Ryan Barton (Secretary) 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.

Shawn Bates (Chair) is an international lawyer, mediator, educator and trainer with over 15 years of experience in the international arena. He is currently Assistant Professor in the School of International Service at American University, and the Director of the Chile/Argentina Summer Law Program for the Washington College of Law. Shawn was the founder and former Academic Director for American University’s Washington Semester Program in International Law and Organizations. With the assistance of the Washington Semester Program staff, he developed the International Law and Organizations Program into one of the most successful visiting academic programs at American University. Shawn designed and led a study tour of Western Europe and international legal institutions, as well as directed the academic development of the students in Unit I of the program.  In addition to teaching, Shawn is actively involved with the American Bar Association and the American Society for International Law (ASIL). He is a frequent lecturer on cross-cultural conflict and mediation, as well as an advisor to various multilateral institutions.

Cameron Brenchley is a communications and marketing consultant, educator and writer. Before founding his own consulting firm, Cameron developed organizational strategy and oversaw communications and email marketing for one of education’s largest membership organizations. Cameron previously served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications at the U.S. Department of Education and as Senior Digital Strategist at the White House Office of Digital Strategy. Cameron is an Air Force veteran and a father of three. He, his wife, and children split their time between Alexandria, VA, and Park City, UT.

Malena Brookshire is the Chief Financial Officer at AmeriCorps, providing strategic financial leadership to align resource decisions with agency priorities. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, Malena served as a Deputy Director at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer. She provided leadership in all phases of agency strategic planning and risk management, and developed strategies to support continuous improvement in agency programs. Malena also served as Deputy Controller for EPA, overseeing all aspects of agency financial management policy. Malena was the first Deputy Performance Improvement Officer for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, managing the agency’s planning, performance, and budget formulation efforts, and also spent time at the Office of Management and Budget. Malena earned her Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Administration and Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin. Malena is a charter member of the Association of Government Accountants Council for the Advancement of Women, and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Dr. Brandon Cochenour (Treasurer) is a scientist with the Department of Defense.  He is currently the deputy program manager for the SMART Scholarship, the DoD’s premier scholarship-for-service program. Prior to this role, Dr. Cochenour was a research engineer with the Navy, where he led over $2 million in basic research activities. He has over 50 scientific publications, 5 US Patents, and 1 textbook chapter on laser communications, all of which have been referenced in the scientific literature over 1500 times. In 2019, he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding early-career scientists and engineers. He was named a DoD Scientist of the Quarter in 2019 by the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, a Top Navy Scientist of the Year in 2018, 2012, and 2006, and a Maryland Academy of Sciences Outstanding Young Engineer in 2009.  Brandon has a 30+ year involvement with the performing arts as a musician, with experience in and out of the theater as a performer, educator, designer, and clinician. As a performer, Brandon is an active freelance jazz pianist in the DC area. In the theater, he has served in numerous productions as an orchestra musician or director, including a Kennedy Center ‘American College Theater Festival’ recognized production of “Working” with Lafayette College in 2000.  Brandon has a 20+ year involvement in outdoor pageantry activity, and is a former marching member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.  He is actively involved in the pageantry arena as an instructor and visual designer for competitive marching bands and ensembles across the Mid-Atlantic.  He has received adjudication training from Winterguard International (www.wgi.org), and regularly adjudicates for both indoor and outdoor competitive circuits across the country.  As a volunteer, Brandon has worked with Music for All (www.musicforall.org), a non-profit advocate for music and arts education. He lives in Alexandria VA, with his wife, and 3 year old son.

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 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.

Amala Nath (Vice Chair) is an attorney in Morrison & Foerster LLP's Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm's Agency Finance and Project Finance Groups. She has over a decade of experience representing multilateral development banks, export-credit agencies, and other lenders on international debt financings and equity investments. She facilitates the development of projects primarily in the energy and infrastructure sectors throughout Latin America and Africa and also works in other emerging markets. Amala was previously seconded to the legal department of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, an agency of the U.S. government, where she served as counsel on a portfolio of renewable energy projects for the Global Climate Finance Facility. Amala has received numerous professional honors for her work, including being named a "Next Generation Lawyer" and a "Project Finance Rising Star" by leading international publications. Amala grew up in India where she was involved with many initiatives focused on the promotion of the arts, including classical music and theatre. She holds a JD from American University and lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son.

Snigdha Ravy is a veteran of the early education field and has been working with young children and their families for more than 16 years. Her experience has given her the opportunity to work with families from disadvantaged communities, nonprofit programs, and language-immersion schools. She holds her M.Ed from Marymount University in Curriculum and Instruction. She is passionate about and regularly volunteers to help further STEM education for young children. Born in India, Snigdha was trained in Indian music and performed professionally in her youth. In her free time, Snigdha enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She is currently retired and lives in Arlington, VA with her daughter and husband.

Savonia Vassel currently works as a Business Operation Lead for Nava PBC in Washington, DC. Prior to her work with Nava PBC, Savonia was a Project Management Analyst for Brown and Caldwell, as well as a contractor for the United States Department of Justice, managing a series of projects such as the National Commission of Forensic Sciences.  In the evenings and on the weekends, Savonia frequents local theaters in the Washington, DC area such as the Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Arena Stage, and The Kennedy Center.