Governance & Leadership
VoK is organized as a Maryland corporation qualified as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation under federal tax laws.
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VoK Officers
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Bylaws for the Villages of Kensington were approved and originally adopted at our September 21, 2015, Board meeting; a few minor changes have been approved since that time. If you have a question about our bylaws, please contact us. For a copy of the bylaws, click on the icon below:
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VOK is governed by a Board of Directors
Directors are elected for three year terms. As of 09/21/23, the Board is comprised of the individuals set forth below. (Click on the Contact tab at the top of the page to reach any of these folks). Continue to the Meet the Board of Directors section below to read a little about our backgrounds.
- Meg Baker, Rock Creek Hills
- Marilyn Emery, Rock Creek Hills
- Marsha Herman, Rock Creek Palisades
- Derry Koralek, Rock Creek Hills
- John Leary, Parkwood
- Sharon Parver, Parkwood
- Teri Poux, Rock Creek Hills
- Jeffrey Steger, Rock Creek Hills
- Judie Walters, Rock Creek Hills
- Angelena Young, Rock Creek Hills
Meet the Board of Directors
Meg Baker
Meg and her husband Mike have lived in Kensington since 1994. She is currently Minister of Spiritual Care and Formation at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Kensington, having received her MA from Wesley Theological Seminary and her doctorate from The Institute for Worship Studies. Meg has musical interests as well, producing CDs of her original music, playing for teas at the Strathmore Mansion, and publishing her choral music through Choristers Guild. Meg and Mike have the occasional and wonderful company of their adult twins who enjoyed growing up in Kensington and now live nearby.
Marilyn Emery
Marilyn has been a resident of Kensington for over 30 years. Through her job as a Realtor she often works with residents and their families who are facing the decisions to age in place, or move. This gives her a view of the many decisions that go into what it takes to safely stay in your home.
Over the years Marilyn has been very active as a volunteer in her neighborhood, local schools and her church. She finds these activities rewarding and energizing.
In her free time Marilyn loves spending time with her family, doing gardening, photography and spending time in the quiet of the woods.
Marsha Herman
Marsha, a native Washingtonian, has lived in the Rock Creek Palisades section of Kensington for 16 years. After receiving a degree in Human Development, she had a life-long career of serving children and families from birth to seniors. Her career began as a Child Life Specialist at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore and included serving as the Executive Director of the Association of Child Life Professionals, Owner/Operator of Mayfield House (a 10-bed assisted living group home for seniors), and ending in her role as a Child Development Specialist with the Montgomery County Infant and Toddlers Program before retiring in 2021. Her group home position allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of the complex issues that families face during the aging process. After having a personal medical experience in the fall of 2023 where her family and friends supported her during her recovery process, she read about VoK. In gratitude for her own situation, Marsha joined the group to help other neighbors who need support.
Derry Koralek
Derry Koralek has been a resident of Rock Creek Hills in Kensington for more than 25 years. She joined the V of K board in 2022. Derry had a long career in the early childhood field as a writer, editor, and publisher of professional resources for teachers and administrators as a consultant and as Chief Publishing Officer for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Since retirement she continues to write and publish for educators. Her household includes her husband Craig and their dog Hazel, often seen together on lengthy neighborhoods walks.
John Leary (President)
After growing up in Philadelphia, Jack came to graduate school at the University of Maryland where he met his wife-to-be on the first night of class. They have lived in Parkwood since 1992, raising their daughter Kate, their Chesapeake Bay retriever Madeleine and a succession of cats. Prior to his retirement in 2021, he was an attorney in the field of labor law, representing labor unions and pension and health plans. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland and Catholic University law school. He joined the VoK Board in June of 2022, and is very enthused about helping the organization move forward and grow.
Sharon Parver (Secretary)
Sharon joined VoK in its early days, responding to an announcement on the Parkwood listserv about the formation of a village in the 20895 zip code. Personal experience supporting parents and in-laws and a long career in the aging services world was the inspiration to volunteer with the VoK. Sharon holds a MA from GWU in health administration and was a licensed nursing home administrator in her early career, serving two communities in the area. She retired in April 2022 after 26 years on the Education Team at LeadingAge, an association of non-profit senior living providers, where she helped plan educational programs for aging services professionals. Sharon and her husband, Alan, have lived in the Parkwood neighborhood since 1983. Sharon currently serves as VoK's secretary and enjoys helping VoK support its members and volunteers.
Teri Poux (Vice President)
Teri is a lifelong Montgomery County resident, growing up in the Kensington/Bethesda area. She currently resides in Kensington with her husband, two children, and 4 cats. Prior to joining the VoK board in June of 2022, she worked as a defense lawyer at the Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County for 11 years before pivoting to become a pre-school teacher at Bethesda Community School for the next 20 years. Since becoming involved in VoK, Teri has enjoyed working with other board members to create a Village that meets the needs of all its members.
Jeffrey Steger (Treasurer)
Jeff and his family have lived in Kensington since 1997. Jeff worked for the federal government and has volunteered for the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps and a number of non-profit organizations, including the Villages of Kensington. Jeff enjoys the neighborhood and living close by Rock Creek Park. Jeff has served as member of VoK’s Board, and currently serves as VoK’s Treasurer.
Judith Walters
Judith moved to Kensington in 1974 after receiving a PhD in neuropharmacology and became an Investigator at the National Institutes of Health researching treatments for neurophysiological disorders with a focus on Parkinson’s disease. Her three sons grew up and thrived in this neighborhood, attending North Chevy Chase Elementary, Westland Middle and Bethesda Chevy-Chase High Schools. She is very fond of this area. She has recently retired and hopes to “age in place” here, enjoying and supporting our wonderful community.
Angelena Young
Angie has owned her home in Kensington since 1989 but has only lived in it permanently since 2004. For well over three decades Angie and family traveled the world while her husband served as a Diplomat in the American Foreign Service. They lived in eleven different countries spread over four continents until her husband’s retirement from the State Department in 2004. Following his retirement, Angie joined the Department of State in the Office of the Chief of Protocol as a Protocol Officer. She was responsible for meeting and welcoming newly appointed foreign Ambassadors to The U.S. and subsequently escorting them to the White House to present their credentials to the President of the U.S. in his oval office. She had the added pleasure of working for three Presidents and five Secretaries of State before her retirement in 2019. She enjoys visiting her daughter and grandson in NY and her son in DC. She is a member of a neighborhood Book Club, fitness center and St. Augustine's Catholic Church, enjoys lunching with friends, and has several other Board affiliations.
Committees
Villages of Kensington uses committees to get our work done. Committees report and make recommendations to the VoK Board of Directors at the Board meetings. Each committee has at least one Board member on it (or chairing), in order to maintain direct connections to the Board.
All committee meetings are open meetings, and we will make a significant effort to announce those meetings before they occur, either on this web site or by email to those who've expressed interest in the particular committee.
VoK Standing Committees are:
- Executive Committee
- Nomination Committee
- Membership Committee
- Programming Committee
- Volunteer Committee
- Communications Committee
