Board

Josh Eberle, who has practiced for many years in the management consulting industry utilizes his experience with international relations and policy analysis, to support the growth and strategic goals of nonprofits in the metro D.C. area. Josh graduated from Syracuse University with a joint Master of Public Administration and Juris Doctorate  from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Syracuse College of Law, respectively. After several years working as a manager of government affairs and public service, Eberle now serves as a senior consultant for Slalom Consulting. He has served on the LSSNCA board since 2019 and was elected Board chair in January 2023.

Lisa Surprenant works as a principal advisor overseeing program strategy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Lisa, who calls Washington D.C. home, has been with St. Jude’s for more than 12 years, and previously worked for Avon’s Walk for Breast Cancer.  She is an American University alumna where she received a Bachelor of Arts in both political science and public communication. In the Fall and Summer, Lisa appreciates neighborhood browsing around D.C. as the seasons change. She has served on LSSNCA’s Board since 2020 and as LSSNCA’s Board vice chair since June 2022.

John Goheen, partner at Goodwin Proctor, has a prolific background in antitrust and competition law and has represented clients in antitrust investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general. John received his Juris Doctorate magna cum laude, from American University, Washington College of Law, and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Emory University. John has provided pro bono immigration work to unaccompanied minor children and various asylum matters as part of his ongoing commitment to refugee and immigrant justice, through his work with KIND (Kids In Need of Defense) and with many other organizations in both Washington, D.C and New York City. John has served on the LSSNCA Board since January 2023. 

Patrice Gancie, born in New York but almost a life-long DC area resident, spent her career as a community organizer and communications/organizational specialist for nonprofit groups. Now retired, she last served for 15 years as director of Cradle of Hope Adoption Center’s Bridge of Hope hosting program, bringing older children from orphanages in Russia, China, Ukraine, and Colombia for visits to the United States to meet potential adoptive families. She also worked for many years at the National Education Association at its Maryland and Virginia affiliates. Patrice and her husband also lived for several years in Moscow, Russia where she established a cultural center for the expatriate community there. As the granddaughter of Sicilian immigrants, she feels a strong connection to every family building a new life in the U.S. She has served on LSSNCA’s Board since May 2022 and as secretary since January 2023.

Abed Ali is a principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Federal Strategy practice, where he has primarily served Homeland Security and federal health clients for more than fifteen years. A former Deloitte GovLab fellow, Ali is currently helping the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) analyze its portfolio of capabilities to support strategic decision-making. Before moving to Deloitte, Ali practiced law for several years, primarily as a legal aid attorney representing low-income clients. He obtained his Juris Doctorate at Tulane Law School, his master’s in public policy at American University, and his bachelor’s in business and psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. He has served on LSSCNA’s Board since 2018.

Melanie Armstrong, CPA, is a retired PwC partner and senior executive with 18 years of experience at the partner and C-Suite level, seven of those as a Chief Operating Officer (COO). She established and led PwC’s (now Guidehouse’s) U.S. International Development practice focused on social impact work addressing critical challenges faced by underprivileged people around the world. She began her career as an auditor and spent two years working in the Czech Republic as it converted from communism to capitalism. A graduate of University of California, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Melanie is also the founder and owner of ThroughLine Consultants, where she uses genetic genealogy to generate investigative leads that help law enforcement close cold cases. She also currently sits on the boards of Mercy Corps and Leadership Mission International as well as the advisory board of the Vellamo Leadership Institute. Melanie has served on the LSSNCA board since 2023.

Seth Bidder is a management consulting leader with more than 15 years of experience advising global companies, nonprofits, associations, and foundations on organizational strategy, technology transformation, and performance optimization. Seth leads Slalom's Public & Social Impact consulting business in the Washington, D.C. region, coordinating business development and delivery for Slalom’s clients and partners across nonprofit/association, state and local, and education sectors. Seth graduated from Colgate University in 2004 and received his Master of Arts from Georgetown University in 2009. Outside of work Seth enjoys collecting film scores, playing golf with his brother and dad, planning ski trips with wife, rooting for the Boston Bruins, and doing pretty much anything with his two daughters. Seth joined LSSNCA’s Board in 2023.

Karla serves as chief for the Monitoring and Administration Branch in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education in the U.S. Department of Education. Karla manages the branch's high quality technical assistance to the 57 Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) grantees and monitoring activities for the AEFLA program. Additionally, she serves as a member of the federal inter-agency Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan Steering Committee and serves on the inter-agency WIOA Monitoring Workgroup. As a faculty member at George Mason University, Karla regularly teaches a course on grantsmanship in The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Karla received a Bachelor of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She has served on LSSNCA’s Board since May 2022.

Mary Burce-Warlick is a retired senior career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Serbia, who led the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources as the acting special envoy and coordinator for International Energy Affairs in 2017. She also served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for three years. Mary advised on energy diplomacy initiatives to promote global energy security, energy access, and governance around the globe. She also served three years as a U.S. representative on the International Energy Agency (IEA) Governing Board and as chair of the Standing Group on Long-Term Cooperation. Since then, she has served as team leader for the IEA’s recent in-depth peer reviews of the energy policies in the Netherlands and Canada. She is currently stationed in Paris, France serving as the deputy executive director of the International Energy Agency. She has served on LSSNCA’s Board since 2017.

Michael R. Cox, CPA, is the chief financial officer and executive vice president of the MAIA Management Group (MMG). He has played several roles in assisting companies, primarily nonprofits, with building financial infrastructure, and developing and implementing financial internal controls policies and procedures. He also currently serves as associate pastor at Cornerstone Church in Columbia, Md., and sits on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Conversation Leadership (ICL). While in the military, Michael was awarded the Army Accommodation Medal and served as a communications officer under President Reagan. He holds a master’s of public administration in finance from Boston University, and, along with his wife, dotes on four children and four grandchildren. He has served on the LSSNCA Board since 2021.

Julia Ellegood Pfaff, director, center operations at INTO George Mason University (GMU), has 20 years of management experience in government, nonprofit, and higher education. In her current role on the senior leadership team, she ensures students attending GMU have outstanding educational experiences. Julia is an adjunct faculty member and a member of the Shadow Influence Project, a multi-disciplinary project of the Schar School. She also served for two years on the faculty of the Australian College of Kuwait where she taught a variety of management and marketing subjects. Prior to working in higher education, Julia a U.S. Army veteran, also served as an executive director at a national nonprofit. She earned her Master of Public Policy from George Mason’s School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, and her bachelor’s in international relations and languages from the University of Delaware. She speaks English, French, and Spanish. Julia has served on the LSSNCA Board since January 2023.

Sheena Foster, a New Orleans native, possesses nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and business industry, focusing on climate innovation, sustainability, and community development. She is the executive director of Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and serves as vice president of her congregation’s council at Luther Place Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), as the District of Columbia lay representative on the Metro D.C. Synod Council of the ELCA, and on the ELCA Church Council representing 3 million Lutherans in 9,000 congregations. Sheena also serves on the board of DC EcoWomen and is currently working toward a master’s in public administration and further theological studies as a seminarian or a doctoral program. When she’s not working, you can find her immersed in an art or cultural event, jamming at a music festival, and/or hosting gatherings and advocating for social justice and charitable causes she’s passionate about. Sheena has served on the LSSNCA Board since 2023.

Charlotte Haberaecker is the immediate past president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), one of the largest health and human services networks in the United States. Under her decade-long leadership, LSA was consistently one of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations. She has been at the forefront of developing and implementing groundbreaking initiatives and collaborative learning models to drive systemic change. Prior to joining LSA, Haberaecker was the $2 Executive at Global Impact, which provides humanitarian funding around the world and leads the Combined Federal Campaign for overseas troops and in the D.C. metro area. She also held senior leadership positions in management consulting at Price Waterhouse where she strengthened nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations and served as a senior leader at Fannie Mae. Charlotte is the co-inventor on five patents, and the recipient of the 2018 Rebrand 100 Global Award for one of the top 100 brand transformations in the world, the 2017 Humanitarian award from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and the 2015 NonProfit Times magazine’s “Power & Influence Top 50.” She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration in management science from the University of Illinois. Charlotte has served on LSSNCA’s Board since February 2023.

Rachel Holtzman is a Project Management Professional (PMP)-certified senior program management professional with 13 years of experience managing international development and humanitarian programs. Her more than a decade of experience showcases her ability to analyze and improve programmatic processes, execute, monitor, and control programs throughout the project life cycle. Rachel also worked with different caucuses in Armenia and Azerbaijan supporting rule-of-law programs as well as throughout Africa and South Asia supporting health programs. In her personal life she enjoys leading organizational change projects focused on improving project implementation and facilitating capacity strengthening for international teams. Rachel has served on the LSSNCA Board since 2019.

Amina Khan, MD, MPH is a pediatric hospitalist attending in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Children’s National Hospital and specializes in the care of children with medical complexity. She holds a faculty appointment at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and serves on the Immigrant Health Committee for both the American Academy of Pediatrics D.C. and Virginia chapters. Amina has worked in a variety of roles and committees to coordinate efforts between Children’s National, federal and state agencies, and community organizations to streamline care and advocate for immigrant and refugee children in the DMV area. She is also an active youth mentor and Girl Scout troop leader within the Mclean Islamic Center community. Amina lives in Mclean, VA with her 4 children and husband and enjoys hiking, cooking, and gardening in her free time. She has served on the LSSNCA board since 2023.

Marie Martinez Israelite, director of victim services at the Human Trafficking Institute, leads efforts to implement trauma-informed, survivor-centered approaches to their work with trafficking victims. Over the past 20 years, Marie also worked at the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, led the development of the Department of Justice’s first grant program for victim services to immigrant victims of human trafficking in the United States, and served as section chief of the Victim Assistance Program at Homeland Security. Marie has a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and is an undergrad alumna of Bucknell University. She and her husband, along with their two daughters enjoy traveling and playing tennis during their down time. She has served on the LSSNCA Board since October 2021.

Khaled Mohamed is an award-winning senior journalist, broadcaster, and senior content producer who worked with several renowned news and media organizations including the BBC, Reuters, and The Middle East Broadcasting Networks for more than 15 years. Khaled currently serves as a public information officer at the United Nations, and previosly served as the planning producer at TRT World in Washington, D.C. He covered human rights, democracy efforts, civil society, and underserved and vulnerable communities struggles throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Mohamed also holds a master's degree in Global Conflict and Security from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and writing from Cairo University in Egypt. He enjoys playing an active role in welcoming refugees to the D.C. He has served on LSSNCA’s Board since May 2022.

Rev. Dr. Lloyd Gaines has served as the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C. for nearly 10 years. His congregation, of the Missouri Synod, is one of welcome, educating, and giving back. Rev. Dr. Gaines received his master of divinity in practical theology from the Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri and has served in the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod for more than 40 years as an associate and senior pastor. He has served as an ex-officio member since 2018.

Katharyn Wheeler, a native of the Chicago suburbs, received her Bachelor of Music Education with an endorsement in Computer Instruction from Indiana University. She taught choir for three years in Cincinnati before her family moved to the East coast. She joined the staff of the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Synod, ELCA, as the Administrative Assistant to the Bishop in 2015. Katharyn is also currently attending Luther Seminary in the Master of Arts for Leadership and Innovation for Ministry program. Katharyn serves as the chair of the Metro D.C. Synod Domestic Hunger Grant Team, on the Stewardship and Mission Support Table, and the Racial Equity Audit Team. She tours internationally with the Jonathan Griffith Singers and has had the opportunity to sing on five continents. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and watching movies. Her husband is a member of the US Navy Band, and they have two wonderful children. Katharyn has served on the LSSNCA board of directors since 2020.