Potomac Trustees

Noha Abdalla

NOHA ABDALLA serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Choice Hotels where she leads marketing and communications for the 22 brand hotel chain. Noha previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at MyEyeDr., a Goldman Sachs private equity backed company. She also held senior roles in digital and social media marketing at both Hilton and Capital One. She joined Capital One from Discovery where she led marketing for Animal Planet. Noha also spent time leading national blood donor awareness campaigns for the American Red Cross and was a management consultant at Corporate Executive Board and Mercer Management Consulting. A member of the Potomac community since 2011, she has served as Parent Association Treasurer, a parent rep for the Middle School, a member of the Nearly New committee and a member of the Auction Acquisitions team. Noha also serves on the Brand Awareness Leadership Council for the Capital Area Food Bank and served for seven years on the Board for Dolley Madison Preschool. Noha holds an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a BS in International Economics from Georgetown University. Noha grew up in Mclean, where she continues to live with her husband and three children.

Yousef Al Otaiba

Yousef Al Otaiba is the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United States (US). He has led the permanent mission of the UAE to the US since July 2008. He was recognized by the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce as Ambassador of the Year for 2010, and promoted to Minister of State in 2017. In Washington, DC, Ambassador Al Otaiba has focused his diplomatic career on growing UAE-US ties through economic, cultural, security, defense and military cooperation. Since he was sworn in, Ambassador Al Otaiba has influenced several shared successes including the US-UAE 123 agreement, the strongest nuclear nonproliferation deal in global history. Beyond US foreign policy, his ongoing efforts to enhance UAE-US economic relations have formed groundbreaking partnerships with some of the most prestigious organizations across America. He’s also brought innovation to healthcare facilities including Children’s National Medical Center, Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic.

Ambassador Al Otaiba studied at Cairo American College, Georgetown University and the Industrial College of the US Armed Forces at the National Defense University. He is the parent of two Potomac students and resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Abeer.

Randy Altschuler

RANDY ALTSCHULER co-founded Xometry and serves as CEO and a member of the board of directors. He previously worked as an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and served as an assistant to the CEO of Deutsche Bank North America, focusing on strategic and management issues. After earning his MBA, Randy worked in private equity at The Blackstone Group. As an entrepreneur, he has co-founded three successful companies: Office Tiger in 1999, CloudBlue in 2001, and Xometry in 2013. Randy received his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and his MBA from Harvard Business School and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Vienna. He is a parent of three children, two of whom attend Potomac.

Natalie Bush

NATALIE F. BUSH earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing at West Virginia University School of Nursing. Upon graduation, she moved to Australia, where she established the first women’s counseling program in her region of the Northern Territory. The program provided free services to clients, with a focus on female health issues. Mrs. Bush also worked for the Manhattan Beach, CA, School District as a nurse. She has always been involved in school programs as she raised her three children. She served as a “Young at Art” docent for the Manhattan Beach School District and was a volunteer leader for the Chadwick School’s annual fund campaign, which raised $1.5 million annually with almost 100% participation. In addition, she served on the Chadwick School Board as a parent representative and, more recently, as a parent representative at The Potomac School.

Mrs. Bush is involved in nursing advisory board roles at several universities. She serves as the co-chair at Johns Hopkins University, and she chairs the West Virginia University Nursing Advisory Board. She also serves on the Inova Foundation Board and is a member of their Nursing Council. Mrs. Bush is on the Board of Directors at the West Virginia University Foundation.  In addition, Mrs. Bush volunteers at the Arlington Free Clinic and is a pet therapy volunteer at various DC-area facilities. She is married to Wes Bush, the former CEO and chairman of the board, at Northrop Grumman Corporation. The Bushes reside in the Washington, DC, area.

Victoria Davis

Originally from Los Angeles, California, VICTORIA EDMOND-DAVIS is a diagnostic radiologist
who specializes in breast imaging, diagnosing breast cancer, and managing breast health. Most
recently Dr Edmond-Davis worked with Fairfax Radiological Consultants. Prior to working at
FRC, Victoria was an Assistant Professor and Section Head at Indiana University’s Department of
Radiology, where she did her residency and breast fellowship training. There she was involved
with teaching, conducting research, and managing the Breast Imaging Department. Victoria
earned her undergraduate degree at Stanford University and completed medical school at UC
San Diego.

Victoria and her husband Lonnie Davis reside in McLean, Virginia and are the parents to two Potomac students.

Ellen Dwyer

ELLEN M. DWYER is a partner in the law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP, where she serves as Chair of the Firm’s Executive Committee and a member of its Management Board. Ellen represents employers in the full array of labor and employment matters, including litigation under federal and state anti-discrimination laws, trade secret and related fiduciary breach and wrongful discharge claims. She also conducts investigations and counsels employers across diverse industries on compliance issues ranging from sexual harassment to gender pay equity to whistleblower protections. 

Ellen serves as the Chair of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an organization of law firm leaders committed to enhancing the diversity of the legal profession. Additionally, Ellen is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Ellen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Lawrence University and her law degree from Cornell Law School. She resides in Arlington with her husband and three children.

Mina Faltas

MINA C. FALTAS ‘96 is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Washington Harbour Partners LP, an investment firm that manages public and private investments. Previously, Mr. Faltas was the Co-Founder, Co-Managing Partner, Co-Portfolio Manager, and Head of Research at Nokota Management LP, which was an opportunistic, event-driven hedge fund in New York that invested across the capital structure. Before starting Nokota, he was a senior analyst at Viking Global Investors. Prior to Viking Global, Mina was a Vice President at JPMorgan in the Proprietary Positioning and Mergers & Acquisitions groups.

Mina has a B.S. in Commerce (finance) from the University of Virginia. Mina is a Potomac lifer and is the parent of two current Potomac students. He resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Kristin Jensen, and their two children.

James Fleming

James B. Fleming Jr. is a parent of a current Potomac student and two Potomac alumni. As an investor and partner at Columbia Capital, Jim focuses on investments in the cyber security, media and mobile sectors. He serves as a board member for numerous private companies and not-for-profit entities and previously served on the Potomac Board of Trustees from 2012-2021.

Jim received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife, Sheila.

Nitin Goyal

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, NITIN GOYAL, M.D. is an Adult Hip & Knee Reconstructive Surgeon, medical technology executive, and healthcare entrepreneur. He is the Chief Science, Technology, and Innovation Officer at Zimmer Biomet where he leads R&D, M&A strategy, clinical research, and medical education. He has spent his career innovating at the intersection of his surgical practice, musculoskeletal care & research, advanced technologies and digital health.

Prior to joining Zimmer Biomet, Nitin served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Innovation and Digital Care Delivery at Optum, the health services businesses of UnitedHealth Group. In addition, he was the Founder and CEO of Pulse Platform as well as Surgical Creations, leading both companies from inception to acquisition. Nitin received his Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, his medical degree from the Jefferson Medical College, and completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery and fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at The Rothman Institute and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been in clinical practice since 2011 at the Anderson Orthopaedic Clinic in Alexandria, Virginia. His particular surgical interests include complex revision of failed hip and knee replacement and management of periprosthetic joint infection.

Nitin resides in Mclean, Virginia with his wife Rachna and three daughters.

Christopher Graham

CHRISTOPHER D. GRAHAM is a current parent of two Potomac students. He is a Senior Managing Director at Starwood Capital Group, where he supervises the firm’s investments in the Americas. Chris is responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting and closing investments in all property types. He is also a member of the Starwood’s Executive, Investment and Disposition Committees. Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 2002, Chris worked at CB Richard Ellis in Washington, D.C.

Chris received his BBA degree in finance from James Madison University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Jen.

Won Kim

WON KIM served 21 years at the Federal Communications Commission before retiring in 2016, working as a senior attorney in the spectrum and competition policy division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. After her retirement, Ms. Kim has been devoting her time to her family, friends and the Potomac School. Mostly recently, she took up on her new role as Vice President of SML Genetree Sciences, Inc., US subsidiary of SML Genetree, a leading developer of molecular diagnostics and sequencing technologies in Korea. At SML Genetree, Ms. Kim is in charge of the regulatory compliance and the legal affairs, as well as overseeing the commercialization of their IVD products in the US market.

Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Ms. Kim is a graduate of Ewha Womans University, where she majored in English Literature. After earning a master’s degree from Ewha, she became a lecturer in the English Department and later won the British Council Fellowship to receive her second master’s degree in English literature from the University of Exeter, England. She continued her teaching at Ewha until she came to the United States in 1988 to start a family with her husband, Dr. Mu Hong.

As her second career path toward public policy and community service, Ms. Kim attended and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1995. After law school, she has been actively involved in several community organizations and served on the boards of various non-for-profit organizations. At the Potomac School, her volunteer works include service as head parent representative for the Lower School, a parent representative for the Upper School, and as a mentor to many new families. Ms. Kim and her husband live in McLean with their two daughters.

John Kowalik

JOHN KOWALIK became Potomac’s 14th head of school in 2013 after a decade as headmaster of The Peck School in Morristown, NJ.

Raised in the Boston area, Mr. Kowalik is a graduate of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, MA, and a member of that school's athletic and academic halls of fame. At Williams College, he majored in political science and captained teams in football and winter and spring track. He also has completed the Executive Management Program at Dartmouth’s Tuck Business School and earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Columbia University.

Mr. Kowalik spent 19 years at Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, serving as a teacher and later dean of school and assistant headmaster. As head football coach for 16 years, he compiled a 138-29 record and won two state titles and nine conference championships. During his tenure at Peck, the school maintained a rigorous academic program distinguished by excellent teaching and developed a nationally recognized character program.

Mr. Kowalik and his wife, Carolyn, have four children: Jack, Liza, Mark, and Sara are graduates of Notre Dame.

Kimberly Kuryea

KIMBERLY A. KURYEA is Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration at General Dynamics, where she responsible for the human capital practices impacting the company’s 100,000 employees. Her areas of focus include leadership development, compensation, benefits strategy and delivery, diversity and inclusion, ethics, security, and information technology. Prior to this position, she served as the company’s controller and chief accounting officer responsible for accounting, financial reporting, government accounting and financial systems. Previously, she was chief financial officer of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems and staff vice president, Internal Audit for General Dynamics. Prior to joining General Dynamics in 2000 as director of financial planning and analysis, Kim worked for Arthur Andersen LLP in its government contracting practice.  Kim is a certified Public Accountant and serves on the board of the Army Distaff Foundation. 

Kim holds BSBA degree in accounting from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She is the parent of a current Potomac student and resides in Mclean, Virginia with her husband, Steve Martin, and son.

Tanya La Force

TANYA LA FORCE is an accomplished nonprofit and business leader with a track record of recruiting, leading and mentoring volunteers and employees to accomplish aggressive goals. She is a creative problem solver with more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She currently is Chair and Founding Member of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Business Women’s Giving Circle, investing in innovative STEM and entrepreneurship programs for girls and young women. Prior to that, Ms. La Force was the Chairman of the Board and Founding Partner of the Children’s Science Center, building the first hands-on interactive science museum in Northern Virginia. Ms. La Force is a graduate of Leadership Fairfax and has strong ties in Northern Virginia. She cares deeply about the power of local nonprofit work and launched Mission Focused Consulting to help other organizations meet their potential. Prior to her nonprofit work, Ms. La Force was a CPA and Controller for industry leading companies. As a Potomac parent, she has volunteered on many committees, most recently serving on the Parent Association Executive Committee as the Intermediate School Head Parent Representative.

Ms. La Force is a graduate of Lafayette College with a BA in Economics and Business. She and her husband live in Northern Virginia with their three sons, all Potomac students.

Reed Landry '99

REED W. LANDRY is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Mission Group, a hospitality company that owns and operates large format bar and restaurant concepts in Washington, DC, including Mission Dupont, Hawthorne, Mission Navy Yard, The Admiral, Salazar and Royal Sands. 

Mr. Landry is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the varsity wrestling team. He remains active in the sport, serving on the Board of Directors of Beat The Streets, an organization working to reinstate wrestling programs at all DC public high schools and provide support programs for athletes. Mr. Landry also serves as Vice Chair of the Dupont Circle Business Improvement District. He was a lifer at Potomac, graduating in 1999. His brother Clark ('95) is also a Potomac School graduate. Prior to joining the Board of Trustees, Mr. Landry served as President of the Potomac School Alumni Governing Council. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife Julie and their three sons.

Maryanne Lavan

MARYANNE R. LAVAN is Senior VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Lockheed Martin Corporation. In this role, she is responsible for the corporation’s legal affairs and law department, including serving as counsel to its senior leadership and Board of Directors. Maryanne previously served as Vice President of Corporate Internal Audit, providing independent assessments of governance, internal controls, and risk management. In November 2019, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, which aims to promote diversity across the legal sector. She contributed to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Fellows and Success in Law School Mentoring Program and hosted its Fellows Alumni Regional Roundtable and Sustainable Partnership Program. She serves on the governing bodies of the University of Albany Foundation, and Fordham University.

Maryanne graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York with a Bachelor of Science and from the Washington College of Law, American University, with a J.D. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland and is the parent of two children, one of whom is a Potomac graduate.

Robert Moser

ROBERT D. MOSER, JR. is the chief executive officer of Clark Group. In this role, Mr. Moser provides executive direction for Clark Construction’s national operations and asset solutions, which range from real estate development and technology integration to facility operations and maintenance. With more than 4,500 team members, he proudly fosters a company culture that thrives on innovation, integrity, and community involvement.

Mr. Moser earned his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is the parent of two Potomac students.

Patricia Potts

Patricia Potts has worked at the National Association of Home Builders for 18 years and currently oversees its publishing arm. She is the proud publisher of her first children’s book, The House That She Built, inspiring and empowering young girls and boys. Previously Patricia served for 12 years as a parent volunteer at Reid Temple Christian Academy where she successfully managed the academy’s fundraising efforts and community service projects. In addition, she served on the of board of Tiny Findings Child Development Center Inc.

Patricia is the co-founder of the Parents of Black Students Family Network at Potomac. She has taken her passion for education and children and co-founded CONNECTdmv, a nonprofit that helps close the opportunity gaps for students and families of color at independent schools by empowering students, creating opportunity, building community, and activating change.

Patricia is a graduate of the University of Maryland and currently serves on the Robert H. Smith School of Business Alumni Chapter Board. She resides in Bowie, Maryland, with her husband, Anthony and is a parent to two sons, one of whom is a Potomac graduate.

Norma Ramsey

NORMA C. RAMSEY is president of the W. Russell and Norma C. Ramsey Foundation.  Mrs. Ramsey is actively committed to philanthropic causes dedicated to at-risk families through education and health programs.  Along with her husband Russ, Mrs. Ramsey is a founding investor of Venture Philanthropy Partners which has invested over $100 million in Greater Washington’s most high performing non-profit institutions.

In addition to serving on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University, Mrs. Ramsey serves on the Executive Committee of Children’s National Medical Center, the Foundation Board of Inova Health System, the Executive Committee of Knock out Abuse, the We Are Family Foundation and the Executive Committee of the University of Virginia Parents Council.  Mrs. Ramsey has also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts as well as the Deacon Club Board at Wake Forest University.

An Emerita Trustee, Mrs. Ramsey served the Potomac School Board of Trustees from 2002-2011. During that time, she chaired the Building and Grounds Committee and personally oversaw the development of and initial implementation of the Master Plan.  Mrs. Ramsey currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Trustees and also serves on the Strategic Priorities Committee, the Building and Grounds Committee, the Development Committee, and Growing Ever Greater - The Campaign for The Potomac School.

Mrs. Ramsey earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland and resides in Great Falls, VA along with her husband Russ, current student Paige ’24, and three alumni – Bailey ’10 (UPenn/GWU); Eric K-8 (WFU) and Mark ’14 (UVA).

Paul F. Sheridan, Jr.

PAUL SHERIDAN  is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Latham & Watkins LLP and the Global Chair of the firm’s Private Equity Practice, having previously served multiple terms on the firm's executive committee. He has significant experience in representing companies and private equity firms in corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private and public offerings, and general company representation.

Paul received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and his J.D. from University of Virginia Law School. He resides in McLean, Virginia, with his wife, Rachel, and their three children.

Sarah Murphy Starr

As an alumna, SARAH MURPHY STARR ’99 is very active in the Potomac School community. Prior to becoming a trustee, Sarah was a co-chair of the 2023 record-setting Scholarship Auction, served as class reunion chair in 2013-14 and 2003-04, and was a member of the Alumni Governing Council from 2016 to 2020 and from 2004 to 2005. In addition, Sarah was an annual giving volunteer from 2018 to 2022, served as an inaugural Blair Society volunteer, and as a Parent Association representative. Sarah received her Bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Communication Studies and French from the University of Richmond. She resides in Washington, DC, with her husband, Shooter, and their two children.

Martin W. Sumner

MARTIN W. SUMNER is a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group where he focuses on investment opportunities in the industrial and transportation sectors.

Since joining Carlyle in 2003, Mr. Sumner has led or been a key contributor to a number of the firm’s investments including Allison Transmission, Atotech, AxleTech International, Axalta Coating Systems, Centennial Resources Development, Nouryon, United Components, Veyance Technologies, and Wildhorse Resources, among others. Prior to joining Carlyle, he held positions with Thayer Capital Partners, a private equity firm and the strategy consulting group of Mercer Management Consulting.

Mr. Sumner received his M.B.A. from Stanford University, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and a B.S. in Economics, magna cum laude, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Atotech, AxleTech International and Nouryon and resides in Washington D.C. with his wife Meredith and three children.

Stefanie Thomas '03

STEFANIE A. THOMAS '03 is a venture investor at Impact America Fund. She joined the firm in 2015 and is particularly interested in the network effects that propel bootstrapped entrepreneurs, a focus inspired by her father who overcame tremendous challenges as a low-income business owner. Prior to joining Impact America Fund, she co-founded Quarterback Impact while also managing fund development for an impact investment evergreen project.

In 2014, she led a 6,000-mile road trip across the U.S. to meet and work with entrepreneurs who are focused on making an impact in their local communities. She co-founded and is an advisor for Women Who Launch, an organization that fosters a gender equal entrepreneurial ecosystem and was recognized as an emerging voice of “Black Women VCs” by Fast Company.