Katie Davis, Chair, a Northern Virginia native, joined the JFD Board in September 2015. She grew up performing in a variety of classical dance styles, including ballet, jazz, and lyrical, and continues to add new styles like hip hop and modern to her repertoire. As JFD secretary, she looks forward to sharing her love of dance and artistic expression with a broader audience and giving back to the local arts community in a meaningful way. Katie graduated from the University of Virginia with degrees in Economics and Psychology. She currently works as a business manager for a global communications firm in Washington, D.C.
Shelby Hettenbach, Secretary, is an alum of the University at Albany where she graduated with a B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology. Shelby has a background in sexual violence advocacy and prevention and has worked with survivors of Human Trafficking in various roles for the past 2 years. She has a passion for dance and grew up performing pointe, ballet, and modern dance. Shelby strongly believes in dance as a form of self-expression and personal growth. Currently, Shelby serves as an advocate and Behavior Therapist. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her partner and rescue dog.
Christine Tarrago, Treasurer, was raised in Germany where she enjoyed an education in classical ballet and piano. After graduating with her MBA from the Universitaet Augsburg, she lived in multiple European countries pursuing her professional finance career before relocating to the United States in 2005. Christine is a strong believer in the performing arts as an expression of emotion and feelings and has stayed attuned to the performing arts community since childhood. Her further belief in the arts playing an intrinsic substantial part of a community led her to join the JFD board in January 2017.
Dr. Robert Rudney is a retired Defense Department official and disability advocate. He also serves as Board Secretary for the DC Center for Independent Living and volunteers at the DC Rehabilitation Services Administration. He is co-author of four books on defense policy and author of a disability novel, “Lovers Lame.” He has a PhD in History from the University of Michigan.
Jan Canterbury is an Environmental Scientist who worked at USEPA over 25 years as a Project Manager on Global Climate Change projects. She did public speaking at the Pentagon, at national conferences with various corporate and non-profit organizations (e.g., USCM, ICMA, OECD, etc) and at international trainings (i.e., including in Russia, South Africa and Poland.) Jan also worked with a team of scientists who wrote Environmental Impact Statements at contaminated sites (i.e., as in the film “Erin Brockovich”) around the country. And, she wrote the Presidential Proclamation (for President Barack Obama) entitled, “Sustainable Solutions for a Healthy Environment and Economy.” More recently, Jan volunteers with groups such as “Building Bridges,” “Ascent Virginia” and “Eco-Comedy” with American University. She is delighted to be involved in JFD although she has two left feet.
Diane Dorius is a retired attorney whose legal career focused primarily on housing, community development and energy conservation policies through her service with the U.S. House of Representatives and the Federal Housing Finance Board. She started dancing as soon as she found her balance for the first time, swirling in front of her parents to the Waltz of the Flowers. She performed regularly with the Sacred Dancers of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington for 30 years and now dances with Jane Franklin’s 40+ and with Helping Hearts for the Arts. Knowing how dance can inspire dancers and their audiences to experience tenderness, sorrow, anger, elation and humor in ways that go beyond words, she is excited to join the board of JFD to help a much wider audience experience the magic that Jane, her dancers and her musical collaborators create.
Jessica Shoemaker is an Underwriting Manager at Freddie Mac, with over a decade of experience in commercial mortgage banking. She holds a B.A. from George Washington University and an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jessica credits her involvement in musical theater, dance, piano and concert band throughout childhood for providing her with the leadership presence and public speaking skills she utilizes as an adult. In addition to her involvement with JFD, Jessica mentors military veterans through American Corporate Partners, a non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans transitioning to corporate employment, and manages Freddie Mac’s corporate partnership with the Ellevate Network, an international professional women’s organization. As a JFD board member, Jessica blends her business skills with her love of the arts to share the joy of dance with the Arlington community.
Brandyn Alexandr Snyder is originally from Elizabethtown Pennsylvania. After high school, he attended East Georgia State College where he acquired an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice & Psychology. Then, in 2019 Brandyn obtained a Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies in Fashion Merchandising, Law and Legal Studies, and Event Planning from West Virginia University. While there he served as a UNICEF Ambassador, Social Chairmen of the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi, Vice President of Programming for the Inter-Fraternity Council, as well as the President of the Fashion Business Association. He hopes to one day use his wide array of experiences and education to lead fashion shows around the world and unify cultures and people. Brandyn’s philosophy for dance is that “like fashion, dance is one of the few languages that anyone can speak”.
Stephanie Deason earned a BBA in Accounting and an MBA from Georgia Southern University. She has a decade of experience in nonprofit finance and is currently the Controller for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. She is a Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant. She enjoys the DC area and its many opportunities to experience the performing arts. She is excited to be a part of JFD.
Volunteers
