Meet Our Board - LOWLINC

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Meet Our Board

Jeffrey Flynn, President

Jeff Flynn is a co-founder of LOWLINC. He has more than three decades' experience in sales, marketing and management, first with General Motors (1969 to 1979) and later as owner/manager of Aquia Auto Parts (1979 to 2003). He has a long record of volunteer and community service with the Virginia Automotive Wholesalers (now Virginia Automotive Parts and Service) as member and president, member of the Lake of the Woods Lions Club (1993 to present), and director and president of the Lake of the Woods Association (2008 to 2011). He also served in the U.S. Army (1959 to 1962).

Carolyn Rourke, Chair

Carolyn Rourke has lived in Lake of the Woods since 2005 when she retired here after a 20-year career with Marriott International's Information Technology Department. At Marriott she managed large-scale IT projects and was an IT liaison to Marriott's corporate departments. Prior to that, Carolyn spent 15 years in communications with a national trade association in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Maryland and a BS in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland University College. Since coming to the Lake, Carolyn has volunteered in a number of capacities, including docent work at nearby Ellwood, canine rescue, and teacher assistant with the Project Excel program at the Locust Grove Elementary School.

Emily Slunt, Vice Chair

Emily Slunt brings to the Board more than 29 years of experience in healthcare, as a nurse, nursing professor, director of nursing and chair of the Health Sciences Division at Howard Community College. She holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Planning and Administration from the University of Maryland College of Education, a MSN in Child Health Nursing from the University of Maryland Baltimore, and BSN and RN degrees from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Since 2016, she has co-chaired the LOWLINC Social Activities Committee and serves as an instructor in LOWLINC’s medical note-taking training for volunteers. In addition to her LOWLINC work, Emily heads up the Lioness Scholarship Committee, working with Germanna Community College and the LOW Lake Youth Foundation. She is a member of the Health Ministry Team at her church and serves on the LOWA External Affairs Committee. Retired since 2005, Emily moved to the lake in 2007.

Mary-Jane Atwater, Secretary

Mary-Jane Atwater is a co-founder of LOWLINC and served as board chair from 2015 to 2018. She has been a member of the Lake of the Woods community since 1997 and a full-time resident since 2013. Mary-Jane has more than 35 years of experience in marketing communications and public relations, with service primarily to clients in the nonprofit sector. Prior to the 1989 launch of Atwater Communications, she worked for a public relations agency and earlier as a rehabilitation counselor. For two years, Mary-Jane managed public relations for At Home in Alexandria, an “aging-in-community village” in Alexandria, Virginia. Mary-Jane holds an MBA and an MA in Education (with a focus on counseling) from The George Washington University and a BA cum laude from Connecticut College.

John Beisheim, Treasurer

John and his wife moved from Massachusetts to Lake of the Woods in 2011. Now retired, John’s 41-year career was largely in corporate finance and also included manufacturing and IT operations, client contract negotiation, and extensive work with attorneys in commercial law. He worked for 3 ½ years for Xerox, followed by 25 years with Digital Equipment/Compaq Computer and concluded his career with Bureau Veritas. Lines of business included field service, manufacturing, corporate finance and IT controllership, IT outsourcing, and consumer product testing services. His work took him to 16 foreign countries including a 3 ½ year relocation to Germany. John holds an MBA in Accounting from Columbia University and a BA with High Honors in History from the University of Maine, Orono.

Vicky Fleming, Member

Vicky moved to LOW in 1984 when, as store manager for Montgomery Ward, she was transferred to the Fredericksbug store. She also served as store manager for Rite Aid stores in Vermont and Virginia. Since early 2016, Vicky has chaired the LOWLINC Volunteer Committee, orienting new volunteers and planning volunteer appreciation events. She also notarizes background check documents and organizes volunteer meetings and training. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Vicky was raised in Manchester, Vermont. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. In retirement, apart from her LOWLINC responsibilities, Vicky hopes to return to playing golf. She loves walking three miles every day on the trails around the clubhouse and lake.

Donalda Lovelace, Member

Donalda Lovelace moved to LOW in 2011, following a 40 plus-year-career of service to persons with disabilities. After receiving her Masters in Social Work from San Diego State University, Donalda began her career by developing a comprehensive rehabilitation training and employment center at San Diego State University, including a graduate curriculum for persons with disabilities -- one of the nation’s first community-based programs. After moving to Washington, D.C., she served as Asst. Executive Director of the Arc of Washington, D.C., where she established a comprehensive residential program of apartments and group homes for persons with mental retardation. Donalda’s dream of running her own agency serving people with intellectual and developmental challenges was realized fifteen years later when she became Executive Director at Ardmore Enterprises, Inc. Over the course of her career, Donalda has served on many state and national boards. She has been appointed tothe Orange County Board of Social Services, the LOW Environmental Control Committee and LOW Pool Committee. She also was elected to the board of the ARC of Virginia and the Arc of North Central Virginia. Donalda is a member of the LOW Lioness Club and volunteers at the Wilderness Pantry.

Mary Jane Oldham, Member

Mary Jane became a LOWLINC volunteer in early 2017 and joined the Volunteer Committee where she was instrumental early on in helping to shape the committee’s programs. Mary Jane became Volunteer Committee Chair in January 2019. During her tenure she has rolled out the new Volunteer Self Signup, introduced a meal preparation service for members and worked with the Member Outreach Committee to implement the Spring Planting Days service. In her career Mary Jane served for 12 years as Volunteer Services Coordinator for the INOVA Health System and volunteered at Mary Washington Hospital after she retired. She and husband Jim are active LOWLINC volunteers, particularly as drivers.

Denise Franzak-Miller, Coordinator

Denise Franzak-Miller joined LOWLINC as Coordinator on January 2, 2020. Denise lives here at the Lake with her husband, Mark, and comes to us after a 20-year career as a contract and project management specialist with U.S. Department of Defense contractors, working with numerous clients and team members. She has extensive experience in customer relations and requirements, and task scheduling and tracking. She is a long-time volunteer, having donated her time and talents to her churches through the years and to the American Cancer Society. Denise is a strong and welcome addition to the LOWLINC team.