UCM Board of Directors 2015
Christiane Gigi Hyland, Esq.
Chair
Christiane Gigi Hyland, Esq. is Board Chair and has served on the UCM Board since December 2012. She is currently Executive Director at National Credit Union Foundation. Previously she served as a Board member of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the independent federal regulator for the nation’s credit unions. Hyland was NCUA’s representative on the Board of Directors at NeighborWorks® America, one of the country’s preeminent leaders in affordable housing and community development, where she served as Chairman during her tenure. Prior to NCUA, Hyland's career spanned 14 years serving the credit union community as an executive, attorney, and advocate. She was also a Managing Partner of the family law firm, Hyland and Hyland. A graduate of the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in comparative literature, she earned her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law and an Advanced Diploma in International Law from McGeorge School of Law. Hyland and her husband Chris Revere live in the Wessynton neighborhood in Alexandria.
Charles O'Connor
Vice Chair
O'Connor has served on the UCM Board since March 2011. He recently retired as senior counsel in Morgan Lewis' Labor and Employment Practice, which focused on labor-management relations, particularly collective bargaining. His experience includes extensive work in the employee benefits area, particularly employee benefits derived out of collective bargaining with particular emphasis on pension and health benefit issues. O'Connor has a bachelor's degree from College of the Holy Cross and a law degree from Boston College. He has been involved with Holy Trinity Church in Washington, DC and the Washington Jesuit Academy, and has done pro bono legal representation for the DC Bar.
Joseph Conti
Treasurer
Conti has served on the UCM Board since December 2012. He is a retired senior banking executive, retiring in 1992 as a Senior Vice President with Bankers Trust Company after a 23-year tenure. In retirement he has served as a financial services consultant primarily to the Polish American Enterprise Fund (PAEF) in Poland, as well as other clients in Poland and Russia. Conti has served as a board member and officer at several organizations in both New York and the greater DC metro area. He is a member of the Emeritus Board of the Children’s Law Center in Washington DC and of the Alumni Board of Doorways for Women and Families in Arlington VA. A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. in business management, he earned his M.B.A. from the Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York. Conti and his wife Dorothy live in The Manors at Mount Vernon in Alexandria.
Janet Heddesheimer
Secretary
Heddesheimer has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. She retired in 2014 from The George Washington University as counseling professor emerita. During her 40-year tenure, she served in many academic and administrative roles, including teaching numerous graduate counseling classes, serving one term as a department chair, and 24 years in dean roles, such as assistant and associate dean, academic associate dean, senior associate dean and twice acting dean. Heddesheimer is a licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Virginia and a National Certified Counselor. A graduate of Coe College with a B.A. in English, she earned both her M.A. in Counseling and Guidance and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education at The Ohio State University. Heddesheimer and her husband Jon live in the Mason Hill neighborhood of Alexandria.
Board Members
Abigail Arms was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. She is a retired partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP, a global law firm. During her 15 years at the firm, she advised clients on corporate governance, federal securities laws, general corporate laws, and capital markets matters. She previously served in several legal capacities in the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during her 12-year tenure there and became a member of the Senior Executive Service. Before law school, she was a corporate banker with a major international bank headquartered in New York City. Arms is a member of the 2011 Class of DirectWomen, an organization that works to increase the representation of women on boards of directors. She earned her B.A. in political science from American University, M.A. in economics from the New School for Social Research, and J.D. from Pace University School of Law. She has been a member of the Vestry of Christ Church, Alexandria, since June 2014 and previously served as a trustee of the SEC Historical Society. She lives in the Riverside Estates neighborhood in Alexandria.
David Barbour has served on the UCM Board since 2011. He is an Administrative Law Judge at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. Barbour has served as President of two national associations of administrative law judges, as a board member at the Washington Decorative Arts Forum, and as PTA President at Hollin Meadows Elementary School. He earned his B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and his LL.B. from The George Washington University. Barbour and his wife Nancy live in the Hollin Brook Park neighborhood in Alexandria.
Diane Brooks was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. She was born and educated in Scotland and spent many years in the Hotel Management industry in Europe before relocating to Alexandria. In the last few years, Brooks has been involved in project and event management with local businesses and is now looking to launch a career in real estate and property management.
Suzy Coffey was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014 and is currently President of the Friends of UCM, a membership organization that builds community spirit through fundraising and public awareness activities for UCM. She works as a Personal Trainer for Gold’s Gym, Alexandria. She spent 14.5 years in Federal service working for the US Customs Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a Personnel Management Specialist, Health Improvement Program Coordinator, National Health/Fitness Director and Headquarters Fitness Director. A graduate of State University of NY, Cortland with a BS in Physical Education, Coffey earned her M.A. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland. Her community volunteer work includes 12 years on the Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre (MVCCT) Board (4 years as President), PTA Membership Chair for West Potomac High School, and PTA President for Clermont Elementary School. Coffey and her husband Jack live in the Flower’s Addition to Wilton Woods area of Fairfax County.
Claudia Creo was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. She was educated in Rome, Italy, Pittsburgh, PA, and Portland, ME. As a trial attorney for thirty years, she practiced civil rights law, criminal defense, and family law in Pittsburgh, PA and in Portland, ME. After a life-changing volunteer experience, teaching children on the island of Crete, she gave up her law practice and trained to become an Elementary and ESOL teacher. Working for the Fairfax County Public Schools, she taught Third Grade at Hybla Valley Elementary School until retirement in 2011. Since then, she has been actively involved in grassroots organizing for various Democratic political campaigns. Creo lives in the Wellington neighborhood in Alexandria. She has one daughter, also an attorney, who works in the District of Columbia for the Legal Aid Society of DC.
Kenneth Disselkoen is a Licensend Clinical Social Worked (L.C.S.W) and was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. He irecently retired from Fairfax County Government as Director, Department of Systems Management for Human Services (DSMHS), with more than 28 years of clinical, programmatic, administrative and policy management, and leadership experience at the program, division, and agency levels. As the first regional director at DSMHS, Disselkoen planned, implemented, and managed a prototype approach to regional collaboration and operations. Prior to joining Fairfax County Government, he served as Mental Health Director at the Mount Vernon Center for Community Mental Health. Disselkoen served on the administrative Board at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, has coached Gunston Soccer and Fort Hunt Little League, and has served on the Board at Waynewood Recreation Association. He earned his B.A. in Sociology from Calvin College and his Masters in Social Work at Tulane University. Disselkoen and his wife Fran Hicks reside in the Waynewood community in Alexandria, where they raised two children, Bailey age 27 and Paul age 25.
Bruce Engelmann has served on the UCM Board since 2009, most recently as Board Secretary, as well as a prior term. He is a Certified Public Accountant operating his tax and accounting practice serving small businesses and individuals. Englemann served on the board of Highland Park Pool for 10 years, including as President for 4 years, and on the board of Florence Overlook Homeowners Association for 8 years. He has been very involved in his children’s school activities and coaching their recreational sport teams. He earned his Masters in Accountancy from Virginia Tech. Englemann and his wife Beth live in the Florence Overlook neighborhood in Alexandria.
Rear Admiral Moira Flanders, USN (Ret.), has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. She served as an active duty US Navy Officer from 1978 to her retirement in 2012. Her last active duty position was Director of the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair. She is now a senior staff member on the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission and serves as a member of US Rep. Gerry Connolly's Service Academy Advisory Board for the US Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy. Flanders' career includes extensive senior executive experience in developing and leading centers of excellence with special emphasis on recruiting, training and education, as well as pay, compensation and career management for the US Department of Defense civilian and uniformed members. A graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Biology, Flanders earned her M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. She is a graduate of Fort Hunt High School and lives in the Wellington neighborhood in Alexandria with Beowulf, her Bernese mountain dog.
Marcelo Giugale has served on the UCM Board since March 2010. He is the World Bank's Director of Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction for Africa. He has 20 years experience leading senior-level policy dialogue and over $15 billion in lending operations across the development spectrum in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Latin America. Giugale holds a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. He also holds a B.A. in Economics form Universidad Catolica Argentina. Giugale and his wife Gladys live in the Florence Overlook neighborhood in Alexandria. By serving as board member, he hopes to become closer to his community and set an example for his children.
Douglas J. Kennett has served on the UCM Board since December 2009 and is a past UCM Board Chair. He served as the Coordinator for The Boeing Company's Washington DC operations, where he coordinated daily activities with the nearly 16,000 national and international news media based in Washington. Prior to that, he served as vice president of communications and community relations for Boeing's Military Aircraft and Missile Systems in St. Louis. Kennett also served as a US Air Force Public Affairs Officer, retiring as Colonel in 1996. He served on the Board of Directors for the Boeing Employees Community Fund. He is president of the Board of Directors for the Montebello Condominium Unit Owners Association. Kennett holds a B.A. in Advertising from Rutgers and an M.A. in Counseling from Ball State University. He is also a graduate of the National War College. Kennett and his wife Eileen live in the Huntington neighborhood in Alexandria.
Matthew Lopez has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. He is a Captain II EMS Supervisor with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, where he has worked since 1995. He has also served as a Battalion Representative with the Fairfax County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics, IAFF Local 2068 for the past 10 years. A graduate of Saint Michael's College with a B.A. in American Studies, Lopez earned his M.S. in Labor Studies from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He and his wife Patricia live in the Winter Forest neighborhood in Springfield.
Andrew Reinsdorf has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. He is Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for DIRECTV. He is the Board Chairman of the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association. Prior to joining DIRECTV in 2005, Reinsdorf held senior government affairs positions with the National Association of Broadcasters. He earned his B.A. in Politics from Ithaca College. He is a parishioner at St. Louis Catholic Church. Reinsdorf and his wife Meredith live in the Hollin Glen neighborhood in Alexandria.
James F. Seeley has served on the UCM Board since December 2012. He retired in 2010 after serving for 35 years as Chief Federal Lobbyist for the City of Los Angeles in Washington DC. Prior to that, he worked for the State of Illinois for 7 years after working for the Federal Government for 8 years. In all his professional positions, he has worked with the federal agencies that are responsible for providing financial and technical assistance to state and local governments. Seeley and his wife Jo Ann live in the Stratford Landing neighborhood in Alexandria.
Leah Tenorio has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. She is also the Director of Hispanic Ministry at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where she has served since 1999. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors at Progreso Hispano (Progreso Literacy and Citizenship Center) and served on its Board for 10 years, most recently as President. In both these roles, Tenorio collaborated with many community improvement efforts to help immigrant families overcome challenges and improve the quality of their lives. She earned her B.A. in International Relations from Trinity College. Tenorio and her husband Ricardo live in the Riverside Estates neighborhood in Alexandria.
Diane Tollefson has served on the UCM Board since 2012, previously as President of the Friends of UCM, a membership organization that builds community spirit through fundraising and public awareness activities for UCM. Currently semi-retired, she worked in the corporate sector as a human resources professional and for non-profit organizations, with a special interest in start-up and early development. Tollefson has spent many years as a volunteer for the community through her children’s schools, her church, and local organizations. She is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. Tollefson and her husband Ron live in the Oakbrooke neighborhood in Alexandria.
Chair
Christiane Gigi Hyland, Esq. is Board Chair and has served on the UCM Board since December 2012. She is currently Executive Director at National Credit Union Foundation. Previously she served as a Board member of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the independent federal regulator for the nation’s credit unions. Hyland was NCUA’s representative on the Board of Directors at NeighborWorks® America, one of the country’s preeminent leaders in affordable housing and community development, where she served as Chairman during her tenure. Prior to NCUA, Hyland's career spanned 14 years serving the credit union community as an executive, attorney, and advocate. She was also a Managing Partner of the family law firm, Hyland and Hyland. A graduate of the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in comparative literature, she earned her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law and an Advanced Diploma in International Law from McGeorge School of Law. Hyland and her husband Chris Revere live in the Wessynton neighborhood in Alexandria.
Charles O'Connor
Vice Chair
O'Connor has served on the UCM Board since March 2011. He recently retired as senior counsel in Morgan Lewis' Labor and Employment Practice, which focused on labor-management relations, particularly collective bargaining. His experience includes extensive work in the employee benefits area, particularly employee benefits derived out of collective bargaining with particular emphasis on pension and health benefit issues. O'Connor has a bachelor's degree from College of the Holy Cross and a law degree from Boston College. He has been involved with Holy Trinity Church in Washington, DC and the Washington Jesuit Academy, and has done pro bono legal representation for the DC Bar.
Joseph Conti
Treasurer
Conti has served on the UCM Board since December 2012. He is a retired senior banking executive, retiring in 1992 as a Senior Vice President with Bankers Trust Company after a 23-year tenure. In retirement he has served as a financial services consultant primarily to the Polish American Enterprise Fund (PAEF) in Poland, as well as other clients in Poland and Russia. Conti has served as a board member and officer at several organizations in both New York and the greater DC metro area. He is a member of the Emeritus Board of the Children’s Law Center in Washington DC and of the Alumni Board of Doorways for Women and Families in Arlington VA. A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. in business management, he earned his M.B.A. from the Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York. Conti and his wife Dorothy live in The Manors at Mount Vernon in Alexandria.
Janet Heddesheimer
Secretary
Heddesheimer has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. She retired in 2014 from The George Washington University as counseling professor emerita. During her 40-year tenure, she served in many academic and administrative roles, including teaching numerous graduate counseling classes, serving one term as a department chair, and 24 years in dean roles, such as assistant and associate dean, academic associate dean, senior associate dean and twice acting dean. Heddesheimer is a licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Virginia and a National Certified Counselor. A graduate of Coe College with a B.A. in English, she earned both her M.A. in Counseling and Guidance and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education at The Ohio State University. Heddesheimer and her husband Jon live in the Mason Hill neighborhood of Alexandria.
Board Members
Abigail Arms was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. She is a retired partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP, a global law firm. During her 15 years at the firm, she advised clients on corporate governance, federal securities laws, general corporate laws, and capital markets matters. She previously served in several legal capacities in the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during her 12-year tenure there and became a member of the Senior Executive Service. Before law school, she was a corporate banker with a major international bank headquartered in New York City. Arms is a member of the 2011 Class of DirectWomen, an organization that works to increase the representation of women on boards of directors. She earned her B.A. in political science from American University, M.A. in economics from the New School for Social Research, and J.D. from Pace University School of Law. She has been a member of the Vestry of Christ Church, Alexandria, since June 2014 and previously served as a trustee of the SEC Historical Society. She lives in the Riverside Estates neighborhood in Alexandria.
David Barbour has served on the UCM Board since 2011. He is an Administrative Law Judge at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. Barbour has served as President of two national associations of administrative law judges, as a board member at the Washington Decorative Arts Forum, and as PTA President at Hollin Meadows Elementary School. He earned his B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and his LL.B. from The George Washington University. Barbour and his wife Nancy live in the Hollin Brook Park neighborhood in Alexandria.
Diane Brooks was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. She was born and educated in Scotland and spent many years in the Hotel Management industry in Europe before relocating to Alexandria. In the last few years, Brooks has been involved in project and event management with local businesses and is now looking to launch a career in real estate and property management.
Suzy Coffey was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014 and is currently President of the Friends of UCM, a membership organization that builds community spirit through fundraising and public awareness activities for UCM. She works as a Personal Trainer for Gold’s Gym, Alexandria. She spent 14.5 years in Federal service working for the US Customs Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a Personnel Management Specialist, Health Improvement Program Coordinator, National Health/Fitness Director and Headquarters Fitness Director. A graduate of State University of NY, Cortland with a BS in Physical Education, Coffey earned her M.A. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland. Her community volunteer work includes 12 years on the Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre (MVCCT) Board (4 years as President), PTA Membership Chair for West Potomac High School, and PTA President for Clermont Elementary School. Coffey and her husband Jack live in the Flower’s Addition to Wilton Woods area of Fairfax County.
Claudia Creo was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. She was educated in Rome, Italy, Pittsburgh, PA, and Portland, ME. As a trial attorney for thirty years, she practiced civil rights law, criminal defense, and family law in Pittsburgh, PA and in Portland, ME. After a life-changing volunteer experience, teaching children on the island of Crete, she gave up her law practice and trained to become an Elementary and ESOL teacher. Working for the Fairfax County Public Schools, she taught Third Grade at Hybla Valley Elementary School until retirement in 2011. Since then, she has been actively involved in grassroots organizing for various Democratic political campaigns. Creo lives in the Wellington neighborhood in Alexandria. She has one daughter, also an attorney, who works in the District of Columbia for the Legal Aid Society of DC.
Kenneth Disselkoen is a Licensend Clinical Social Worked (L.C.S.W) and was elected to the UCM Board in December 2014. He irecently retired from Fairfax County Government as Director, Department of Systems Management for Human Services (DSMHS), with more than 28 years of clinical, programmatic, administrative and policy management, and leadership experience at the program, division, and agency levels. As the first regional director at DSMHS, Disselkoen planned, implemented, and managed a prototype approach to regional collaboration and operations. Prior to joining Fairfax County Government, he served as Mental Health Director at the Mount Vernon Center for Community Mental Health. Disselkoen served on the administrative Board at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, has coached Gunston Soccer and Fort Hunt Little League, and has served on the Board at Waynewood Recreation Association. He earned his B.A. in Sociology from Calvin College and his Masters in Social Work at Tulane University. Disselkoen and his wife Fran Hicks reside in the Waynewood community in Alexandria, where they raised two children, Bailey age 27 and Paul age 25.
Bruce Engelmann has served on the UCM Board since 2009, most recently as Board Secretary, as well as a prior term. He is a Certified Public Accountant operating his tax and accounting practice serving small businesses and individuals. Englemann served on the board of Highland Park Pool for 10 years, including as President for 4 years, and on the board of Florence Overlook Homeowners Association for 8 years. He has been very involved in his children’s school activities and coaching their recreational sport teams. He earned his Masters in Accountancy from Virginia Tech. Englemann and his wife Beth live in the Florence Overlook neighborhood in Alexandria.
Rear Admiral Moira Flanders, USN (Ret.), has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. She served as an active duty US Navy Officer from 1978 to her retirement in 2012. Her last active duty position was Director of the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair. She is now a senior staff member on the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission and serves as a member of US Rep. Gerry Connolly's Service Academy Advisory Board for the US Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy. Flanders' career includes extensive senior executive experience in developing and leading centers of excellence with special emphasis on recruiting, training and education, as well as pay, compensation and career management for the US Department of Defense civilian and uniformed members. A graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Biology, Flanders earned her M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. She is a graduate of Fort Hunt High School and lives in the Wellington neighborhood in Alexandria with Beowulf, her Bernese mountain dog.
Marcelo Giugale has served on the UCM Board since March 2010. He is the World Bank's Director of Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction for Africa. He has 20 years experience leading senior-level policy dialogue and over $15 billion in lending operations across the development spectrum in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Latin America. Giugale holds a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. He also holds a B.A. in Economics form Universidad Catolica Argentina. Giugale and his wife Gladys live in the Florence Overlook neighborhood in Alexandria. By serving as board member, he hopes to become closer to his community and set an example for his children.
Douglas J. Kennett has served on the UCM Board since December 2009 and is a past UCM Board Chair. He served as the Coordinator for The Boeing Company's Washington DC operations, where he coordinated daily activities with the nearly 16,000 national and international news media based in Washington. Prior to that, he served as vice president of communications and community relations for Boeing's Military Aircraft and Missile Systems in St. Louis. Kennett also served as a US Air Force Public Affairs Officer, retiring as Colonel in 1996. He served on the Board of Directors for the Boeing Employees Community Fund. He is president of the Board of Directors for the Montebello Condominium Unit Owners Association. Kennett holds a B.A. in Advertising from Rutgers and an M.A. in Counseling from Ball State University. He is also a graduate of the National War College. Kennett and his wife Eileen live in the Huntington neighborhood in Alexandria.
Matthew Lopez has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. He is a Captain II EMS Supervisor with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, where he has worked since 1995. He has also served as a Battalion Representative with the Fairfax County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics, IAFF Local 2068 for the past 10 years. A graduate of Saint Michael's College with a B.A. in American Studies, Lopez earned his M.S. in Labor Studies from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He and his wife Patricia live in the Winter Forest neighborhood in Springfield.
Andrew Reinsdorf has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. He is Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for DIRECTV. He is the Board Chairman of the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association. Prior to joining DIRECTV in 2005, Reinsdorf held senior government affairs positions with the National Association of Broadcasters. He earned his B.A. in Politics from Ithaca College. He is a parishioner at St. Louis Catholic Church. Reinsdorf and his wife Meredith live in the Hollin Glen neighborhood in Alexandria.
James F. Seeley has served on the UCM Board since December 2012. He retired in 2010 after serving for 35 years as Chief Federal Lobbyist for the City of Los Angeles in Washington DC. Prior to that, he worked for the State of Illinois for 7 years after working for the Federal Government for 8 years. In all his professional positions, he has worked with the federal agencies that are responsible for providing financial and technical assistance to state and local governments. Seeley and his wife Jo Ann live in the Stratford Landing neighborhood in Alexandria.
Leah Tenorio has served on the UCM Board since December 2013. She is also the Director of Hispanic Ministry at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where she has served since 1999. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors at Progreso Hispano (Progreso Literacy and Citizenship Center) and served on its Board for 10 years, most recently as President. In both these roles, Tenorio collaborated with many community improvement efforts to help immigrant families overcome challenges and improve the quality of their lives. She earned her B.A. in International Relations from Trinity College. Tenorio and her husband Ricardo live in the Riverside Estates neighborhood in Alexandria.
Diane Tollefson has served on the UCM Board since 2012, previously as President of the Friends of UCM, a membership organization that builds community spirit through fundraising and public awareness activities for UCM. Currently semi-retired, she worked in the corporate sector as a human resources professional and for non-profit organizations, with a special interest in start-up and early development. Tollefson has spent many years as a volunteer for the community through her children’s schools, her church, and local organizations. She is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. Tollefson and her husband Ron live in the Oakbrooke neighborhood in Alexandria.