Board of Directors
Gabriella Goddard, President
Gabriella Goddard believes in the power of education and devotes her career and volunteer efforts to mission-oriented organizations that share that commitment.
An alumna of Kenyon College, Gabriella graduated with distinction in American Studies. Her senior thesis, which involved a study of the effectiveness of Race to the Top, George Bush's education program, whet her appetite to become an educator. After a year working with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, she joined Teach for America. As a Teach for America Corps Member at a Title 1 Dual Language DC Public School, Gabriella, a staunch believer in the power of education, has devoted her professional and volunteer life to helping advocate for some of the most underserved students. As a Special Education Teacher and Literacy Coach, she was recognized as a Distinguished/Highly Effective educator. Seeing an opportunity to make a greater impact, Gabriella assumed the role of Assistant Principal, overseeing a staff of over 80 and leading the Academic Leadership, Student Wellness and Special Education Teams. In a few short years, the school has improved dramatically and is now recognized as a 5-star school based on the combined efforts of the leadership team and highly dedicated staff and teachers.
Gabriella holds a Masters Degree in Education from the Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Chevy Chase with her husband and two young daughters.
Jane Wu Brower, Vice-President
Jane Wu Brower is a Business Director at Capital One. Previously, she worked in strategy and operations for Marriott International and Placemakr. She also worked as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group and as a litigation associate at Proskauer Rose LLP. Ms. Brower is committed to early childhood education, having served on the board of childcare non-profit, Wonders Early Learning and Extended Day. Ms. Brower earned her B.S.B.A. in Marketing, International Business, and Political Science from Washington University in St.Louis and her J.D. from the University of Michigan.
John DeSarbo
John is the Managing Principal of the ZS Associates Washington, D.C. office. As a sales and marketing consultant, John helps businesses grow profitably. He works with clients to develop innovative go-to-market strategies and transform their commercial organizations to accelerate customer acquisition, improve retention and increase profit margins. John is an expert in business-to-business sales and distribution channel strategy and is a frequent speaker on this topic for industry associations and business schools. Over the last 25+ years, John has consulted to dozens of clients across a variety of industries in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
John enjoys helping people gain a greater understanding of the world, discover their purpose and achieve their full potential. He believes that education provides the best pathway to success and all children deserve the chance to explore their interests through enrichment opportunities.
John holds a B.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and two teenage daughters.
Justin Pham
Justin Pham is the Director, Consumer and Retail Group at Alvarez & Marsal. Prior to Alvarez & Marsal, Justin served as Chief of Staff to the Chief Marketing Officer for Retail Bank at Capital One and was a management consultant at Kearney, where he focused on operating model and process improvement work for Fortune 500 consumer goods companies and retailers. Justin began his career in the development department at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Throughout his career, Justin has focused on solving an organization's most critical problems by bringing together stakeholders to develop actionable, people-oriented, and data-driven solutions.
Justin first became involved with Horizons via Compass Pro Bono, an organization that connects skilled business professionals with non-profits via pro-bono consulting and board development services. He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a BA from the University of Notre Dame. Justin lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two sons.
Mike Di Marco, Executive Director
Mike is a seasoned nonprofit professional who has devoted his career to helping youth from families with low incomes overcome the opportunity gap. Before coming to Horizons, Mike spent over 12 years at Higher Achievement in many roles—most recently Chief Strategy Officer and, before that, Chief Program Officer. At Higher Achievement, Mike oversaw out-of-school programming for middle school students in underserved communities in Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, Alexandria, VA, Richmond, VA, and Pittsburgh PA during a time of impressive growth. He helped increase the number of students served by 30% since 2015, added sites in DC Wards 7 and 8 and in Prince George’s County, MD, and created new partnerships with funders and educational institutions. Concurrently, Mike served as interim executive director for Higher Achievement programs in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Richmond, and previously, as the organization’s interim CEO.
A graduate of Duke University, Mike also earned a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from University of South Florida. He has been selected as a recipient of the Greater Washington Community Foundation's David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Award and participated in the Sorkin Center's inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Executive Director Cohort. Outside of work he enjoys participating in triathlons, gardening, and spending time with his wonderful wife, kids, and dog.
Ann Kay, Treasurer
Ann Kay has volunteered with Horizons at Norwood School since 2014, including three terms as co-chair of the Norwood Horizons Volunteer Council. She is a three-time chair of the Horizons at Norwood 5K & Fun Run and co-chaired the 2019 Horizons Spring Splash. In addition, Ann is an active volunteer and supporter for several other DC-based organizations that provide educational and mentoring opportunities to children in underserved communities.
Ann earned her BA in Economics from Cornell University. After moving to the area in 1998, she worked for National Geographic Society as a buyer for the gift catalog. Ann lives in Washington, DC with her husband and their two sons.
Ivelina E. Benitez
As a lawyer, educator and leader, Ivelina E. Benitez, has worked tirelessly to serve the needs of youth and families throughout the DC metropolitan region. A native Washingtonian, she has worked primarily to improve her community and quality of services delivered.
Ivelina currently serves as US Workforce Development Director at International Youth Foundation (IYF). Previously she was the Deputy Director for the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, a local non-profit dedicated to providing children with meaningful play opportunities to reduce trauma and increase resilience.
Ms. Benitez began her career at Calvary Bilingual Multicultural Learning Center, an organization that provided early childhood and before and after school services to low income families. Today, that organization is known as CentroNia. Ms. Benitez later moved into the private sector, where she worked on legislative policy through the Office of Congressional Affairs at the American Medical Association (AMA). Meanwhile, she enrolled at Georgetown University Law Center and transitioned from the AMA to the Public Defender Service, where she served as a legal fellow and investigator in the Parole Division, providing clients with zealous representation.
Ms. Benitez then joined the District of Columbia Public School system where she coordinated several education initiatives and ultimately served as the Deputy Director of Education at the not for profit Latin American Youth Center.
Ms. Benitez is also a certified mediator and seeks to expand her advocacy and conflict resolution services through family mediation. Her passion for family law stems from the many family issues she experienced which have led to a household filled with children, including her son and five nieces.
Dennis Bisgaard
Joseph Conrad
Dr. Joseph M Conrad III, Esq. received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from American University and his J.D. from George Washington University Washington College of Law. He is a former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office chemical and pharmaceutical patent examiner and he spent several years at two DC patent law firms focusing on patent preparation and prosecution.
Currently, Dr. Conrad is a Senior Technology Transfer Specialist within The National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) Technology Transfer Center (TTC), Invention Development & Marketing Unit. In this role he is responsible for the improvement and development of technology marketing activities, increasing private sector awareness of licensing and partnering opportunities with the NCI and other NIH institutes; increasing technology visibility to the private sector and improving relationships with private sector stakeholders.
When he clocks out from working for NIH, he’s the Owner and CEO of For Kids By Parents, Inc., a juvenile products manufacturing company. Dr. Conrad is also a musician (guitar and bass player), contemporary jazz composer and bass player for a gospel choir.
Matthew Gould, Ph.D.
Mr. Gould is Head of School at Norwood School. Matthew is an experienced head with a passion for educating young children. He shares Norwood’s commitment to educating the whole child in a joyful and nurturing learning environment. Prior to joining Norwood School, Matthew was the Head of Community School in St. Louis, MO, a position he had held since 2004. Matthew earned his BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Earlham College and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Chicago. Matthew began his career in education as a kindergarten teacher at Newtown Friends School in Pennsylvania, where he also taught second grade. While studying at the University of Chicago, Matthew taught at the Murray Language Academy, serving as assistant kindergarten teacher and providing individual instructional support. In 1997, Matthew became Assistant Head of School and Head of Lower School at Far Brook School, Short Hills, NJ, where he served until 2004. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Field School, Washington, DC, where he attended high school.
Leana Katz
Carolyn Mansfield
Carolyn Mansfield has been a long-time supporter of Horizons Greater Washington through her involvement with St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. A St. Patrick’s graduate and a parent to three St. Patrick’s alumni, Carolyn served as President of the Parents Association, as a member of the St. Patrick’s Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee, and subsequently, as a member of the school’s Advancement Committee. She is currently a member of the Executive Committee at The Potomac School Parents Association.
Carolyn was previously Managing Partner of the legal practice at the Endeavor Group in Washington, DC. Her work encompassed the negotiation of cross-border strategic partnerships and business relationships, as well as advice on corporate and non-profit governance, board development, and regulatory compliance. Before joining Endeavor, Carolyn practiced law in Boston, MA, including as an Assistant District Attorney and Special Assistant Attorney General. She holds a BA in English from Santa Clara University and an MS in Environmental Law and Policy and a JD from Vermont Law School.
Jessica Morales
Jessica Morales is the proud Principal of Bancroft Elementary, a dual-language school in the District of Columbia. Jessica herself is a proud product of dual language learning within the District of Columbia and has served the Bancroft community for the past 20 years. She began as a head start teacher before teaching kindergarten through 5th grade. She later became an Instructional Coach before being appointed as the Assistant Principal in 2014 and is currently in her fourth year of Principalship. Jessica's educational beliefs strongly reaffirm bilingualism, biliteracy, and equity for our students furthest away from opportunity. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Maryland and a master’s in bilingual special education from George Washington University.
Ann Rakestraw
Ann Rakestraw is Of Counsel at Aegis Law Group LLP, a boutique litigation firm in Washington, DC. She has more than twenty years of experience handling litigation and regulatory disputes in private practice and as in-house counsel at a Fortune 50 company. After serving as a law clerk to Judge Robert R. Beezer on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Ann practiced law at Williams & Connolly, with an emphasis on commercial litigation. In 2001 she joined Verizon's in-house legal department, where she worked for seventeen years, focusing on litigation and regulatory advocacy.
Ann has a B.A. degree from the University of Virginia, where she graduated with distinction. She then received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the Virginia Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif.
Ann is committed to supporting educational equity in the community. Her previous volunteer roles include chairing the gala to benefit financial aid at Maret School and being a board member of Reading Partners-DC.
Ann and her husband are long-time supporters of Horizons Greater Washington. They are the proud parents of three children who all have worked in the Horizons summer program. They live in Washington, DC.
Jalene Spain Thomas
Ms. Thomas is Head of School at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. Jalene is a seasoned educator and administrator with a two-decade career in Washington-area Episcopal schools. She shares St. Patrick’s commitment to the development of the whole child. Prior to joining St. Patrick’s, Jalene served as Director of Lower School at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (SSAS) in Alexandria, VA. Before that, she spent 16 years at Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School, beginning as a Kindergarten teacher and ultimately becoming Assistant Head of School and serving as Acting Head of School during a time of leadership transition. Jalene received her undergraduate degrees in psychology and art history from Duke University and a Masters in Private School Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
As an active leader in the broader Washington educational community, Jalene serves as Vice President of the Governing Board of the Mid-Atlantic Episcopal Schools Association. She is a Trustee of St. James Academy in Monkton, Maryland, and an active mentor for emerging leaders through the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington. Jalene co-founded Administrators of Color in the Washington Metropolitan Area and recently served as Vice Chair of the Board of the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys.
Isabelle Mensah
Isabelle Mensah grew up in Tampa, Florida where she received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida in elementary education. She began her teaching career in 2002 as a 6th grade teacher in Prince George’s County Public Schools. While teaching, Isabelle earned a Masters degree from The George Washington University in educational leadership and administration.
In 2017, Isabelle began her leadership journey as the Assistant Principal at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School, where the Horizons Greater Washington (HGW) program has fulfilled the mission to provide a high-quality summer enrichment program to address the opportunity gap for underserved children.
The commitment of the families and the spirit of the students at Rock Creek Forest is why she loves her work. Isabelle is proud to serve as the Assistant Principal where she hopes to continue to make a positive impact on students’ academic achievements and attain a life-long love for learning.
Betsy Fenzel
Betsy Fenzel is a parent of two current St. Patrick Episcopal Day School students and is an enthusiastic supporter of Horizons, most recently serving as the co-chair for the Reach for the Stars gala in 2024.
Betsy is a therapist for children, adolescents and adults in her private practice in Bethesda, MD and is also the author of the children's book, Heart of Gold. She also volunteers for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and leads a monthly bereavement group for those impacted by suicide loss.
Betsy received her BA from Yale University and her Masters in Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. Before becoming a therapist and moving back to the east coast, Betsy worked in youth educational non-profits in the San Francisco Bay Area, including I Have A Dream Foundation and Treasure Island Sailing Center Foundation.
Betsy lives in Chevy Chase, MD with her husband, three children and their dog.
H. Darren Alcus
Darren Alcus is a seasoned financial services executive with comprehensive global and domestic expertise in strategic business growth, team leadership, client engagement, acquisition management, and corporate governance. From 2015 to 2024, he served as the Head of Capital One's Corporate Banking group, which comprised several specialty lending platforms and regional commercial banking units across the U.S. He previously spent 24 years in various roles at GE Capital, where he was also a corporate officer of the General Electric Company. Darren's early work experience included investment banking and leveraged finance roles at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets and Bankers Trust Corporation.
In his various leadership positions, Darren supported numerous local education and community development organizations, including Horizon's, by encouraging team volunteerism and corporate financial commitments. He shares a strong family connection to Horizons, where his wife, Mary Pat, previously served as Board Chair and his two children were summer volunteers.
Darren is originally from New Orleans. He holds a BA degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Kit Ballenger
Kit Ballenger, JD/MLIS, is a youth services librarian and literary consultant with Help Your Shelf. A former Legal Aid child advocacy attorney, she prioritizes helping young readers see themselves and appreciate the experiences of others through story. Kit curates the children's library collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new 81st St. Studio, reviews for several journals, and her clients include several major publishers and Tinkercast, creators of the award-winning STEM podcast Wow in the World. Kit makes regular radio appearances as the librarian in residence on SiriusXM Kids Place Live and shares reading recommendations on Instagram @KitonLit.
As a member of both the St.Patrick's and Maret communities, Kit is a longtime supporter of Horizons' work. She served for many years on the board of Capitol Choices, a nationally respected children's book advisory nonprofit, and is the Literary Curator for the nonprofit Pride and Less Prejudice, which sends LGBTQ+ books to Prek-3rd grade classrooms across North America. A long-term volunteer at the Library of Congress Young Readers Center, Kit helps there with collection.