The Junior League of Washington’s Board of Directors leads and advises the League in promoting volunteerism and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Board members represent various membership segments and have devoted numerous years of service and volunteer hours to the Junior League. As the League’s governing board, they ensure the League’s adherence to the mission, vision, and strategic plan.

Jacqueline Frederick-Maturo is the 2023-2024 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors. Jacqueline has been in JLW since 2014. During her time in the League, she has served as the Membership Development Council Director, Ways & Means Assistant Council Director, voting member of the Finance Council, Rising-Chair and Chair of the Kitchen Tour Committee, and as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Esprit Committee. She has also served on the Fund Development Advisory Task Force, attended AJLI’s Organizational Development Institute (ODI) conference, and is a recipient of the JLW President’s Award for Excellence in Volunteerism In League.

Jacqueline is a Senior Executive Assistant at Sands Capital Management and has worked in this role for eleven years. Previously, she worked as a Senior Executive Assistant and Protocol Officer for the Ambassador of Sri Lanka, and as an assistant to former Congressman Bart Gordon. Jacqueline graduated in 2010 from American University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree, and in 2023 with a Masters of Arts in International Business and Policy from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. She is originally from Miami, FL. She now lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Justin Maturo, and their cute pup, Truman. In addition to volunteering with the JLW, Jacqueline also volunteers with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She loves to travel, especially to Madrid, and hopes to move internationally sometime in the future. Jacqueline is a proud Latina with Cuban and Spanish heritage. You can follow Jacqueline on Instagram at @lady_jackie.fm.

Treasurer Lauren Dudley (Email)

Lauren Dudley is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors. Lauren has been in JLW since 2016. During her time in the League, she has served as Vice Treasurer, on the Ways and Means Council as Assistant Council Director, on the Nominating Committee, on the Board as Cultural Community Placements Council (CPC) Director, and on the Cultural CPC as Assistant Council Director and Chair of the 2024 Spring Ballot Details, Page 3 Folger Shakespeare Library Committee. She has also been a part of League-wide efforts such as the Focus Area Task Force.

Lauren is an attorney and works for the federal government. Previously, she worked on Capitol Hill for 10 years as Counsel for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Counsel for the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Legislative Counsel for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Lauren holds a B.A. from University of Maryland College Park and J.D. and LLM from American University Washington College of Law. Lauren is originally from the Washington, D.C. area and currently lives in D.C. with her sister Ruthie and two cats Rocco and Blossom. In her free time, Lauren enjoys meeting with her JLW book club, exploring local museums, and doing hot yoga. You can follow Lauren on Instagram at @ldudley25 and Facebook.

Vice Treasurer Colli McKiernan (Email)

Colleen (Colli) McKiernan is the 2024–2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Vice Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors. Colli has been in JLW since 2013. During her time in the League, she has volunteered for the National Museum of Women in the Arts Committee in a variety of roles (including as the Chair), served as a new member advisor, led the Research, Innovation, and Evaluation Committee, served as the Community Impact Council Assistant Director, and sat on the Board of Directors in 2018–2019 (as the Cultural Community Placements Council Director) and 2019–2020 (as the Adult Community Placements Council Director).

Colli has worked as a Managing Director at Optum Serve Consulting for more than 12 years. Colli graduated from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a Master of Science in health policy and is originally from Randolph, Massachusetts. She lives in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; her hobbies include reading, traveling, and cheering on the Red Sox. You can follow Colli on Instagram at ColliMcKiernan.

Communications & Public Relations Council Director Jessica Poitras (Email)

Jessica Poitras is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Communications and Public Relations Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Jessica has been a member of JLW since 2019. During her time in the League she has served as Vice Chair and Chair of Esprit and is also a graduate of Get on Board.

Jessica is an attorney whose practice specializes in state government affairs, and a freelance writer. She is a graduate of The University of Alabama and American University Washington College of Law. She is a NOVA native and currently lives in Alexandria with her husband.

Community Affairs Council Director Jacqueline Malkes (Email)

Jacqueline “Jackie” Malkes is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Community Affairs Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Jackie has been in JLW since 2009. During her time in the League, she served on the Board of Directors in 2014 and 2023, as an Assistant Council Director for Adult Community Placement Council, and as a Chair for My Sister’s Place and Community Outreach committees, she has also been honored to serve as a volunteer for IONA, Calvary Shelter and CFLS. She also has spearheaded efforts on the Research and Evaluation Committee to prepare dashboards and metrics identifying volunteer hours and impact.

Jackie is a Principal Implementation Manager at SAS Software and has worked in this role for 7 years. Her role is primarily focused on managing the delivery relationship for federal software implementations and is most recently focused on leading an initiative to achieve FedRAMP authorization. Previously, she worked at Noblis and Accenture in both the government and commercial healthcare spaces. Jackie graduated from American University with her BA in International Studies and Political Science and MA in International Economics and is originally from Philadelphia. She lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her husband Ryan and two young sons Alexander and Teddy. Jackie has also served on external community boards in the DC area including Aspire! Afterschool Learning and My Sister’s Place. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys reading fiction, exercising at F45, and traveling. Her favorite read as of late is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.

Community Education Council Director Valérie Belizaire

Valérie Belizaire is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Community Education Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Valérie has been in JLW since 2019 when she transferred from the Junior League of Miami. During her time in at JLW, she has served on the following committees: Communications and Public Relations Council (2023-2024 Assistant Council Director), Bright Beginnings Committee (Committee Member and the 2022-2023 Chair), and Development & Training Committee. Valérie is a graduate of JLW’s Get on Board 1.0 and 2.0 program.

Valérie is a dedicated Epidemiologist with a passion for public health and community wellbeing. She has been actively contributing to the field through her work with Public Health agencies in DC. Valérie earned her M.P.H. in Epidemiology & Biostatistics and B.S. in Molecular Biology from the Florida A&M University and earned her M.B.A. from Louisiana State University. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. A proud native from Miami, Florida, she currently resides in NOMA, DC. In addition to volunteering, her leisure time is filled with travelling, [solidcore], and exploring DC with friends.

Community Impact Council Director Ashley Taylor

Ashley Taylor is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Community Impact Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Ashley transferred from JL Miami to JLW in 2019. During her time in the League, she has served on Adult Community Placement as the Chair for Langley, New Member Council as a Transfer Advisor and Vice Chair of Community Events, Nominating Committee, Strategic Sustainability Council as the Strategic Planning Committee Chair and is currently serving on Membership Development Council as one of the Assistant Council Directors.

Ashley works for Children’s National under Health Services for Children with Special Needs as the Manager of Enrollee Services and has worked in this role for 2.5 years. Previously, she worked at Humana Inc. Ashley graduated from University of Florida and Barry University and is originally from Atlanta, GA. She lives in Springfield, VA with her spouse, Mitch Taylor and daughter, Julia Taylor. Ashley enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants. You can follow Ashley on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram @g8tralum.

Membership Development Council Director  Betsy Bennett (Email)

Betsy Bennett is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Membership Development Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Betsy has been in JLW since 2017. During her time in the League, she has served on Leadership Institute, the Strategic Planning Committee and Strategic Sustainability Council. She also has spearheaded efforts such as the DEIAB Roadmap and JLW Strategic Plan 2022-2027.

Betsy is a real estate investor and has worked in this role for 5 years. Previously, she worked at the Department of Homeland Security. Betsy graduated from Bentley University and New York University and is originally from Albany, NY. She lives in Chevy Chase, MD with her husband John and son George. You can follow Betsy on Instagram @bennett_betsy.

New Membership Council Director Laura Sherrod (Email)

Laura Sherrod is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) New Membership Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Laura has been in JLW since 2014 when she transferred from the Junior League of Baltimore and Junior League of Huntsville (AL). During her time in the League, she has served on the following committees: Member Recruitment, A Wider Circle, Nominating, Targeted Grants & Volunteer Resources, and Tossed & Found where she was the 2019 Co-chair with Christina Babcock. While in JLB and JLH she was on “Done-In-A-Day,” food packing for Morris Elem., and Annie Apple (JLH’s longest continually serving fundraiser).

Laura is a Director at Dentons Global Advisors and has worked in this role for over two years. Previously, she worked as a policy aide to Senator Doug Jones and before that was at Dentons here in D.C. She is a proud life member of the Tennessee State University Alumni Association and is originally from Sweet Home Alabama! Laura is a member of Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., American Association of University Women (AAUW), The Gathering Spot, and The University Club of Washington. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering for A Wider Circle, traveling with her family, is an avid sports fan, loves all things southern, a big Tossed & Found enthusiast –and considers herself president emerita of the BeyHive! Laura lives in The District –and you can find her on the interwebs here: @1LauraSherrod and laura-sherrod on LinkedIn.

Sustainer Committee Chair Barbara Franklin

Barbara Franklin is the 2024-25 JLW Sustainer Chair and member of the Board of Directors. Barbara has been in JLW since 1990. During her time in the League, she has served as Communications and Public Relations Council Director, a member of the Nominating Committee, President, Sustainer Chair, and most recently Friends of the Junior League Chair. In 2019, Barbara received the Sally Currthers Award for Volunteerism.

Barbara graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in History, University of Iowa College of Law with a JD, and Georgetown University Law Center with an LLM in Taxation.

Barbara retired from the Federal government in 2018 after 35 years of service. She was selected for the Senior Executive Service in 2012. She worked for the Department of Defense and the Internal Revenue Service. She enjoys traveling, yoga, knitting, and reading. She is proud to be a Lifetime Girl Scout and to be a part of an Air Force family.

Nominating Committee Chair Mary Margaret Hart

Mary Margaret Hart is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Nominating Committee Chair and a member of the Board of Directors. Mary Margaret transferred into JLW for the 2015-2016 year from the Junior League of Greensboro (joined in 2008) where she served on the Board for 6 years. During her time here in the Junior League of Washington, she has served as Transfer Chair and Vice Chair, ACD of Ways & Means, and Chair and Rising Chair of Kitchen Tour. She is currently serving on the Nominating Committee for the second year.

Mary Margaret is a Senior Event Designer with Ridgewells Catering and has worked in this role for 9 years. She graduated from Furman University with a Bachelors of Music and from UNCGreensboro with a Master’s in Public Affairs. Mary Margaret is originally from Ormond Beach, Florida and just recently moved out of DC to the suburbs of Bethesda with her 7lb sassy doodle Mille where they are loving the extra space and all the parking lots! You can follow Mary Margaret on Instagram @marymargarethart.

Strategic Sustainability Council Director Marissa Malta (Email)

Marissa Malta is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Strategic Sustainability Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Marissa has been in JLW since 2018. During her time in the League, she has served on Member Resources Committee, as Recording Secretary for the JLW Board 2020-2021, as Research, Evaluation, and Incubation Committee Chair and Strategic Sustainability Assistant Council Director. She also spearheaded efforts such as the Annual Survey and Report, Data Assessment for JLW, the Wrap-Around Framework Project, and the Leadership Survey.

Marissa is a Public Policy Analyst at US Pharmacopeia and has worked in this role since October 2023. Previously, she worked at AARP for five years. Marissa graduated from American University with a Master’s in Public Policy and DePaul University with a BS in Economics and BA in Arabic Studies, and is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. She lives in SE Washington DC with her partner Tom and their dog Scotch. You can follow Marissa on instagram and LinkedIn at @MarissaBMalta.

Ways & Means Council Director Deena Smith (Email)

Deena Smith is the 2024-2025 Junior League of Washington (JLW) Ways & Means Council Director and a member of the Board of Directors. Deena has been in JLW since 2011. During her time in the League, she has served as Community Outreach Chair, Cultural Community Placements Council Director, Community Affairs Council Director, and on JLW’s Nominating Committee. As the current Leadership Institute Chair, she empowers and equips JLW leaders by hosting Get On Board, Summer Leadership, and Mid-Year Leadership sessions.

Deena is in her thirteenth year managing a federal law library. Her previous experience includes court and collegiate libraries. Deena graduated from North Carolina Central University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. An Army BRAT, she calls Prince George’s County, MD “home.” Passionate about improving communities through access to information and civic action, Deena is member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a Life Member of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and is a contributing author to The HBCU Experience: The HBCU Band Alumni Edition.