Commissioners   The Commissioners of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities are volunteers who are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. They represent the various wards throughout the city. Commissioners Ward Anne Ashmore-Hudson, PhD, Chair Ward 1 Marvin Joseph Ward 7 Susan Clampitt Ward 6 Christopher Cowan Ward 3 Lou Hill Davidson Ward 2 Rebecca Fishman Ward 2 Philippa Hughes At-Large Rogelio Maxwell Ward 3 Tendani Mpulubusi Ward 8 Marsha Ralls Ward 2 Bernard L. Richardson Ward 1 Deborah M. Royster Ward 4 Michael R. Sonnenreich Ward 2 Judith Terra Ward 4 Lavinia Wohlfarth Ward 5 Rhona Wolfe Friedman, JD, Vice Chair Ward 2   Anne Ashmore-Hudson, PhD, Chair Anne Ashmore-Hudson is the chair of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. A clinical psychologist and social worker, Ashmore-Hudson was in private practice for more than 25 years. She was the founding president of Urban Psychological Associates in Brookline, MA before relocating to the District 15 years ago. Ashmore-Hudson has been a Washington Ballet board member for more than eight years and played a key role in establishing a Washington School of Ballet satellite branch at THEARC, a state-of-the-art arts center in Southeast. She also helped establish an afterschool visual arts program in Washington for children who had been homeless and had moved into transitional housing. As a writer, Ashmore-Hudson has published articles on jury selection, relationships and the psychological impact of language.   Marvin Joseph Bowser Marvin Joseph Bowser is a native Washingtonian. He is a vice president of program management at science applications international corporation, where he manages large research and development projects. He holds a bachelor of science in business administration from The American University, and a master of arts in telecommunications from the George Washington University. Marvin has served on the board of the Hillcrest Community Civic Association for the last six years and was recently elected first vice president. Marvin is an avid gardener and has chaired the Hillcrest Garden Tour Committee for six years making it one of the Association’s hallmark events. Marvin is also a self-styled stained glass artist and has interests in art and dance. Marvin collects African art, art glass and American pottery.   Susan Clampitt As a senior executive search consultant at Campbell and Company, Susan Clampitt has extensive experience successfully recruiting top leaders for foundations, nonprofits and government. Ms. Clampitt has served in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel as director of arts and humanities appointments and womens appointments, and continues to place board members, CEOs and senior vice presidents in non-governmental organizations. She has also served as executive director and general manager of WAMU-FM in Washington DC, deputy chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, associate administrator at the US General Services Administration, founder and chair of a graduate program at Bank Street College of Education, and associate director of media and communications at the Museum of Modern Art. She is on the advisory board of the Creative Communities Initiative steering committee of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and the Arden Institute. In 2003, she was a recipient of the Fast 50 award for entrepreneurship from FastCompany magazine, a winner of the 2003 Mayor’s Arts Award, and was selected as Aspen Institute Fellow. She received her bachelor’s degree from Douglass College at Rutgers and her master’s degree from Bank Street College of Education.   Christopher Cowan Christopher Cowan is a banker who finances companies in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Born in Japan and raised in New York, Chris developed an interest in the performing arts as a young person after attending frequent performances of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His support for the arts currently includes serving on the board of both the Ellington Fund of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the District and the True Colors Theatre Company (Atlanta). He is on the board of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (New York) and the Andrew Young Center for International Affairs at Morehouse College (Atlanta). Chris graduated from Morehouse College and has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, with studies at the Stockholm School of Economics. He and his family live in ward 3.   Lou Hill Davidson Lou Hill Davidson is an active member of the board of directors and one of the founders of the National Council for Adoption. She is also a member of the board of directors of Woodley House, a unique organization providing residential treatment for homeless, emotionally disturbed persons, a director of the Washington Ballet and a trustee of Texas Christian University. She is married to Ralph Davidson and has four children and four grandchildren.   Rebecca Fishman Rebecca Fishman was born and raised in Washington, DC. She has been involved in the District Arts community since 1988, when she opened Fifth Column, an "Arts Club/Night Gallery" which showcased local artists. She was an original sponsor of the first DC film festival, Rosebud. Currently, she runs a network of residential treatment facilities for patients with substance abuse and behavioral disorders. These facilities use art and art therapy as a major part of their programming to treat patients. Ms. Fishman is on the board of the DC Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Women's Leadership Group for the DC Boys and Girls Club. She lives in Georgetown with her husband, Henry E. Harris and three children, Jacoba, Adam and Lila.   Philippa Hughes A lawyer-turned-art event planner, Philippa Hughes has created the Pink Line Project to foster intellectual and artistic innovation through programs and events that are fueled by the transformative power of art. After having graduated from the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond School of Law, Hughes decided she was looking for a more creative outlet and started creating art parties to showcase local artists. She hopes Pink Line will become a resource for artists and art appreciators.   Rhona Wolfe Friedman, Vice Chair Rhona Wolfe Friedman is an attorney and a realtor at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. She has a master's in history of decorative arts from the Parsons School of Design/Smithsonian Institution and a master's in counseling and clinical psychology. Rhona currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Washington Ballet where her focus is the Ballet's outreach programs in public schools and its partnership at THEARC in ward 8. For nine years, she served on the board of directors of the Lab School of Washington, a school that teaches learning-disabled children through the arts. It was at this school that she realized how important the arts are to education and how the many forms of art can foster learning and creativity. Rhona is active in the community, chairs the ExecWomen's Forum at the University Club of Washington, is a member of the Capital Speakers Club, as well as several professional organizations. She was vice chair for Mayor Adrian Fenty's pre-transition and transition arts committees. Rogelio Maxwell Rogelio Maxwell is a multimedia artist, fusing painting, drawing and music with performance, film and video to create a "living tableau." Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, he has worked as an artist and musician in Washington for almost 30 years. Mr. Maxwell studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York, at Georgetown University, American University and Washington International College. He was the director and curator of Hardart Gallery from 1976 to 1985 and has curated exhibits at Fondo Del Sol Gallery and the Collector Gallery. Tendani Mpulubusi  Tendani Mpulubusi is a native Washingtonian and proud resident of ward 8. He began practicing the arts at the age of five, drawing construction sites and military jets from memory. Mpulubusi is a multidisciplined artist producing works for youth empowerment/education, fine arts, media arts, fashion, design, marketing, jewelry, literature, technology, social science, economics, music arts and environmental science. In 2002, he was recruited to serve with the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), where he completed over 1,000 community service hours while earning a modest stipend of $5.15 an hour. At ECC he became an environmentalist spending countless hours removing evasive plant species from Kingman and Heritage Islands, constructing rain gardens and aquatic vegetation fencing and leading beautifications projects at sites such as the home of Frederick Douglass. At the same time, he prepared meals for elders and patients infected with HIV/AIDS, and breaking ground to begin paving the Anacostia River Walk Trail.   As a photographer for ECC, he photographed presidential events and community affairs and used his graphic design skills to create brochures and press materials for the organization. He studied audio/ visual film production and film editing and received internationally respected field production and film editing certifications from DCTV Broadcast Network, enabling him to manage more than six film and media projects. He worked as an intern for the National Geographic Association editing film, becoming an apprentice for the Corcoran in 2004 and co-supervising the Corcoran Art Reach program in 2004-2005 with artist G. Byron Peck. He is proud to manage strategic and lucrative partnerships that provided job placement opportunities and coordinating mentoring program that connected 100 percent of youth with mentors at the Environmental Protection Agency resulting in one paid internship at the EPA, three youth graduates enrolled in college, one youth contractor and six youth placed in jobs–after only six months of leadership. He currently works at Managing Solidgrounds, LLC, a consulting firm, director of programs and development for Helping Inner City Kids Succeed (HICKS), serving on the board of directors of the Ward 8 Business Council, and was recently appointed by Councilmember Marion Barry to chair ward 8’s Youth Leadership Council Board of Directors. Marsha Ralls Marsha Ralls is the owner and director of The Ralls Collection, a private gallery specializing in contemporary American paintings, photography, prints and sculpture. In 1988, she founded the art dealership providing art consulting and curatorial services to both private and corporate collectors. In 1991, she opened The Ralls Collection on 31st Street in Georgetown. In her capacity as dealer and collections consultant, Ralls has traveled both in the United States and internationally, including business ventures in former Soviet provinces, England, France, Egypt and the Middle East. Ralls is very active in her community, several charitable organizations, as well as a member of numerous professional groups. Bernard L. Richardson  The Reverend Dr. Bernard L. Richardson is the fourth Dean of the historic Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel.  As the appointed chief executive officer for religious affairs at the University, he coordinates the wide array of ministries sought by students and their parents, faculty, staff, and the community at-large; directs and participates in religious services and public programs; and serves as the liaison between the University and religious organizations at the local, national and international levels. He established and is the Director of the Howard University Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of Leadership Initiative, which was awarded a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. The revitalization of creative religious programming under his leadership at the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel has garnered national attention. The Sunday Chapel Service, which is broadcast on WHUR-FM, reaches a vast audience throughout the District, Maryland, parts of Virginia and Delaware, and is rated first in its time slot among all radio broadcasts in the area.   Dr. Richardson is also a tenured Associate Professor in the Howard University School of Divinity, and has made scholarly contributions in the area of pastoral care and counseling. He has lectured and conducted courses/seminars at colleges and universities nationwide, including the Parks/King Lecture at Yale University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from Howard University, and earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Yale University Divinity School. After receiving a National Institute of Mental Health Fellowship, he earned MA and PhD degrees from Michigan State University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Carthage College.   An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, he served for 10 years as the pastor of the Archer Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Windsor, CT. He has also served as a counseling specialist at the Michigan State University Counseling Center, and as a mental health therapist at the Ingham Community Mental Health Center. Other past professional positions include: tenured associate professor at Southern Connecticut State University, where he taught in the areas of counseling and school psychology; visiting professor of pastoral theology at Hood Theological Seminary, Livingston College; and adjunct professor of pastoral counseling at the Hartford Seminary. Dr. Richardson was appointed to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities by Mayor Adrian Fenty in 2008. Additionally, he has been a guest on several local and national news programs including the CBS Evening News and National Public Radio. Some of his honors include: induction into Phi Delta Kappa National Education Honor Society; Crystal Apple Outstanding Educator Award College of Education Michigan State University; Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College; and Perth Amboy High School Hall of Fame. He was selected as the orator for the 139th opening convocation for Howard University and was given a special citation of achievement. He also received the Benjamin E. Mays Fellowship for Ministry and is a member of numerous professional organizations. He is married to Teresa Combs Richardson. They have four sons and two grandchildren.   Deborah M. Royster Deborah M. Royster is a native Washingtonian who grew up in LeDroit Park and Riggs Park. As an adult, she has lived in Ward 4 for 23 years, first in 16th Street Heights (Sheridan Street, NW), and since December 1998, in North Portal Estates with her husband, Robert A. Malson. Professionally, Deborah is employed as Deputy General Counsel for Pepco Holdings, Inc. where she manages regulatory matters involving public policy on issues in the energy sector. In addition to her full time employment, she has a lengthy record of community service that includes serving on the board of directors of the DC Public Access Corporation, DC Appleseed, Providence Health Foundation, the Humanities Council of Washington DC, and most recently, as a trustee of the University of the District of Columbia, nominated by Mayor Fenty and confirmed by the Council of the District of Columbia. She recently led a successful sustained effort in the neighborhood of North Portal Estates to remove an illegally constructed house that threatened to destroy the charm and beauty of the neighborhood.   Michael R. Sonnenreich Michael R. Sonnenreich has vast experience in the global pharmaceutical industry. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, the University of Madrid and Harvard University Law School. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Kikaku America International, and vice chairman of PharMa International Corporation of Tokyo. He is a director of assets advisory services of Zurich, Wi2Wi, Palo Alto, Amorfix Life Sciences, Toronto, Ltd. and Les Aliments SoYummi, Inc., Montreal. He is a member of the board of advisors of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a member of the board of overseers of Tufts University Medical School.   Sonnenreich has been board member and trustee of a number of companies and universities, such as the ABD American Capital Market Funds, the Integra Fund, Continental Steel Inc., Scientific American, Medical Tribune International, Clark University, the Maret School and has longterm involvements with many nonprofit institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Washington National Opera (president 1996-98; 2002-2006), Sackler/Freer Galleries of Art (Smithsonian Institution), DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (Commissioner 2008-present), the New England Conservatory of Music, the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, the University of Virginia Art Museum, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, and served as president of the National Coordinating Council on Drug Education. In 2008, he was named distinguished Washingtonian by the University Club of Washington, DC. He previously served in government in the Department of Justice and was appointed executive director of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. Michael is married to Linda; they have two children, Peter and Nina, and four grandchildren: Adina, Joseph, Ethan and Justin. Lavinia Wohlfarth Lavinia Wohlfarth, a fifth-generation Washingtonian, was born in 1948 in the Ivy City neighborhood. Ms. Wohlfarth enjoyed a successful 17-year career as a Washington restaurateur. Following a one-year sabbatical in 1987, she began a new career as a gallerist, and established Wohlfarth Galleries in the neighborhood in which she lives. In 1999, Wohlfarth founded The Brookland Community Development Corporation in her Northeast neighborhood, to focus on history, the arts and the revitalization of the commercial district in her community. She is also the chair of the Brookland Main Street Program.