NANETTE ALVEY
Co-Chair of the Board
Nanette is the former Director of Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness at EnCompass Consulting. She has over 30 years experience in OD, program management and training in Africa. She has worked with international NGOs in designing effective community development strategies and training approaches, consulted with international and regional organizations in management and leadership development, and founded and managed a successful Africa-based company focusing on developing relevant and practical management and technical skills for professionals and students. Nanette holds an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with a focus on social change and development. She is also serves on the board of Impact Silver Spring and is bilingual in English and French.

JAVIER NEGRON
Treasurer
Javier is an accountant with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has served in the federal government for over 10 years in different areas of financial management, including accounting and financial reporting and reviewing internal controls. Originally from Puerto Rico, Javier has made Maryland his new home with his wife, Ashley, and their new baby girl, Olive. He holds a B.S.B.A. with a specialty in Accounting and Business Finance from the University of Puerto Rico.

JO RASI

Jo Rasi is the Programs Director at Washington Revels. She has served as an arts consultant and event planner for non-profits and federal and local government agencies for over 20 years. Previous clients include The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, The National Council for the Traditional Arts, The Blair Auditorium Renovation Project, The Grateful Dead, the North American Folk Alliance, Class Acts Arts (now Artivate), the International Council of Air Shows, and the Town of Herndon. Jo studied at Georgetown University (Executive Nonprofit Management), The Université Laval (French), American University (MA in Performing Arts Studies), Gettysburg College (BA in English/Art History), Wesleyan University (Ethnomusicology), The George Washington University (Human Sciences), Brown University (Oral History), and The Peddie School. She served on the board of directors for the National Council for the Traditional Arts, and has previously served on boards for Slow Food DC, Emerson Landing Artist Retreat Center, and the Institute of Musical Traditions. Jo has been awarded fellowships from The Library of Congress, Wesleyan University, The Virginia Association of Female Executives, and was selected as a University Fellow at George Washington University.

LINDA HARRIS

Broker/Owner of Carson Properties, a real estate investment and management company since 1987.  Portfolio includes single and multi-family dwellings in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Singer/songwriter since 2016. Has produced two CD(s) Shaking off the Dust, 2017 and Don't You Dare, 2018 and performed locally and abroad.  Proudest engagements - Preservation Hall, New Orleans, La,  2018,  MidAtlantic Jazz Festival, Rockville, Md. 2019, Alice Jazz and Cultural Society, Washington, D.C. 2017, Twins Jazz, Washington, D.C. 2018, Swedish Club, Paris, France, 2017.

ALLEN PERPER
Co-Chair of the Board
Allen has lived in the greater DC area nearly all his life.  As a young man, he was greatly influenced by the civil rights movement of the 60’s and 70's.  This helped shape his insights about politics, justice, and social action.  In the 70’s he spent six years as a jazz musician and truck driver before realizing that a college education could be of great use. After receiving a B.S. from the University of Maryland, he worked 30+ years as a technology and process consultant for large private and public sector organizations.  Allen and his wife have two sons: one is a musician and in food service; the other is a local police officer.
Allen is (mostly) retired and is intent upon nurturing his heart and his community.  He is passionate about gardening, travel, reading, brewing beer, volunteering, and catching up on all those house projects that he promised to get around to.  Helping to lead the Carpe Diem Arts board fulfills many aspirations for him and he uses his skills to further the impact of this wonderful organization.
 

MEGAN GALLAGHER
Secretary
Megan is a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, where she seeks to inform policymakers and practitioners about the complex relationship between schools and their surrounding neighborhoods. Her research focuses on efforts to improve housing and educational opportunities for children in low-income families. She studies how housing and neighborhood revitalization efforts affect schools and how schools and education policies influence the trajectories of neighborhoods.
 
Megan designs and manages complex research projects and collects and analyzes data from surveys, administrative databases, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. She is currently developing a pilot demonstration in DC to improve low-income parents' access to information about their children’s educational opportunities, providing technical support for local education initiatives, and analyzing the characteristics of students and communities affected by school moves, closures, and openings.
 
She has an MPP in Public Policy Analysis from Georgetown University and a BA in Sociology and Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She lives in Takoma Park with her husband and two children.
 

PAULA POSAS

Paula is a World Bank consultant on environmental topics. She has previously worked as a communications manager, journal managing editor, and environmental and impact assessment specialist.  Paula holds a policy BA from Duke University, an ecology MS from the University of Florida, and a PhD in planning from the University of Liverpool. After taking a recent Carpe Diem Arts "Ukes on the Move" ukulele course, Paula learned of and started attending Carpe Diem Arts events. She witnessed time and again how Carpe Diem was making joyful arts experiences accessible to people from all walks of life while building arts appreciation and sense of community. Carpe Diem Arts programming in early learning centers, correctional facilities, public venues, and among young and retired populations is often seen by participants as transformative. Paula and her family are participants, advocates, and beneficiaries of the wonderful music and arts experiences Busy Graham and Carpe Diem Arts bring to the community. Paula is honored to serve on Carpe Diem Arts' board of directors.