BSVCA Executive Board Elections
At the BSVCA October General Membership Meeting an election will take place for our BSVCA 2022-2023 Executive Board Members. Below you will find nominations for various positions on the BSVCA executive board. A special thanks to the BSVCA Nominating Committee, Henry Desmarais, Deqa Abdi, BJ Sullivan, and Kathy Burns, for all their hard work on this!
Only BSVCA members in good standing (i.e. active membership; email BSVCAinfo@gmail.com to check if you are unsure) are permitted to vote and run for a position on the executive board. Be sure to update your membership if it has lapsed. Also note that as of the publishing of this newsletter, there are three vacancies on the slate for President, Secretary, and Parliamentarian. We will have an opportunity to nominate candidates at the meeting or can add them to the slate prior. Please email BSVCAinfo@gmail.com with your interest.
NOMINEES FOR THE BSVCA BOARD FOR 2022-2023
PRESIDENT: (Open Slot)
Duties for this job as specified by the BSVCA Bylaws:
Section 3A. Duties of the President. The President shall be the general manager and chief executive officer of the Association and shall, subject to the control of the Board, have supervision, direction, and control of the business and affairs of the Association. The President shall preside at meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board. The President shall appoint the chairs of committees (other than the Board) unless otherwise directed by the association, and shall enforce these Articles. The President will also serve as an ex officio member of all committees, except the Nominations Committee and the Audit Committee. The President shall represent the Association at meetings of governmental agencies and civic associations and shall perform such other duties as may be required.
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: Ashley Dalton, Taney Avenue
Ashley Dalton served as BSVCA President from 2021-2022. She has lived in Alexandria since buying her first home with her husband, Allen, in 2012. The couple are the parents of Rory, 6, and Grady, 10. Ranger, a standard poodle, is part of the family. A Virginia native from Altavista, she got her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Lynchburg (FKA Lynchburg College) and her MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She first landed in the Washington/Virginia/Maryland area in 2009, living in Maryland, then Arlington, and now in Alexandria.
She has worked at the Drug Enforcement Administration since 2010, and is a Section Chief in resource management. She has served three years on the board of the Leadership Excellence and Achievement Program, sponsored by the Department of Justice, and three years on the board for the Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Shirley Downs, Vail Street
I am running for 1st Vice President of BSVCA, with the goal to expand the membership and support for local community events such as notices of free concerts, craft shows, the ALIVE food resources events, the bike ride-arounds, visits from Santa, home decoration contests for the holidays and Neighborhood Night Out.
I also wish to increase policy input opportunities, where residents can provide their views about issues that impact their lives. To do this, I would encourage BSVCA’s engagement with the citywide Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations and the West End Coalition (WEC) of Civic Associations. BSVCA should provide more information on our website and in our newsletters about meetings, upcoming events and opportunities for members to participate. To accomplish this, I would urge members to confer with neighbors about issues related to the community that they want to learn more about, and weigh in on, and what kinds of community events they would like to see take place in our neighborhood, while encouraging these same residents to join BSVCA. The more members we have, the more attention will be paid to our views by elected officials and City staff.
I would be happy to write up information for the website, newsletters and public notices for the association.
Originally from a small town in upstate NY, Shirley Downs has lived in Alexandria since 1991, and at the KMS Townhouses since 1996. She is married to Dr. Richard W. Burris, a retired Physicist and Computer Program Development Manager. Her son, Peter Burris, manages the computer systems for the International Trade Commission. Shirley graduated from Skidmore College, and worked in policy positions for both rural and urban Members of Congress, first as a Legislative Aide and then as Legislative Director. Shirley has also served as Legislative Director of the League of Women Voters, and for the US Secretary of Labor, the Governor of New York, and the Public/Private Partnership programs at the National Governors Association Locally, Shirley served on various Committees of the BSVCA and also served as a Member-at-Large on the BSVCA Board. In addition, she served on the Alexandria Waterfront Commission, and Public Arts and Arts Commissions, and had two small businesses as a dealer in Contemporary Japanese Prints and Downs Design. She enjoys gardening, museums and music.
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: Mairym I. Ramos-Salinas, Richenbacher Avenue
A native of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, Mairym I. Ramos-Salinas has lived on Richenbacher Avenue for 18 years. She is married to Sergio Salinas and has two children, one currently attending Francis C. Hammond and the other at ACHS main campus. Since her kids started school, she has joined the PTA of each school and is a long-term member of BSVA. Ms. Ramos-Salinas has worked in Washington for 26 years. For the last 17 years, Ms. Ramos-Salinas has worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU,) where she currently is the National Director of the Governance Department. In that role, she manages high-level governance issues affecting SEIU affiliates, which demand immediate and significant attention. Mairym also serves as Puerto Rico Area Director for SEIU. In that role, she acts as a liaison between SEIU and the two affiliated locals located on the island –which represents 23,000 workers—around organizing, politics, legislative and member development. Ms. Ramos-Salinas has served as Regional Offices Director for the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration under Governor Sila M. Calderon. In that role, she was responsible for directing the work of 13 regional offices, building community relations to support local issues affecting the Puerto Rican communities and forming relationships from the diaspora to support Puerto Rico. In addition, she served as a Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez- (D-NY), whose work supported advocacy for Women, Immigration, Labor and Puerto Rico. She attended the University of Puerto Rico. Later, she transferred and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in International Studies and Latin American Economics from Michigan State University.
SECRETARY (Open Slot)
Duties for the job as stipulated by BSVCA Bylaws:
Section 3D. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall prepare minutes of the meetings of the Board and the Association; keep records of Association correspondence and a book of minutes of all meetings of the Board and the Association to be available at all meetings of the Association; prepare a summary report of actions or recommendations by the Board for presentation to the Association by the presiding officer at the next regular meeting of the Association; and call meetings of the Board and Association to order. In addition, the Secretary shall certify all official communications that are issued on behalf of the Association and shall perform such other duties as may be required.
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: Lindsey Heitman, Pelham Street
Lindsey Heitman has lived in her North Pelham Street townhouse for seven years, where she works in software sales for a higher education software company. For the past five years, she has been an Alexandria Election Officer, and is currently serving as Chief Election Office at the Polk Precinct. She is also a volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium and with The Carpenter’s Shelter. She came to the Washington area is 1996, and spent seven years living in Arlington before moving to Alexandria. She completed three years on the BSVCA Board as the Treasurer and has been Membership Secretary for 2021- 22 and will continue in that slot for the upcoming year.
TREASURER: Jenn Wylie, Richenbacher Avenue
Jennifer Wylie is finishing up her term as Parliamentarian for BSVCA and as interim Treasurer for 2022. She is a 15-year-resident of Seminary Valley. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she has lived in the Washington area for 17 years and, before that, Oklahoma, Colorado, and France. Jennifer has a BA in French from Colorado State University and a JD from the University of Oklahoma. She works for a law firm in DC which pays for what she truly enjoys: playing hockey, knitting, and reading. She lives with her partner, Aaron, and their two dogs, Beauregard and Sirius.
PARLIAMENTARIAN: (Open Slot)
Duties for the job as stipulated by the BSVCA Bylaws:
Section 3G. Duties of the Parliamentarian. The Parliamentarian shall ensure that the current version of Robert’s Rules of Order or guidelines from any other reputable manual on parliamentary procedures (where Robert’s Rules of Order are silent) are followed at all meetings of the Board and of the Association. The Parliamentarian also shall ensure that meetings of the Board and the Association are run in a smooth and orderly manner and shall perform such other duties as may be required.
Additional comment provided by Russell Bailey, Parliamentarian for Alexandria’s North Ridge Civic Association
A civic association parliamentarian needs to have 3 things:
Knowledge of the association’s constitution and bylaws;
A basic understanding of Robert’s Rules that might apply to association business;
Common sense. Anyone with Item 3 can be a good parliamentarian---no need to be a lawyer.
MEMBERS AT LARGE:
Amanda Casey, Palmer Place
Amanda is a lifelong resident of Alexandria. She and her husband, Sean, along with their two children, ages 6 and 9, moved into the Seminary Valley neighborhood in 2016 and have been active in the BSVCA ever since. Amanda has assisted the BSVCA board by participating on both the Holiday Party Planning Committee and the National Night Out Planning Committee. She is an active member of the James K Polk Elementary School PTA Board where she has served as the VP of Fundraising for the past 2.5 years. She currently works as a wedding and special events manager at a local historical property in Fairfax County.
Ginny Franco, Richenbacher Avenue
She and her husband, Joe Hicks, have been members of BSVCA since 1997 and a resident of the City’s West End for 50 years. Ginny retired from the City of Alexandria as the Deputy Registrar of Voters after 30 years of service. During her employment, she maintained State and National certifications from the National Election Center. After retirement, she worked for the State Board of Elections on national and international absentee voting issues, and served as support services to localities throughout Virginia. Ginny served as Secretary of the Executive Board for the COG Election Official Technical Committee, chaired the state Deputy Registrars Committee, served on the Registrar’s Certification Committee and was an active participant on the City AA/EEO Committee. She has served on the BSVCA Executive Board for four years and looks forward to serving for another term. Ginny has two daughters and five grandchildren. Both girls were born and raised in Alexandria and were well educated in the City public school system. She served on PTAs at Polk, Patrick Henry, Hammond and TC Williams. She was a volunteer with the CCD program at Blessed Sacrament Church for 8 years and served as chair of the Greeting Ministry for six years. She is currently coordinator of the Greeting Ministry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington and serves as a Eucharistic Minister.
Bethany LaMois, Mansfield Street
Bethany (Beth) LaMois is a longtime resident of Alexandria, from childhood through high school. Beth graduated from Bishop Ireton High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Following college, Beth spent the next six years as a leader and active member of multiple U.S. Army Family Readiness Groups as she and her family navigated numerous moves and overseas deployments starting in Fort Drum, NY, passing through Fort Benning, GA, and Fort Bragg, NC, before landing in Fort Campbell, KY.
After Beth’s husband, Gabe, transitioned from active-duty Army service in 2016, she and her family returned home to Alexandria to be closer to both sets of grandparents who live a few blocks apart in Del Ray. The couple have two children: Edward, 11, and Madeline, 8. Beth is an active member of the Alexandria community and is currently project manager at Lumen Technologies with the government section.
Outside of work, Beth enjoys cheering on her children at their soccer and swim meets. She is a leader in her daughter, Madeline’s, Girl Scout troop. Beth is also a certified CrossFit trainer and top-quartile CrossFit athlete, competing regularly at local and regional events. Beth is completing her third year on the BSVCA Board and plans to return for a fourth year.
Bethlehem Addis, Pelham St.
Bethlehem Addis has lived in the City of Alexandria, since buying her first home with her wife in 2016. She is still an active HOA board member at her previous home, which is now a rental property. In July of 2021, she and her wife bought their second home in the Brookville-Seminary Valley neighborhood. Since moving into the neighborhood, she has loved meeting her neighbors and enjoys taking her sweet pup on walks throughout the trails! Bethlehem was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Richmond, VA. Bethlehem moved to the Northern Virginia area in 2008 to attend college at George Mason University. She received her undergraduate degree in legal studies in 2012 and a Master’s in Public Administration in 2014. Bethlehem currently works as a federal employee for the Department of Defense.
In her free time, Bethlehem loves traveling to different states and countries she has never visited. She enjoys experiencing new cultures and trying out delicious foods! Bethlehem is also an avid tennis player. She is very involved in the DC tennis community. If she is not out playing tennis or traveling, then you will most likely find her doing some sort of DIY projects or tending to her garden!
