Looks like the Friends of RIA NE (FoRIA) are starting off August with a bang. Today, they have announced the launch of their new website and the addition of three new members of their Board of Directors (see their press release below).

Looks like Peter Shapiro, Tim Flanagan, and Karla Butler will join the group and this is great news for this organization. It seems that they are headed in the right direction to help advance redevelopment to Rhode Island Ave NE.

Friends of Rhode Island Ave NE Names New Board Members

WASHINGTON (July 31, 2012) – The Friends of Rhode Island Ave (FoRIA) have appointed
three prominent community members to serve on the group’s board. Peter Shapiro, founder and
director of the Chesapeake Center for Public Leadership and a former At-Large candidate for
Council; Timothy Flanagan, Executive Director of the Washington Area Community Investment
Fund; and Karla Butler, a defense analyst and editor of Hello! Neighbor, were elected by the
Board to join the group last week.

“FoRIA is growing faster than any of us expected,” said James Holloway, Chair of the FoRIA
Board. “and, bringing in Peter, Tim, and Karla’s experience and enthusiasm for our community
will help us keep up with our mission.”

The new board members will begin their tenure immediately and serve a two year term. FoRIA
Board Members are responsible for guiding the organization’s mission and assisting in its growth
and structure.

Peter Shapiro is the founder and director of the Chesapeake Center for Public Leadership in
Washington, DC as well as the founder and former director of the James MacGregor Burns
Academy of Leadership’s Rawlings Center for Public Leadership at the University of Maryland.
In 2012, Peter was a candidate for At-Large Council of the District of Columbia. Currently, he
chairs the legislative committee for the Ward 4 Democrats and is a Board Member of DC
Advocates for the Arts, and Sustainable Community Initiatives.

Timothy Flanagan is the Executive Director of the Washington Area Community Investment
Fund, Inc (WACIF) and is a Ward 5 resident. Mr. Flanagan serves on the Board of Directors for
Joy of Motion Dance Center in Northeast DC. He is an advisory council member for the DC Bar
Pro Bono Program as well as the DC Small Business Development Center Network.

Karla Butler is a Ward 5 resident in the Woodridge community of Washington, DC and works
as an analyst for a not-for-profit government consulting company in McLean, VA, supporting the
Department of Defense. As a community activist, Karla has served as a campaign volunteer for
newly elected Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie and also created a community newsletter,
Hello! Neighbor, to education residents on emerging and current events in Ward 5 and promote
dialogue among residents in the Langdon community.

About Friends of Rhode Island Ave (FoRIA)
Friends of Rhode Island Avenue NE is dedicated to promoting, developing, and enhancing Rhode
Island Avenue NE as a culturally, socially, and economically vibrant community in Washington
D.C. Its goal is to raise awareness of the RIA NE corridor and to advocate for its positive
redevelopment. We are a volunteer organization that offers free membership and welcomes all to
participate. For more information, please visit http://www.friendsofria.org

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