Board of Directors
Dorothy Canter, Ph.D. – President
Prior to her retirement Dr. Dorothy Canter was a nationally recognized expert in the decontamination of bioterrorism agents and in preparedness activities for responding to and recovering from attacks with weapons of mass destruction, first at the US Environmental Protection Agency and then at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. A volunteer for the National Parks Conservation Association for over 30 years, she has served in a number of capacities including nine years on the Board of Trustees. She was a founding member of the Friends of Fort Hunt Park, Inc., and served as its President for three years. She has visited over 300 National Park units. Dr. Canter received a B.S. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in biophysics from The George Washington University.
Robert G. Stanton – Vice President
Robert G. Stanton, former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U. S. Department of the Interior and former director of the National Park Service, is an Expert Member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) to which he was appointed by President Obama in October 2014. As Senior Advisor to the Interior Secretary from 2010 to 2014, Stanton served as a key senior analyst and provided executive level advice and support to the Secretary on a wide range of environmental, educational, organizational and management issues. From 2009-2010, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Program Management. From 2001 to 2009, Stanton was a consultant in conservation management and served as a visiting professor at Yale, Howard and Texas A&M Universities. During the period from 2001-2003, he also served as the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) Ambassador for the Fifth World Parks Congress held 2003 in Durban, South Africa. Stanton's Federal service included a 35- year career with the National Park Service. Stanton was unanimously confirmed in 1997 as the 15th Director of the National Park Service. He served in this position from 1997 to 2001. He was the first director to undergo confirmation hearings before the U. S. Senate and the first and to date only African American to serve in this position. Since 1962 he has dedicated his life work to improving the preservation and management of the nation’s rich and diverse natural and cultural resources. Stanton is active in professional and civic affairs and has served on the boards and councils of a wide range of civic, environmental and youth serving organizations. He has been nationally recognized through awards and citations for outstanding public service and leadership in conservation, historic preservation, youth programs, government relations and diversity in employment and public programs. A native of Ft. Worth, Texas, Stanton, grew up in the era of “separate but equal” in Mosier Valley, one of the oldest communities in Texas founded by African Americans shortly after the U. S. Civil War. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Huston-Tillotson University, did his graduate work at Boston University and received five honorary doctorates.
M. Howard Morse - Treasurer
Mr. Morse is a Washington, DC-based attorney and partner in the Cooley LLP law firm. He is active in a number of philanthropic causes. He was previously Treasurer and is currently the President of the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum (formerly the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington), which has recently moved and preserved a 150-year old historic synagogue and is undertaking a capital campaign and building a new museum in Washington, DC. Mr. Morse also serves on the National Council of the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonpartisan organization that works to protect and preserve the nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.
Pamela Bowman - Secretary
Pamela Bowman is Director of Public Lands Policy in the government relations department of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is responsible for leading a cross departmental team advocating on behalf of historic and cultural resources on public lands, including the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. Prior to joining the National Trust, she served on the legislative staff for two Members of Congress and spent over eight years in the nonprofit sector designing and implementing advocacy and government relations campaigns. Pam received her B.A. in Urban Planning, Geography and the Environment with a minor in history from the University of Texas at Austin.
Anna Barber
Barber is a 20-year fundraising veteran who specializes in individual major gift training and campaign planning. She is the Founder and Principal Strategist for Barber & Associates, a boutique fundraising consulting firm. Under her leadership, Barber & Associates has worked with a myriad of clients structuring campaigns ranging from $500K to $80M. Prior to starting the firm, Barber was the first Central Major Gifts Officer at the Smithsonian Institution, and a member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s (NMAAHC) fundraising team that surpassed its private philanthropic goal of $350M. At NMAAHC, Barber secured $42M in leadership ($1M+) and major ($100K) gift support, highlighted by the closure of 22 individual one million-dollar gifts, 90% contributed by first-time donors to the Smithsonian. Leading into NMAAHC’s Grand Opening in 2016, she led the efforts to host a $1M per plate fundraiser at the home of Pauletta and Denzel Washington and a mid-level fundraising event that generated $5M from $25K donors. Prior to the Smithsonian, Barber spent 10 years working as a frontline fundraiser in intercollegiate college athletics. She served as the director of major gifts for Michigan State University Athletics, the assistant director of development at Miami University in Ohio and Management Associate at Arizona State University. Barber earned a Juris Doctorate (Intellectual Property) from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science (Political Science) from Howard University.
Sandra Wilcox Conway
Sandra Wilcox Conway has worked in philanthropy, social entrepreneurship and civic engagement since the mid-1980’s. She began her career in corporate social responsibility with NCNB/Nationsbank and The First Union Foundation. Her work with First Union won The Points of Light Foundation award in 2000 for corporate community involvement. In 2000 she began operating as an independent consultant and advisor (Conway Consulting and Collaborations) to a variety of organizations including The Women’s Impact Fund, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Outward Bound of NC, The Janam Peacebuilding Foundation (Kenya) and The Catawba Lands Conservancy. In 2011-2012, she designed and led, DVA (Donors, Volunteers and Ambassadors) Charlotte, the nonpartisan women’s leadership organization in support of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. DVA was recognized by The Charlotte Observer and The White House Women’s Conference for its impact on civic engagement and leadership. Since 2012 Sandra has refocused her consulting practice and philanthropy on issues of educational equity including the organizational design and development of The CMS Foundation, Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and as a co-founder of The Color of Education, a collaboration with Duke University and The Public School Forum of North Carolina. She served as an advisor and social impact producer on the national rollout of America to Me produced by Participant Media, The EveryChildNC coalition and the West Charlotte High School History Project. Sandra was a lead donor in partnership with The Burroughs-Wellcome Fund to launch The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and in support of the preservation of The Siloam School, a Rosenwald era school in Charlotte, NC. Sandra is a graduate of Chapel Hill High School, Wake Forest University and holds both an M.Ed and an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill. She and her husband Peter have three children, Peter, Ben and Adelaide.
Stephanie Deutsch
Stephanie Deutsch is the author of You Need a Schoolhouse, Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South, published in 2011 by Northwestern University Press. She was a speaker at the two national Rosenwald school conferences sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has visited more than two dozen Rosenwald schools and has shared the story with alumni of the schools, church groups and high school students. Her husband, David Deutsch, is the great-grandson of Julius Rosenwald. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Master’s degree (in Soviet Union Area Studies) from Harvard.
Damien Dwin
Damien Dwin is an American businessman and investor who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Lafayette Square. He founded Lafayette in November of 2020 as a model investment platform that deploys services-backed capital to local communities, independent businesses, and diverse investors. Lafayette Square is built for inclusion—here to change the financing paradigm and investing in an American economy worth believing in. Lafayette Square provides a wide range of financial products that create positive impact alongside financial returns. Previously, Damien served as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Brightwood Capital Advisors from its founding in 2010 to October 2020. Damien began his career as a trader with Goldman Sachs, New York & London, there earning the Michael P. Mortara Award for Innovation. He then further developed his investment expertise working for Credit Suisse, where he was the Co-Founder and Head of the North American Special Opportunities business until 2010. At Credit Suisse, Damien also served on the Vice President Selection Committee and led the Fixed Income Division Credit Training Program. He is an active thought leader on mass incarceration, economic inclusion, racial justice and representation, and the use of purpose and profit for good. He has written for Entrepreneur and Inc.com. A committed philanthropist, Damien currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Vera Institute of Justice. He also serves on the non-profit boards of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Studio Museum in Harlem, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Woodberry Forest School, and Boys’ Club of New York. Damien received a B.S./B.A. from Georgetown University where he later served two terms on the Board of Regents.
Leslie Lenkowsky, Ph.D.
Dr. Leslie Lenkowsky is Professor Emeritus in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and Senior Counsellor to the Dean at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Lenkowsky served as chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a position to which he was appointed by President George W. Bush. Previously, he had served as a director of the Corporation. Before joining the Bush Administration, Dr. Lenkowsky was professor of philanthropic studies and public policy at Indiana University. He has also served as president of the Hudson Institute, an internationally renowned public policy research institute, president of the Institute for Educational Affairs, deputy director of the United States Information Agency, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and research director at the Smith Richardson Foundation. A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Dr. Lenkowsky received his doctorate from Harvard University. He is a regular contributor to The Chronicle of Philanthropy and has spoken frequently to educational and philanthropic groups throughout the United States and internationally on philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, communications, and other topics.
Theresa Pierno
Theresa Pierno is President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Theresa joined NPCA in 2004 after a distinguished career in public service and natural resource protection. Theresa’s leadership has helped to solidify the organization's role as the voice of America's national parks, and she is focused on connecting more diverse and younger people to our National Parks. Prior to becoming President and CEO, Theresa served as Vice President of Regional Operations and Chief Operating Officer. In these roles she successfully doubled NPCA's field program to include more than 60 staff working in 24 offices across the country and led the development of strategic priorities with a focus on water and land use policy. Theresa is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of America’s Great Waters Coalition, a group of 70-member organizations working together to protect and restore waters in and around our National Parks that are central to the health of the ecosystem and the recreation of their visitors.
Carol Shull
Carol Shull is the retired Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places and manager of the National Historic Landmarks program for the National Park Service. She served as editor of the National Register Bulletin series and has published and made numerous presentations aimed at making the National Register as inclusive as possible and widely available to the public. She started the Teaching with Historic Places program, a series of classroom ready lesson plans, and the Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Series promoting visits to registered historic places—both available on the National Park Service website. The Partnership for Public Service honored Ms. Shull as a finalist for a Service to America Career Achievement Award for leading the expansion of the National Register. The Secretary of the Interior presented her the Department’s Distinguished Service Award. She is a Fellow and former Trustee of the US Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ ICOMOS). Ms. Shull is a consultant and volunteer, a member of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, active in other preservation and history related organizations, and on the executive committee of the board of Preservation Action, the national grassroots lobby for historic preservation. She received a B.S. in education and an M.A. in United States history from the University of Texas at Austin.
Alan Spears - National Parks Conservation Association Legislative Liaison
Alan Spears joined the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in May 1999 as an intern for the Enhancing Cultural Diversity program. In that capacity, he helped manage the National Parks Community Partners Program, a six-city effort to better connect racial and ethnically diverse groups and individuals to national parks. He currently serves as the Cultural Resources Director for NPCA and a lobbyist for the Government Affairs department, as well as NPCA’s in-house historian.
He has served as the staff lead or co-lead on successful campaigns to establish the Fort Monroe, Harriet Tubman, First State, Colonel Charles Young, Pullman, Belmont Paul Women’s Equality and Birmingham Civil Rights national monuments. Alan previously helped win introduction and passage of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Funding Reauthorization Act of 2008, which helped raise the authorized funding limit for this program to $2.5 million per year. Alan’s current priorities include defense of the National Heritage Area program and the designation of a national park for businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald.
Alan has a B.A. in American History with a concentration in Women’s Studies from Clark University (Worcester, MA) and an M.A. in American History from Howard University (Washington, DC) where he wrote a thesis on the “Washington, DC Race Riot of 1919.” Alan was born and raised in Washington, DC.
Katherine Stevenson
Katherine Stevenson retired from the National Park Service after 40 years of government service, 39 with the National Park Service. As Associate Director for Cultural Resources and Partnerships she had responsibility for the National Register of Historic Places, the National Landmarks program, the Historic Preservation Grants in Aid, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Save America’s Treasures Fund. Later, she spent four years at the National Trust for Historic Preservation on a detail serving as a Senior Policy Advisor. Her last assignment with the National Park Service was as Associate Director for Business Services (Concessions, Fees and Contracting). She is the co-author of “Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears and Roebuck.” Stevenson received the Presidential Rank Award in 2011. Since her retirement she served on the Executive Committee of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. She has a BA from Skidmore College and an MA from the University of Delaware in Art History.
Jordan Tannenbaum
Jordan Tannenbaum has been a fundraiser for 37 years. Currently he is the Chief Development Officer for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and is responsible for a $1 Billion Comprehensive Campaign. His former positions include Vice President for Development at Hillel International, Executive Director of Development at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Associate Dean for External Affairs at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and Executive Director for Development at Georgetown University. An expert on Federal Historic Preservation Law, he currently is a member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and Vice Chairman of the Fairfax County History Commission. Mr. Tannenbaum served in the JAG Corps, U.S. Army Reserve for 27 years attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and currently is on the Finance Committee for the Army Historical Foundation. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Washington College of Law.
Curtis Valentine
Curtis Valentine is currently At-Large Member of the Prince George's County Public School (PGCPS) Board of Education where he serves as Chair of the Policy, Legal, and Legislative Committee. Curtis champions the increase of male educators through the creation of the Male Educator Network of PGCPS (MENofPGCPS) and their #RealMenTeach campaign. Curtis also champions increasing parental engagement of fathers through the creation of the #FatherhoodForum. Curtis has partnered with fraternities, sororities, local businesses, faith-based institutions, unions, and community organizations to fulfill the missions of MENofPGCPS and the #FatherhoodForum. This has led to a dramatic increase of over 400 male educators in PGCPS. The MENofPGCPS has presented at the Inaugural Black Male Educators Convening and its success is published in the Journal of Multicultural Education. The #FatherhoodForum has engaged with over 900 fathers through school-based and county-wide events and workshops. Curtis is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). Curtis also serves as a mentor with the Diverse Male Student Initiative at PGCC and founder of the “PGCC-to-Morehouse” Pipeline to support students transferring to Morehouse College. Curtis is a graduate of Morehouse College and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he received the highest student honor at commencement: the Robert F. Kennedy award for excellence in public service for his work in post-Katrina New Orleans. In 2014, Curtis was awarded an International Affairs Fellowship with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). As a fellow, Curtis promoted American economic competitiveness by examining the education reform efforts of four developed counties while helping to create a national strategy to reform America’s public education system. Curtis has consulted with the National Council on Teacher Quality and the Echoing Green Foundation on increasing the number of young Americans interested in teaching and supporting Echoing Green Fellows, respectively. Curtis is a Contributor to the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Path To Teach Blog, and the Council on Foreign Relation’s Renewing America blog. Curtis is a descendant of Beverly and Martha Valentine, co-founders of the Carol-Boyd Rosenwald School in Bracey, Virginia. Founded in 1919, the Carol-Boyd Rosenwald School educated his grandfather Levi Valentine and countless other relatives. Curtis is currently seeking to reclaim and restore the dilapidated schoolhouse. He has served on the Board of the Rosenwald Park Campaign since 2019.
Greg A. Vital
Greg A. Vital is president of Independent Healthcare Properties, LLC and Morning Pointe Senior Living, a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company that he co-founded in 1996. The company owns and operates assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care centers in five southeastern states, as well as commercial real estate properties. A resident of Hamilton County, Tennessee, he has been active in business and civic activities, serving on numerous boards and committees, some of which include the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee Aquarium, The Land Trust for Tennessee, East Tennessee Historical Society, National Parks Conservation Association and First Horizon Bank. In 2017, Vital worked with Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tennessee to create the Greg A. Vital Center for Natural Resources and Conservation. He has visited over 375 National Park Service units and has granted a land conservation easement on his 90-acre farm in Georgetown, Tennessee, where he raises bison. Vital holds a B.S. degree in business administration from Southern Adventist University.
Bradford J. White
Bradford J. White is Senior Program Director at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, a Chicago-based foundation seeking to improve the built environment, support cultural stewardship in the arts, and strengthen democracy through investigative journalism. He is responsible for overseeing development and implementation of program goals and funding strategy for the Built Environment program. Previously, Brad served as the Associate Director of the Alphawood Foundation where he identified potential new grantees, provided grantmaking recommendations, and developed strategies to address racial equity in grantmaking and staffing. Prior to joining Alphawood, he focused on affordable housing and community development. Brad was appointed by President Obama as a General Public Member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in 2011; he was reappointed in 2014 and served until October 2020. For the Advisory Council, he led the Task Force on Historic Preservation and Rightsizing and directed the development of a policy statement on community revitalization. Brad is an officer on the board of Enrich Chicago, a not-for-profit focused on racial equity and inclusion in the arts, and currently serves as president of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation. He is a board member of DOCOMOMO-US which is dedicated to documenting and conserving buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement, and serves as a member of the Public Policy Committee of the Urban Land Institute Chicago. He is the former chair of Landmarks Illinois, Preservation Action, and the Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha. Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law.