Constance Row, President

Evan Smith, Vice President, Treasurer

Bobbe Mintz, Secretary

Bobbe retired from a legal career with the federal government as an Administrative Judge with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) where she decided cases involving employment, discrimination and labor issues. Prior to becoming a judge, she litigated cases before the MSPB, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the EEOC. She obtained her JD from the George Washington University School of Law and has an undergraduate degree from Temple University in Business Administration, majoring in Accounting. During the past decade, she has served in various capacities, most recently as a Commissioner on the Montgomery County Commission for Women (Commission) and Chair of the Montgomery County Human Trafficking Task Force, whose purpose is to increase understanding of the issue in Montgomery County and to develop interagency coordination of strategies for response and  prevention.  Prior to joining the Commission, Judge Mintz served as President of the Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA). JCA is a Montgomery County-based non-profit organization which seeks to help older adults of all backgrounds in the Greater Washington, D.C. region maintain their independence, dignity, vitality and self-respect through a variety of programs, including transportation, elderly day care, training in personal and employable skills, and intergenerational activities.

Pat Donovan

Joan Lewis 

Joan Lewis retired as a special educator and reading teacher in Prince George’s County for 39 years. She lived and taught in primary schools and evening adult literacy classes in Kingston, Jamaica for three years.

As her introduction to making choices related to aging in place, she was a caregiver to both her best friend who lived in Western MD and her mother who lived locally at the same time for eight years. 

Joan founded the Friday Fiber Friends (a supportive community of fiber artists/crafters) which meets weekly at the Village Center. She is an avid knitter and works with both the FHNN sponsored Crafts and Chat group and the Friday Fiber Friends on charity knitting projects. Joan has been a resident/owner at the Willoughby since March,1987. She volunteers on the Activities Committees.

She joined FHNN as her New Year’s resolution in 2022 and volunteered with the FHNN Aging Solo Working Group. She is enthusiastic about the spirit of community for all residents in Friendship Heights.

Kathleen McGuinness

Kathleen started her career as an executive with a Fortune 500 company for 20 years (Trans World Airlines). Then she moved to new role as a Senior Leader with a foreign government in the British West Indies for 14 years. In 2018 she took a leadership role with a homecare company in Montgomery County until she retired in late 2023. She has given talks globally, on a variety of topics, Scuba Diving, Aging in Place, Destination Management, Caregiver Tech Tips and Safe Aging Programs in MoCo on TV, Radio and in person throughout the USA to audiences in the 1000’s with excellent reviews!  Kathleen has lived in the Carlton since 2019.

She was the primary caregiver for both her parents who lived in Va & Md. She cared for her parents for six years locally while they aged in place, until they could not. In 2015, she began another caregiver role for her husband who was diagnosed with Parkinsons, & Dementia until he passed in 2020.  Kathleen now offers Consulting Services for those trying to Age in Place.  She recently began serving a 3-year term, 2023-26, as Commissioner, Commission on Aging for Montgomery County, advocating for older adults.  Putting the pieces together!   

Nancy Peavy

Nancy Peavy was a high school history teacher before beginning a 20-year career at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a non-profit organization that advocates for services and initiatives to improve the lives of older Americans. At NCOA, Nancy was responsible for evaluating potential job discrimination affecting older workers, pursuant to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She also facilitated educational programs through conferences and seminars, including an annual 3,000-person NCOA meeting which she coordinated. 

Her most recent job was at the Alliance for Health Reform, another non-profit organization, dedicated to helping all people gain access to quality, low-cost health care.  She was the Alliance’s Director of Operations and coordinated numerous briefings on Capitol Hill to help Congressional staff, the press, and policymakers learn about the components of both proposed and passed legislation on health reform.  She worked at the Alliance for 22 years.

Nancy and her husband Bob have lived in Friendship Heights since 2001.  She has been an FHNN board member since 2018. 

Louise Smoak, Programs Director

George Feise, Operations Manager