MEET OUR TEAM

OUR STAFF

Deb (2)

Deb has extensive experience working with nonprofits at the local, national, and international levels.

Deb Roepke

Executive Director

MEET DEB

Deb has extensive experience working with nonprofits at the local, national, and international levels. She is the founder of Alexandria-based Computer CORE. She is also recognized by non-profit utilities and their partners across the country for her role in supporting the adoption and integration of cleaner energy solutions with a focus on lowering energy bills for low-income households. Deb is an expert in the best practices for successful executive transitions that position non-profits for growth and sustainability. Her experience includes strategic planning, organizational development, board development, results oriented implementation, stakeholder engagement, workforce development, volunteer management, and fundraising.

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Todd Ruopp is a professional with a rich tapestry of experience spanning the private, social, and public sectors.

Todd Ruopp

Deputy Executive Director

MEET TODD

Todd Ruopp is a professional with a rich tapestry of experience spanning the private, social, and public sectors. Todd’s journey has been defined by a relentless pursuit of excellence, marked by his ability to forge meaningful connections and drive impactful change among people from diverse disciplines.

Before joining the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Todd served as a social sector consultant helping nonprofit leaders identify their organization’s top priorities, how to create feasible plans for accomplishing them, and how best to develop the resources to make it happen. Todd spent ten years serving the social sector in Central Florida and five years doing the same in the Bay Area. While in the Bay Area, Todd was the development director for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and an enterprise salesperson for SurveyMonkey by Momentive.

His commitment to social causes materialized during his tenure as Founder and President of Unleashing Performance Inc., where he spearheaded initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficacy and efficiency of social sector organizations.

Prior to starting his consultancy, Todd served in multiple business development roles for a group insurance carrier, advertising agency, and a state radio network.

Todd earned a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from Drake University and has a certificate in grant proposal writing from the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College. He lives with his spouse in Washington DC and enjoys woodworking and helping friends achieve their goals.

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Jimmy started as one of the
program’s apprentices and now, as a graduate, he brings his experience and knowledge to the
program.

Jimmy Quintero

Seaport Center Supervisor

MEET JIMMY

Jimmy has extensive experience with Alexandria Seaport Foundation. He started as one of the program’s apprentices and now, as a graduate, he brings his experience and knowledge to the program. He leads development of the curriculum and day-to-day activities at the Seaport Center. His skills include project management, employee training, operations management, scheduling, woodworking and carpentry, team management, and small boat operations.

Ahzia Dorsey

Ahzia provides resources and direction to apprentices, assuring they have structure to succeed in the Apprentice Program.

Ahzia Dorsey

Navigator and Case Manager

MEET AHZIA

Ahzia provides resources and direction to apprentices, assuring they have structure to succeed in the Apprentice Program. She has successfully managed energy audits and site assessment for energy conservation
efforts. She has also identified operations efficiencies that made prior organizations more
efficient. She brings these skills as well as communication and team building skills to establish and maintain the collaborative efforts in the Apprentice Program.

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Tom says it is easy to get “hooked” on teaching our apprentices woodworking and seeing that spark of energy flow after a job well done.

Tom Barfield

Apprentice Program Woodworking Instructor

MEET TOM

Tom began his woodworking career at age 2 sitting on his dad’s workbench sanding boards while his dad worked on the main project.  That cooperation on projects continued steadily for seventy years.  Tom’s education is in mechanical engineering with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the discipline.  He spent 24 years as an army officer, 17 years as a program manager for two major defense contractors, 3 research seasons in 3-man camps on the east Antarctic ice sheet for the National Science Foundation, and 5 years assessing damage to roads, bridges, culverts and public buildings for FEMA.  He has lived and worked on 5 of the 7 continents.  Tom says it is easy to get “hooked” on teaching our apprentices woodworking and seeing that spark of energy flow after a job well done.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS & VOLUNTEERS

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Richard has lived in Alexandria since 1969. He is married to Toni Clark. He has four children and seven grandchildren.

Richard Bell

Director

MEET RICHARD

Richard has lived in Alexandria since 1969. He is married to Toni Clark. He has four children and seven grandchildren.

Professional Life.
Dick started Potomac Development Corporation (PDC) in February 1971 with his college roommate, David Schwartz. Potomac Development was the management company for over 90 projects from 1971 until this year. PDC will cease operations at the end of 2018. PDC was a small real estate developer in Washington D.C. exclusively.

Education.
Dick received his BA in Economics, cum laude, from The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio in 1963. He obtained his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1964.

Military Service.
He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1966, obtained his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the summer of 1966 and served in Viet Nam in 1968 reaching the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V upon return to the States.

Current Endeavors.
Dick is a Trustee of The College of Wooster. He is on the Board of The Alexandria Seaport Foundation as well as Employee Navigator, a benefits firm in Bethesda, Maryland. Together with his wife, Toni, and a longtime friend, Kit Prillaman, he helped found CrossWalk, a school for dyslexic children in Roanoke, Va. He is active in many philanthropic ventures.

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Janet has worked in the field of financial management for about 30 years. She started her career as a budget analyst with the Department of Defense.

Janet Blair-Fleetwood

Treasurer

MEET JANET

Janet has worked in the field of financial management for about 30 years. She started her career as a budget analyst with the Department of Defense. She worked at Naval Sea Systems Command and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Comptroller. She then moved to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and rose to be the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Operations Officer. She then made a career move to IBM and provided consulting expertise in financial management, supply chain management, and strategic consulting. Organizations she supported included the Federal Housing Financial Agency, US Coast Guard, US Air Force, and the Department of Energy. She also was a Vice President with The Cohen Group providing consulting expertise for multinational organizations. Janet currently serves on the City of Alexandria Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee. Janet has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii in Business Administration Management and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University at Stanislaus. Janet is committed to using her expertise to help provide opportunities for the City of Alexandria’s young people and supporting the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. Janet is retired and living in Old Town Alexandria with her husband, who is also retired. She has lived in Old Town for about 2 years and in the DC metropolitan area for over 30 years. Their daughter is currently pursuing a PhD at Virginia Tech University and their son is a Second Lt in the Marine Corps.

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Darrel is a 2016 graduate of the Seaport Foundation Apprentice Program and is a certified behavior technician at a local Montessori school.

Darrel Brown

Director

MEET DARREL

Darrel is a graduate of the Seaport Foundation’s Apprentice program and has completed his bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Old Dominion University. Darrel works full time as an Employment Development Specialist, helping individuals with disabilities find employment, at Service Source.  Darrel’s goal is to become a social worker so he can teach and support young people in making positive choices for their futures.

Rob Dugger

Rob Dugger is a retired investor and executive.

Rob Dugger

Director

MEET ROB

Rob Dugger is a retired investor and executive.  For more than a decade Rob has been a leading advocate for strong parenting and families and for policies that support America’s children. He serves on the board of the Council for a Strong America and is a co-founder of ReadyNation and chair of its Advisory Board. ReadyNation is the preeminent business early-childhood advocacy organization in the United States.

Rob has received numerous recognitions for his work in early childhood, including the McCormick Foundation’s Center for Early Childhood Leadership’s “Corporate Champion for Change” award, Zero to Three’s “Reiner Award for Outstanding Advocacy on Behalf on of Very Young Children” award, and the Committee for Economic Development’s “Trustee Leadership Award.” Rob was one of the early developers of pay-for-success finance concepts in early child development.

Rob is also a board member of the Institute for New Economic thinking and a co-director of its Global Working Group on Human Capital and Economic Opportunity with Dr. James Heckman, University of Chicago professor and Nobel Prize winner, and Dr. Steven Durlauf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rob began his career at the Federal Reserve Board in 1972, and in the 1980s served on the staffs of the House and Senate banking committees and the American Bankers Association. From 1992 to 2009 he was a partner in Tudor Investment Corporation. In 2002 Rob helped establish Singita Grumeti Reserves Ltd in Tanzania to conserve the Wildebeest migration route where it goes outside the Serengeti National Park. He served as its board chair through 2010.

Rob graduated from Davidson College, and received his Ph. D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Alexandria Virginia with his wife Joan Huffer and has three children and five grandchildren.

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President & CEO of Scott Management, Inc., Harald initially joined Scott Management, Inc., in 1988

Harald Mangold

Director

MEET HARALD

President & CEO of Scott Management, Inc., Harald initially joined Scott Management, Inc., in 1988 as a management trainee and worked in all departmental areas of property management including on-site operations, as both a Property and Regional Property Manager, and then as Executive Vice President prior to assuming its presidency in 2004. Harald received a Bachelor’s degree from an Austrian trade school prior to moving to the United States in 1986. He is a licensed Virginia & Maryland Real Estate Broker, routinely attends industry/business-related courses. Harald has been awarded the Apartment and Office Building Associations (AOBA) highest honor, the Sidney Glassman Memorial Award for his longstanding leadership in AOBA as an officer, legislative advocate and supporter of charitable causes. A dedicated member of AOBA’s Board of Directors, Harald has previously serviced as Treasurer and currently serves as Maryland Government Affairs Committee Chair. He has been a panelist speaker for PMA and other industry organizations. Harald is LLCManager for 14 real estate holdings and manages apartments, office space, hotel, & land holdings in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

During his 25 years working in Old Town Alexandria, Harald has been familiar with the mission of the ASF, stopping by the Boathouse during lunch hours talking with apprentices about life choices and what future employers look for as it relates to commitment and dedication. He has been engaged in helping graduates of the program find employment and recently hired one as a maintenance technician trainee for an Alexandria apartment community.

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Helen has worked in the field of education policy for more than 20 years.

Helen Morris

Chair

MEET HELEN

Helen has worked in the field of education policy for more than 20 years. In positions with the National School Boards Association, the Consortium for School Networking, the Appalachian Educational Laboratory, Texas Instruments, and the American Association of School Administrators, she has developed expertise in the areas of education technology, math and science policy, school health policy and practice, and professional development for school leaders.

Helen is dedicated to using her professional expertise to improve the lives of young people in Alexandria. She served on the Alexandria City School Board from 2009-2012, which gave her in-depth knowledge and connections to city and school system priorities and programming for youth.

Helen’s current priorities are to help advance public policy and provide opportunities to Alexandria’s young people who need the most support. She has served as a volunteer and board member with the Alexandria Seaport Foundation since 2013, and as chair since April 2018. In addition to the Seaport Foundation, Helen is the volunteer chair of the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria.

Helen is a proud Michigan Wolverine, earning her bachelor of arts in Linguistics from the U of M. She also holds a Diploma in Early Irish Language and Literature from the University College Dublin. Helen lives in Alexandria with her husband, daughter, and their adorable hound dog, Luna.

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A retired engineer, Tracy has over 15 years’ experience in non-profit volunteerism and board governance.

Tracy Nickelsburg

Secretary

MEET TRACY

A retired engineer, Tracy has over 15 years’ experience in non-profit volunteerism and board governance. She has been actively involved in various local non-profit organizations committed to strategic investment in early childhood development and education and is currently Chair of the Advisory and Development Board of Healthy Families Alexandria, an organization providing intensive home visiting services to at-risk families in the City of Alexandria. In addition, Tracy is the Membership Committee Co-Chair for the Duke University Engineering Alumni Council with responsibility for board governance, nominations, and on-boarding. The council provides funding and mentorship for extracurricular undergraduate engineering student projects as well as a platform for alumni/student connections for career mentoring and employment opportunities.

Tracy is drawn to organizations that provide individualized support to youth and young adults to help them access educational and career opportunities. Her belief in the benefits of hands-on project-based learning led her to volunteer as a classroom assistant with the Alexandria Seaport Foundation’s Middle School Math program and to become a proponent of the foundation’s broader mission.

Prior to retirement, Tracy was a Senior Project Manager for Earth Tech, Inc. where she managed design, construction, and operation of systems at federal and industrial facilities including cooling, fire suppression, and wastewater treatment systems. She began her engineering career at Exxon Company, USA, with responsibility for oversight of retail gasoline storage and delivery system construction, supervision of environmental assessment and remediation for retail sites, and ultimately responsibility for environmental assessment, remediation, and compliance for all bulk petroleum distribution facilities in New York and New England.

Tracy received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University. An Alexandria resident for 20 years, she lives in the Rosemont neighborhood with her husband, two children, and two very active dogs.

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Louise is retired from the Federal Reserve Board, where she spent the bulk of her career after working in government relations, first for the American Bankers Association and then for Visa.

Louise Roseman

Director

MEET LOUISE

Louise is retired from the Federal Reserve Board, where she spent the bulk of her career after working in government relations, first for the American Bankers Association and then for Visa.  At the Fed, she was in the Division of Reserve Bank Operations and Payment Systems, the last 17 years as its director.

Louise has been a long-time resident of Alexandria and moved to Old Town from the West End in the early 1980s.  She feels so fortunate to live in such a wonderful community and has looked for opportunities to give back.  She is past chair of the Carpenter’s Shelter board of directors and is currently a member of the City’s Waterfront Commission.  She is treasurer of the Harborside condo board of directors and serves on several committees of ACT for Alexandria.  She also volunteers as an election officer (on most election days, you can find her at the City Hall precinct).

Louise received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her MBA from George Washington University.

Jay Creech

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET JAY

Profile to come!

Eric Weiss

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET ERIC

Profile to come!

Rob Dutton

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET ROB

Profile to come!

Sid Shaw

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET SID

Profile to come!

Karen Streich

Volunteer--Organization Change Expert

MEET KAREN

Profile to come!

Eric Weiss

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET ERIC

Profile to come!

Rob Dutton

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET ROB

Profile to come!

Sid Shaw

Volunteer--Master Woodworker

MEET SID

Profile to come!

The Seaport Foundation’s work is enriched through volunteers of all kinds. Learn more about how you can get engaged.