Ayanna Bennett, MD, MSPH, FAAP, is Director of the Department of Health (DC Health). Dr. Bennett is a healthcare and public health executive with more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice, clinical service design, system integration and quality improvement. Dr. Bennett most recently served as Chief Health Equity Officer and Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity, where she focused on quality improvements and sustaining systemic change through policy improvement.

Dr. Bennett joined the San Francisco Department of Public Health in 2016 as the inaugural Director of Interdivisional Initiatives, where she supported initiatives that combined the resources of the department, such as research, education, community engagement and health care delivery. Her work included a focus on long-term population-based initiatives like the Black African American Health Initiative, which sought to address the health disparities of San Francisco’s African American residents. During her tenure at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Dr. Bennett also worked as a part-time clinician, while maintaining a private pediatric practice in the East Bay. In 2004, Dr. Bennett began working with community members to establish the 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic in Bayview, California, where she served as Medical Director and then Executive Director until 2016.

Dr. Bennett holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, a Master of Science from the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate of medicine and pediatric residency from the University of California, San Francisco.

Glen Lee, the chief financial officer (CFO) for the District of Columbia, manages the District’s finances, including its approximately $20-billion gross funds operating budget, of which $11.3 billion is generated from local and dedicated revenue sources. He also manages the city’s $10.9-billion, six-year capital improvements plan budget. Lee was appointed to this position by Mayor Muriel Bowser in June 2022.

As the independent CFO, he manages the District’s financial operations, which include more than 1,700 staff members in the tax and revenue administration; the treasury, comptroller and budget offices; the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming, economic/fiscal analysis and revenue estimation functions, and all District agencies. This includes management of the financial operations of United Medical Center (Not-for-profit Hospital Corporation), the University of the District of Columbia, and the Washington Convention and Sports Authority (Events DC). He is also responsible for coordinating with congressional committees and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget staff that oversee District affairs. He regularly interacts with local community and business groups and the financial community, including bond-rating agencies, regarding the District’s financial matters.

Previously, Lee served as the finance director for the city of Seattle, where he was responsible for the tax administration, accounting, treasury, debt management, risk management, and payroll functions. Lee also served on the governing boards of the city’s pension systems. Prior to this appointment, he managed Seattle’s revenue forecasting and budget development functions.

Before joining Seattle’s financial office, Lee worked as a fiscal and policy analyst for the state of California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office, where his assignments included tax policy, revenue forecasting and tax administration.

Lee was an instructor for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and served on the Economics Department Advisory Board for Seattle University.

As CFO for the District of Columbia, he sits on the boards of Events DC, Destination DC, the Green Finance Authority Board (DC Green Bank), Not-for-Profit Hospital Corporation, DC Retirement Board, and the Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation.

Lee holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Frumin has been a stalwart community activist and advocate. For nearly 20 years, he has worked with neighbors, government officials, and other stakeholders to make the District an even better place to live. He served as Chair of the Board of the Lisner Louise Dickson Hurt Home, a five star assisted living/nursing facility serving low income DC seniors on Western Avenue. As chair, he helped secure the first ever Housing Production Trust Fund award for a senior affordable housing project in Ward 3. Frumin also spent six years on the board of Tenleytown Main Street, half as president, supporting local businesses and community events like Art All Night. Additionally, Frumin served on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E for six and a half years, half of those as Chair. He has sat on multiple government committees and task forces addressing issues from transportation to utilities to parks and recreation.

He has been a tireless advocate for better schools across the District. In addition to serving on the committee which oversaw the planning and renovation of Jackson-Reed High School, he took a lead role in creating a citywide organization of education advocates –– the Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities (“C4DC”) –– as well as helping to launch the Ward 3 Education Network (“Ward3EdNet”).

Professionally, Frumin has worked as an attorney for over 30 years working on matters ranging from estate planning and family mediation to international trade and antitrust. He was a political appointee at the US Department of State during the Clinton administration, focusing on issues of democracy, human and women’s rights, labor, and the rule of law. He has also served on multiple national and local political campaigns and worked on democracy projects in Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Frumin and his wife Lena have been married for 35 years and live in AU Park. Together they have raised three children, all graduates of DC Public Schools.

Christina Henderson is an At-Large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Christina’s career has been guided by the principle that one’s zip code should not determine your opportunity for success, and she is excited to work each and every day to make this principle a reality for all DC residents.

As a trusted political advisor, Christina has counseled United States Senators, DC Council members, and state and local education officials on an array of domestic policy issues which deeply impacts families and children. Prior to serving as a member of the DC Council, Christina served as a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) handling education, workforce, postal and census issues for both the leadership and personal office.

From 2012 to 2017, Christina served residents of DC in various capacities in DC government. Christina was the deputy chief of staff for former DC Councilmember David Grosso and directed the Council’s Committee on Education, which has budget and performance oversight for all matters related to DC’s public education system and libraries. At the Council, Christina crafted and helped advance over 40 pieces of legislation on an array of issues including student discipline, DCPS facilities, reproductive health, medical marijuana, and beverage sales at breweries, distilleries, and wineries. She was known for a commonsense approach to policy, a collaborative working style, and centering equity in her work. Prior to the Council, Christina worked for DC Public Schools, supporting the district’s efforts to improve teacher and school leader quality and effectiveness.

Before joining DCPS, Christina worked for the New York City Department of Education, and consulted with other state and local Boards of Education. Earlier, she served as a legislative staffer for former U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) on a range of domestic policy issues including the federal budget, taxes, and child nutrition. Christina has also worked for several political campaigns, including Hillary for President in 2008. In 2015, Pacific Standard magazine named her one of the top 30 thinkers under 30 in the world of social and behavioral sciences.

The daughter of an Army veteran and a retired Transport Workers Union Local 100 member, Christina received her BA in Political Science from Furman University in Greenville, SC and her Master in Public Affairs degree from Princeton University. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a proud co-founder and board member of the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance.

Christina lives in Petworth with her husband Nu, their daughters Jordan and Cameron, and rescue dog Langston.

Nina Albert is appointed Acting Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). Albert has more than 20 years of experience in public real estate strategy, public-private partnership negotiations, economic revitalization, and sustainable development.

A leader with a proven track record of innovation, sustainability, and using public real estate to support communities and economic development, she prioritizes collaboration, fosters a diverse culture of high performers and encourages growth mindset and creative ideas. Albert recently served as Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the U.S. General Services Administration, an appointee of President Joseph Biden. In that role, she managed the nationwide asset management, design, construction, leasing, building management, and disposal of approximately 370 million square feet of government-owned and leased space across the United States and six territories. She also served as Vice President of Real Estate and Parking at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, where she oversaw WMATA’s transit-oriented development program and its office consolidation and headquarters relocation strategy.

Earlier in her career, Nina worked at Walmart, the then-District Department of Environment, the Office of Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and Hammes Company.

Brooke Pinto was sworn in as Ward 2’s Councilmember on June 27th, 2020 after winning the Special Election to fill the vacant seat. She is the first woman to hold this seat and the youngest DC Councilmember in history.

Brooke previously served in the Office of the Attorney General as a tax attorney where she represented the Office of Tax and Revenue as her client. She then served as the Assistant Attorney General for Policy and Legislative Affairs, during which time she drafted and introduced legislation to the Council on issues such as hate crimes, small business protection, and workers rights. She also advocated for DC Statehood before the National Attorneys General Association and on Capitol Hill. Prior to working in the DC government, Brooke worked in Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) office as a Health and Aging Fellow.

Brooke earned her B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. She approaches her work as Ward 2’s Councilmember from a customer service perspective and brings a deep appreciation for workers and the small business community.

Brooke is also a graduate of Georgetown Law School. She became involved in the Ward 2 and DC community as a law student through her work with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, which sparked her passion for addressing affordable housing issues.

Brooke is focused on ensuring that the law — both as written and as enforced — is fair for everyone and is committed to helping our city recover from COVID-19 and taking up the call for greater justice and fairness among our city’s residents.

Mr. Trayon White, Sr., a native Washingtonian, was born and raised in Southeast, DC. He was reared by his very devoted grandmother, Jean Ann Roberts; Uncle Ronell White; and mother, Sherita White-Kennedy. They each instilled hard work and determination into him early in his life that he continues to carry with him even today. Growing up as a youth, Mr. White was always involved in community activities. He started his very own business at an early age. He sold refrigerator magnets, cars, and whatever he could get his hands on to keep him off the streets. These experiences allowed him to gain the knowledge and wisdom as an entrepreneur, which would serve him well later in life.

During Mr. White’s early teen years, he participated in the highly successful youth television program on BET, “Teen Summit”. His time on the show enhanced his knowledge and passion for tackling social issues head on. During his time on “Teen Summit”, Trayon created a lifelong friendship with another effective community leader, the late Jay Cooper.

Mr. White is a proud father, community advocate, as well as humanitarian to his fellow Ward 8 neighbors. He graduated with a 3.7 GPA and honors from Frank W. Ballou Senior High School and continued his education at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. While enrolled at the University of Maryland, Mr. White dedicated himself to the children of the neighborhood, in which he was raised, by making weekly trips home, to coach little league football at Boys & Girls Club No. 11 & FBR for at risk youth. He was heavily involved in the nonprofit, “East of the River Clergy, Police and Community Partnership”, which created a platform to do youth violence intervention in the community. Mr. White built great relationships and the trust of the community. He also demonstrates his commitment to accessible education to the village of Ward 8 by mentoring them from grade school to college.

In 2008, Mr. White founded and continued to serve until recently as Executive Director of a youth oriented non-profit organization, HICKS, Inc. (Helping Inner City Kids Succeed), which creates activities for youth development in some of Washington’s toughest neighborhoods. In 2010, Mr. White was awarded the President Barack Obama Volunteer Service Award.

The year 2011 was one of great accomplishments, as Mr. White was elected to the State Board of Education for Ward 8 to complete the term of the late William Lockridge. Mr. White was re-elected in 2012.

Even after his time on the State School Board of Education, Mr. White’s work in the community is well documented with its positive influence on 300 youth annually. Mr. White is also known for his common sense approach and business acumen that show youth the correct pathway to successful living, personally and professionally.

He really enjoys being a community leader and positive example for all youth in Ward 8 and across this Nation’s Capitol. In 2015, he ran for the DC Council to represent Ward 8 to fill the seat of the late Marion Barry. He lost by less than 80 votes. In 2016, Mr. White upset the incumbent by energizing non-traditional voters through his “We the People” campaign. On January, 2, 2017, Mr. White was sworn in as the Ward 8 Councilmember.

In his time on the DC Council, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen has championed legislative efforts around education, the environment, public transportation, campaign finance and election reform, public safety and criminal justice, and women’s health. His first bill, known as “Books from Birth”, has delivered more than 2.2 million free books to the homes of DC families with a child under the age of five, with a special emphasis on homes with lower literacy rates.

As Ward 6 Councilmember, he has worked to provide every student with a great neighborhood school, supported small businesses, pushed for safe and accessible transit, and advocated for affordable housing – and Ward 6 has created more new affordable housing than any other ward. In his time as Chair of the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, Councilmember Allen has modernized the District’s elections by creating public financing for political campaigns, anti-“pay-to-play” contracting campaign finance reform, and automatic voter registration. He has also led the Council and the country in passing transformative criminal justice legislation, prioritizing meaningful rehabilitation and successful reentry as key to improving public safety. He has championed services for crime survivors, including by creating a continuum of care for sexual assault survivors, expanding hospital-based violence intervention, building a network of restorative justice programs, and reforming crime victims’ compensation.

Read Jodie’s District Leaders Profile here.

Jodie W. McLean is Chief Executive Officer of EDENS, one of the nation’s leading private owners, operators and developers of retail real estate. With a more than 25-year tenure at EDENS, she has been a key player in the company’s growth and expansion to its current marketplace leadership, capitalized by blue chip investors and assets valued at $6.5 billion.

Jodie is responsible for EDENS’ strategy to move the portfolio to major urban centers and first-ring suburbs, creating a portfolio of assets that are the center of community life. She was named Chief Investment Officer in 1997, President in 2002 and CEO in 2015. Overall, she has been responsible for the development, redevelopment, acquisition and disposition of more than $20 billion in retail assets. McLean passionately believes that retail should evolve beyond a shopping experience, and advocates for connectivity to the communities surrounding the company’s retail centers. To ensure this, each EDENS development is crafted to serve as an authentic gathering place, including a unique merchandising mix and welcoming design elements, fostering a sense of engagement with its neighbors.

A native of Chicago, IL, she holds a B.S. in Finance and Management from the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, and a degree from South Carolina Honors College.

Anthony Lanier founded EastBanc in 1987 and is involved in all development decisions and the strategic direction of the firm. Over the course of his career Anthony has co-developed over four million Sq ft. of mixed use commercial Real Estate in multiple countries.

Anthony and his team offer superior local market expertise with substantial positive experience in successful zoning entitlement, neighborhood advisory political negotiations and large-scale Class A mixed-use development planning.