Our People

Michele assumed the role of head of school on July 1, 2021. She brings a breadth of important leadership skills and experience to Langley – from founding arts education programs at two schools in Managua, Nicaragua, to understanding the needs of young learners as a third-grade teacher at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in Manhattan, to growing enrollment to 500+ students as a strategic, innovative, and growth-minded head of school at the Ross School in New York, to leading the middle school division with 240 students as associate head of school and head of middle school at the Norwood School in Bethesda. In her various roles, Michele has overseen the hiring, development, and supervision of faculty and staff, managed large operating budgets, led the high school placement process for eighth-graders, advanced curriculum and teaching with notable results, led diversity and equity initiatives, and built deep partnerships with a variety of constituencies, including trustees, parents, faculty, staff, and students.

Michele holds an M.S. from Bank Street College of Education and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Nadia has more than 10 years of international experience across management, employee engagement, employee relations, compensation analysis, talent acquisition, and onboarding roles. Before joining The Langley School in 2022, she was a global human resources manager with an international energy consulting firm, where she oversaw the HR strategy and direction for U.S. and field operations. Throughout her career in different parts of the world, Nadia has established a track record of success by leveraging a collaborative leadership style to accomplish many of her short- and long-range objectives promoting the human capital as the most valuable asset for any organization. She is an active SHRM-SCP-certified HR professional who is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and proficient in Spanish.

Nadia received an M.B.A. in finance from George Mason University, a B.A. in marketing from ISCAE, Casablanca, Morocco, and a certificate in human resources management from George Mason University.

Prior to joining Langley’s admission team in 2022, Debbie spent eight years working in admissions and advancement at Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences in upper Montgomery County, MD, supporting and then leading the school’s admissions, advancement, and marketing efforts.

Debbie earned a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and a B.A. from Rutgers University, Camden College of Arts & Sciences.

Emily joined Langley in 2021, bringing nearly 15 years of both teaching and leadership experience at independent schools in New York and California. Most recently, she served as dean of students and as a member of the strategic leadership team at San Francisco's Drew School, where she was responsible for the academic and social-emotional experience of nearly 300 high school students. Emily started her career at Horace Mann School in New York, where she focused on the middle school years. During her nine years there, she served as a student activities coordinator, history teacher, advisor, and grade-level team leader. She also developed an inclusive student leadership model and helped create the department's scope and sequence.

Emily earned an M.A. and M.Ed. from Columbia University's Teacher's College and a B.A. from Hamilton College.

A nonprofit professional with more than 16 years of development and special events experience, Ricki served as a development consultant for Langley for several years before joining the staff in 2021. Previously, she was director of development for The Washington Ballet, director of development and community relations for the Workhouse Arts Center, executive director of Bowen McCauley Dance, and assistant director of special events at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Ricki holds an M.S. and a B.F.A. from Shenandoah University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

LaToya joined the Langley community in 2012. Over the last 10 years, she has served in a variety of roles, including running the extended day (Club E.D.), after-school enrichment, and Leopard Cubs programs. Most recently, she stepped into the role of director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and leads the school’s DEIB efforts. Prior to coming to Langley, LaToya spent a year working for the AmeriCorps program, City Year. She also taught in the fifth-grade classroom at DC Scholars Stanton Elementary in Southeast DC. While there, she served as the community engagement coordinator and on the ambassador board that frequently met with DC politicians and leaders to discuss the state of the public school system.

LaToya holds a B.A. from George Mason University.

Anna came to Langley in 2019 from Ingenuity Prep in Washington, DC, where she served as a principal, instructional leadership coach, and founding master teacher. During her time there, she built a successful preK3 and preK4 program for more than 120 students, focusing on social-emotional learning and high-quality early literacy and math instruction. Anna began her teaching career in Honduras and has also taught early childhood classes in Sweden and Washington, DC. She was a DC Teacher of the Year nominee in 2011 and a Washington Post Principal of the Year finalist in 2016.

Anna earned an M.S. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. from Davidson College.

Sarah joined the Langley community in 2017 in the newly created role of director of social and emotional learning. While earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, her graduate research focused on friendships during early adolescence and specifically on the interplay between social and emotional well-being. Prior to working at Langley, she practiced as a child and adolescent psychologist at the Wake Kendall Group, PLLC in Washington, DC, and served as the director of learning services at the Lowell School.

Sarah holds a Ph.D. from SUNY, University at Buffalo and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Brittany came to Langley in 2021 from the Columbus School for Girls in Ohio, where she directed and implemented the school’s internal and external marketing efforts, increased its brand recognition and thought leadership, and was deeply involved in developing its DEI programming. Previously, Brittany served as assistant director of public affairs/marketing and communications strategist at the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation and as a reporter at several television stations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

Brittany holds an M.S. from Franklin University and a B.S. from Northwestern University.

Julie DeFrain is an attorney and management analyst at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation specializing in corporate services acquisitions. Before joining the FDIC, she worked at the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, leading a team that helped simplify and overhaul the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Prior to federal government service, Julie worked at various law firms in Chicago, IL, and Washington, DC, as a mergers and acquisitions attorney with a focus on sports law. Julie grew up in a restaurant family and stayed involved in all aspects of her family's restaurants until they closed in 2018.

Julie is an alumna of the University of Virginia and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Ariana DiMeo joined the Langley family in 2018 as an avid parent-volunteer. She is a senior career public servant in interagency strategy development and policy negotiation. Her career assignments span the U.S. government, including committees in the House and Senate, Federal District Court, and multiple Cabinet-level departments and agencies. Ariana’s commendations include Presidential Management Fellow, Partnership for Public Service Excellence in Government Senior Fellow, Graduate School USA Senior Leader, National Intelligence University subject-matter and community leadership certificates, and the Intelligence Integration Unit Citation.

Ariana earned her B.A. in government and religion, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Presidential Medal, from Sweet Briar College. She earned her A.M. in political ethics and biblical law from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and her business certificates from Yale University School of Management and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Ariana earned her J.D., Order of Barristers, from Tulane University Law School, and her L.L.M. in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law.

John Gilliland is currently a stay-at-home dad. A retired U.S. Navy Supply Corps officer, John served in the Navy for 22 years in a variety of capacities, to include as an officer onboard two San Diego-based ships and as liaisons to the Congress in both the Navy’s and the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Offices of Legislative Affairs. After retiring from the Navy, he served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, the department’s and secretary’s most senior advisor for all matters related to the U.S. House of Representatives.

John graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Miami University (Oxford, OH) where he received his commission through the Naval ROTC program. He also earned a Master of Science degree with Distinction in contracting management from the Naval Postgraduate School. John sits on the board of the Miami University NROTC Alumni Organization.

David Halwig is a president and co-founder of IntelliVen, Inc., an executive services firm which helps leaders develop and align strategy to more fully realize enterprise value. Previously, he spent over 25 years with KPMG LLC and KPMG Consulting as a general partner and senior vice president - public sector, Latin America. David is a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Georges School in Newport, RI, where he chairs the Audit and Risk Management Committee. He is a past member of the Key Executive Board for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a founding member of the Chief Risk Officer’s Council for George Mason University. He is an adjunct faculty member at George Mason, leading risk management program sessions, and is a frequent lecturer for the Archer Center for Leadership Development at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

David earned a B.S. in management engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Ruchi Jalla (Vice Chair and Treasurer) is a senior diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader with nearly two decades of experience in driving DEI capability and organizational change for major global enterprises, and was recently recognized as one of “North America’s Most Influential D&I Leaders” (Hive, 2020). As vice president, chief diversity and inclusion officer for BAE Systems Inc., she has positioned the organization at the forefront of diversity, equity, and inclusion, establishing it as a thought-leader and employer of choice, honored with multiple awards and top Equality Index rankings.

Ruchi holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario, GPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications, and previously served on the Virginia SHRM State Council and NOVA SHRM Board of Directors.

Joel Kanter (Trustee Emeritus) has served as president of Windy City, Inc., a privately held investment firm, since 1986. From 1995 to 1999, he was the chief executive officer and president of Walnut Financial Services, Inc., a publicly traded company. Joel serves on the boards of several public and privately held healthcare companies, as well as several non-educationally oriented not-for-profit organizations. He is currently chair of the board for the Black Student Fund and co-chair of the board for the John’s Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Joel has a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in psychology from Tulane University.

 

Alistair Miller (Vice Chair) leads imagery product and strategic partnerships at Mapbox, an open-source platform for building custom mapping applications. He has 20 years of experience in the mapping and satellite imagine industry, having previously served in product and strategy leadership roles at OmniEarth, SignalFrame, and Maxar. In 2017, Alistair founded GeoCumulus, a strategic advisory firm specializing in the application of machine learning and computer vision.

Alistair studied geography at Mary Washington College.

John Mitnick is an attorney who serves as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Valaurum, Inc., a creator and manufacturer of innovative gold currency and physical cryptocurrency products, and as chairman of the Board of Directors of Draganfly Inc., a drone manufacturing and services company (NASDAQ: DPRO). John has extensive government experience, having served as the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security (2018-2019) and as associate counsel to President George W. Bush in the White House (2005-2007). His previous private sector experience includes serving as senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary of The Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit think tank (2014-2018), and as vice president, general counsel, and secretary of a Raytheon business unit with $3 billion of annual sales (2007-2013). He began his legal career at the law firm now known as Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP (1988-2001), where he was a partner specializing in mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and commercial contracts.

John received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in jurisprudence from the University of Oxford. He also holds a B.A. in history and political science (summa cum laude) from Emory University.

Nicole Brognano Morrill is the chief real estate officer for Ancora, a vertically integrated investor, developer, and manager of life sciences, research, and mixed-use real estate. She leads the development, construction, and transactions teams to ensure overarching goals and the strategic vision are being met. Ancora’s work sits at the intersection of commercial real estate and the educational, healthcare, R&D, and commercialization demands that drive higher education and medical institutions. Nicole is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and its Women’s Leadership Initiative. For the past eight years, she has also served on the McLean Planning Committee to help advance a vision for an evolving downtown McLean.

Nicole holds a B.S. from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Brett Nelson joined EJF Capital, LLC at its founding in 2005 and is currently a managing director at the firm. EJF Capital is a global institutional alternative asset management firm based in Arlington, VA. He has served in various financial services-related portfolio management roles with EJF and its affiliates, and currently manages investments within EJF’s tactical opportunities strategy and focuses on event-driven investments at the firm, including activist positions, spinoffs, and tender offers. Prior to joining EJF, Brett served as a vice president in the Alternative Asset Group at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, where he was responsible for managing investments of several private investment vehicles.

Brett holds a B.A. in mathematics and an M.E. in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, as well as an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Lara Ramsey (Chair) is a Northern Virginia native and an alumna of Langley. She serves part-time as a partner and general counsel for Acorn Capital, LC, a small real estate investment company. Lara formerly practiced insurance litigation before leaving law for education. She spent five years running leadership programs for high school students and several years working as a part-time school counselor in Arlington Public Schools.

Lara earned a B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a J.D. at the University of Virginia, and an M.Ed. at the George Washington University.

Dane Smith is a founding member of Invictus Capital Partners, an alternative asset manager focused on real estate credit. At Invictus, Dane is a member of both the Management and Investment Committees and is responsible for identifying and sourcing new investment opportunities and overseeing portfolio management activities. He is also the president of Verus Mortgage Capital, Invictus’ affiliated operating company that sources, diligences, finances, and acquires investments for Invictus-managed investment funds. Dane is responsible for the management of all Verus business units, including credit, operations, capital markets, finance, and sales.

Dane received a B.E., magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University, with dual majors in chemical engineering and mathematics.

Kim Wargo is head of school at The Lab School of Washington, a role she has held since July 2020. Kim has worked in independent schools for three decades. Prior to her headship at Lab, she served as head of independent schools in San Francisco, Dallas, and Chicago, and held other senior leadership roles in two independent schools in her hometown of New Orleans. Kim serves on the board of The Heads Network and AISGW, and has previously been a board member of ERB, the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, the Southwest Preparatory Athletic Conference, The Tate Lecture Series of Southern Methodist University, and Aim High.

Kim earned a B.A. in journalism from Louisiana State University, where she graduated summa cum laude with minors in history and English, and a M.A. in history from Tulane University. 

Andrea Weinstein (Secretary) is an attorney currently serving as vice president of federal regulatory affairs for Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission, and retail distribution operations. Delivering electricity to three million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power-generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Andrea has held this position since 2014 and is responsible for developing policies and implementing regulatory strategies at the federal level. She originally joined Entergy as senior regulatory counsel in March 2004. Before joining Entergy, Andrea was an associate at the law firm of Morgan, Lewis, Bockius, LLP in Washington, DC. From 1998-2000, she was employed as an attorney-advisor by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the Office of General Counsel.

Andrea graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and received a Juris Doctorate degree from American University, Washington College of Law.

Shireen Zaman is a program officer with the BUILD program at the Ford Foundation where she is focused on working with leading social justice organizations to equip them with the strategic clarity, people, knowledge, and resources they need to achieve impact and advance systems change over the course of years and decades. Shireen has more than two decades of experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector, spearheading organizational transformation, resource development, and program management. In 2013, she was recognized as a White House "Champion of Change" for her work as an Asian-American woman leader.

She holds a B.A. in human development from Boston College and an M.A. from the School of International Service at American University.