FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003 |
CONTACT: SHARON GANG
202-727-9811 |
Mayor Makes Appointments to Board of Education, NCRC and Various City
Agencies
(Washington, DC) Mayor Williams announced appointments today to the
Board of Education, the National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC),
and seven city positions.
Carrie Thornhill and Robin
Martin were appointed to the Board of Education, and Jim
Hudson and Marie Johns were appointed to the Board of the NCRC.
The Mayor also appointed Yvonne Gilchrist as director of the Department
of Human Services; the Honorable Tyrone Butler as Chief Administrative Law
Judge for the Independent Office of Administrative Hearings; Robert
Spagnoletti as the Corporation Counsel; Leonard Becker as the Mayor's
General Counsel; Brian Wilbon as director of the Office of Medicaid Public
Provider Operations Reform; Kenneth Saunders as the director of the Office
of Human Rights; and, Gerry Roth, as the District's Healthcare Privacy and
Confidentiality Officer.
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Carrie Thornhill has been actively engaged in public education reform,
community development, research for action, social action and community
building work for over 40 years. For seven years, Thornhill has served as
Vice President for Youth Investment and Community Outreach with DC Agenda,
a nonprofit civic organization that brings together diverse groups of
leaders to address complex urban problems in Washington, DC. Her
leadership, programmatic and management responsibilities include: Youth
Investment, School-to-Careers, Neighborhood Support Programs-DC
Neighborhood College, and Neighborhood Information Services. Thornhill is
a member of the DC School-to-Careers/Youth Investment Council and oversees
resource development, compliance with program and contracting requirements
and evaluation. She is a founder of DC VOICE and serves as convener of the
Supports for Quality Teaching Policy Advisory Group. Thornhill is the
founding President of the DC Childcare Corporation, a unique federal,
District government, private public partnership for children and families.
From 1987 to 1995, Thornhill was President of the Committee on
Strategies to Reduce Chronic Poverty, and Project Manager for DC Kids
Count Collaborative from 1993 to 1995. Prior, Ms. Thornhill was Deputy
Director of Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Inc. for
seven years. Other community action positions include: Acting Director,
Response to Educational Needs Project in Anacostia and Coordinator of
police and youth community relations and school desegregation programs for
the National Conference of Christians and Jews in the Distirct, Prince
Georges County, and Northern Virginia. From 1982 to 1993 she served as a
member of the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the District of Columbia --
ten of those years as Chairman.
Thornhill is a graduate of the District of Columbia Teacher’s
College, a predecessor institution of the University of the District of
Columbia. She is a life long learner and an avid civic activist. She
considers community building her profession and life mission.
Mayor Williams cited not only Thornhill’s extensive experience in
civic engagement, but also her passion for and dedication to public
education as key reasons for his selection. Thornhill chairs the Education
Committee for the Hillcrest Community Civic Association. She was formerly
Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District
of Columbia, the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation, co-chair of the DC
Committee on Public Education and member of the Public Charter School
Resource Center.
Ms. Thornhill is a resident of the Ward 7 and resides in the Hillcrest
community.
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Martin, an effective member of several private, public and charitable
boards, was selected to fill one of two recent vacancies on the DC Board
of Education. Martin, 54, serves as Vice Chairman of the Smithsonian’s
Museum of Natural History and Chairman Emeritus of the Corcoran Gallery of
Art here locally. He also serves as a director of LML Payment Systems,
Inc., Vancouver, BC, and Dallas, and as a 17-year trustee of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Martin also has been a member of the
Federal City Council and of the Commission of the Smithsonian’s Museum
of African Art here in Washington.
From 1995 to 2002 Martin was a member of the board of trustees at St.
Albans School in Washington. In this capacity, he had a leadership role as
a member of the search committee for the new headmaster. He has extensive
experience in fundraising for nonprofits and attracting philanthropic and
corporate support for a wide array of cultural and educational purposes.
Mayor Williams cited not only Martin’s extensive board experience but
also his financial acumen as another key reason for his selection. Martin,
a 25-year broadcast owner and President and CEO of the Deer River Group,
is a frequent speaker on media acquisitions, mergers, and financing in the
broadcast and cable industry. Previously he was Director of Corporate
Affairs for the Outlet Company and served on the boards of two Washington
based organizations, Allied Capital Corporation and Broadcast Capital,
Inc., a minority enterprise SBIC. Martin is the author of various books
and articles relating to finance in the broadcast and cable industries
including, with Erwin Krasnow, Buying A Broadcast Station: A Guide to
Due Diligence.
As a long time resident of Washington, former Assistant to the Chairman
of the National Transportation Safety Board, and Staff Assistant to
President Gerald R. Ford at the White House, Martin is no stranger to the
problems facing government services. "Both Mayor Williams and the
School Board are focused on improving our schools. Everyone knows our
challenges, and establishing financial priorities, metrics and
accountability must be a critical part of any solutions," Martin
said.
Martin, who received his B.S., cum laude, in electrical
engineering and M.S. in communications from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, and his wife Lucinda, have three children and reside in the
Kalorama neighborhood in Northwest.
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ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
B.A., Morehouse College (1961)
J.D., Boston University School of Law (1965)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Chairman, JAH Development Co. Current activities include involvement in
real estate and investor directed entities. JAH's principal actitities are
venture capital projects including real estate holdings, energy, bio-mass
development, and broadband communications (1985-present).
Senior Partner, Hudson Leftwich & Davenport. Principal area of
practice:
Municipal representation. Special Legislative Counsel for the cities of
Detroit, New Orleans, Oakland and Kansas City. Provided legal and
executive department support on city finance and economic development
plans. Principal city liaison with the U.S. Congress and the Departments
of Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Transportation (1970-1982).
(a) Finance Counsel, District of Columbia Government (1974 - 1982)
Research Fellow, The Urban Institute. Principal area of research: The
study of the management of housing services. Research concerned housing
management and ownership, evaluating housing systems; deriving program
implications from the evaluation (1968-1970).
Member of the Firm, Rhyne & Rhyne. Principal area of practice:
Municipal lega1 problems involving all phases of city goverment;
advertising city legal officers and preparation of city law briefs;
counsel to municipal officials on city government problems; counsel to
municipal officials on Federal government contracts (1966-1968).
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
(Current Associations)
District of Columbia Tax Revision Commission
Chairman, Delta Bluff, LLC
District of Columbia Bar Association
(Past Associations)
Chairman, Morehonse College Board of Trustees
Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, Board of Directors
Smithsonian Institution, Board, National Museum of African Art
Altresco Financial, Inc. (Board)
Georgetown Day School (Board)
Levine School of Music (Board)
District of Columbia General Hospital (Board)
Municipal Finance Forum of Washington
District of Columbia National Bank (Advisory Board)
Carson Products, Inc. (Board)
PUBLICATIONS
Associate Editor, Law and Judicial Systems of Nations (1965, a
one-volume edition of the legal systems of virtually every independent
country in the world. The volume contains basic information concerning the
requirements to practice law, the organizations of the Bar, information
dealing with schools, law students, and court systems.
Associate Editor, 1967, National Institute of Municipal Law Officers
Law Review. A collection of articles and court decisions on municipal law,
which reflects the experience of city attorneys.
Associate Editor, 1968, National Institute of Municipal Law Officers
Law Review.
Municipal Regulation of Cable Communications (1972).
Legal Issues in New Community Governance (1974).
Capital Project Financing: A Critical Analysis of a New Approach. A
report on Bond Financing for the District of Columbia under the Home Rule
Act (1975).
"The Residential Real Property Transfer Excise Act of 1978."
Realtor February 1979.
"District of Columbia Revenue Bonds." Realtor, June 1983.
BAR ADMITTANCE
District of Columbia Bar
U.S. Supreme Court
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Marie Johns is President, Verizon Washington, DC and is responsible
for Verizon's nearly $700 million operations in the District of Columbia.
Ms. Johns is an engaged business leader in the Washington metropolitan
region. She has provided leadership in a wide range of professional, civic
and cultural organizations. She has worked to enhance and improve the
District's viability on several fronts, particularly in efforts related to
strengthening education, health care and economic development systems in
the District of Columbia.
Ms. Johns has participated in a wide range of organizations that
support education and youth. Under her leadership, Verizon was
instrumental in the effort to obtain a $10 million grant for the DC Public
Schools to implement a school to careers reform initiative. She co-chaired
this effort with the Superintendent of the DC Public Schools and continues
to co-chair the District's Youth Investment Council. Out of School to
Careers, Ms. Johns spearheaded a Verizon sponsored program called
SEEDS (Students Educated for Economic Development Success) that trains out
of school youth for jobs in information technology. In addition, Ms. Johns
served as a director of a non-profit organization that provided funding
for every public school and library in the District of Columbia to install
cabling to provide high speed connections to the Internet and local
computer networks and provided training to teachers and library personnel.
Ms. Johns brought together committed members of business organizations,
educational institutions, non-profit entities and the government to form
the Washington DC Technology Council. She currently serves as the
Council's Founding Chair. In 2001, Secretary Spencer Abraham appointed Ms.
Johns to the US Department of Energy's Electricity Advisory Board (EAB).
Ms. Johns also is a mayoral appointee to the Health Services Reform
Commission which provides oversight for the health care delivery system
for uninsured residents of the District of Columbia and she co-chairs the
Steering Committee for the $35 million New East Capitol Hope VI
initiative.
Ms. Johns is a Trustee of Howard University, a Director of the DC
Chamber of Commerce, the Federal City Council, the Washington Performing
Arts Society and the Economic Club of Washington. She is a member of the
Senior Board of Stewards of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal
Church and has served as a Director of Landmark Systems Corporation and
WLR Foods. In addition, Ms. Johns is a member of the International Women's
Forum and has served as past Chair of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington
Board of Directors, past President of the DC Chamber of Commerce and past
Chair of Leadership Washington.
The recipient of numerous awards for her business and civic leadership,
Ms. Johns was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters from
Trinity College in May 1999 and was named as on of the Twenty-five Most
Influential Black Women in Business by the Network Journal in April 2003.
An alumna of Indiana University, Ms. Johns earned her Bachelor of
Science and Master of Public Administration degrees and has completed
graduate management studies at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School
of Government and the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at
the University of Virginia.
Ms. Johns is married to Wendell L. Johns, Vice President of Multifamily
Affordable Housing for Fannie Mae. Marie and Wendell, their son and
daughter-in-law reside in Washington, D.C.
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Yvonne D. Gilchrist brings to the District of Columbia more than 30
years of managing governmental social service programs for adults,
children, youth, families, and physically and mentally challenged
individuals.
Ms. Gilchrist has spent 14 years in the Maryland Department of Human
Resources (DHR), and is currently the Director of the Baltimore City
Department of Social Services. During her tenure, she has managed a staff
of 3,000 and a budget of more than $600 million and directed a variety of
services, including foster care, child protective services, medical
assistance, and homeless services. She has also served as the Deputy
Executive Director of the Social Services Administration and Executive
Assistant to the Deputy Secretary for Programs.
Prior to working at DHR, Ms. Gilchrist spent 10 years at the Maryland
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she served as Chief of
Program Planning and Monitoring, Addictions Administration, and Director
of SSI Disabled Children’s Program, Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities Administration. Ms. Gilchrist also worked for the Maryland
Department of Education and the Baltimore City Government.
Ms. Gilchrist has filled leadership roles in community organizations
such as the Child Welfare League of America, the National Administrators
in Child Welfare Association, the United Way of Central Maryland, and the
Baltimore Commission on the Homeless. In 1999 she was inducted into the
Baltimore City Women’s Commission Hall of Fame for contributions to the
women and children of Baltimore, and in 2001 she received the Social Work
Leadership in Education/Practice Award from Morgan State University.
Ms. Gilchrist graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from
North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, and received
a Masters of Education degree in Counseling from Coppin State College in
Baltimore, Maryland.
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Tyrone T. Butler is the Chief Administrative Law Judge
and Director of the Bureau of Adjudication, Division of Legal Affairs, New
York State Department of Health. He has held this position since 1991.
Prior to that he has held appointments as: an Administrative Law Judge in
the New York State Department of Health; Assistant District Attorney,
Dutchess County, New York State; General Counsel, Connecticut Inspector
General's Office; Inspector General, New York City Corrections Department
and Lieutenant, New York City Police Department.
He currently serves as the Treasurer of the National
Association of Administrative Law Judges (NAALJ). He was the NAALJ's,
"Year 2000" Annual Conference organizer and Chairperson; the
conference was held in Albany, New York, October 14, 2000 to October 18,
2000 and hosted over 300 participants from the United States and Canada.
Judge Butler also serves as Chair-Elect of the National
Conference of Administrative Law Judges (NCALJ), American Bar Association;
Vice Chair of the Committee on Attorneys in Public Service, New York State
Bar Association; he is a past President of the New York State
Administrative Law Judges Association and he has been elected a Fellow of
the American Bar Foundation.
Judge Butler has recently been elected to serve in the
House of Delegates of the New York State Bar association and as a delegate
to the ABA House of Delegates. His two-year term began after the 2002, ABA
Annual meeting in Washington, DC, he served as an alternate in the 2002
ABA House.
Judge Butler is a graduate of John Jay College of
Criminal Justice, 1977, Summa Cum Laude, with a BA in English and received
his JD from New York Law School in 1981. He was admitted to the New York
State Bar in 1981, and to the United States District Court for the
Southern and Eastern Districts in 1982.
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ROBERT J. SPAGNOLETTI
Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia
Robert J. Spagnoletti brings to the District more than 15 years of
legal experience, including 4 years as a litigation associate and 13 years
as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Since 1998, Mr. Spagnoletti has served as the Chief of the Sex Offense
and Domestic Violence Section of the Office of the United States Attorney
for the District of Columbia, following his appointment in 1995 as Chief
of the Domestic Violence Unit. As Chief, Mr. Spagnoletti is currently
responsible for the more than 50 Assistant United States Attorneys and
support staff who prosecute nearly 8,000 cases each year. He has briefed
and argued criminal appellate cases before the District of Columbia Court
of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia.
For the past 5 years, Mr. Spagnoletti has taught a one-semester course
in trial practice at Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to joining
the government, Mr. Spagnoletti was a litigation associate for Mayor Day
Caldwell & Keaton, in Houston, Texas; and Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Meagher & Flom in New York and Washington.
Community involvement is also important to Mr. Spagnoletti, who has
served on several councils and committees, including the Mayor’s
Commission on Violence Against Women, the D.C. Superior Court Domestic
Violence Project, the District of Columbia Domestic Violence Coordinating
Council, and the Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource
Project.
Mr. Spagnoletti has received several awards during his career,
including the 2002 Sullivan Award, presented by the Assistant United
States Attorney Association; the 1997 Young Lawyer of the Year award,
presented by the Bar Association of the District of Columbia; and Special
Achievement Awards for four years in a row from the Office of the United
States Attorney.
Mr. Spagnoletti graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and
History, summa cum laude, from Lafayette College in Easton,
Pennsylvania. He completed his juris doctor degree, magna cum laude,
at Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the State Bar in
New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
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Leonard H. Becker is currently Senior Litigation Counsel in the
District’s Office of Corporation Counsel. Prior to joining the Office of
Corporation Counsel in November 2001, Mr. Becker was a partner at Arnold
& Porter, in Washington, DC, where he worked for 27 years. During his
tenure at Arnold & Porter, he served seven years as Bar Counsel for
the Office of District Columbia Bar Counsel. In addition, Mr. Becker has
taught ethics as an adjunct professor at the Washington College of Law, at
American University.
Early in his legal career, Mr. Becker served judicial clerkships for
the Honorable Edward Weinfeld, United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York, and the Honorable Potter Stewart, Supreme
Court of the United States. Mr. Becker also spent several years as an
associate at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, in Washington, DC.
Mr. Becker has published a variety of articles in publications such as
the Yale Law Journal, The District Lawyer, and The
Nation. He graduated with a bachelors degree from Harvard University, magna
cum laude, and a law degree from Yale Law School.
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BRIAN L. WILBON
Director, Office of Medicaid Public Provider Operations Reform (OMPPOR)
Brian L. Wilbon brings more than ten years of experience in the
healthcare financial and operations industry to the Office of Medicaid
Public Provider Operations Reform.
Since 2000, Mr. Wilbon has been the Director of the Revenue Division
for MAXIMUS, which provides program management, information technology,
and consulting services to government agencies. In this position, he has
assisted several clients, including the States of Maryland and New Jersey,
in recovering more than $100 million in additional Federal, Medicare and
Medicaid revenue. He also has helped to file and settle numerous Medicaid
and Medicare appeals.
Prior to his work at MAXIMUS, Mr. Wilbon was a Health Care Consulting
Manager at Arthur Andersen from 1998 - 1999, where he managed an
operational review of a large, for-profit hosipital conglomerate’s
Medicare reimbursement practice to ensure compliance. At Andersen, he also
audited Medicare cost reports for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities
and deeveloped advanced training seminars on Medicare compliance and
reimbursement.
At Integrated Health Services, Mr. Wilbon began as a Reimbursement
Analyst and was promoted to Director of Coporate Reimbursement between
1994 and 1998. He began his career at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Maryland.
Mr. Wilbon graduated from Hampton University with a BA in Accounting, cum
laude.
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Kenneth L. Saunders currently serves as Executive Director of the
Greater Shreveport Human Relations Commission. The Commission was
established to assist and consult with the City of Shreveport and its
elected and appointed officials on matters involving prejudice and/or
discrimination. The Commission is tasked with educating the
community on issues of cultural diversity, identifying and resolving
community issues and working to eliminate discrimination in all forms in
the Greater Shreveport Community.
Mr. Sanders served as Assistant Director of the Community Relations
Commission in Columbus, Ohio, from 1998 to 2001. Mr. Saunders’ efforts
were instrumental in establishing a Hate Crimes Task Force, a Task Force
on Predatory Lending, a Chamber of Commerce Guide to Religious
Accommodations in the Workplace, and a Commission Mediation program for
small to medium size businesses. During his tenure at the Community
Relations Commission, Mr. Saunders acted as the commission’s EEO officer
and legal counsel.
Prior to his work with the Community Relations Commission, Mr. Saunders
practiced law with the firm of Saunders, Jackson & Hines, where he was
the managing partner, and with the international law firm of Baker &
Hostetler.
Mr. Saunders is a graduate of Wilberforce University and received his
Juris Doctorate degree from The Ohio State University of Law.
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A. Gerard Roth
Healthcare Privacy and Confidentiality Officer
Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA)
A. Gerald Roth ("Gerry") was appointed last month as the
District’s Healthcare Privacy and Confidentiality Officer. The Privacy
Officer reports to the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and
Elders and is responsible for maintaining the District’s HIPAA
compliance. He will maintain privacy, transaction code and identifier
implementation, and security across District agencies. Mr. Roth brings
more than 20 years of high-level technology experience to the District.
Mr. Roth comes to the Deputy Mayor’s office from the District’s
Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), where he was Director of
Project Management and Agency Liaison. This position entailed developing
and implementing District-wide technology standards and served as a
liaison with District agencies to manage more than 150 OCTO programs under
development.
Most of Mr. Roth’s career was spent in the private sector, at GTE
Corporation and Verizon Communications Corporation. Following the merger
of GTE and Bell Atlantic to create Verizon, Mr. Roth served as the
Executive Director of Program Management from 2000-2001. He managed the
Merger Compliance Program Office, which tracked thousands of independent
merger conditions across 32 states, the federal government, and
internationally.
Other positions with GTE Corporation included five years as the Vice
President of Technology Programs, during which he served on the President’s
Council on Y2K. He also worked from 1978 to 1995 with GTE Government
Systems Corporation as Director of Systems Development and Vice President
and General Manager of National Center Systems.
Mr. Roth also served as a Russian Linguist and Analyst in the US Air
Force and National Security Agency. He also worked to develop courses in
Asset Protection Risk Management for Johns Hopkins University.
Mr. Roth received a Masters of Science in Education and a Masters of
Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.
He graduated from the University of Windsor in Canada with a BA in
Political Science.
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