GHI Board of Directors Up for Election

Five seats are up for election on the Greenbelt Homes Inc. (GHI) Board of Directors—and seven GHI members are in the running for them. Find out more about the candidates in their bios, posted below.

The voting will begin after GHI's annual meeting on Thursday, May 17 and continue through May 18.

The annual meeting will be held from 7:30-10:30 p.m. in the gym. Friday's voting will take place at the from 7-10 a.m. and 5-8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 16, until noon is the deadline for members pick up applications for absentee ballots from GHI Director of Member Services Joan Krob at GHI's Management Office. Absentee ballots can be filled out on the spot or be returned to Krob before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

GHI BOARD OF DIRECTORS – CANDIDATES' SUBMITTED BIOS

ED JAMES
Ed James has been an active member of GHI since 1977. He has been a GHI director/treasurer, Greenbelt Jaycees director/treasurer, Citizens for Greenbelt co-founder, City of Greenbelt CPR instructor, GHI Audit Committee member, Greenbelt Internet Access Cooperative founder/director, and member of many GHI committees.

Current GHI activities include serving as GHI director/secretary, member of the Woodlands and Buildings committees, and various work groups. Non-GHI activities include the Greenbelt Community Garden Club, Greenbelt Computer Club, New Deal Café director, Greenbelt Community Development Corporation director/treasurer, Greenbelt Cooperatives Alliance representative, co-chair of the Old Greenbelt Neighborhood Watch, and Greenbelt Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability member.

James' educational background includes degrees in physics, biochemistry, zoology, and computer science. His professional employment history includes Martin Marietta Labs, NASA, the IMF, the University of Maryland and various consulting firms. He retired early and enjoys activities such as physical fitness, gardening, and freelance computer software projects.

KEN BLUE
Ken Blue’s GHI experience consists of more than six GHI residences in more than 45 years. Blue brings a wide range of personal, educational and business success to GHI, making quality and efficiency improvements to numerous organizations from nonprofits to Fortune 500 private enterprise and government agencies throughout the United States and internationally. While vice president of quality for a local nonprofit, Blue reduced operational cost by more than 25 percent, improving quality coverage and performance by more than 75 percent. Blue demonstrated similar performance improvements as a management consultant and motivational speaker/trainer in each of the organizations he has had the privilege to serve.  Blue is also an accomplished athlete, completing in more than 50 marathons, ironman triathlons, and distance aquatic events throughout the world. Blue has successfully performed on several boards throughout the metropolitan area, including those for Greenbelt Park and the Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), Greenbelt Middle School, and the Labor Day Festival. When elected, Blue offers proven leadership, endurance, energy, education, and experience to the GHI cooperative.

DIANA MCFADDEN
Diana E. McFadden is a lifelong Marylander by choice. She joined GHI in 2002 and has served on the board since May of 2006. She also serves as board liaison to the Addition Maintenance Task Force.

McFadden earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science in 1979. She has lived and traveled in the UK and traveled in Europe as far east as Turkey. She has visited diverse communities, villages and towns at home and abroad, noting how a community’s physical layout affects quality of life. She has also read extensively about communities and societies past and present.

McFadden participated in the Greener Greenbelt Charette of 2007 and most recently attended Greenbelt’s 75th Anniversary Symposium on April 28, 2012. As a result of her studies, travels and experiences, McFadden recognizes the traits that peaceful, thriving communities have in common, and she will continue to promote these qualities in GHI.

IRWIN WARTELL

• A proud member since 1988.
• Current GHI board member.
• Board liaison to GHI’s Companion Animal Committee and Greenbelt’s 75th Anniversary Committee. 
• Active member of Mishkan Torah Synagogue/vice president of programming.
• Retired from the American Chemical Society.
• Graduate of Temple University and the Charles Morris Price School of Advertising and Journalism.
• Diverse career, included retailing, social work, advertising, marketing, public relations and meeting planning.

In 2010, headed up GHI’s Labor Day booth and garnered second place for GHI in the parade, helped organize the annual picnic, yard sale and marketing events. Wartell says, "I want to serve the membership again in helping to set sound policy, to utilize my varied work experience to bring about an awareness of what GHI has to offer, and ensure that our unique community continues to reflect a bygone era of vitality, neighborliness and cooperation."

FRANK DEBERNARDO
Frank DeBernardo has been a member of GHI since 2004. He served on the Nominations and Elections Committee, the Member and Community Relations Committee, and the Green Ribbon Task Force.

He serves on the City of Greenbelt’s 75th Anniversary Committee, and is a member of Greenbelt Pride.  For two years, he coordinated press activity for Greenbelt’s Labor Day Festival. Outside of Greenbelt, he is a Prince George’s County representative for WMATA’s Riders’ Advisory Council, for which he served two-terms as chair.

Debernardo is the executive director of New Ways Ministry, a national Catholic ministry of justice, education and reconciliation for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender Catholics and the wider church. In addition to fundraising and management, he conducts educational programs around the nation, as well as editing a daily blog. He has a graduate degree in rhetoric from the University of Maryland, where he was also an instructor and writing program administrator.

DAVID MORSE
Incumbent, Board of Directors, 2006-present.

Education: B.A., University of Maryland, political philosophy. 
Occupation: Freelance writer/editor. Greenbelt News Review writer/editor, two years. Interest and background in government and public policy, history and literature.
Personal: Lived in GHI 20 years with my wife and two children (one born here), frequented our woodland trails and local co-ops. Occasionally plays with Greenbelt’s Irish musicians.
Broad knowledge of GHI through: maintaining congenial working relationships with committees and staff; coming to grips with issues through research and through conversations with members, GHI Board colleagues, staff and the Audit Committee; staying open to new and challenging ideas and views; keeping abreast not just of current matters but of future needs; and reading Greenbelt-related history.
Committee Membership: Communications (board liaison), Finance, Investment; (as participant) Buildings, ARC. Previous board liaison to four other committees.
Other GHI Activities: Communicator (editor/writer), Green Ribbon Task Force, Charrette on GHI’s future, other task forces.

SUE READY
Sue Ready has a deep-seated belief in co-operative ideals and respect for the co-operative process. She has been a member of GHI for 42 years. Previously, she served on the GHI Board of Directors for six years, three of those years as vice president. Ready has been active on several GHI committees and subcommittees, often serving as chair. With a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, for 20 delightful years she was a teacher, then director, at the Goddard Child Development Center at GSFC. Then, with a bachelor of science degree in business and management from UMUC, she spent 12 years wearing many hats in the finance/accounting department for ZERO TO THREE, a nonprofit corporation. Now retired, Ready has plenty of time and energy to devote to the co-op.