Mike Rodriguez, Holmes Run Parkway, President (incumbent)
A native of Tampa, FL, Rodriguez moved to Alexandria 9 years ago. Rodriguez graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Chemical Engineering and has a J.D. from George Washington University Law School. He is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and works for the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is married to Kate Rodriguez and they have 3 children at Polk Elementary. Rodriguez volunteers with Alexandria City Public Schools and helps maintain Polk’s community garden.
Rodriguez has been president of BSVCA since November 2022 and is seeking another term to continue growing the organization and to pursue completion of traffic-calming measures on Taney Avenue to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety on our neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. Under his leadership, Rodriguez notes that “this organization has grown by nearly 50%. BSVCA communications have been modernized and their frequency has increased.”
On behalf of BSVCA, he attends regular meetings for the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations and the West End Coalition. Rodriguez said BSVCA has also organized multiple social functions, such as the Neighborhood Night Out, home decorating contests, the Thanksgiving Walk, the BSVCA Holiday Party, and community bike rides.
Aaron Thomas, Taney Avenue, First VP (incumbent)
A Virginia native, Thomas is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in computer engineering and is a Lead Embedded Engineer for BRIVO Inc. He and his wife, Beth, have lived in Alexandria for 13 years, specifically in the West End. They are parents of two children: Elsa, 10, and Amelia, 7, who are students at Polk School.
He joined BSVCA Board in 2023 and was involved in the set up and judging for the 2023 Christmas Decorating Contest, along with fellow board member Willem Dicke. Thomas helped to organize clean-up efforts around Hammond Middle School, and worked with a local Girl Scout troop on that effort. He also has been an assistant soccer coach for his daughter’s teams from 2022 to present.
As a parent, Thomas has worked with PTA friends to raise issues with the City and the Alexandria school system regarding overcrowding at Polk and Patrick Henry schools.
Regarding his BSVCA involvement, he noted that “I seek a position in the community association to help bolster community involvement and to meet more of my neighbors,” Thomas said. He also said he is a supporter of reviving the BSVCA Block Captains program from pre-Pandemic days. “It would help with participation in handing out newsletters…While interest and membership has recovered since the COVID, we still see the same community members at the Quarterly meetings.”
Bethany LaMois, Mansfield Street, Second VP (incumbent)
LaMois was born in Alexandria and has lived here 8 years. She and her spouse, Gabe, are the parents of Eddie, 13, and Maddie, 10. She works as a project manager for a government contractor and she is an avid CrossFitter who enjoys participating in competitions.
In her free time, she enjoys biking, talking fitness/wellness, and cheering on her children in their various sporting events. LaMois has been involved in BSVCA since 2016 as a member, and as a Board member since
2020, serving in various positions. She has helped run the Turkey Trots, Holiday Parties and the annual National Neighborhood Night Out events. She also helped coordinate the association’s Bike event in 2021.
In addition, she helped form the Hammond Orchestra Booster Club and served as treasurer. She also ran a “Spring2Action” campaign to raise money for the student orchestra. She sits on the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Board and has worked with Sheriff Sean Casey to improve programs at the jail and to help improve residents’ experiences.
Jenn Wylie, Richenbacher Avenue, Treasurer (incumbent)
A Canadian native of Calgary, Alberta, Wylie has been a BSVCA board member since 2021. Prior to serving as the current Treasurer, she also was the Parliamentarian. She holds an undergraduate degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Her day job is a paralegal with a local law firm.
She shares her household with two dogs and her partner, Aaron, and is an avid ice hockey player and fan.
Sean Casey, Palmer Place, Membership Secretary (incumbent)
Casey is a native of Alexandria’s West End where he attended public schools and graduated from Alexandria City High School. He has a B.S. in psychology from VA Tech University and he has worked for the City of Alexandria for over 20 years. Casey is currently the Sheriff of Alexandria. He and his wife, Amanda, have two daughters attending Polk. Casey has served as a BSVCA board member at large, BSVCA President, BSVCA Past President, and BSVCA Membership Secretary.
Dianne Casey, Richenbacher, Recording Secretary (new)
A native of New York state, Ms. Casey holds a BA from the State University of New York
(Stoneybrook) in English; a BA from Catholic University in Nursing; and a master’s degree in
acute care nursing from Georgetown University. She spent 20 years working in the cardiology
department of the Washington Hospital Center.
She has lived in Alexandria since 1978 and in the Seminary Valley area since 1982. Ms. Casey is
the mother of 4 grown children, including her son, Sean, who is the Alexandria Sheriff. She has
4 grandchildren, with one attending Polk School and another at Hammond Middle School. Her
newest grandchild is six weeks old.
An active volunteer, she worked with the Alexandria City Public School system when her
children were students there. She is a volunteer chaplain at Alexandria Hospital and is the
secretary for the Alexandria Community Rowing Team, and an enthusiastic stroker, sometimes
rising at 4:15 am to hit the water. All her children have taken their turns as rowers.
Not one to sit on the sidelines, she is a member of BSVCA and even has a copy of the group’s
Bylaws, dating back to the 1970s. Ms. Casey sees the Brookville-Seminary Valley Civic
Association as performing “a vital function for our neighborhood, in keeping all of us informed
about proposed improvements and growth within the City of Alexandria, as well as those we
choose to elect to represent us.” She adds that “I would look forward to participating, as a
Board Member, to support this valuable work.”
Ginny Franco, Richenbacher Avenue, Parliamentarian (incumbent)
Franco been a resident of the City’s West End for over 55 years, and has been an active member of BSVCA since 1997. She has served as a BSVCA Board Member for 12 years.
She retired from the City of Alexandria as the Deputy Registrar of Voters after 30 years of service. As Deputy Registrar, she earned the title of Certified Elections and Registration Administrator and Virginia Registered Election Official from the National Election Center. After retirement from the City, she worked for the State Board of Elections on national and international absentee voting issues; for Registrar of Voters in Fairfax County and a variety of jurisdictions in Virginia, assisting with elections. Currently, she works part-time for the Arlington County Office of Elections.
While employed with the City, Franco was a member of the COG Election Officials Technical Committee and served as the Executive Board Secretary for 5 years. She chaired the State Deputy Registrars Committee for three years and served on the Certification Committee for three years also. She was also member of the City AA/EEO Committee, the Employees Budget Committee and served as the Department United Way Coordinator for 20 years.
She is married to Joe Hicks, and they have two grown daughters and five grandchildren. Both their daughters were born and raised in Alexandria and were well educated in the City public school system. She served on PTAs for Polk, Patrick Henry, Hammond and TC Williams schools. In addition, she was a volunteer with the CCD program at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria for 8 years, and served as chair of the Greeting Ministry for 6 years. Currently, she is an active member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington, where she is an Usher and the coordinator of the Ushers and Mass Coordinators. She is also a Eucharistic Minister.
Carolyn Meza, Pegram Street, Member at Large (incumbent)
A native of Millinocket, Maine, Meza went to college at the University of Rochester, and earned a degree in history. From there, she moved to the DC area in 1998 and then Brookville-Seminary Valley in 2010.
She has belonged to the BSVCA since 2010, starting the” Walk the Valley” event on Thanksgiving Day, before the Civic Association took it over.
Meza was a member of Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC) from 2013-2016, representing District 3, West End. Her community service also included time as James K Polk Elementary PTA President from 2019-2021, and then served on the PTA board from 2018 until 2023.
She has also served as an appointed member of the ACPS School Board Special Education Advisory Committee from 2021 until 2022.
For her day job, Meza works for the federal government, with the General Services Administration, and she serves as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Travel, Transportation and Logistics.
In her personal life, Meza is married to Adrian Meza. They have three children: Veronica (13), Camilla (10), Dominic (7). And the family pet is a gecko lizard named Tiny.
Christopher Thompson, Richmarr Place, Member at Large (Incumbent)
Thompson started his early life in Alexandria, but moved with the family when he was two to Maryland. He came back to Alexandria years later. He and his wife Jaime, a preschool teacher in Alexandria, have 4 children—ages 8, 10, 14 and 16—in the Alexandria public schools. His family have been Alexandria residents for 19 years. He joined BSVCA in 2023 and is completing his first term as a Member at Large.
A software engineer for the automotive maintenance industry, Thompson describes himself as someone who loves outdoor activities, especially biking throughout Alexandria’s trail network and particularly the Holmes Run Trail. In his free time, he has volunteered as a recreational soccer coach and assistant coach for the Alexandria Parks and Recreational teams.
“As a [BSVCA] board member, I would seek to ensure that Seminary Valley is a safe place for residents, especially for pedestrians,” he said. “I would also emphasize community events and activities to bring members together and build a sense of pride in our wonderful neighborhood.”
Mike Doney, Latham Street, Member at Large (new)
Born in Buffalo, NY, Doney headed to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg for training as an engineer. After graduation, he was hired by the US Army and began his federal government career. His first step was as a Project Engineer at Fort Belvoir. His work has focused “on programs that develop and procure systems that soldiers need,” he said. Doney also worked on Night Vision systems and Security Force Protection systems.
He moved to Alexandria in 1986, first sharing a townhouse with friends, then moving to a home in Old Town, and eventually to a house on Latham St. Since 2002, he has been a West End resident. Doney has two sons: Brendan, 21, a recent grad of VA Tech, and Kyle, 16. Both attended the Alexandria public schools. When his children were young, he was a local soccer coach. And, as a lifelong hockey fan (and until recently) player, he also taught his sons skating. In his neighborhood, he participates in adult Potluck Suppers and wine tasting.
Wherever he has lived, Doney has participated in Civic Engagement, including the Northeast (Alexandria) Civic Association (NECA) in the 1990s, which was immediately adjacent to the Potomac Yards area. Doney chaired the NECA Transportation Committee.
His volunteer work had a broad reach. In the 1990s, he was a founding member of a new Smithsonian Institution outreach effort called The Young Benefactors, open to DC/MD/VA residents. The new group grew in size and Doney eventually became president.
After he moved to the West End of Alexandria, Doney was selected in 2016 to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Patrick Henry Rec Center and School project. In 2019, he was asked to chair the ACPS Advisory Committee on the MacArthur Elementary School Swing Space. The remainder of the project is under construction and the playing fields should be open in November 2024.
An active member of BSVCA for 15 years, Doney said he wants to turn his time and talents to volunteer efforts for his civic association, and that’s why he is running for the Board. “I would like to see BSVCA re-energize the Committee Structure and populate these committees with members who are interested in serving in a variety of focused areas. I would like the BSVCA meetings to run in an orderly and respectful manner, in accordance with our Bylaws and Robert’s Rules of Order. I would like members to know that their voices are heard, and that their opinions are valued by the BSVCA leadership,” he said.
“I would like to see BSVCA become more engaged with our City Government by representing our community and providing feedback and recommendations to elected leaders and City organizations on issues that affect our quality of life.
“Lastly, I would like BSVCA to be regarded by our community as a reliable and capable advocate for the best interests of the community that we serve, so much so that our membership would increase and be energetic and engaged in the many issues and interests that affect our collective quality of life,” Doney said.
Dr. Anne Koster, Strathblane Place, Member at Large (new)
Koster got her start in life in Northern California. Highlights of her younger years include living in Alaska, going to preschool with the Native kids and finding a salmon as long as she was tall in the bathtub (caught by her uncle); living amongst the redwoods in Arcata, CA, going camping and backpacking with her family throughout the west coast; living for four years in Silver Spring, MD where she gained an appreciation of the DMV area; and living in Seattle for high school where she played soccer, basketball, and rowed crew.
For college, Koster headed to the University of California, Davis, on a crew scholarship, and earned a BS in Landscape Architecture – this included study-abroad in Tuscany, Italy. She worked professionally at a Landscape Architecture / Architecture & Urban Design firm in Sacramento through college and after graduating; then was invited back to work at the study center in Italy a year after graduation. Subsequently Koster moved to England, where she earned her MS in Land Reclamation & Reclamation, then a PhD in Soil Dynamics Engineering & Archaeology while also managing a portion of the associated industry-funded research project. She finished her postgraduate degree while living in Greece.
After finishing her PhD, she headed back to the USA and reconnected with her future husband, Erik Koster (they dated in high school). She has held her current research position with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center since 2010. Initially she spent a year and a half working onsite in Champaign, IL prior to moving to Alexandria, VA in 2012. The Koster family moved into the neighborhood in 2013 and are parents to daughters Clara (almost 11) and Emma (almost 6).
Active members of BSVCA, the Koster family has participated in the annual Christmas lighting contest, the Turkey Trot, and the area bicycle rides. The family also contributes to trash pick-up in the Holmes Run area. Current interests across all family members include soccer – big Washington Spirit Fans!, local history, farmers markets in the warmer months, and engagement with sports/activities – her husband coaches both girls’ soccer teams. By joining the Board of BSVCA, Koster hopes to gain better awareness of city and neighborhood issues and engage in more neighborhood civic efforts – especially related to the topics of overcrowding in local elementary schools and traffic calming on Taney. She has been a PTA volunteer at James K. Polk Elementary School as Picture Day and Yearbook Coordinator in recent years and loves chaperoning school field trips.