Meet the WMAN Leadership Team
West Mt Airy Neighbors (WMAN) is pleased to announce a new slate of Board members led by newly elected Board President, Steve Kendall. Together, we are committed to a continued renewal of WMAN’s mission to preserve and enhance the quality of life of our community — under conditions quite different from those our civic leaders faced when WMAN was formed in the 1950’s. We are excited to share highlights of recent and planned initiatives and activities, and welcome input and suggestions from the West Mt Airy community.
WMAN has been leading ongoing panel-led discussions (held virtually) on important and timely topics:
- Race Still Matters, exploring ways to combat structural racism in our neighborhoods. Hundreds of people joined conversations about voting; the history of West Mt Airy; our children’s education; rebalancing policing, social services, health, and housing as they relate to structural racism. This fall panel-led discussions will continue on structural racism in employment and within faith traditions.
- Climate/Environmental Activism and Justice.
- Home and Property Safety Workshops in collaboration with EMAN and with support from Wells Fargo.
WMAN and EMAN teamed up on Breaking Bread, Building Bridges—an initiative led by Anuj Gupta and funded by the Knight Foundation— to return a sense of community in a time when neighbors have been unable to gather in person. Participants attended six virtual dinners, all ordering from the same restaurants, with thirty participants per dinner.
Our priorities for the upcoming fiscal year:
- Understand the needs and concerns of West Mt Airy residents.
- Celebrate and engage with our children and our families with children.
- Educate and serve as a listening-post for neighbors feeling the stressors of neighborhood changes, preserving historic character, and real estate development pressures.
- Continue to host moderated panel conversations on topics of importance to our community.
- Host much-loved community events and festivals such as Mt Airy Day in collaboration with EMAN and others.
Board Officers:
- President: Steve Kendall
- Executive VP: Susan Matyas
- VP Community Affairs: Kristin Haskins-Simms
- VP Membership Development: Jo Winters
- VP Physical Resources: Morrie Zimmerman
- VP Finances: Rob Pelszynski
- Executive Director: Kathryn McKenzie-Zeigler
New and Continuing Board Members:
- Jana Adler
- Adrianne Carpenter
- Darrin Damone (continuing)
- Sam Grannum (continuing)
- Meg Hagele
- Leroy Hall
- Bob Holum (continuing)
- Kevin Keene (continuing)
- Donna Skinner Echols (continuing)
- Natalie Sloane
- Dionne Watts-Williams (continuing)
- Lauren Wiley (continuing)
We invite West Mt Airy residents committed to a flourishing and diverse civil society and a sustainable yet transforming built environment in our little part of the world to contact us right away. Become a member; join or rejoin one of our existing committees; or suggest a new initiative you can help lead!
For more information, please visit us at www.wman.net.