Meet Our Board of Directors
Robin Portman
Board Chair
Robin is a former CEO for a health-services firm, and retired as the Chief Growth Officer for Booz Allen Hamilton, a Fortune-500 company headquarters in Tysons Corner. Robin is the current Chair for Belong!’s board of directors, where she has served since 2018. As chair, her efforts focus on strategy, partnerships, and development.  Her deep passion for inclusive communities where all of its members can live healthy, productive, and joyful lives has led her to become an active member of Vienna Presbyterian Church (VPC), serving as a Deacon and an Elder, and teaching adult English classes for VPC’s ESOL program.  Additionally, Robin serves on the Advisory Board for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and until recently, served as Board Chair for Easterseals of MD, DC and VA. She has also served on the University of Maryland’s College Park Foundation Board, the Capital Hospice Board of Trustees, and the boards for Service Source and Psych Armor Institute.  A graduate of the University of Maryland (BS & MS), Robin lives in Vienna with her husband, her 91-year-old mother-in-law and their dog Creedence.  Robin enjoys all things outdoors—hiking, biking, swimming and skiing.
Robin Portman
Board Chair
Jim M. Zinn
Treasurer
James M. (Jim) Zinn has served as a Belong! Board member and its Treasurer since 2018. He brings to this role years of experience in the finance industry, including CFO/Senior VP for CapitalOne Financial Corporation, Regional Partner for Ernst & Young and founder/consultant for a number of start-up technology companies. Prior to joining the Belong! Jim was treasurer and board director for 6 years at Kingsmill Community Services Association. He also served on the board of directors/ chaired the audit committee for a publicly traded investment advisory/asset management firm and a publicly traded REIT. Hailing from Ohio, Jim graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Business Administration. Jim lives with his wife and crazed 2-year old labradoodle in Northern Virginia and is an active member of Vienna Presbyterian Church and former Elder. In addition to golf and traveling, Jim enjoys spending time with his 3 adult kids and 6 grandchildren.
Jim M. Zinn
Treasurer
Board Chair
Treasurer
Board Chair
Sue Hamblen
Sue has been part of Belong!’s board of directors since 2018. She has been an active member of Vienna Presbyterian Church since 1985, serving as an Elder, and most recently as the Mission Director overseeing 29 strategic partnerships and numerous Mission activities and events. The CARES Act partnership launched during the COVID-19 pandemic is dear to her heart as the program successfully provides groceries to 400 families and engages over 100 volunteers.  Sue has also been a special education teacher, Presbyterian Women’s moderator, PTA President at James Madison High School, Coordinator of America’s Youth Teen Outreach program, Founding Member and Past President of Vienna Teen Center Foundation, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troop and den leader, VPC small group leader, and leader and coordinator of several domestic and international Mission Trips. Sue and her husband have lived in Vienna since 1979. She is a graduate of James Madison University.
Board Secretary
Sue Hamblen
Board Secretary
Treasurer
Hellen Cortez
Hellen has served on the Belong! Board since 2018. Born in Bolivia, she migrated at a young age to Mexico, where she studied Drama & Literature, before moving to the United States. Her early experiences as a young mother in a foreign country contributed to her relentless passion and conviction that all children are capable of learning, given the opportunity. In 2007, she joined Cunningham Park ES as a Parent Liaison, to serve multicultural families in Vienna, and help them navigate language and social-cultural barriers. Hellen helped co-found Bridges Harmony, a non-profit organization dedicated to further kids’ education through music enjoyment, and has collaborated with nonprofit and faith-based organizations to coordinate tutoring, mentoring, summer camps, academic enrichment programs, and community events. She has also volunteered for many years at the Probation House for Boys and Girls and served as an interpreter for the Fairfax County Juvenile and Family Court. Currently, she facilitates workshops with a focus to ingrain the love for education, compassion, and growth among newly arrived multicultural families to the USA. Hellen lives in Centreville with her husband and 93 old mother and adores her three independent boys.
She is excited about the future and believes that a free education is a right for everyone, because, as she always says: “Education is the force that transforms dreams in realities.”
Board Member
Hellen Cortez
Board Member
Treasurer
Karen Mokate
Karen Mokate represents Vienna Presbyterian Church’s Session of Elders on the Belong! Board. She is an active member of VPC, participating in Women’s Bible Study and Growing Your Soul, serving in the past as a Deacon and currently as an Elder. She teaches in the church’s ESOL program and serves on the team that supports Afghan refugees. Karen started her career as an Economics professor and then worked in International Development, focusing particularly on work with Latin America and the Caribbean. She is originally from the Chicago area and lived twelve years in Bogota, Colombia. When she moved to the Washington DC area, she became passionate about support to immigrant and underserved families. Karen and her husband brought up a son and a daughter in the Vienna community and continue to live in Vienna. Karen loves to spend time with her family and enjoys running, biking and water sports.
Board Member
Karen Mokate
Board Member
Kelly L. DeSenti, Ph.D.
Board Member
Dr. Kelly L. DeSenti has 30 years of professional experience working in higher education within the university and community college settings. She engages staff and faculty to provide holistic student support and foster a culture of care among students, faculty, staff, and community members. Originally from Brockton, Massachusetts, Kelly earned a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; an M.S. in Counseling and Psychological Services from Springfield College, MA; a post graduate certificate in counseling from Marymount University; and a PhD in Education, with a Higher Education and Policy focus from George Mason University. Research and practitioner interests include higher education access, dual enrollment, comprehensive advising and coaching, development of quality student supports, and fostering a collaborative team of passionate and informed student-centered professionals. Her work at Northern Virginia Community College, over the past ten years, has highlighted the transformative opportunities for a diverse range of students seeking to advance their skills and talents, through the community college experience.
Kelly L. DeSenti, Ph.D.
Board Member
Bill Browning
Board Member
Bill Browning is currently Manager of Workforce Innovations with Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services. Bill brings diverse perspectives about learning and workforce development drawn from management experiences in many different types of organizations. Prior to joining Fairfax County in 2021, these included corporate training in the banking industry, regional nonprofit job training programs in Northern Virginia, a community college (NOVA), and a national workforce development research and policy organization.
Bill Browning
Board Member
John Joseph
Volunteer
John has recently joined our team of volunteers helping with office work and tutoring after-school students. After a successful career as a senior financial consultant, providing CFO-level support to a variety of businesses, John retired at the end 2022 and had a calling to give back to the community. He approached Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) to help him find an organization that would be a perfect fit for him and his skills. John was drawn to Belong immediately because of our focus on underserved children and their families.
John Joseph
Board Member
Caitlin Thrasher
Board Member
Cait Thrasher is a native Long Islander who moved to Vienna with her husband Matt, and two awesome, autistic kids, Grace and Henry, in 2012. Cait graduated from the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans and is a not-yet-licensed architect. She spends her time free time drawing house and dog portraits, and training their German Shepherd puppy, Maggie, to be a therapy dog. Cait has been active in the Friendship Class at VPC.
Caitlin Thrasher
Board Member
Meet Our Staff
Lynn O'Connell
Executive Director
Lynn O’Connell is a nonprofit professional with more than 30 years working in the nonprofit sector. She has served 23 years as an executive director at three different organizations prior to Belong - Computer CORE, Docs In Progress (an arts nonprofit) and the Physician Assistant Foundation. Before her work with nonprofits, Lynn served 12 years as a Foreign Service Officer. Most of her time overseas was spent in sub-Saharan Africa although she served on shorter assignments in western Europe and in countries of the former Soviet Union.
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Lynn holds a Masters in Philanthropy from Indiana University, a Certificate in Executive Non-Profit Leadership from Duke University, and is a Fulbright Scholar. Lynn is also on the faculty teaching nonprofit courses at Catholic University and at Northern Virginia Community College.
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Lynn is a past board chair of Volunteer Alexandria as well as Empowered Women International. She currently serves as board chair for Together Women Rise, a national giving circle which supports organizations in developing countries that are working to educate and empower women and girls; she is also a member of the local chapter, Vienna/Fairfax Together Women Rise. A strong supporter of giving circles, she was a member for many years with the Giving Circle of HOPE and is currently a member of Giving Together and the Awesome Foundation. She is a member of AAUW-Alexandria and the Junior League of Washington. She attends National Community Church-NOVA.
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In her spare time, she enjoys live theatre, and one of her recent favorites was "A Child's Christmas in Wales" produced by the Vienna Theatre Company.
Lynn O'Connell
Executive Director
Karen Covell
Director of Programs and Engagement
Having a deep concern for social justice and community development, Karen helped to launch Belong! in 2017, and became Belong!’s Director of Programs and Engagement in February, 2020. Prior to Belong!, Karen managed educational programs for 200 children at Vienna Presbyterian Church (2010-2020). She has extensive experience developing programs, managing budgets, recruiting volunteers and overseeing systems and processes. She has held various volunteer positions, including Youth Group Leader, Deacon, Naomi Project Mentor, Girl Scout Leader, Childcare Coordinator for Moms of Preschoolers (MOPs), and PTA volunteer. Before coming to Vienna, Karen spent over 5 years in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer and as the Resource Coordinator for a local nonprofit, where she led planning and evaluation processes for 3 large integrated community development projects. Karen is fluent in Spanish, and has a M.A. in International and Community Development from the University of California at Davis. She enjoys hiking, sewing, playing games, and spending time with family.
Karen Covell
Director of Programs and Engagement
Angelica Friedman
Communication Manager
A native from Peru, Angy loves working with the immigrant and under-resourced community in Vienna. She was part of a team who worked to bring back a public bus service to her neighborhood and has been involved in the PTA to engage Hispanic parents in the school community, which inspired her to become part of Belong!. Angy is passionate about immigration, diversity, and serving the youth in Vienna. Angy provides support to Belong! as part-time Communications Manager bringing her enthusiasm for keeping the Hispanic community informed. She continues helping Belong! provide equity, empowerment and engagement through information and resources. Angy has a BA from Connecticut College, a MA from The George Washington University, and previously worked as an international trade consultant earlier in her career. She enjoys being active in her kids’ life, and loves hiking and going for bike rides with her family.
Angelica Friedman
Communication Manager