Latin Board
Washington Latin Board of Governors
Washington Latin is governed by an all-volunteer board, responsible for oversight of the school’s academic and fiscal well-being. Our Board of Governors is comprised of a maximum 15 members. The Board currently includes parents of Latin students, who bring this important perspective to our discussions about the school’s current work and future direction. There are four Board-led committees, and the full Board meets several times per year. If you have questions about the board, please contact Peter Anderson, Head of Schools, Ken Merritt, Board President or Brendan Williams-Kief, Board Vice President.
Latin Board Meetings Information
Board meetings are open to the public, and are typically online via ZOOM webinar. To attend a (virtual) board meeting, please register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We use the Board on Track portal — both for our board members and the general public. All information about our board meetings is posted on our board portal, Board on Track, including meeting dates, agendas, and for past meetings, approved minutes.
2026-27 Board Members
Ken Merritt is the founder and managing partner at Merritt Advisory Group and is a skilled thought leader, facilitator and C-Suite level advisor. He has over 30 years helping companies align organizational goals, functional capabilities, and leadership gravitas. His progressive experience in strategy and leadership advisory spans across multiple industries, types of organizations, and business functions. Having worked for companies such as Korn Ferry and Deloitte Consulting, Mr. Merritt is a seasoned organizational strategist who has also served as a Board Director for both private operating companies and not-for-profit organizations. He joined the Washington Latin Board of Governors in the fall of 2019.
Brendan Williams-Kief is Executive Vice President of Georgetown Public Affairs LLC where he focuses on assisting clients with media, communications, and government affairs needs, particularly in the areas of education, health care, technology, and economic development policy. He draws on his experiences as a former journalist, at the highest levels of municipal politics, and for an internationally respected advocacy organization to help clients develop their message and ensure that it is heard. Prior to his time in politics, Mr. Williams-Kief was an evening news editor at NBC Washington, the leading news bureau in the Nation’s Capital. He has also served as Director of Communications for the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), leading media relations and messaging for NCEE’s work around the globe. In addition, he served in a number of critical roles in city politics in Washington DC, including as the Chief of Staff, Communications Director, and Committee Director for the DC Council’s Committee on Education. He was instrumental in building winning legislative campaigns, securing critical public policy reforms, and generating positive press coverage in local and national media outlets.
Aswathi Zachariah is the Chief Legal Officer of AUM+, which advances social justice philanthropy. Prior to joining AUM+, Aswathi served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Aswathi also served as General Counsel of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and as Associate General Counsel of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Earlier in her career, she practiced law at the law firm of Arent Fox in Washington DC, where she focused on real estate and corporate transactional law. Aswathi has extensive experience in the governance and oversight of public charter schools as a former member of the Board of Directors of Two Rivers Public Charter School for six years, serving as President and Secretary during her tenure. She also continues her work in arts advocacy as a Senior Advisor to Americans for the Arts. Aswathi is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and worked in the audit practice at PwC, with a focus on quasi-governmental clients and those in the financial sector. She earned her law degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business.
Elizabeth Pollitt Paisner is the Corporate Vice President, Financial Analysis and Feasibility for Quadrangle Development Corporation, a leading full-service real estate developer in Washington DC. Prior to joining Quadrangle in 2014, she worked for the Office of Economic Development Finance for the Government of the District of Columbia. She has been involved in real estate and economic development in DC for over 20 years. Early in her career, she served as a senior consultant to Arthur Andersen. She serves on the board of the Hill Center on Capitol Hill and is the parent of two students at Washington Latin. She has a Masters in Public Policy from University of California, Berkeley and a BS in Business Administration from Villanova University, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.
Sasha-Gaye Angus is a distinguished leader in affordable housing and community development with over 23 years of experience. Since 2020, Ms. Angus has served as the President & CEO of MANNA, Inc. a leading nonprofit developer of quality, affordable housing in Washington DC. Under her visionary leadership, MANNA has become a pivotal force in homeownership policy discussions at both federal and local levels. Previously, as Senior Vice President at McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., Sasha managed large-scale neighborhood transformation projects in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, overseeing the development of over 2,000 affordable and mixed-income housing units. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles with national developers of affordable housing and has served on numerous boards. She has been key in forming coalitions with housing partners and driving a policy agenda that advocates $100 million in government funding for affordable housing. Ms. Angus holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration from Fisk University and an MPA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She completed a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence and was named a Young Leader by Affordable Housing Finance in 2015.
Zoumana Berte is an Executive Director and Banker at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Zoumana works with a diverse mix of affluent individuals and family offices, including government contractors, tech founders, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and business owners who have sold their enterprises. He serves as a powerful advocate to help them navigate the sophisticated financial decisions that often accompany complex balance sheets. As an entrepreneur himself, Zoumana understands that clients are driven by their values, and he connects on a personal level to learn what is most important to them—family, business, philanthropy, their legacies. He is thoughtful in his approach, tapping specialist resources to present strategies for diversification, pre-transaction planning, lending and more. Zoumana acts as a facilitator, bringing together his clients’ advisory teams for an open exchange of synergistic ideas. He understands that individuals seek connectivity across the firm, and he provides access to the Commercial Bank, Investment Bank and other lines of business. Over a nearly 15-year career, Zoumana has gained a reputation for his genuine nature and for going the extra mile to find the answers clients seek. He has a talent for simplifying complex concepts into everyday terms. Zoumana has a decade of experience in private banking at Wells Fargo, SunTrust and Citi. His diverse background includes business banking, lending, and traditional and alternative investments. Zoumana is originally from Mali, West Africa — he speaks French and Bambara — and began his education in Morocco before earning a B.B.A. in Finance at Auburn University. He holds an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. One of Zoumana’s core principles is to give back to the community, and he and his wife lead by example to introduce their two children to philanthropy. He is a board member of the National Children’s Center, and has a long history of mentorship and teaching financial literacy. Passionate about entrepreneurship, Zoumana and his wife own a family business and are part of a Washington DC angel investor group. To relax, he plays tennis.
Rakim H.D. Brooks is General Counsel and Board Secretary at Freedom Together Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to supporting those who have been denied power to build it to transform unjust systems and build a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable society. Prior to joining Freedom Together, Rakim was the President of the Alliance for Justice where he championed, defended and enhanced constitutional democracy. He has also been a senior campaign strategist at the ACLU leading its systemic equality work and as a lawyer at Susman Godfrey, the nation’s premier litigation boutique. Rakim earned his BA from Brown University, his M.Phil in Political Theory from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and his law and business degrees from the Yale Law School and Yale School of Management. He was born and raised in East Harlem and now lives in Washington DC with his husband. He joined the Washington Latin board in 2025.
Abigail Huston is the Vice President of Programs at the Clean Power Institute, where she leads national initiatives to build a diverse, skilled workforce for the clean energy sector. She works at the intersection of industry, education, and philanthropy to create innovative pathways into wind, solar, and battery storage careers. Abigail brings over two decades of leadership experience in education and social impact, including more than a decade with Teach For All, where she served as Head of Europe supporting education system change across 20+ countries. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova and Site Director with The New Teacher Project in the US, Abigail is passionate about expanding opportunity and equity for young people. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and has lived and worked extensively in the US and Europe.
Colleen Niese was named CEO of Colonial Parking in 2022. In her role, she is ultimately responsible for delivering the financial and intrinsic results as set by the Executive Chair and Board of Directors. Under Colleen’s leadership, Colonial Parking established an exclusive partnership with Spot Hero to deliver ColonialFlex, a parker affinity program and a first of its kind in the DMV. Colleen has grown the business to 350 locations and is responsible in ensuring each of the 1,000 Colonial team members delivers the promise to each and every customer and client with every transaction. Throughout her career, Colleen has had a number of opportunities to lead transformative, strategic, and tech-based initiatives that materially impacted the associated organization’s intrinsic and financial value.
Fabiana Sofia Perera is a Senior Faculty Associate at Defense Security Cooperation University. She is a political scientist whose work and research focuses on security and defense issues relating to Latin America and to resource-dependent countries in particular. Prior to joining the Perry Center, Dr. Perera was a Rosenthal Fellow at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Under Secretary for Policy, Western Hemisphere Affairs. She has experience in both public and private sectors, including a research associate at Mitsubishi International Corporation focusing on Latin America and the energy and infrastructure sectors. She also has experience serving at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Perera holds a MA in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University and a PhD in Political Science from The George Washington University. Fieldwork for her doctorate was completed in Venezuela and Ecuador. Her research and analysis have appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Post, CNN.com, and War on the Rocks. She grew up in beautiful Caracas, Venezuela and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
Julia Porter brings over 35 years as a professional in the fields of clinical psychology and education with expertise in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, adolescent development, social-emotional curriculum design, coaching, and facilitation. Dr. Porter most recently served as Middle School Counselor at Sidwell Friends School where she provided student counseling, diagnosis and referrals, parent consultation and presentations. She oversaw a school climate survey, developed and taught Advisory curricula for 5th through 8th grade. Dr. Porter clerked the Student Support Team (SST), reviewing students’ emotional, social and learning concerns with administrators and learning specialists. She contributed her knowledge of neurodiversity, learning differences, and the role of family dynamics in student learning. She consulted with teachers about SST action steps to support student success. For three years during her tenure at Sidwell, Dr. Porter also served as Diversity Coordinator, planning and facilitating diversity initiatives that were embedded in the classroom. Earlier in her career as a Professional Development Specialist at Vantage Human Resources, Dr. Porter provided team building and executive coaching to individuals in over eleven federal agencies. She also served as Court Psychologist in the Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and clinical psychologist at Graydon Manor, a residential treatment Center. Dr. Porter received her BA in Psychology from Cornell University and her MA and PhD in Clinical and School Psychology from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University. With a passion for creative expression, in her spare time, Dr. Porter enjoys creating collage art and Ikebana flower arrangements.
Lisa Gail Rucker brings more than 25 years of experience in the fields of grants management, youth and adult education, training, organizational development, and nonprofit leadership. She has worked to create community-based programs and city-wide systems to help youth and adults obtain the education, training and other services, opportunities and supports needed to succeed in life. Ms. Rucker served most recently as the Director of the Center for Youth Development at United Way of the National Capital Area and was the founding manager for LEARN24’s (the District of Columbia’s Out-of-School Time Network) Institute for Youth Development. She was the founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Youth Development at the DC Trust, where she also led the Lifelong Learning Initiative and other literacy programs. Her experience includes serving as Friendship House’s Director of Community Services, and Community of Hope’s Youth and Adult Education Program Manager. She has taught SAT, ESL, and GED courses both in Africa and the US and worked with at-risk youth at Upward Bound and the Freedom Youth Academy. Ms. Rucker holds a master’s degree in International Education and Training at the School for International Training, a Graduate Certificate in Adult Education from the University of the District of Columbia, and a BA from the University of Virginia. She resides in Columbia Heights with her husband Souleymane Diallo and their five children; three have graduated and two are currently enrolled at Washington Latin. Ms. Rucker has also served on the DCPS Special Education Parent Advisory Board and is a volunteer for the parent advocacy group, Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE).
Margie Yeager is the Managing Partner at Education Forward DC, a local philanthropic organization focused on supporting excellent outcomes for students in Washington DC. She was drawn to this work because she believes deeply in supporting equity and opportunity for students to access excellent education, seeing the incredible potential of students across DC. Prior to joining Education Forward DC in 2018, Ms. Yeager was the Director of Advocacy and Policy for Chiefs for Change, where she supported a bipartisan coalition of state and local leaders working to drive transformational systems-level change for students. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff to the DC Deputy Mayor for Education. Ms. Yeager started her career as a second-grade teacher with Teach for America at Simon Elementary in DC Public Schools (DCPS). Margie earned a BA summa cum laude in Psychology and Sociology from Tufts University and an MPP with honors from Harvard Kennedy School. She was born in Santiago, Chile, raised in Maryland, and currently lives in the Palisades neighborhood of DC with her husband and three sons, two of whom attend Washington Latin’s Cooper Campus. She joined the Washington Latin board in 2024.
