September 2020 Newsletter
What a year 2020 has been!
As the world is adjusting to the sudden changes caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, the DC Club is also adapting. We transitioned to virtual board meetings, added additional online programming, and have continued with every day club business.
The outgoing board worked diligently to create an Annual Meeting the likes of which the Club has never seen: votes were cast digitally; the usual business of the meeting was done on a virtual platform; hours of work were put into creating content that was informative and engaging.
So, here we are, only two months into the new MHC DC board’s tenure, with much to do and, fortunately, many hands to do it.
The Nominating Committee worked hard to slate a group of alumnae who will represent the many ages, genders, races, cultures, religions, and even political party affiliations that make up the Greater Washington DC area Mount Holyoke alumnae. With the tireless efforts of these volunteers, we are exploring ways to engage our DC area community in programming around race and equality.
We hope to continue the Uncommon Women speaker series where we slate panels of alumnae who share their knowledge about timely issues. We look forward to enjoying virtual M&C’s to connect with friends old and new and of putting a twist on our DC version of J-Term with serious, silly and enlightening classes. We may even host our annual Mary Lyon Dinner in the spring to raise money to fund the scholarship that sends a local student to MHC.
There is much in the works and although the venues (virtual or in-person) are contingent on the arc of the pandemic, I remain confident that the tireless energy of the board and its committees of volunteers will remain constant.
Slating a new board is a year-round job and the current Nominations Committee has already begun to search for interested volunteers.
I look forward to the work, the conversations, and the fun to be had in the months ahead. And I feel fortunate to be a part of the Mount Holyoke Alumnae family in the Greater Washington DC area.
Stay safe and keep in touch!
Ann Croft
President
The Mount Holyoke Club of the Greater Washington DC Area
Meet Your Board Members
Ann Croft ’95
President 2020-2022
Ann is originally from New York and came to DC a year after graduation to live near her favorite brother (don't tell her other siblings!). She taught elementary school for a spell, then worked as an intake social worker with homeless families in DC. She currently works as an operations manager of a small software development firm while planning her return to the glamorous life of a social worker. Ann lives in Alexandria City, VA with her husband and 9-year-old daughter. Once a typical busy suburban family, now that the pandemic has hit, the three of them pass the time playing board games, gardening, and splashing in the pool.
Denise L. Harrison ‘84
Vice President 2019-2021
Denise first came to DC in the mid-1980's to get her Master's in International Affairs and Economics at Johns Hopkins SAIS. She has lived on and off in DC for the last 30 years. She returned in 2012 to work at USAID and lives in the Trinidad area of Washington, DC. When she's not working, Denise is helping her cat with his blog KingAlfredthecat.com, developing historic real estate in various cities and advancing women's reproductive health through website and medical device development.
Jean McKeever ’74
Treasurer 2019-2021 (second term)
Jean McKeever has lived in the DC area since graduation from Mount Holyoke. She spent her career with the Maritime Administration, part of the U.S Department of Transportation, and worked with several financial programs intended to support the U.S. Merchant Marine. Jean currently enjoys traveling, participating in several book clubs, and playing bridge. A highlight of every year is a January reunion with MHC friends from freshman year.
Lydie Ky ’06Secretary 2020-2022Lydie has been living in Arlington, VA since 2015. She studied Economics at Mount Holyoke and now works as a program manager for Save the Children. Outside of work Lydie volunteers for the Policy Pros alumni initiative with Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Two of Lydie’s hiring managers were MHC alums. Lindsey Scannell ’07Programs Committee Chair 2020-2022Lindsey moved to DC to go to Georgetown Law School after spending 3 years living in Japan. She currently works for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lindsey previously served as the Club Vice President and Young Alum Representative. She lives in the District of Columbia and spends her free time hiking with her dog and reading Webtoons. Amee Shah, ’93Communications Committee Chair 2020-2022Amee came to the DC area to study International Relations upon graduation from MHC. After working as a management consultant for 15 years, Amee took on the role of CEO of Artemis Consulting, a small and growing IT services company. She lives in Vienna, VA and enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants in the metro area..
Esther Nasjleti ’92
Nominating Committee Chair 2019-2021
Esther moved to DC after graduation to work for the Federal government, and has since held various volunteer positions with the DC Club. Now working in IT, still for the Feds, Esther lives with her husband in the City of Fairfax. She gets to know her neighbors through her involvement in her neighborhood Civic Association (the association just does the fun social stuff, thank goodness!). Leisure time means knitting and travel - often both at the same time.
Nada Al-Thwar ‘19
Membership Committee Chair 2019-2021
Nada came to the DMV area after graduating in 2019 to work at Macedon Technologies, where she works as a software engineer and consultant. She studied Computer Science and International Relations at Mount Holyoke and loves using technology as a tool to make impactful change. Nada grew up in Yemen, and currently lives in Reston and loves trying new restaurants and cuisines.
Allie Miller ’11Recent Alumnae Representative 2019 – 2021Allie moved to DC in 2018 from Atlanta, Georgia after completing grad school. She is a service designer with Booz Allen Hamilton where she helps clients like the VA and USDA implement customer experience programs. Outside of work, Allie is a plant mom, grilled-cheese enthusiast and DIY warrior. .
MHC DC is hard at work planning meetings and events for club members. These efforts can’t happen without your help!
Club membership dues enable MHC DC to plan exciting new opportunities, from networking events to cultural events and more, throughout the year.
Dues for the 2020 fiscal year can be paid anytime before December 31, 2020. For classes up to 10 years out from graduation (classes of 2010 to 2020) dues are $18.37. Classes 11 - 49 years out (2009 - 1971) dues are $35. Dues are complimentary for classes who graduated 50 or more years ago.
Program Update
While this year may look a bit different due to Covid 19, rest assured the Programs Committee is hard at work. We are organizing original virtual events while tweaking the old favorites to better fit into the new “Pandemic Lifestyle”. Get ready for everybody’s Fall favorite ice cream outing for Mountain Day. Keep a look out for upcoming virtual panels featuring area Alumnae in the rebooted Uncommon Women series. And as 2021 gets started we will host January Term and the annual Mary Lyon Dinner. Please drop us a line at mtholyokedc@gmail.com to make suggestions for events you would like to see.
In the meantime, the college has an upcoming virtual webinar on Tech and Innovation by two alumnae on Thursday, Oct 1st at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Click here to register.
MHC DC Programs Survey—Help Us Out!
As we look to the year ahead, we want to be thoughtful and intentional in our program planning. To that end, we are asking for a few minutes of your time in order to fill out a brief survey. In this survey, we would like to know about past experiences you have had at Club events as well as future ideas for bigger and better programming.
Help Shape the MHC-DC Club!
We Rely on You.
When I settled in DC after graduation I volunteered for the DC Club, following on volunteering I had done in high school and college. I’ve held different positions over the years, both for the Club and the Alumnae Association, and I am currently Chair of the Club’s Nominating Committee. We are always looking for enthusiastic, engaged volunteers - that means you!
Volunteer for a position that’s a match for your interests and the time you have available. The Club leadership includes President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Young Alumnae Chair, Committee Chairs and Committee Members. Committees include: Communication, Programming, Nominating, and Membership.
Most do not require specific skills.
The Club’s volunteers have terms of two years. About half of the volunteers finish their term each year. This cycle intentionally ensures that there are experienced volunteers to mentor newer volunteers.
Being a Member on a Committee does not commit you to attend our monthly Board meeting. Committees often hold phone conferences so that members can most effectively manage their schedules.
We want you involved. Every year we pore over our list of alumnae in the area to find potential volunteers. While some have prior volunteer experience, it is not a requirement, and we want our Board and Committees to represent as broadly as possible our population of alumnae. We welcome new volunteers for their new ideas and because they expand our network to broaden our outreach to alumnae. Current volunteers can talk to you about what they do if you want to know about the positions.
So let’s summarize - you have what it takes, we won’t try to fill all your time with boring meetings, and we need your input to have a vibrant Club. Are you ready? If you have space in your life, e-mail nominating@mtholyokedc.org.
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