DSANV Board of Directors
Nora Bahamonde – Originally from Ecuador and now a US citizen, Nora and her husband, Guido, have been in the US since 1990. They have one son, Francisco, who is 21 years old and living in Ecuador. Their daughter, Canela, is 4 years old and was diagnosed with Down syndrome a few days after she was born. Nora previously worked for Booz Allen Hamilton and recently accepted a position with Computer Science Corporation. In addition to working as a free lance translator, Nora has also volunteered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Steve Beck – Steve is married to Catherine and is proud father to daughters Mariae Rose and Natalie. They moved into the area 7 years ago. He works in operations for Dominion Electric Supply Company. Currently, Steve co-chairs the Advocacy and Awareness Committee. He serves on the NDSS National Policy Center Planning Committee and the Down Syndrome Advocates in Action steering committee.
Bill Brocato – Bill is the father of Abby 11, Tyler 7 and Jessie 6 (DS) and is married to Liz, even though they went to rival high schools in northern Virginia. After a brief sojourn to Montgomery County, Bill and his family reside in Annandale. Bill holds a BS in Accounting from Virginia Tech and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is currently Chief Financial Officer at GMMB, a strategic communications firm specializing in issue advertising, cause-related marketing and political campaign consulting. In addition to being Treasurer for the DSANV, Bill volunteers his time with the BRYC soccer program, Turnpike basketball league, and the Canterbury Woods Swim Club. With any spare time that remains, he enjoys jogging, watching baseball and listening to music.
Maureen Buckley – Maureen is originally from New York where she worked as a merchandiser in the fashion industry for 10 years before moving to Virginia. Once in Virginia, Maureen began her family with husband Joe and is now Mom to Lauren (7 years old), Jack (6 years old) and Carolynn (4 years old). Besides devoting the majority of her time to driving her children all over town, Maureen is currently a member of DSANV Board of Directors where she is chair of the Social Outreach Committee and Co-chair of the Golf Tournament Committee. Maureen also served as co-chair for the Infant Toddler Connection Council (Early Intervention) in Prince William County prior to moving to her current home in Aldie.
Vera Conley – Grew up in Northern Virginia and received a B.S. in Engineering at the University of Virginia. She led a successful career in technical sales and business development in the information technology field, holding a number of such positions at JWP, Vitek/Globelle, Emulex and Cisco Systems in both Washington, D.C. and Southern California. Vera and college sweetheart, Paul, were married in 1993 and re-settled in Northern Virginia soon after the birth of their son, Kai, who happens to have Down syndrome. Vera has since been full-time employed as primary caregiver and advocate of Kai (8), younger brother Devin (7) and sister Olivia (3). Vera currently serves on the DSANV Board of Directors, the Education Committee and Merchandise sub-Committee. She is also the Special Education Committee Chair for her local PTA and resides with her family in Reston.
David Egan – David Egan is an eager advocate for people with disabilities. He is a Booz-Allen and Hamilton employee in the Distribution Center since 1998 on the McLean Campus. He was recently selected to be on the Board of Directors of the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia and is a self-advocate at the national level. David is also an active athlete in Special Olympics and serves as a Global Messenger for the Special Olympics Virginia. Together with his company, David has served as co-chair for the Winter Games in the State of Virginia for the past 4 years. He has been involved in Community outreach starting in 1999 when he volunteered at the Special Olympics World Games in North Carolina. An athlete himself, he plays and competes in soccer, basketball, ice skating, softball and swimming. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, in the year 2000, he was elected to represent the State of Virginia at the Global Athlete Congress in the Netherlands. He has served on the SOI, United States Athlete Leadership Program Committee. In 2002, he received a Heroes Award from the Special Olympics International and a Voices Award in 2003 from the National Down Syndrome Society in New York City. In 2004, David gave a keynote speech at the NDSS conference in Washington DC. He speaks at various fundraising events building awareness and thanking supporters for their involvement in Special Olympics. He writes articles and was published in the Spirit Magazine “Dare to Dream” in 2000. He has visited both the House and the Senate in Washington DC lobbying for people with disabilities. David was born in Madison, Wisconsin on September 17th, 1977. He moved to Virginia in l984. He is the oldest of 4 children.
Shelia Erhardt – Sheila is originally from the Shenandoah Valley but has made Vienna, VA her hometown for over 10 years with her husband Jeff. She is the proud mom to two children: Emma 9 w/ Ds and Gracie 6. Since 1996, she has worked both full-time and very part-time for Octagon Marketing and Athlete Representation in McLean, VA in the Corporate Finance division. She is a graduate of Bridgewater College with a BS in Accounting. Currently, she serves as Secretary of DSANV and has been a member of the Board of Directors for four years. Her duties in DSANV include: taking and distributing all minutes from the Board of Director’s meetings, forming and administering the committee in charge of Scholarships, Andrew Fay Camperships/Recreation and Durable Medical Goods Policies, Member of the Golf Tournament Committee and Co-Chair of the Education Committee.
Megan Ferguson – Megan grew up in the NoVa area and received a BS in Economics from Mary Washington College. She and her husband were married in 2001 and have been located in Herndon ever since. She worked for the Loudoun County Public Schools system as a high school Social Studies educator. Since 2006, she has been a full time mom to two girls, Audrey (4) and Stella (20 months, Ds). She will be the 2010 co-chair of the DSANV Buddy Walk.
Joe Lintott – In March 2007, Joe and his wife Ashley had twin boys, Aidan and Shea (DS). Shea had some serious heart complications, and in May 2007, he passed away. The Lintotts are both transplants to the Northern Virginia area, but have considered it their home since they graduated from George Washington University. When not raising their son, Aidan (DSANV's youngest volunteer!), Joe is a trial attorney with Allstate Insurance.
Francisco R. Ramirez – Cisco and his wife, Michele are the proud parents of two daughters, Yasmin and Yohanna (w/DS). He and his family have been involved with the DSANV since learning that Yohanna would be born with DS back in 2007. Having worked with special needs children during college, he knew the importance of having a support system available to him and his family and as a beneficiary of the Parent-to-Parent program, Cisco looked at participating on the Board as a way to give back to the organization that helped him and Michele during a difficult time. Cisco also serves on the Board of Directors for the Parent Educational and Advocacy Training Center (PEATC). To support the family, Cisco currently holds the positions of Vice President and General Manager of Olive Group North America an integrated security company. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Seton Hall University and his Masters of Science in Computer Information Systems from the University of Phoenix.
Brian Ray – Brian is the proud father of three wonderful children – Nate (5), Matthew (3) and Ellie (1). He resides in Ashburn, Virginia with his children and wife, Michelle, and has lived in the Metro-DC area for the past 14 years, originally hailing from Western Pennsylvania. Brian was co-Chair, with his wife, of both 2008 and 2009 DSANV Buddy Walk, and is currently serving in his first year on the Board, as President. Brian is both a Penn State and Geneva College alum, and has worked in independent school administration during his time in D.C. He is the Director of Finance at the Washington Jesuit School, located in the District.
Michelle Ray – Michelle is the proud mom of two boys, Nate (4) and Matthew (3) and a little girl, Ellie, born in April 2009. She resides in Reston, Virginia with her children and husband, Brian. Michelle and Brian are both transplants to the Northern Virginia area and have made this area their home. Matthew was diagnosed with Down syndrome after birth and had surgery to correct duodenal atresia. She joined DSANV shortly after Matthew's birth. Michelle and Brian are Co-Chairs of the 2008 and 2009 DSANV Buddy Walk. Michelle has a BS from Virginia Tech and a MA from George Washington University. She has worked in the Human Resources field for the last 12 years.
Dorene Ryder – Dorene is the mother of Jeff (5 years) and Katie (2 years, Ds) and is married to Paul. She has lived in Northern Virginia since 1994 and now resides in Vienna, VA with her family. She manages research and development programs at Raytheon BBN Technologies, where she has worked for sixteen years. Dorene holds a BS in mechanical engineering from Southern Methodist University, and a MS in mechanical engineering from Duke. She joined DSANV following Katie’s birth, and worked with the Buddy Walk team and another parent volunteer to create the first Imagine the PossABILITIES Tent at our walk. Together with two other parent volunteers, Dorene is spearheading The Learning Program pilot in Northern Virginia. The Learning Program, started by the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County, turns the research findings of DownsEd International into practical techniques for parents and educators.
Lorraine Sawka – Lorraine is married to Sean and mom to Erin. Originally from the Philly area, she moved to Northern Virginia after graduating from Penn State in the mid-90’s. She holds a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and recently became a massage therapist. She currently works part time at a women’s health club. After working on the Buddy Walk committee and as the Volunteer Coordinator with DSANV for several years, Lorraine decided to become a member of the board.
Erin Thompson – Erin is the oldest of three children, born and raised in Northern Virginia. Erin is a passionate self advocate and is currently a senior at George Mason University’s LIFE Program for students with developmental disabilities. She lives full time on campus and absolutely loves it. In addition to the LIFE curriculum, Erin audits regular George Mason University (GMU) classes for which she advocated on her own to take. She works for and has had articles published in the GMU newspaper The Broadside. She is also the Buddy Director for Best Buddies Virginia at GMU and a Buddy Ambassador for the State of Virginia. As a board member for the DSANV, Erin has contributed to the Education and AIA committees. She is also active in Special Olympics. Erin was selected to the 2005 and 2006 Virginia Youth Leadership Form. Erin has become an accomplished advocate for those with intellectual disabilities. She along with a colleague from The Arc of Northern Virginia initiated a bill in the Virginia legislature to update the language in Virginia laws to replace the outdated and pejorative term “retarded” to “intellectually disabled.” She testified in front of the Virginia Legislature and has spoken many times in front of large audiences. She was awarded the PEATC Virginia Star Icon Award in 2008 for her advocacy work and the 2008 Advocates in Disability Award from the HSC Foundation in Washington, D.C.Heather A. Trammell – Heather is the 40-something wife of Scott (a chemistry researcher) and mother at home to Beth and Marie. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in music performance (percussion) and holds a paralegal certificate from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. She has been married since 1994. In her former professional lives Heather worked as a concert promoter/booking agent, paralegal, file space manager, and legal conflicts specialist. Currently she is honored to serve DSANV and the Northern VA community as the director of Parent to Parent and co-chair of the Education and Awareness committee. In her "free time" Heather likes to scrapbook and organize things (like closets, file space, etc).
