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About Villages of Kensington - Living Well & Aging Better
  • Home
  • About Us
    • What Is A Village
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Committees
    • Photos
    • Our Partners
  • Join
  • Volunteer
    • Donations
  • Events
    • Webinar Recordings
  • News
  • Health & Wellness
  • Oral Histories
  • Contact

Governance & Leadership

VoK is organized as a Maryland corporation qualified as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation under federal tax laws. ​
VoK Officers
  • President: Michael Landa
  • Vice-President: Jennifer Kerns Ivory 
  • Treasurer: Tamara Rickman
  • Secretary: Sharon Parver

 
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:
vok_bylaws_9.19.16.pdf
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VOK is governed by a Board of Directors 
Directors are elected for three year terms; as of 07/06/20, the Board is comprised of the individuals set forth below, together where each lives (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 and why we got involved in Villages of Kensington.
  • Jennifer Kerns Ivory, Kensington Heights (term ends September 2022)
  • Michael Landa, Kensington Heights (term ends September 2021)
  • Sharon Parver, Parkwood (term ends September 2021)
  • Laurie Pross, Rock Creek Hills (term ends September 2022)
  • Tamara Rickman, Town of Kensington (term ends September 2021)
  • Louis Tenenbaum, Palisades (term ends December 2022)
  • Jeffrey Steger, Rock Creek Hills (term ends January 2023)​
  • Judie Walters, Rock Creek Hills (term ends January 2024)

Meet the Board of Directors


 Jennifer Ivory:  A native of central Ohio, Jennifer witnessed the benefits of a Village first hand in 2014.  Seeing how Village Connections in Columbus supported residents of German Village and its surrounding downtown neighborhoods was impressive.  Its help to a relative who'd broken her ankle was invaluable.  Jennifer believes that having VoK in Kensington will only add to our already wonderful community. Jennifer's professional career of helping colleges raise funds has taken her to campuses nationwide.  She, her husband Bill, and daughter Nora have lived in Kensington Heights for 26 years. 

Mike Landa: Mike and his wife Michele and their son Adam have lived in Kensington since 1992.  Jesse, a Papillon, Chihuahua, terrier mix joined the household in 2016.  Mike began volunteering with VoK in spring 2017, joined the Board in early 2018, and took the position of Volunteer Coordinator in spring 2018 when Cliff Scharman, VoK’s first Volunteer Coordinator, relocated to Florida.  Mike retired in 2015 from a career that included two tours in the practice of food and drug law in government, with a hiatus of seven years in private practice, and finished with stints in leadership and management in the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.  Favorite activities in retirement include travel, listening to music, and catching up on reading.
​

 Sharon Parver:  Sharon has resided in the Parkwood neighborhood in Kensington since 1983.  She is currently Education Manager at LeadingAge, a membership association for not-for-profit aging services providers, where she contributes to the development of educational programming for the field.  Sharon’s career has focused on aging services in the not-for-profit community.  Prior to joining LeadingAge, Sharon served as assistant administrator at the National Lutheran Home and the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington.  She holds an MA in Health Services Administration from The George Washington University and a BS from Penn State.  In addition to serving on the Board of VoK, Sharon is a member of the Residential Services Board of Maplewood Park Place, a senior co-op community in Bethesda.  Sharon is married to Alan Parver and is the mother of Michelle and Stephanie.

Laurie Pross:  Laurie was raised in Richmond, Virginia.  She received her Masters degree at UVa in French Language and Literature but changed courses when she began working in a clinic for the indigent population in Richmond at The Medical College of Virginia.  Laurie received her second Masters degree from The George Washington University (where her husband Jim is a Professor of Medicine) and continued her career in health care administration there.  Laurie and Jim have lived in Rock Creek Hills for 27 years, where they raised their daughter.  They walked their dog, Tucker, and now their puppy Sophie, all over Kensington, enjoying the greenery and the quiet.  Laurie spent several years volunteering at Kensington Park Senior Living.  She joined the VoK Board of Directors in early 2017.
​Tamara Rickman: Tammy and her husband, Peter, and their three daughters have lived in Kensington since 1990 and two of her daughters have recently purchased their own homes in the neighborhood, anchoring the Rickman family in Kensington for years to come.  Tammy began volunteering with VoK in spring 2017, joined the Board in early 2018, and took the position of Treasurer at the end of May 2018, when Carolyn Lichtenstein relinquished the position to pursue other interests. Tammy practiced commercial and corporate transactions law in the Washington DC area for more than 20 years, retiring in 2004 for health reasons. Retirement has given Tammy time to enjoy travel, reading, and helping with her grandchildren – Peter born in 2015, and Fiona born in 2017 – who live right next door and flow freely between home and grandma’s house.

Jeffrey Steger: Jeff Steger and his family have lived in Kensington for more than 20 years. Jeff worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice between 1994 and 2019. As a volunteer for the Villages of Kensington, Jeff has appreciated the opportunity to meet many Kensington neighbors. Helping others is a very important part of Jeff's life, and he is glad that Villages of Kensington provides the opportunity to a make a difference in Kensington.  


​Louis Tenenbaum: Louis is one of the first contractors focused on aging in place, wrote Aging 2.0: Rethinking Solutions to the Home Care Challenge, published by MetLife Mature Market Institute.  Straddling building, aging and policy worlds, Louis was named a Next Avenue "Influencer in Aging" and a HIVE (Housing, Innovation, Vision and Economics) awardee by the Building industry.  He leads HomesRenewed™, advocating incentive policies to prepare homes for residents to live throughout the modern lifespan.

Heartfelt thanks to the former VoK Board members listed below who served for at least 1 year and have assisted in many ways in making VoK the vital community resource it is today.  Listed in alpha order (with Kensington neighborhood):

Suzanne Bowler, co-founder (Rock Creek Hills)
Rachel Gall (KenGar)
Arlene Horelick (Rock Creek Hills)
Carolyn Lichtenstein (Kensington Heights)
Donna R. Savage, co-founder (Kensington Heights)
Cliff Scharman (Town of Kensington)
Chris Trimble (Homewood)
Penny Veerhoff (Town of Kensington)
Toni Ward (Town of Kensington)

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • What Is A Village
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Committees
    • Photos
    • Our Partners
  • Join
  • Volunteer
    • Donations
  • Events
    • Webinar Recordings
  • News
  • Health & Wellness
  • Oral Histories
  • Contact