UCM Announces 2013 Board of Directors
** Click here to view this media release as a pdf at UCM website. **
January 14, 2013, Alexandria VA: United Community Ministries (UCM) elected its officers and four new Directors for 2013 at its annual meeting in December 2012. The Board of Directors elected Elaine D. Kolish, President, and Anne Marie Kavanaugh-Coggins, Secretary, and re-elected David Barbour, Vice President, and Bruce Engelmann, Treasurer. The new members of the Board are: Joseph S. Conti, The Honorable Christine Gigi Hyland, James F. Seeley, and Diane Tollefson.
“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve UCM and our community as President during 2013,” says Kolish. “We are grateful for past President Doug Kennett’s leadership, particularly during a challenging year when we were faced with the sad and difficult task to replace Executive Director Cynthia Hull after her sudden passing.”
“UCM’s dedicated staff works tirelessly to fulfill its mission to provide those in need a helping hand,” she continues. “UCM’s programs help children, adults and families achieve self-sufficiency. We are fortunate and grateful that we live among caring community members who open their hearts and share their resources to help those who are struggling. UCM continues to need the community’s support, and I would like to ask all my friends and neighbors in the Mount Vernon area to join me in supporting UCM in 2013. We have so many opportunities to participate.”
“Volunteers are at the heart of the work that UCM does each year to lift people out of poverty and toward a brighter future,” says UCM Executive Director Shirley Marshall. “It is a privilege to work with such a dedicated Board of Directors, both past and present. We are deeply grateful for their service and leadership to help UCM build strong families and strong communities."
A brief biography follows for each of the new officers and new Directors:
Elaine D. Kolish is the 2013 UCM Board President. On the Board since 2008, she previously served as Vice President and Chair of the Board’s development committee. Kolish is a nationally recognized expert on advertising and consumer protection issues, currently a Vice President of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB). Prior to joining the BBB, Kolish was a partner at a national law firm where she counseled national advertisers on advertising and marketing compliance. Previously, she spent 25 years at the Federal Trade Commission, where she was a Senior Executive Service official and head of the Division of Enforcement for ten years. Kolish is a long-time member and past President of the Mt. Vernon Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a B.A. in political science, Kolish earned her J.D. from the Western New England College School of Law, magna cum laude. Kolish and her husband David FitzGerald live in the Waynewood neighborhood in Alexandria.
David Barbour is Vice President and has served on the UCM Board since 2011. He is an Administrative Law Judge at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. Barbour has served as President of two national associations of administrative law judges, as a board member at the Washington Decorative Arts Forum, and as PTA President at Hollin Meadows Elementary School. He earned his B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and his LL.B. from The George Washington University. Barbour and his wife Nancy Barbour live in the Hollin Brook Park neighborhood of Alexandria.
Bruce Engelmann is Treasurer and returned in 2009 to serve on the UCM Board, after a prior Board term with UCM. He is a Certified Public Accountant who operates his tax and accounting practice serving small businesses and individuals. Engelmann served on the board of Highland Park Pool for ten years, including as President for four years, and on the board of Florence Overlook Homeowners Association for eight years. He has been very involved in his children’s school activities and coaching their recreational sport teams. He earned his Masters in Accountancy from Virginia Tech. Engelmann and his wife Beth Engelmann live in the Florence Overlook neighborhood in Alexandria.
Anne Marie Kavanaugh-Coggins is Secretary and has served on the UCM Board since 2011. She has enjoyed a long-time career in education, with a wealth of experience in understanding the needs of children and families. Kavanaugh-Coggins has served as Director at St. Luke’s Day School since 2005. She earned her B.A. in history from George Mason University. Kavanaugh-Coggins and her husband Mark Coggins live in the Collingwood neighborhood in Alexandria.
The new Directors are:
Joseph S. Conti is a retired senior banking executive. He was employed by Bankers Trust Company for 23 years, retiring in 1992 as a Senior Vice President. After retirement, he served as a financial services consultant primarily to the Polish American Enterprise Fund (PAEF) in Poland, as well as other clients in Poland and Russia. Conti has served as a board member and officer at several organizations in both New York and the greater DC metro area. He is a member of the Emeritus Board of the Children’s Law Center in Washington DC. A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. in business management, Conti earned his M.B.A. from the Bernard Baruch College of the City University of NY. Conti and his wife Dorothy Conti live in the Manors at Mount Vernon in Alexandria.
The Honorable Christiane Gigi Hyland, Esq. most recently spent seven years as a Board member of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the independent federal regulator for the nation’s credit unions. She served as NCUA’s representative on the Board of Directors at NeighborWorks® America, one of the country’s preeminent leaders in affordable housing and community development, where she was Chairman during her tenure. Prior to NCUA, Hyland's career spanned fourteen years serving the credit union community as an executive, attorney and advocate. She was also a Managing Partner of the family law firm, Hyland and Hyland. A graduate of the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in comparative literature, Hyland earned her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law and an Advanced Diploma in International Law from McGeorge School of Law. Hyland and her husband Chris Revere live in the Wessynton neighborhood in Alexandria.
James F. Seeley retired in 2010 after serving for 35 years as the chief federal lobbyist for the City of Los Angeles in Washington D.C. Prior to that, he worked for the State of Illinois for seven years after working for the Federal Government for eight years. In all his professional positions, he has worked with the federal agencies that are responsible for providing financial and technical assistance to state and local governments. Seeley and his wife Jo Ann live in the Stratford Landing neighborhood in Alexandria.
Diane Tollefson serves on the UCM Board of Directors in her role as President of the Friends of UCM, a membership organization that builds community spirit through fundraising and public awareness activities for UCM. Currently semi-retired, she worked in the corporate sector as a human resources professional and for non-profit organizations, with a special interest in start-up and early development. Tollefson has spent many years as a volunteer for the community through her children’s schools, her church and local organizations. She is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. Tollefson and her husband Ron Tollefson live in the Oakbrooke neighborhood in Alexandria.
The new UCM Board Members are joining as two others retire from service. The retiring members are Mary Ellen Mehler, and Priscilla Flattery, 2012 President of the Friends of UCM.
For the complete list of the current UCM Board of Directors, click here.
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United Community Ministries (UCM) is one of the largest providers of human services in Fairfax County. UCM builds strong families and strong communities by providing these services:
- Basic Needs: food, financial assistance for emergencies, individual counseling and referrals.
- Self-Sufficiency: quality early childhood education, employment services, supportive housing assistance, parenting education.
- Community Engagement: community centers operations and neighborhood development.
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