCV Board Of Directors

 

DAVID MACKOFF, PRESIDENT

David Mackoff moved to Washington in 1997 and became a homeowner in the Brightwood neighborhood in 2010. Originally from Chicago, he has an MBA from Northwestern University with a focus on urban economic development and non-profit management. David has provided consulting services to small businesses, local governments, and non-profits.

Over the years David has been a teacher and tutor to students of all ages in a wide variety of subjects. He has helped build, refurbish and repair homes and offices and enjoys assisting behind the scenes in the production of public events and local theater.

David believes in the value of local civic organizations that work to do good and build community. He served as treasurer and board member to one such, Jews United for Justice, for over a decade. David will help ERCV to become a vibrant community asse

 

ALLYSON BOOTH, SECRETARY 

Allyson Booth grew up in Decatur, Illinois. She has been living at The Watkins (across from the Takoma metro) since 1999 and recently retired from a 31-year career teaching English at the Naval Academy. In addition to working with ERCV, she runs grief groups for kids in Montgomery County Public Schools through Caring Matters, an organization based on Gaithersburg.

 

ROBERTA HAMMOND, TREASURER 

Roberta Hammond spent her career as an environmental epidemiologist, managing food and waterborne
outbreak investigations for the State of Florida and for FDA, including managing multi-county, multi-state
and high profile outbreak investigations and emergencies. Roberta is a Registered Sanitarian and is
experienced in working on Incident Management teams responding to hurricanes. She has a BA, MA and
PhD in Anthropology.

Roberta moved to Washington, DC/Takoma Park neighborhood in 2010 and retired in 2015. She has
used her post work time to take several art courses and has learned to weave along with various
techniques in multimedia collage and encaustic (hot wax) painting. She likes to crochet, knit and take
photographs. She is a member of the DC Water Wizards and practices yin yoga. She and her husband
Mike enjoy the area’s many cultural opportunities, movies, museums, plays and concerts.

 

SUSAN DAVIS, AT-LARGE DIRECTOR and OFFICE MANAGER

Susan Davis has lived in Shepherd Park since 1978 and plans to live there for 20 more years—eventually with the help of East Rock Creek Village. She has a Master’s Degree in social work and has worked as a health educator and counselor, as a volunteer coordinator, and for the last 20 years as a research interviewer.

Through the years, Susan has worked as a volunteer with Neighbors Inc., the Rock Creek Community Garden, Shepherd Elementary School, and the DC Chapter of Amigos de las Americas which trains and supports area high school students who do summertime community service in Latin American communities.

Before becoming an ERCV Director, Susan was a member of ERCV’s Volunteer Committee. She organized coverage of Ward 4 polling places on April 28, 2015, where over 60 seniors interested in joining our village filled out contact cards at Coolidge High School, Shepherd Park Elementary School and the Takoma Education Campus.

ROGER GLASS, AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

Roger S. Glass has been a resident of Shepherd Park for 25 years. A 1975 graduate of Howard University, Roger is a former president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists and currently serves as board chair of the non-profit Arts for Our Children. For 33 years, Roger was employed in the communications department of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Roger likes to paraphrase Hubert H. Humphrey when expressing one of his core values: Our moral test is how we treat “those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”

PATI GRIFFITH, AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

Pati Griffith is a novelist and playwright. She was an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Contemporary Drama at George Washington University. She is a former President of the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation which gives an annual prize for American fiction and conducts a citywide Writers in Schools Program in DC public high schools. She has lived in Shepherd Park for over forty years.

 

PETER KRAMER, AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

Peter Kramer joined his wife Diane to live in Takoma DC when he retired in 2005. He is a biologist who worked for 40 years as a scientist, university teacher and conservationist in Europe and South America. During much of his professional life, he was an employee or volunteer for non-profit organizations, always focusing on the conservation of nature and environmental policy promotion. Now he promotes native plants, butterflies, and birds within, and he keeps pesticides out of, his yard.

Within their blended family, he and Diane have five children and three grandchildren. They all support Peter and Diane’s wish to remain and grow old in their house in Takoma DC.

 

BRENDA MEJIA, AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

Brenda Mejia is originally from Rochester NY, and came to the DC area in 1995, and Shepherd Park in 2013. She worked for the World Bank Group for 21 years, and upon retirement, started a second career as a realtor. Her new career enables her to give time and energy to volunteer efforts that would have previously been out of the question. ERCV's mission resonates with her on several levels: "I have a soft spot in my heart for seniors, ever since my first job, at 16 years old, as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. As a realtor, I appreciate the value of homeownership, so that people can have secure housing with community connections to enable safe, healthy, and happy 'golden years'. As a neighbor, I think it's important to look out for one another, and I know that I'll need looking out for someday too."

 

MARJORIE ODLE, AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

Margie Odle has lived with her husband in Shepherd Park for over 30 years. Together they raised two children who both attended DC public schools before college. Margie served on the board of directors at one of the local synagogues for over 15 years. In addition, she was active in the Shepherd Elementary Early Readers program from 2008 through 2016. She is active in the AARP VITA/TCE tax assistance program both as a tax counselor trainer and as local coordinator/tax counselor at the Anacostia Library site. 

Margie was an applications software developer for 44 years, working in private industry primarily on public health research projects sponsored by the federal government.

 

GLORIA SULTON, PAST PRESIDENT 2016-2017

SHANNON COCKETT, FOUNDING PRESIDENT 2014-2016