Board of Directors Candidates
PETE BENTSON
My wife (Jill) and I have been members of DHARA since we bought our first home in Westover. We are lifelong Virginia residents and have lived in Arlington for almost two decades. In recent years we’ve had the opportunity to watch DHARA grow and evolve as our own family has grown too. Today we are parents to three young boys who are proud members of the Dominion Hills Warriors.
In my professional life I manage a team of financial services professionals, and would bring the requisite budgeting, strategy, and communication skills to my role as a board member. I also chair the Scholarship fund for a family non-profit, and our household is active with local charity organizations.
If elected, my focus would be on maintaining the inclusive sense of community that already exists at DHARA, while focusing on smart, efficient ways to improve our facilities. Above all, my goal would be to ensure that our pool remains a competitive, attractive offering for both existing and prospective members.
MARYJANE KLINGELHOFER
I have lived in Arlington since 1962 and in Boulevard Manor since 1979. I spent 35 years as an office manager/architectural historian for a small architectural preservation firm in Washington, DC, and am now the office manager/office mom for a 40-person structural engineering firm in Georgetown.
My husband and I joined the pool in 1993 when my two sons were young, and have used it more and more as the years go by (I’m the one doing that slow backstroke with the big blue “paws”). I have been Secretary of the DHARA Board of Directors for the past two years and would be happy to continue to support the Board and pool members for another term.
ROB SMITH
My wife Kelly and I have lived in Dominion Hills for the past decade and were happy to join DHARA from the waiting list last year. Our eight year old Henry is a proud member of the swim team, and our three year old Everett looks forward to being a Warrior soon.
We’ve really enjoyed being active swim team parents, and the warm welcome we’ve received from DHARA families has been fantastic. I have lived in Arlington for the past 20 years and am currently a health care consultant in downtown DC. We are members of Christ Church in Alexandria and enjoy volunteering for Henry’s various sports teams and the Dominion Hills Civic Association. I would be honored to serve on the board and would welcome the opportunity to contribute to DHARA’s bright future.
CT (bio removed per member’s request)
JAMES WOODWARD
My name is James Woodward and I’m interested in serving on the DHARA Board of Directors. My wife, three kids, and I have been happy members of Dominion Hills since 2011. During that time we have enjoyed the pool and DH community, made great friends, celebrated birthdays and hosted family gatherings, and spent many, many, many Monday nights and Saturday mornings at DH swim meets (often times on the pool deck serving as a timer) where my oldest daughter has been on the team – starting with the Mini-Warriors – for more than 7 years. Fingers crossed, my other two kids are ready to join the team this summer! In addition to supporting the DH swim team, I also keep busy coaching my kids’ soccer and basketball teams.
Professionally, I have 20 years of experience working with non-profit organizations – the first 7 as a consultant to an array of local, national and international non-profits, and the last 13 as the Director of Development for two different private schools in DC. In that time I have come to appreciate the important role that a good and high-functioning Board plays for any organization. Not only does it need to take stock and address the current needs of its membership and facilities, it also needs to plan for the near- and far-term future. That may mean focusing on the organization’s financial security, preparing to be nimble enough to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, or considering a facilities master plan.
I have been impressed by the vision of the DHARA Board in undertaking several recent projects, namely the locker room renovations and the current pool deck and pump room repairs, both of which were significant and necessary. As a Board member, I would be interested in contributing to the continuation of this trajectory, particularly as DHARA looks ahead to the next 5 years and beyond to best position itself for the next opportunities to benefit all members.
