CSW Members

Member Profiles

 

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Julia Tanner

Julia Tanner was appointed to the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women in 2019. She is an attorney, a mother, and a delegate to the Arlington Civic Federation, where she recently served on the Executive Committee and the Legislative Committee. She has led work supporting equal rights and opportunities for women, drafted resolutions adopted by county boards and city councils statewide, drafted a business overview of the positive impacts on profit margins of gender diversity and promotions in companies, testified at the state General Assembly in Richmond, and served as Legislative Coordinator of the League of Women Voters of Virginia.

In her professional career, Julia is a Director of Individual Tax at Clifton Larson Allen LLP. Previously, she worked as General Counsel / Vice President for a group of Cellular One companies, as an attorney at Hogan Lovells LLP assisting clients with legal matters involving wireless telecommunications, the Internet, and First Amendment rights, and as an attorney-advisor at the Federal Communications Commission. Julia received her J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and her B.A in Government, cum laude and with honors, from Cornell University. She and her husband live in Arlington, where they raised two daughters who attended Arlington Public Schools.

 

 

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Arbora Johnson

Arbora Johnson was appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women in 2019. She is a feminist, progressive activist, and impact investor with a focus on investing in women. She recently began working as a political consultant after years of grassroots volunteer work with progressive and Democratic groups, including volunteer roles with NARAL and Planned Parenthood as well as the founding of networking groups for working moms. Arbora previously worked in international business for 20 years, with roles in M&A, business development, and strategic planning. She is also an angel investor in women-led impact firms through the venture fund Rethink Impact and the angel network Next Wave Impact.

Arbora was a Presidential Management Fellow and is a member of Cap & Gown Women’s Honor Society.  She is a graduate of Stanford University with an A.B. in International Relations and holds a Masters’ of Global Policy and Strategy from the University of California at San Diego.

She moved to the Dominion Hills neighborhood of Arlington in 2002, and still lives there with her husband, Jeff Coughlin, and their three kids. She volunteers with Girl Scouts, the Arlington County Democratic Committee, AFAC and Arlington Public Schools (Ashlawn, Swanson, W-L).

 

 

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Caroline Romano, Chair

Caroline was appointed to the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women in 2008. Caroline is the Deputy Director for the Office of Historical Trust Accounting at the U.S. Department of the Interior. She began her federal service career as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Treasury, and she has since has senior leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and at the Department of the Interior. In 2015, Caroline was selected for the University of Virginia, Sorensen Institute’s flagship Political Leaders Program.  This leadership development program is for residents of Virginia interested in becoming more active in public service, whether as community leaders or as elected officials.

Caroline holds a Juris Doctorate from Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. While at Mercer, Caroline was the president of the Association of Women Law Students and was selected from more than 1,500 graduates of Mercer’s ten colleges and schools as the recipient of the Griffin B. Bell Award. The award is presented to one student each year for demonstrating outstanding public service. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Augusta State University.

Caroline has extensive experience working with community service organizations that support survivors of sexual and domestic violence. In 2012, she founded Rally Against Rape and Sexual Assault – a grassroots, community-action project dedicated to combating sexual violence and raising awareness about the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in Northern Virginia. Caroline is credited with organizing the first Northern Virginia Take Back The Night, which is now an annual event. Today, Rally Against Rape is supported by community members, businesses and organizations, anti-rape advocates, and political leaders who want to live and work in communities free from sexual assault, rape, and other forms of violence. Caroline has served as an advocate with the D.C. Rape Crisis Center and as a clinic escort with the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force.

Caroline lives in Arlington with her husband, John-Alex Romano, and their son, Theodore.

 

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Marguerete Luter, Vice Chair

Marguerete Luter is President and owner of The Process Pro, an LLC fueling organization growth strategically and tactically through focus on strategic planning, business process, organization development and operations. Previously, Ms. Luter held significant positions with Unisys Corporation. Most recently, she was the Vice President, Global Bid Management for the Global Outsourcing and Infrastructure Services business unit. She was accountable for presales processes, effectiveness and costs on a worldwide basis. She led this capture organization in its mission to provide global structure, processes and resources to qualify, design, price and cost client-centric , marketplace-competitive, integrated solutions based on the Outsourcing and Infrastructure Services portfolio.

Marguerete has a Master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C. She is a Past President of Women in Technology where she has served many years on the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Mentoring Program. In 2003, Marguerete received the Women in Technology ‘Champion’ Leadership award.  She also serves on the Boards of the Virginia High Tech Partnership, and the Lupus Foundation Greater Washington Chapter. She has a personal commitment to the development and advancement of African American women and men and has worked with and supported a variety of organizations that have this focus.

 

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Susan Strauss 

Susan was appointed to the Arlington Commission on the Status of Women in May 2022. She previously served on the Maryland State Commission on the Status of Women and is proud to continue her public service as a resident of Arlington. Her involvement in women’s issues began as a special project for Ms. Magazine under the auspices of one of the first women graduates of the Harvard Business School and Dean of Simmons University’s School of Management, an MBA program exclusively for women. Since then, Susan has been committed to women’s workplace quality of life, bridging dialogues in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Susan is an experienced professional in developing public-private partnerships, bridging dialogues in the public and nonprofit sectors and driving initiatives with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit, local government and Federal government arenas. She has worked at lifting up the under-served with the YMCA Government Relations office, served on a local youth-adult council, in a major city's human rights office and coalesced women's healthcare organizations to craft a Congressional initiative on breast cancer prevention. Susan is skilled in Public Policy, Community Outreach and Fundraising. In all of her endeavors, Susan's goal is to find common ground, strengthen women's voices and secure a commitment to pay equity.

A strong community and social services professional, Susan graduated from Simmons University. She is a member of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation Social Justice Committee and Northern Virginia Brandeis University Committee, and passionate about spending time with her two grandchildren, Logan and Carson.

 

 

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Jeanine Finch

 

Jeanine Finch is an External Affairs Manager for Northern Virginia at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. She excelled in the first 10 years of her career in local government in constituent services for residents and businesses and in process improvement. Expanding on her growing expertise in serving others, Jeanine also supports a number of local non – profits including Path Forward and Aspire! Afterschool Learning. In her current capacity as an External Affairs Manager, she works with jurisdictions in Northern Virginia to improve health equity and accessible, affordable, high – quality care. She believes in hard work, transparency, equity, and community collaboration.

Jeanine is owner of a local photography company, Finch Photography, a graduate of George Mason University, and a resident of Arlington’s Green Valley Neighborhood with her partner Ivan and their dog, Opal.

 

 

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Rachel Kahn Johnston

Rachel Johnston is a women’s health advocate and consultant with more than fifteen years of experience in policy, communications, and advocacy. She is a fiercely passionate health professional, working to improve the quality of life for persons across the State of Virginia and the country.

She is currently a Campaign Manager for the Rescue Agency; a health behavior change agency where she works on advocating for tobacco free outdoor spaces. She serves on the Advocacy and Education Committee for Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia. Formerly, Rachel served as a Senior Policy Analyst, in the Texas State Senate where she covered Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs. Rachel has also worked with the National Alliance for Mental Illness training new volunteers and connecting women to essential resources and services. Formerly, Rachel taught pre-school children through an Americorps program, Jumpstart to provide young children with the literacy tools needed to succeed.

Rachel lives in the Lyon Park neighborhood of Arlington with her husband and 2 young children.

 

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Sasha Whitney

Sasha was appointed to the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women in 2015. An Arlingtonian for nearly 10 years, Sasha serves as a leader in her community as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) speaker & leader, SoulCycle instructor, mindful meditation & mindset leader, and Lululemon Ambassador. Sasha’s goal is to move the fitness & wellness industry to one that is more inclusive, diverse, representative, and equitable for BIPOC. Passionate about creating a bigger table and empowering women to find their voice to change the spaces they are in, she is a believer in the fact that our mindset is where all change begins. She brings this unique background and perspective to the Commission on the Status of Women.

Sasha is proud to support and work with community service organizations to champion and create a better Arlington for all. A place where women, especially women of color feel seen, present, and welcome to our community. As a Commissioner, Sasha has seen firsthand the power and the impact of this group in so many ways, including the Rally Against Rape and Sexual Assault – a grassroots, community-action project dedicated to combating sexual violence and raising awareness about the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in Northern Virginia, most notably having an impact as a show of what our community can accomplish when we come together, share our stories, and let that push us in the direction of change.

 

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Jade Garnett

Bio coming soon!

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Lorelle Langhorne

Lorelle Langhorne was appointed to the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women in 2023. She has served in a volunteer capacity for a several civic and community organizations supporting outreach and engagement, advocacy, mentoring, marketing, homeless outreach, and tutoring. She serves on executive boards for the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Northern Virginia Chapter and for the Arlington Branch NAACP. In her professional career, Lorelle has worked over the years in several positions at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In her current capacity, she is a Legal IT Operations Manager providing strategic support and advice on resource management, IT programs and initiatives. She has strong background as a Technologist, working several years developing solutions and leading initiatives that align with business strategy. Her goal as a Commissioner is to continue advocacy efforts for women and girls in Arlington, particularly in the areas of health, economic empowerment and equity.

 

Ms. Langhorne served in the US Army before her career in government and involvement in civic organizations. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in information technology systems and business. Ms. Langhorne is also passionate about traveling and spending time with her family.

 

 

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Harjinder Gill

Jinder was appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women in 2023.  She is an “almost” native Arlingtonian, having moved to this area from India at a very young age.  A product of the Arlington Public Schools, Jinder crossed the Key Bridge to attend an all-women’s college, Mount Vernon College and then promptly returned home!

Jinder has extensive expertise with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in health insurance marketplace policy and operations, program integrity and implementation and oversight.  Jinder started her career in public health working at CMS to help states implement health insurance marketplaces as part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Jinder has also worked on developing Medicaid initiatives and strategies with Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Virginia’s Department of Medical Assistance Services.  Jinder is currently the Program Director for the Multidimensional Insurance Data Analytics System (MIDAS), which provides mission-critical functionality that CMS requires to implement and manage many provisions of the ACA.

As a consummate volunteer, Jinder has served on the George Washington University Alumni Association Board, Chaired the Mount Vernon National Advisory Council and is currently a member.  In addition to serving as PTA President at Long Branch Elementary School, Jinder has led fundraising initiatives and is currently co-leading two Girl Scout troops. At work, Jinder led the Women In Technology initiative to bridge the gender gap and promote women in leadership roles.

Jinder has a bachelor’s in business administration from Mount Vernon College, a Master’s in Business Administration from Marymount University and a Masters in Public Health from George Washington University.  Jinder lives in Arlington with her husband and two daughters.