Board of Directors

Many Hands is governed by a working board of up to 15 regular members. Board members are appointed for three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms. Board members who have served two three-year terms are eligible for re-election after a hiatus of one year. The immediate past president may be elected to serve an additional one-year term without a hiatus, bringing the maximum number of board members to 16.

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to put your time, talent, and treasure to work, consider service on the Many Hands board. For more information about board responsibilities and qualifications, please click here. We welcome expressions of interest on a rolling basis throughout the year. In addition, we conduct an open call for self-nominations early in the calendar year.

In recruiting board members, Many Hands seeks to reflect the diversity of the membership while meeting the organization’s need for specific skills. Please contact Karen Murrell at nominating@manyhandsdc.org with any questions about board service or the recruitment process.

Charis KeitelmanPresident

Charis was a commercial real estate lawyer in Washington, DC for 20 years, serving as a partner at Rudnick Wolfe Piper & Marbury (now DLA Piper), before finishing her…

…career in-house as Deputy General Counsel for Quadrangle Development Corporation. She has been an active volunteer at the Lowell and Maret Schools, as well as various community and charitable organizations and political campaigns.

Claudette ChristianVice President

Claudette, now a Senior Counsel at Hogan Lovells, was Partner in Charge of the firm’s Brazil offices until her retirement as a partner in mid-2019. Prior to her five years…

…starting up and supervising the Brazil offices, Claudette served as co-chair of the firm’s Global Board and was an active partner in the firm’s Corporate and Finance practices. Claudette has been active in mentoring women attorneys and college students. She resides in the Forest Hills DC neighborhood with her husband and two cats.

Frazier SchulmanTreasurer

Frazier worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. and in marketing for pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies. She served on the board of the…

…Parents Council of Washington as both treasurer and president. She previously served as board treasurer for the Junior League of Washington and Norwood School.

Karen MurrellSecretary

Karen is founder and president of Higher Heights Consulting and Training, a consulting firm in Silver Spring, Maryland that helps clients develop programs, products, and…

…policies that improve the financial well-being of all Americans. She previously served as Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation and held leadership positions at Fannie Mae. Karen is co-author of You and Your Money: A No-Stress Guide to Becoming Financially Fit, published by Financial Times Press.

Deborah Arrindell

Deborah Arrindell is Vice President of Health Policy for the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) and heads ASHA’s Washington, DC office. She has more than…

…30 years of experience in public policy, including work for women’s economic justice, reproductive and sexual health, and employment and training at organizations including the Home Care Aide Association of America, the American Nurses Association, the League of Women Voters, and Wider Opportunities for Women.

Deborah is past Chair of the Board of Advocates for Youth and serves on the board of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. Previously, she held leadership roles with the Partnership to End Cervical Cancer, Global Campaign for Microbicides, and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. She is a member of the Trojan Sexual Health Advisory Council and served on the sexual health editorial board of CosmoGirl! magazine.

Ann Gouldin Kay

Ann has worked as a buyer for Bloomingdale’s, the Spiegel Catalog, and the National Geographic catalog and website. She currently serves as treasurer on the…

… board of Horizons Greater Washington and is an active volunteer and supporter of several other DC-based organizations that provide educational and mentoring opportunities to children in underserved communities. She has also served on and chaired several committees at Norwood School and Sidwell Friends School.

Susan Liss

Susan has lived in the Washington, DC area since 1975. She is a retired public interest lawyer who worked for a number of policy and advocacy nonprofits in both staff…

… and management positions. Her focus has covered a number of legal and policy areas: constitutional rights, women’s rights, women’s health, civil rights, voting, and the independence of the judiciary. She was a political appointee at the Department of Justice and the White House and has volunteered on a number of political campaigns. She served in a volunteer capacity, as an officer, board or advisory council or committee member, or leader of projects, for the DC Bar, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, DLA Piper’s New Perimeter Project, Tzedek DC, Adas Israel Congregation, Georgetown Day School, and other area nonprofits.

Ellen Oshinsky

Ellen (she/her) is a nonprofit fundraiser and retreat leader. Her business, Circle and Spoke, empowers women through bike rides and retreats that build community and…

…support women to slow down through connecting to movement, rest, and play in the outdoors. She also is the DC Manager of Strategic Partnerships for Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps. A graduate of University of Miami (BA) and Teachers College (MA), she serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. In 2023, Ellen was selected as a DEI Advocate at the Power Up! Philanos conference and in 2024, she was selected as one of five Wild Gift Fellows.

Dianne Rudo

Dianne has worked for the last 30 years in international development finance, advising and educating governments, development aid agencies, and the private sector…

… in financing public infrastructure, principally in developing countries. She serves as an independent board and committee member for organizations that provide funding targeted at improving economic development and reducing poverty in emerging markets. Previously, she served in senior positions at the Export-Import Bank of the United States and as a partner in a Wall Street firm. Locally, she has been an active volunteer with several nonprofit organizations. In addition to Many Hands, she currently serves on the Board of Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital. She resides in DC with her husband.

Rita Shapiro

Rita is a consultant with more than 30 years of management experience working for renowned arts and other nonprofit organizations. She served from 2001 to…

… 2016 as Executive Director of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center, where she spearheaded various community initiatives including the “In Your Neighborhood” program and the Sound Health program. Previous positions include Operations Manager for The Cleveland Orchestra and development officer for the Boston Symphony. She also served as Interim Executive Director of the Catalogue for Philanthropy of Washington, DC (now Spur Local); and as Interim Executive Director of The Washington Chorus.

Rita is a member and past President of the DC chapter of the International Women’s Forum, a networking organization of women executives from diverse professional backgrounds.

Nasim Shojaei

Nasim has more than two decades of experience in the financial investment, financial accounting, and real estate sectors, including working with high net worth…

…clients at a boutique asset management firm in Bethesda, Maryland. She is strongly committed to leveraging her accounting and financial expertise to help nonprofit organizations achieve their goals. Nasim has volunteered in various capacities, including serving as PTA President for a public high school in Montgomery County; Treasurer and VP of Communications for a private elementary and middle school in Bethesda; and team manager at the Bethesda Soccer Club. She lives with her family in Bethesda, and in her leisure time, she enjoys working out, hiking, skiing, cooking, reading, and watching movies.

Lori Sostowski

Lori Sostowski practiced law for over 40 years, focusing on business matters. Immediately prior to her retirement, she served as Associate General Counsel…

…of Dartmouth College for eight years, representing the college on transactional matters. Previously, she was engaged in private practice at several law firms, most recently as a partner in the Washington, DC office of Hogan Lovells, where for 17 years she represented public and private companies, governmental agencies, and nonprofit educational and other institutions in a broad range of areas. Lori chairs the Advisory Board of Millions of Conversations, a nonprofit organization devoted to bringing Americans together, and is a K-4 reading tutor for the District of Columbia public school system through the DC chapter of Reading Partners. She is also a member of the Board of Governors of St. Columba’s Nursery School, Washington, DC.

Chrissy Spigel

Chrissy worked as a case manager for Goodwill Industries of Atlanta before pursuing a master’s degree in special education. She has taught in both public and private…

…schools, including The Lab School of Washington. An active community volunteer, Chrissy has co-chaired numerous committees, councils, and fundraising events at Norwood School, Holton-Arms, and Landon. She has two children in college and two Australian labradoodles.

Margaret Vassilikos

Margaret has extensive professional experience in the nonprofit sector, including leadership positions at educational and scientific foundations, a trade association,…

…and a professional society. She serves as board chair for Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital. She also enjoys engaging with visitors as a docent at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. Margaret served as Board Treasurer for Many Hands from 2021 to 2023.

Elizabeth Whitmore

Elizabeth joined Jackson Partners in 1999 and leads the acquisition of service and technology companies in diverse industries, including healthcare, legal services, and…

…software. Elizabeth also makes direct venture investments and participates as a limited partner in several private equity, mezzanine, and venture firms. Prior to joining Jackson Partners, Elizabeth worked in nonprofit management and fundraising at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Kathryn Zecca

Kathryn worked as a commercial litigator for 25 years, most recently as a partner in a boutique litigation firm in Washington, DC. She has lived in the Washington area nearly…

…continuously since moving here in 1987 to attend Georgetown University. Kathryn is an active school volunteer. She resides in McLean, Virginia with her children.