Dear Rosedale Conservancy Members,
It is time again to prepare for election of the Board of The Rosedale Conservancy. With this letter, I am forwarding the proposed slate of nominees for the Board. Those elected will serve two-year terms.
Note that our By-Laws provide that a member may nominate anyone not nominated by the Nominating Committee by means of a written nomination delivered to the Chairperson (Roger Pollak) and the Secretary (Ann Hamilton) within fifteen days of this notice. Note also that only Designated Property Members may nominate people to the slate of seven Designated Property Member Directors, and only Annual Members may nominate people to the slate of three Annual Member Directors. (For further information on the Board structure, see the attached listing of Board nominees.)
We will hold the fifth bi-annual meeting of the Conservancy’s membership at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 2nd, at which the Board of Directors will be elected. We hope you will all attend, as your support for the Conservancy’s mission, goals and future is essential. The meeting will be held at the Rosedale farmhouse, the home of Jonathan Abram and Eleni Constantine.
Following the bi-annual meeting, we will kick off our membership renewal and fundraising campaign for next year, so please look for the Conservancy annual appeal in your mailbox. Rosedale cannot survive without sustained annual giving.
I look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting.
Roger Pollak
Background: The Rosedale Conservancy’s Articles of Incorporation provides for two classes of membership in the Conservancy. Thirty-seven property owners on property adjacent to or immediately surrounding the Rosedale Conservancy are Designated Property Members, and may elect seven of the Conservancy’s Directors. All other dues-paying members are Annual Members and may elect three of the Conservancy’s Directors (provided they are members prior to November 2012. Three other members of the Conservancy Board are appointed by three neighborhood organizations: the Cleveland Park Citizens Association, the Cleveland Park Historical Society, and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C.
Designated Property Member Nominees
Jonathan Abram
Jonathan Abram is a partner in the DC office of Hogan Lovells. He has lived in Cleveland Park for some 21 years with his wife, Eleni Constantine, and two daughters, Zoe (24) and Cleo (19). Jonathan and Eleni were intimately involved in preserving Rosedale, and live in the 18th Century farmhouse.
Ross Ain
Ross Ain and his wife Judy have lived in Cleveland Park across from Rosedale since 1977. They have two grown children and a black Labrador, Chelsea. Judy has been involved in managing the use of the property by dogs, and Ross continues his work on the Board of the Conservancy.
Jill Hall
Jill Hall and her husband, Ridge, have lived in Cleveland Park since 2004 and have lived in DC for much longer. Their house is at 3500 Ordway Street. They have three grown children, Taddy, Alden, and Anne, and four grandchildren. Ridge and Jill and their family enjoy Rosedale. Freeze tag and picnics under the willow tree have become favorites when their grandchildren visit. Jill is involved in a variety of community projects.
Ann Hamilton
Ann Hamilton has lived at 3518 Newark, directly across the street from Rosedale, for 40 years. Her three children grew up there, and her three grandsons live with their parents around the corner. Since retiring from the World Bank and attending law school, from which she graduated in 1999, she has been very active in efforts to preserve Rosedale as a community asset. She served first on the Board of Friends of Rosedale and continues on the Board of the Conservancy as Secretary. She is also 1st Vice President of the Cleveland Park Citizens Association.
George Marcou
George and his wife Karen have lived at 3503 Newark Street on the north side of Rosedale since 2003. George and Karen have two boys, George (15) and Jack (13). George serves on many non-profit Boards and has been very active in efforts to restore and beautify Guy Mason Park.
Cristina Marciano
Cristina Marciano lives at 3332 36th Street with her boys Luke (12) and Sam (9) who love playing year round with friends at Rosedale. The family has lived in Cleveland Park for the past fourteen years. Cristina enjoys helping to coordinate annual events at Rosedale, including the June Barbecue and the Pumpkin Carving Party.
Sarah Slusser
Sarah Slusser and her husband, Mark Zawadsky, have recently moved into the house at 3460 Ordway known as “the Cottage”. They have two boys, Devoe (17) and Jasper (15) and two dogs, Daisy and Henry. Sarah is a partner in a geothermal development company and Mark is an orthopedic surgeon practicing at Georgetown. They are both thrilled to be members of the Rosedale community.
Annual Member Nominees
Dan Gordon
Dan Gordon is Director of Research at Valhalla Partners, a venture-capital firm in Tysons Corner specializing in early-stage investing in technology companies. Dan has been in the technology business for over thirty years, including stints at Symantec, Oracle, Intuit, and the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Global Technology Centre. He has lived in Cleveland Park for many years with his wife Debbie. They have two grown children Mara and Josh. Dan has been an early and continuing supporter of the Rosedale Conservancy.
Bruce Johnson
Bruce Johnson is a native Washingtonian who graduated from the University of MD with a Bachelors in Historic Preservation and Architecture. He has run his own construction and design company, Dupont Design and Construction, for over thirty years and is also knowledgeable in landscape design. He has been commissioned to restore a number of DC landmarks and historic homes. He has been a Cleveland Park resident for almost three years living at 3512 Porter St. where he is restoring a 1922 American Foursquare. Bruce is also known for his fundraising activities; he was on the Board of Directors for “Arts in Action” where he helped to raise over a million dollars for various local charities. He was also on the Board of Directors for the “Opera Camerata” and helped to organize operatic fundraisers to benefit charitable organizations. He is currently the owner of Izzy and Milo, two young weimaraners and is an enthusiastic and regular visitor to Rosedale.
Roger Pollak
Roger Pollak lives at 3501 Ordway Street. He grew up in Cleveland Park, went to John Eaton School, and spent a lot of time playing at Rosedale. Roger has been deeply involved in the efforts to purchase and preserve the Rosedale lawns. He is a founding member of the Conservancy Board and has served as Board Chair and Conservancy President since the organization’s inception. Roger is married to Whitney Pinger and has four children, Eli (23), Jesse (19), Robin (16), and Rosie (12).