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Oh, What a Night! The Community Foundation Hosts 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy

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Terri Lee Freeman is presented with the 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Award. The award was presented by Charito Kruvant and Kenny Emson, who served as 50th Anniversary Co-Chairs for the event.

On May 3rd, The Community Foundation hosted the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy — celebrating 50 Years of History, Hope, and Healing in the Greater Washington region.

The evening began with a special VIP reception, where representatives from the Prince George’s County Government and Montgomery County Government presented The Community Foundation with proclamations, honoring the organization’s legacy and commitment to the region. The Community Foundation was also honored by the recognition of elected officials from DC, Virginia and Maryland — including a special video message from MD-Rep. Jamie Raskin.

After the VIP reception, guests were lead down into the theater by the Eastern Senior High School Blue & White Marching Machine, where they were greeted by the evening’s emcee, NBC4’s Shawn Yancy.

Richard Bynum, Chair of The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees kicked off the program and introduced Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of The Community Foundation, who delivered some brief remarks.

“Some say the racial wealth gap is too big to be solved, but we believe it’s too urgent to be ignored.”
— Tonia Wellons

In her remarks, Tonia paid homage to the incredible men and women over The Community Foundation’s 50 year legacy — including the late Bob Linowes and the Honorable Wayne Curry. She also expressed her gratitude for how far The Community Foundation has come — and the future it is working towards — closing the racial wealth gap in the Greater Washington region.

Following Tonia’s remarks, the 50th Anniversary Host Committee Co-Chairs, Charito Kruvant and Kenny Emson presented the 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Award to Terri Lee Freeman.

Terri was the longest-serving and first Black female President and CEO of The Community Foundation from 1996-2014. During her tenure, Terri was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as one of its “Women Who Mean Business” and by Washingtonian Magazine as a “Washingtonian of the Year” and “100 Most Powerful Women of Washington”.

Since leaving The Community Foundation, she has pursued her passion for civil rights and social justice as the former President of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and now as the Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore.

Following a special tribute video, Terri sat down with Shawn Yancy for a brief fireside chat, where they discussed aspects of Terri’s legacy and her aspirations for the future.

Following the fireside chat, guests enjoyed an evening of food, fun, dance and entertainment provided by artists and nonprofit partners from across the region.

A special thank you to Eastern Senior High School, Levine Music, Baila4Life, Sole Defined, Metrostage, Christylez Bacon, and DJ Face for sharing their time and talents with us. It was truly an unforgettable evening!

Click here for a complete recording of the Evening Program. Additional photos from the evening can also be found on our SmugMug Album.

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Elected Officials Congratulate The Community Foundation on 50th Anniversary

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The Community Foundation is proud to collaborate with local elected leaders to promote positive change and build stronger communities in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, here are just a few of the leaders who send their well wishes to The Community Foundation and it’s supporters:

Congressional Recognition
Presented by the Honorable Donald S. Beyer Jr. of Virginia in the House of Representatives on the House Floor on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Mr. Speaker, I, alongside my colleagues, Representative IVEY, Representative HOYER, Representative RASKIN, and Delegate HOLMES NORTON, wish to honor The Greater Washington Community Foundation for 50 years of service in the region. The Greater Washington Community Foundation will commemorate this momentous milestone on May 3, 2023, with philanthropists, nonprofits, businesses, and community members at the Smithsonian’s National Museum for African American History and Culture.

In 1973, a group of prominent business and civic leaders—including Henry ‘‘Hank’’ Strong, Polly Shackleton, Davidson Sommers, Bishop John Walker, and Joseph Whyte—came together to establish a local community foundation to ‘‘promote a permanent source of philanthropic capital for the Washington Metropolitan region.’’

Over time, the Greater Washington Community Foundation has grown to become the largest local funder serving this region, with more than $1.5 billion invested to build equitable, just, and thriving communities in D.C., Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Northern Virginia. Under the leadership of CEO Tonia Wellons, the Greater Washington Community Foundation continues to galvanize philanthropic resources and strategically invest in solutions to a wide range of issues impacting our communities—from education to housing stability, food security, workforce development, and crisis response.

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is now committed to leading our community in a movement that will help increase economic mobility and close our region’s racial wealth gap to create a better future for our region where everyone prospers.

Please join the regional delegation and I in honoring the 50th anniversary of the Greater Washington Community Foundation on May 3, 2023. We urge all the citizens of the greater Washington area to join in celebrating this very special occasion.

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD 8th District) recorded this message for The Community Foundation's Celebration of Philanthropy, in honor of the organization's 50th Anniversary.

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Faces from the Past: Looking Back at The Community Foundation Founders

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As we enter the 50th Anniversary of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, we’ve taken a moment to look back at the incredible people behind the founding of our organization, including members of our very first Board of Directors.

We are excited to share their stories with you, as we continue to learn more about their legacy, their leadership, and the impact they have had on the Greater Washington Region!

Founding Board Member Marie Barksdale (far Right) with Civil Rights Activist Dorothy Height (far left).

Marie C. Barksdale moved to DC in 1961 as the Executive Director of Howard University’s Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. A member of the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, and Alpha Kappa Alpha's American Council on Human Rights, Barksdale was a powerful advocate of the Civil Rights Movement. In the summer of 1964, she joined Wednesdays in Mississippi (WIMS), a movement dedicated to strengthening interracial solidarity and support for Black women in the South. She continued her advocacy for social and economic justice as a member of the Johnson Administration's Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and the Women in Community Service Initiative.

Marie was also deeply involved in community development efforts in the Greater Washington region. In 1973, she was among the first stakeholders engaged in conversations surrounding the forming of a “Community Foundation for Greater Washington”. Later that year, she joined the Board of Directors, where she would serve for at least the next decade.

In 1983, she became the first Executive Director of Young Audiences, Arts for Learning DC- a nonprofit providing arts education services to DC children. She remained heavily involved with the organization until her death in 2003.

Marvin Bordelon (then Msgr Marvin Bordelon) moved to Washington in 1967. A Catholic Priest with nearly two decades of service to congregations in Shreveport, LA, Marvin joined the US Catholic Conference (USCC) as their director of the Division of World Justice and Peace. During his time in Washington, he was appointed as the US delegate to UNESCO.

In December 1972, Marvin resigned from the priesthood to become a consultant with the Council on Foundations in New York, with the purpose of “working on the establishment of a Community Foundation for Greater Washington”.

On May 10, 1973, Marvin gathered with fifteen prominent Washingtonians at the Federal City Club to discuss the founding of a Community Foundation of Greater Washington. Shortly thereafter, the Board of Directors was organized and Marvin became the first President of the Community Foundation of Greater Washington. He would lead The Community Foundation for a number of years before passing the baton to Lawrence S. Stinchcomb sometime around 1978. Marvin passed away at his home in Rockville, MD in 2009.

Peggy Cooper Cafritz came to DC in 1964, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement to attend George Washington University – an institution which was still largely segregated at the time. By her senior year, she had organized a black student union and become a driving force towards the integration of the school’s fraternities and sororities. In 1968, she co-founded what would become the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. In the 1970s, she became the youngest fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and served on the committee that created the University of the District of Columbia.

In 1981, Peggy married Conrad Cafritz, becoming part of one of the most prominent mixed-race couples in Washington. She became one of the region’s leading supporters of the arts – particularly African-American art and was a founding member of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. In 1973, she joined the Board of Directors of the newly organized “Community Foundation for Greater Washington,” where she would serve for at least the next decade. She was instrumental in cultivating the relationship between the fledgling Community Foundation and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, which continues to this day.

In 2000, she was elected President of the DC Board of Education – a position she would hold for the next six years. Peggy Cooper Cafritz passed away in 2018, at the age of 70.

Nancy “Bitsy” Folger came to Washington in 1958 as the daughter of Neil McElroy, Secretary of Defense in the Eisenhower Administration. She got a teaching job in Montgomery County and joined the Junior League. While there, she joined forces with DC leaders like John W. Hechinger in advocating for DC Home Rule. She was one of the first Board Chairs of the Black Student Fund, a nonprofit founded in 1964 to support Black students and the integration of schools. Bitsy quickly gained a reputation as a prodigious fundraiser. She would go on to serve as Chair of the White House Endowment Fund and a member of the White House Historical Association.

In 1973, Bitsy was among the first stakeholders engaged in conversations surrounding the forming of a “Community Foundation for Greater Washington”. Later that year, she joined the Board of Directors, where she would serve for at least a decade. After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Bitsy rejoined the Board of Directors, serving from 2003-2007. She is currently a fundholder at the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

Maceo W. Hubbard was one of the first Blacks to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1926. Hubbard moved to Washington in 1942 to work as a lawyer on the Committee on Fair Employment Practices, a committee established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to prevent racial discrimination in the War Industries.

After the war, Maceo joined the Department of Justice, where he was an adviser in the civil rights division. Maceo helped developed policies and legislation related to school desegregation that became part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Maceo was heavily involved with the National Capital Area United Way (today the United Way of the National Capital Area), serving as one of the first presidents of the organization in 1975 – just a year after the chapter’s founding. He also served as president of the board, chairman of the trustees assembly, and treasurer for the organization.

In 1973, Maceo joined the Board of Directors for the newly formed “Community Foundation of Greater Washington” – a position he would hold for nearly a decade. His involvement on the board would be critical to establishing The Community Foundation’s relationship with the National Capital Area United Way, which continues to this day. Maceo passed away at his home in Chevy Chase in July 1991.

Polly Shackleton moved to DC in 1939 to work on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third Presidential Campaign. After settling in Ward 3, she became heavily involved in politics after the war, becoming a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1956. In the 1960s she served alongside future DC Mayor Walter Washington on The Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, set up by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.

Polly was a strong advocate for DC Home Rule. When President Johnson expanded the appointed form of DC government from a single commissioner to three in 1967, Polly was named to the council. In 1974, she won a seat on the first elected council, a position she would hold until her retirement in 1986.

Polly was among the first stakeholders engaged in conversations surrounding the forming of a “Community Foundation for Greater Washington”. Later that year, she joined the Board of Directors. Polly passed away in July 1997.

Davidson Sommers came to Washington as the General Counsel for the World Bank in 1949. He later transitioned to the International Finance Corp, a World Bank affiliate, where he would stay until 1960, retiring as VP of the organization.

In 1951, Davidson was approached by Eugene Meyer about becoming President of a family foundation he had established six years earlier. He served as President of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation until 1975, helping the organization grow from disbursing $70,000 in grants annually to disbursing $879,000 in 1974.

In 1972, Davidson was one of the first stakeholders engaged in conversations surrounding the forming of a “Community Foundation for Greater Washington”. In 1973, he was appointed to serve as the organization’s first Chairman of the Board of Directors. Davidson passed away in December 2000.

Henry “Hank” Strong was born and raised in Washington, DC. His great-grandmother, Hattie M. Strong, was the wife of the co-founder and president of Eastman Kodak Company. She established the Hattie M. Strong Foundation in 1928, which Hank would later lead as President and CEO.

Hank served in the Navy during WWII. After the war, he joined the Foreign Service, stepping down in 1967 to take over leadership of his family’s foundation. Under Hank’s leadership, the Hattie M. Strong Foundation began a new focus on investing in the Greater Washington region. They invested extensively in neighborhoods impacted by the 1968 Race Riots and transitioned scholarship programs to support more local students.

In 1973, Hank joined the Board of Directors for the newly formed “Community Foundation for Greater Washington” – a position he would hold for more than two decades. He was heavily involved in the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG), and mobilized the Hattie M. Strong Foundation to respond to community needs. Hank passed away in March 2007.

Bishop John T. Walker was the first African-American to attend the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA. He began his ministry in the Greater Washington region in 1966, at the only integrated Episcopal Church in DC, serving some of the city's most economically challenged neighborhoods.

In 1973, he joined the Board of Directors for the newly formed "Community Foundation for Greater Washington," lending his support to setting up a new avenue for philanthropy in the region.

In 1977, he became the first African-American diocesan bishop for the Diocese of Washington (only the second African-American Bishop in the nation). He also served as the President of the Board of Directors of Africare -- an aid organization focused on community development in Sub-Saharan Africa -- from 1975 until his death in 1989. He was a close friend of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a vocal opponent of the apartheid regime.

In honor of his legacy, the Episcopal Diocese of Washington organized The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys in 2006 to address the serious educational challenges facing African American boys in the low-income communities east of the Anacostia River.

Joseph L Whyte moved to Washington in 1946 to join American Security Bank, where he would work until 1978, retiring as the bank’s Vice Chairman. A WWII Navy Veteran, Whyte held a law degree from George Washington University, a graduate degree in Banking from Rutgers, and was a member of the Georgetown University Law Center faculty. He participated extensively in higher education fundraising and in 1965 was tapped to chair American University’s fifth annual sustaining fund drive.

In 1973, Joseph was one of the first stakeholders engaged in conversations surrounding the forming of a “Community Foundation for Greater Washington”. He played a critical role in securing support from local banks for the young foundation. Later that year, Joseph was named as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of Directors, where he served for a number of years. Joseph passed away in January 2000.

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EMCEE ANNOUNCED FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF PHILANTHROPY ON MAY 3!

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Shawn Yancy is an Emmy award winning broadcast journalist. She anchors the 5pm and 11pm and weekday newscasts at NBC4 in Washington, DC. Prior to joining NBC4, Shawn worked at FOX 5 News DC for 19 years; and served as a primary weekday anchor for 17 years. Her 2nd day on the job in DC became her first big story: the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Shawn’s 25+ years as broadcast journalist have allowed her to share and tell meaningful and impactful stories about the people and community she serves. Her experience has earned her a number of prestigious journalism awards including: the Edward R. Murrow Award for an investigative series at the National Institutes of Health.

Shawn is an advocate of giving back. In 2010, Shawn founded Girls’ Night Out by Shawn Yancy Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving and empowering the lives of women and children in need. Shawn has served on a the board of directors for A Wider Circle, Dress For Success DC and The St. Ann’s Center for Children Youth & Families. Along with her fellow DC newswomen, Shawn helps spearhead an annual breast cancer fundraiser for local cancer charities serving the underserved.

Shawn is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and a professional artist with clients nationwide. 

In her spare time, Shawn loves to read, travel and spend time with her husband and sons. She also loves really spicy food, sushi, and jelly belly sours… but not necessarily in that order.

Shawn and her husband have 3 wonderful sons, a daughter in-love, 2 dogs and live in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Her favorite saying is: “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count”. It’s a phrase her mother has been instilling in her for as long as she can remember. It’s a reminder that all things are possible with God’s help.

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Performers Announced for 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy on May 3!

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We’re excited to share the line-up of incredible performers for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on May 3, 2023. To get your tickets to the Celebration, please visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org/celebration.

After School Dance Fund/Baila4Life

The ASDF initiative aims to create a consistent, safe, equitable and inclusive space for students, free of bullying, where they can participate in a positive group activity with peers. Participants learn the steps and the cultural background of Latin dancing and showcase their skills through choreographed performances at the culmination of the program. Through this process, students discover the importance of working hard towards a goal as well as living a healthy lifestyle. Latin dance has become a vehicle for increased cultural awareness and school pride, while also promoting exercise and having fun. ASDF believes that these learned qualities help each student become a more confident person, leading to better academic performance in school, and paving the way to opportunities in higher education and beyond.

Christylez Bacon 

Christylez Bacon is a GRAMMY® Nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast, Washington, DC. As a performer, Christylez multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box (oral percussion), all while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling through his lyrics.

With a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music, Christylez is constantly pushing the envelope – from performances at the National Cathedral, to becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, composing and orchestrating an entire concert for a 12-piece orchestra commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institute, or recording a Folk/Hip-Hop children’s album. He is the recipient of multiple honors awarded by the Washington Area Music Association including 2013 Artist of the Year, and the Montgomery County Executive Award for Excellence in the Arts, and has even been honored as a 2012 “Library Superhero” by Friends of the Library, Montgomery County.

DJ Face

DJ Face is a member of the True School Corporation, an organization of DJ’s founded and run by Grammy Award winning producer and DJ, 9th Wonder. Currently, Face is the tour DJ for Grammy nominated Jamla/Roc Nation artist, Rapsody, as well as Grammy nominated R&B/Soul singer Raheem DeVaughn. Face has performed in major venues nationally and internationally in places such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Germany, Aruba and more. Some of DJ Face’s current list of clients include: Nordstrom, Saks, and Macy’s.

DJ Face can be heard over the DC/MD/VA airwaves spinning on Majic 102.3/92.7FM on the midday mix with Vic Jagger, as well as every Saturday night from 7-10 p.m. with host, Ric Chill.

Eastern Senior High School Blue and White Marching Machine

Known for its competitive spirit, superior sound, and visually appealing performances, The Blue and White Marching Machine is one of the most celebrated marching bands in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area; consistently ranked among the best in the Mid-Atlantic United States.  For almost four decades the Marching Machine has consistently thrilled hundreds of thousands of spectators in person and millions on television.  The Marching Machine is master of a diverse and varied repertoire ranging from traditional patriotic standards to Billboard’s Hot 100.

MetroStage

MetroStage presents a season of contemporary plays and musicals, chosen for their social, political, literary, and entertainment value. The collaborative work of professional Equity actors, directors, and designers results in productions representing the highest artistic standards. MetroStage presents original, challenging, innovative work and is recognized for its role in the development of new plays and musicals for the American stage. The theatre is committed to maintaining a diverse, equitable, anti-racist, fully inclusive environment on stage and off, with its work reflecting and embracing the diversity of the Washington DC/Northern Virginia population. The intimacy of the theatre and its multicultural productions offer both the audience and the artists a unique, powerful theatre experience. Currently MetroStage is building a new theatre and during this interim phase it is serving its patrons by presenting readings and a monthly cabaret series covering a broad range of musical genres.

Levine Music

Levine Music is a welcoming community with diverse and comprehensive offerings in music instruction tailored to create the richest and most fulfilling experiences for our students and families, as well as events and performances to inspire music lovers of all ages. Levine’s core values – excellence and opportunity – infuse everything we do. The preeminent center for music education in the Greater Washington region, Levine is committed to offering instruction of the highest quality and performance opportunities to anyone regardless of age, ability, or financial means. Founded in 1976 in memory of prominent Washington attorney and amateur adult music student Selma M. Levine, today, Levine provides music instruction to more than 3,500 students weekly at six physical campuses throughout Greater Washington, as well as a permanent virtual campus. Levine’s distinguished faculty offer a broad and well-rounded curriculum that provides a strong musical foundation for students of different ages, abilities, and interests. Hundreds of students receive substantial scholarship assistance; many hundreds more receive free instruction through community partnership programs.

SOLE Defined

SOLE Defined is the Washington Metro area’s leading arts organization specializing in percussive dance – using the body as an instrument to create musical expression, specifically, Tap Dance, Body Percussion, and Sand Dance. Ryan K. Johnson, Executive Artistic Director, and Quynn Johnson, Director of Arts Education (no relation), merge their expertise in education, performance, social justice, and community outreach to advance respect for African Diasporic percussive dance practices and to raise admiration for the genre as a vital part of concert dance and academia. These award-winning colleagues use a synthesis of sonic and kinesthetic movement methodologies, embodied storytelling, integrated media, and historical data to serve actively disinvested communities while combating systemic racism and advancing equality in the dance continuum. SOLE Defined performances center on social-political issues advancing the devolvement of bridges toward Belonging and cultivating a more equitable landscape for generations of BIPOC practitioners. SOLE Defined’s programs include local, regional, national, and international engagements and services. SD continues establishing its visibility by cultivating programming for the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Queens Theatre, Lincoln Center, and The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD). 

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Meet Our Spirit of Philanthropy Award Honoree – Terri Lee Freeman

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The Greater Washington Community Foundation was proud to honor Terri Lee Freeman with the 2023 Spirit of Philanthropy Award at our 50th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy .

As the longest-serving and first Black female President and CEO of The Community Foundation (from 1996-2014), Terri was the catalyst for remarkable growth of the organization’s assets and impact in the community. Her visionary leadership was the driving force behind critical initiatives that helped our community through major crises, instigated groundbreaking conversations about race and racism, and mobilized resources to expand equity, access, and opportunity for all residents of the Greater Washington region. This work was unparalleled for its time and paved the way for The Community Foundation’s new strategic vision to build community wealth and close the racial wealth gap.

During her tenure, Terri was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as one of its “Women Who Mean Business” and by Washingtonian Magazine as a “Washingtonian of the Year” and “100 Most Powerful Women of Washington”. Since leaving The Community Foundation, she has pursued her passion for civil rights and social justice as the former President of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and now as the Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore.

Terri Lee Freeman was appointed Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in December 2020. The seventh director of the State’s largest museum devoted to African American history, Freeman is responsible for providing strategic leadership in furthering the museum’s mission as an educational and cultural institution. To that end, she has worked with staff and board to develop a five-year strategic plan that culminates in a planned renovation of The Lewis Museum’s permanent history exhibition, a growth in visitors, membership, funding support and community outreach. Freeman seeks to connect history to current events and expand the museum’s connection to the very rich and vibrant communities which make up the state of Maryland.

Prior to joining The Lewis Museum, Freeman served as President of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee for six years. During her tenure Freeman broadened the Museum’s reputation as the new public square. She oversaw the Museum’s MLK50 commemoration, an international commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and designed and executed signature programming like “Unpacking Racism for Action,” a seven-month-long dialogue program delving into issues of implicit bias and structural racism. 

Before the NCRM, Ms. Freeman served as President of the Greater Washington Community Foundation for 18 years. She distinguished herself for her community building and her ability to grow the Foundation’s reputation as an effective and strategic funder in the metropolitan DC region. 

Her intense passion for the nonprofit sector and community was nurtured while serving as the founding executive director of the Freddie Mac Foundation; at the time, one of the five largest corporate foundations in the metropolitan Washington region.

Ms. Freeman currently serves on the boards of BoardSource, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Visit Baltimore, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, and the University of Dayton, her alma mater.  In 2020, she was identified as an Outstanding Alum by the University of Dayton.  And in December 2020, the Memphis Magazine identified her as Memphian of the Year. A frequently sought-after speaker, Ms. Freeman lives by the saying that what is most important is what people say about you when you aren’t in the room. 

Freeman received her bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication arts from the University of Dayton and her master’s degree in organizational communication management from Howard University.