The WPA is managed by a Board of Directors comprised of local artists, arts patrons, lawyers, designers, realtors and museum professionals. The board sets policies, develops the programming focus and oversees the administration of the organization. The board also provides policy and direction regarding community and outreach initiatives, membership issues, and events.
BOARD CHAIR
Andres Tremols: Fine Artist and Graphic Designer. Born in Washington, D.C. of Cuban descent, he spent his childhood and adolescence in Central and South America. Andres currently resides in Arlington, Virginia. Commitment to his Cuban heritage, insights from overseas travel, and global changes are passionately embodied in his current paintings, sculptures and print work. His work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally and is collected in Europe, North, Central and South America. You can view a selection of his work by visiting www.tremols.com. As a Graphic Designer, Andres is currently a partner of Vivo Design, Inc. The firm specializes in Branding/Identity, Financial Communications, Marketing Collateral Systems and Integrated Interactive Services. His graphic design work has been published in PRINT, CA Magazine, HOW, Corporate Identity in America, AR 100 and has been included in numerous exhibitions such as AIGA 50 and The Art Director's Club of Washington, DC. Andres is currently on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Development Corporation and a member of Take Me To The River, an international collaboration between artists from around the world who promote greater understandings among nations. Education: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, BFA, 1983; Corcoran School of Art and Design, Washington, D.C. (Independent Program); Meltdown Glass School, Washington, D.C. (Independent Program).
ADVISOR
Robert Lehrman is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hirshhorn Museum. He is a collector of contemporary art and has been included in the "Top 100 Collectors" issues of Art News and Art in America for the past several years. Mr. Lehrman has one of the most comprehensive collections of Joseph Cornell's work. Mr. Lehrman is a native Washingtonian who currently serves at the Administrator of the Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation, Inc. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's Degree in English, and continued his education at the George Washington University National Law School, where he received his Juris Doctorate.
BOARD MEMBERS:
Max Brown
[bio coming soon]
Daniel F. Burton, Jr. is Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy at salesforce.com. He previously served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Entrust, Inc., Vice President of Government Relations for Novell, Inc. and President of the Council on Competitiveness. In addition to his extensive public policy experience on high-tech issues, he has over 15 years experience running non-profit organizations. Prior to joining the high-tech industry, he worked as an exhibition designer and did economic development work in West Africa. Mr. Burton served as WPA Chair from 2000 – 2003. He holds a B.A. in art history with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in political economy from Columbia University, and a Diplome de Langue et Civilisations Francaises from the Sorbonne.
Kimberly Casey is an Associate Broker with Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby's International Realty specializing in marketing distinctive homes in the DC Metropolitan area. Before pursuing a career in real estate, Kimberly spent twelve years in the international telecommunications industry building partnerships, joint ventures and developing and executing strategies for entry into international markets. She earned her BS in Marketing from Clemson University and received her MBA in International Business from George Washington University in 1995. Additionally, she has taken classes at the Corcoran School of Art and the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.Since 1996, Liz Cullen has been active in the Washington, DC arts community where she has served on the Board of Trustees of the Studio Theatre. Ms. Cullen has been a co-chair of the Studio Theatre Gala for the past four years and is the chair of the 2001 Special Events committee. In 1997 she joined the WPA's Advisory and Executive Boards and has been a co-chair of the 1999 and 2002 Auction benefits. Previously, Ms. Cullen was an account executive with Finn and Schneider, a legal search firm.
George Hemphill is the owner of Hemphill Fine Arts and has co-chaired two past WPA auctions. He has more than fifteen years of experience in Washington, DC selling the works of local artists and urging patrons to support the local arts community. He is a member of the Board of Directors for District of Columbia Arts Center.
Stephen Hessler
[bio coming soon]
Elise Hoffmann, Principal, Marshfield Associates, Washington, D.C. J.D., The Yale Law School. A.B., Princeton University. Elise Hoffmann has worked as a securities lawyer, legislative counsel, and investment professional since graduating from law school in 1983. Until 1987, she practiced corporate securities and banking law. From 1987 to 1995, she served as finance counsel to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, U.S. House of Representatives. Since 1995, she has worked as a portfolio manager and research analyst at Marshfield Associates, where she has been a principal since 1997. Marshfield manages over a billion dollars for about 400 clients, both institutional and individual.
Marisa Leshinsky serves as the Director of Business Development in the Washington DC office of RTKL Associates Inc., one of the world’s most respected multi-disciplinary architecture, design and planning firms. Prior to moving to DC, Marisa worked in New York City as an Art Consultant for the Chelsea art gallery, Mixed Greens. Marisa’s involvement in local professional associations has complemented her role at RTKL and with WPA. Previously she was highly involved with the DC Preservation League, where she served on the Education Committee and helped to plan the architecture-focused DC Modern symposium and the interiors-focused DC Modern Inside. Other organzitions she is currently involed with include the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and CoreNet. For the past two years Marisa has served on the planning committee of the WPA Art Auction & Gala and is now delighted to join the WPA Board of Directors. Marisa attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Art History and Communications in May 2000.
Jennifer Motruk Loy has been working with the WPA for the past 6 years, as Chair of the Advisory Board since 2004, and as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Her association with WPA began in 1999 as Acting Director, followed by an Advisory Board position and role as Art Auction Co-Chair from 2002-2004. With a BFA with Honors in Visual and Performing Arts from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Jennifer has been a long-time active member of the regional arts community through her work with numerous arts organizations, galleries and artists, and is an avid collector of contemporary art. Jennifer participates in efforts to help foster regional arts through fundraising, exhibition, and promotional activities for various organizations, including Faces of the Fallen, Art for a Landmine Free World for the VVAF and Diverse Markets Management at Eastern Market. Ms. Motruk Loy was the Director of Marketing at The Washington Design Center before joining CORE architecture + design of Georgetown in 2004 as the Director of Marketing and Business Development.
Erin & Todd Mackay live in DC with their son, Chase Christopher Mackay. They are also members of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Curator's Circle. Erin Mackay is an independent contemporary art consultant and owner of Chase Contemporary Art Consulting, LLC. Ms. Mackay's artist portfolio currently features artists from the Washington, D.C. area, New York, Miami, New Mexico, San Francisco, Canada and Paris. Ms. Mackay entered the Washington, D.C. art market by running the Washington Project for the Arts Annual Art Auction and Gala from 2003 to present as auction coordinator. Ms. Mackay has her Bachelors of Science in Journalism from the University of Colorado, and she received a Master's in Modern Art, Connoisseurship and the History of the Art Market from Christie's Education in New York. Todd Mackay, Managing Director, Corporate Development, is responsible for facilitating all mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and strategic investments for E*Trade Financial. He is also a board member of IL&FS Investment, a publicly traded financial services company in India, and E*Trade Australia. He received an A.B. in Economics with an emphasis in Mathematics from Princeton University.
Meredith L. Margolis is a native of Baltimore, Maryland but considers Washington DC her home. After earning her BSBA in Marketing from American University, she pursued her combined love for art and retail to open a paint-your-own pottery studio. As a frustrated artist, Meredith accepted herself as an art appreciator, and became a volunteer for the Corcoran Gallery of Art's 1869 Society, from 1998-2002. Currently, Meredith is the Events Manager for the law firm of Arent Fox. She resides is Dupont Circle with her husband and son.
Sophia McCrocklin is a fine arts painter focusing in the areas of abstract painting and painted collage on canvas. She currently resides in Washington DC where she is represented by Studio Gallery. In pursuit of her a life long passion to practice art and to protect the environment, McCrocklin studied Studio Art and Economics at Smith College. This was followed by further studies in both textile arts at Penland School of Crafts and law at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. Upon graduation, she established her studio and practiced environmental law for many years. McCrocklin has earned the honor of a national fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the award for Artistic Excellence from the Kentucky Department for the Arts. Her commitment to the arts and the environment is still going strong and is embodied throughout her work by recycling old materials in her collages.
Frederick P. Ognibene, M.D. is a collector of contemporary art and strong supporter of local artists. He lives in Washington, D.C. and works at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland as Director of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education in the Clinical Center. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Washington Project for the Arts (1995-1996 and 2008-present) and Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) (1996-2003). In addition, he was co-chair of the annual WPA art auction for three years (1997-1999). He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Development Corporation of DC as well as on its Arts Incubator (“Flashpoint”) Committee and has been a member of the Hirshhorn Contemporary Acquisitions Council. In 1984 he began collecting contemporary art by local emerging and mid-career artists and had expanded his collection to include nearly 200 works by national and international artists. He takes pride in getting to know the artists whose work he owns and has been very supportive of the careers of some local, D.C.-based artists. He avidly attends Art Basel Miami, the Armory Show, and other international arts fairs
William C. Paley, President, William C. Paley Foundation. William C. Paley is the son of William S. Paley, founder of CBS, noted art collector and connoisseur of fine living and Barbara "Babe" Cushing, the daughter of pioneering neurosurgeon and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, Dr. Harvey Cushing. Mr. Paley is currently president of 2023 LLC, an addictions, alcohol and family therapy practice in Washington, DC. From 1980 to 1984 Mr. Paley acted as president of his own emerging electronic media consulting firm, Paley Communications. Prior to that he owned and operated several restaurants in the Washington - Baltimore area. Mr. Paley supports a variety of nonprofit organizations in Washington DC and serves on the Board of Directors for the Washington Project for the Arts, District of Columbia Arts Center, Phillips Collection and the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City and Los Angeles. He is a director of the William S. Paley Foundation and the President of William C. Paley Foundation. He lives with his wife, Alison, and two sons in McLean, Virginia.
Jan Rothschild
[bio coming soon]
Richard Seaton is founder and CEO of Impact Marketing + Communications, a firm supporting nonprofits and small businesses through branding, corporate communications, marketing, and production of websites and print materials. Clients include leading philanthropic foundations such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, international development organizations like the Academy for Educational Development, and for-profit clients in finance, real estate, and pharmaceuticals. Prior to founding his company, Richard lived and worked in Italy, providing international development support for an Italian-based multinational. He has also worked as a professional pianist with such organizations as the Santa Fe Opera, The Washington Opera, Howard University and Italy’s Festival of Montepluciano. Currently, Richard and his partner, John, live in the District with their foxhound, Henry.
Michelle Zook is a freelance graphic designer in Arlington, Virginia, where she designs promotional materials, newsletters and brochures for a variety of clients, including The World Bank, Washington Homes and Community Hospice, the Community of Hope, and the Arlington Free Clinic. Ms. Zook is active in local charity and educational events, and has helped plan numerous community fundraisers. She was the Director of Administration at C-SPAN, and Publications Production Coordinator at the National Association for Home Care before starting her graphic design business in 1993. Ms. Zook earned her BA in English, with a minor in Russian, from Texas A&M University in 1983, where she worked at the university's Educational Media Production Center.