​Hilary Baar has more than 20 years of experience creating effective integrated, digital and mail fundraising and membership campaigns. Before joining the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Hilary oversaw the successful direct marketing program for the National Park Foundation. She has also worked for several notable direct marketing agencies in the DC metro area. Hilary is a Past President of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington. Her direct marketing programs have been honored with many industry-related awards, including numerous MAXI’s, an ECHO, and an ASAE Gold Circle Award. Hilary earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from George Washington University. When the direct marketing hat comes off, you’ll find Hilary, with her sleeves rolled up, in the kitchen baking one of her signature cookie recipes.

Ryan Barton (Chair) has spent the last decade working in low-income communities in the Washington, DC, area focusing on youth education and volunteer engagement. He spent the last 10 years working for Enterprise Community Development (previously Community Preservation and Development Corporation), a non-profit affordable housing organization. In that time, he presented at numerous national and regional conferences on how to engage youth in volunteerism and after-school programming. In 2015, he was awarded with a Distinguished Partner Award by Fairfax County Dept. of Neighborhood and Community Services for his work in the South County area of Fairfax County. In 2018, he was invited to participate in the American Express Leadership Academy for Emerging Volunteer Leaders in Atlanta, GA. Originally from Indiana, Ryan fell in love with theatre at a young age and continued to perform through his time at DePauw University, where he earned a BA in English Writing, as well as his teaching certification in Secondary English and Language Arts. He lives in Alexandria with his wife and two dogs.

​Kate Comfort is a lifelong supporter of the arts and enthusiastically joined the AOTH board in 2021 to champion the love of and increase the accessibility of the arts.  Her professional experience includes 15 years of varied operational and organizational risk analysis and strategic assessments for the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Department of Justice and private industry.  During that time, Kate founded and successfully ran a consultancy to provide mission support to various federal government entities. In 2019, she transitioned to the philanthropic sector at a private foundation with a mission focused on education, arts, and empowering historically disenfranchised and underrepresented groups.  Kate, her husband, and three young children live in Alexandria, VA.

​Leslie Malone (Secretary) is a Public Affairs Specialist for the DC Government, recently transitioning from the U.S. Government where she supported media relations and outreach for the U.S. Census Bureau before, during, and after the 2020 Census. Prior to state and federal civil service, she served in a communications capacity for a large education leadership association, and prior to that, was in charge of external relations for the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Science for the University of the District of Columbia. She has served as a volunteer for Signature Theatre since 2018 and enjoys supporting local Arlington high school productions.

​Julio Ramirez (Treasurer) is Sr. VP of Finance at RS&H, a full service architectural, engineering and environmental services firm. Julio brings a broad range of experience leading finance and accounting for service-based organizations across different industries, including education, technology, and engineering.  Julio enjoys staying involved and giving back to the local community. In addition to Arts on the Horizon, he serves as member-at-large on the City of Alexandria Budget and Fiscal Advisory Affairs Committee, and is a lead organizer of the Peruvian Cultural Festival of Arlington, VA. Julio lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and daughter. He is a musician and plays the guitar and the bass. Julio holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rebecca Regan is a museum management professional focusing on audience insight and experience in the field of modern and contemporary art. Rebecca has over 13 years of experience managing high volume public operations and customer service teams. A passionate supporter of the arts, she specializes in helping cultural institutions create meaningful and engaging experiences, learn about their visitors and understand their impact, and to embed visitor-centered thinking into every aspect of the experience, with the aim of sharing the transformative power of art with the widest possible audience. Rebecca has also served as an advisory grants panelist for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She has a Masters Degree in Arts Management from American University with a focus in capacity-building, cultural policy, and community engagement.