Lauren Cook
Board Chair
Visual Artist and Instructor

Lauren Cook teaches visual arts at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, serving four terms as department head, and is a committed advocate of arts education for all ages.  She has experience as a consultant on K-12 arts curricula and teacher training, as an independent curator and jurist for art competitions, and designed and ran an accredited overseas summer studio program for K-12 art teachers.  Cook is a trained facilitator in educational neuroscience research for the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew’s and previously worked for the Council on Foundations and the Council of Governors’ Policy Advisors on intersectional policy development.  She maintains an active studio art practice and holds a M.A. in Art Education from Maryland Institute College of Art, a M.B.A. from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Philosophy from Grand Valley University.

Prof. Cinder Cooper Barnes
Board Vice Chair, Advocacy Committee
Director of the Global Humanities Institute, Professor of English
Global Humanities Institute

Cinder Cooper Barnes has over 20 years of higher education teaching experience. She is presently a full-time faculty member in the English department at Montgomery College and serves as the director of the Global Humanities Institute. As part of her professional responsibilities, she serves as the college’s Fulbright Scholars Liaison, writes proposals and grants; develops various programs for faculty, staff, and students; and mentors junior faculty.  In recent years she served as a member of Montgomery County’s Victims’ Services Advisory Board and volunteered as a Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program outreach volunteer. Cinder earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of South Carolina and master’s degree at Northern Illinois University.  She is currently working on her doctorate in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a focus on Global Studies.

Ryan Lorey
Board Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee; Public Arts Trust Steering Committee
EDENS

Eleanor Park Choi, AIA, LEEDap BD+C
Chair, Public Art Trust Steering Committee
Senior Project Manager and Architect
SmithGroup

Eleanor Park Choi is an Associate, Project Manager and Architect at Page. Through her work on award winning, LEED certified, historic and institutional projects- both locally and nationally, she promotes sustainable design and place-making. By engaging the public through every stage of each project and continuing to build relationships even after project completion, she has seen the positive impact that these buildings have had on their communities. She had the honor of working directly with local artists to elevate the architecture of the building with the installation of their meaningful, authentic works of art. Combining her passion for music and architecture, Eleanor played the violin and presented a lecture titled “Architecture as Frozen Music,” with three of her colleagues. Born and educated in Montgomery County, a proud graduate of University of Maryland at College Park with a Masters of Architecture, and having served on the Friends of White Flint Board, Eleanor is committed to supporting local artists and encouraging opportunities for diverse cultural expression.

Ruby Lopez Harper
Chair, Advocacy Committee
Executive Director
CERF+

Mexican, Mother, Wife, Dancer, Photographer, Poet and Social Justice Warrior. Ruby is the Executive Director for CERF+; Chair, Gard Foundation Board; a National Coalition on Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response steering committee member; a special consultant for the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums and serves on the WETA Community Advisory Council. Ruby’s work has focused on equitable access, grant making, supporting individual artists, community development, economic development, cultural tourism, marketing, and public art. Selected as a 2019 Arizona State University Practices for Change Fellow, Ruby is a 2017 National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Advocacy Leadership Institute Fellow and Class of 2017 American Express Leadership Academy Alum.

Norman Rogers
Advocacy Committee
CEO, Kno

Norman S. Rogers has over 10 years of experience in the biotechnology field with the last two spent in the heart of Montgomery County. In his position as a business development lead for American Gene Technologies, Norman promotes the positive growth of the Montgomery Country biotechnology market as a leader in life-saving medical advancements. As a graduate from a liberal arts college and an avid “artistic tinker and part-time ice sculpture”, Norman has a deep respect for the arts and their role in the preservation and articulation of Maryland culture. Norman is honored to bring together his role in the biotech sector and love of the arts to support AHCMC’s mission and development.

Dr. Sharon Fechter
Governance Committee
Emeritus
Montgomery College

Dr. Fechter has served as Dean of Humanities at Montgomery College and as Professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of World Languages and Philosophy. She earned her Ph.D. from New York University.  She has served as president of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), as community college representative, and as an associate editor for the refereed journal Hispania.  She is a member of the national work group for America’s Languages under the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the MLA’s Community College Committee. She has presented and published on topics concerning community colleges, world languages, literature, distance education, and international education.

John Murph
Board Secretary
Content Producer/Staff Writer
DC Bar