Board of Directors
Jeanette Irwin
President
Jeanette Irwin
Jeanette has been on the Board since June 2020, and a vegan since she started adopting racing greyhounds in 2008. She organizes several of VSDC’s activities including the Vegan Trekkers hikes, Potluck Cook Club and Game Nights. Originally hailing from San Francisco, she moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington DC in 2000, where she now lives with her husband, Dave, and their two feisty cats, Henry and Russell.
Elissa Free
Vice President
Elissa Free
Elissa is a long-time member of VSDC and has served on the board since 2016. Her first exposure to VSDC was when her mother brought her to VSDC potlucks in a church basement in the 1970s!
A vegan since 2008, Elissa lives with her husband Bill, three cats (Freddy, Anna & Babycake) and little dog, Chucky. Her daughter Amanda, who inspired her to go vegan, lives in Colorado and runs marathons. Elissa’s professional background is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissa-free-9a75846/
David Banks
Secretary
David Banks
David has been vegan since 1995. He has served on several national and local boards including National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, Fairfax County Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Board, and foundation boards of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Born and raised in NYC, now living in Germantown, MD with Nia (13 year old cat originally from the DC Animal Shelter). Linkedln profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbanksperfil.
Saurabh Dalal
Treasurer
Saurabh Dalal
Saurabh Dalal enjoys being involved in outreach, education, and greater advocacy of a vegan lifestyle as a compelling solution to many global problems. Saurabh is a lifelong vegetarian, ethical vegan since 1991, and volunteers as a board member/advisor to numerous vegan-oriented organizations. He has been active in the Jain community and has long been interested in ethical investments. Saurabh works as an engineering consultant, holds graduate degrees in engineering and physics, and explores ways of integrating sound science into related activism.
Key Volunteers
Beth Preiss
Book Club Coordinator
Beth Preiss
Beth (she/her) has coordinated the VSDC Book Club for more than 25 years! Beth previously served on VSDC’s board for two years, helped edit the newsletter, and planned numerous VSDC events including author talks, picnics, and outings to museums, movies, and concerts.
Beth went vegetarian in high school, after learning her biology class would be dissecting animals, and transitioned to vegan in the mid-1990s after attending a vegetarian conference. She returned from that conference with ideas that various vegetarian organizations were using to attract new members. Beth created early versions of VSDC’s brochure and t-shirts from that experience.
Danielle Kichler
Email Coordinator
Danielle Kichler
Danielle Kichler (she/her) has been a member of VSDC since 2002. She has served on the board and as restaurant visit coordinator. Currently, she monitors and manages the VSDC email account.
She went vegetarian in January of 2002 and a few months later went vegan, at the dawn of vegan awareness and acceptance. She's also a huge Washington Capitals fan (yes, there are vegan sports fans!) and her dream is to go to a Caps game at all 32 NHL arenas. She's been to 16 so far.
She lives with her cat, Penelope, a 13-pound British shorthair mix with a tabby coat.
Bethany Banks
Children's Meetup Group Co-Coordinator
Bethany Banks
Pujak Arora
Biking Co-Coordinator
Luke Gessler
Luke Gessler joined VSDC in 2018 and helps VSDC with its IT operations. Luke has been veg since 2014, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in computational linguistics.
Sonya Eremenco
Membership Co-Coordinator
Pujak Arora
Pujak, eating veg since 1986, co-organizes biking activities. He loves nature and is an avid hiker too. Originally from India, he has been in the area since 2008.
Sonya Eremenco
Sonya Eremenco(she/her) serves as the Membership Database Coordinator for VSDC.This roleprocesses new memberships and renewals and maintains the database containing information for eachmember and contact. This role also updates contact information and membership status as needed.
Sonya has been a VSDC member since 2009. She has been vegetarian since 1995 and went vegan in 2013. She enjoys participating in VSDC events as well as seeking out veg restaurants and businesses when traveling to other locales. She lives with a cat named Zokni.
Kelsey Steele
Running Group Coordinator
Kelsey Steele
Kelsey has been vegan since 2009 and coordinates weekend runs with the VSDC. Since high school, she has been a veg*n and environmental activist and is currently a sustainability consultant in Washington, DC.
Sarah Cusack
LGBTQIA+ Group Coordinator
Sarah Cusack
They have two lovely cats, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, who have helped keep them sane during this pandemic.
He organizes this chapter so that queer vegans can unite and build community, as it is very common for people sitting in this intersection to feel left out in non-vegan queer spaces, and cishet vegan spaces.
Sarah was born in DC and lives in Falls Church, but has spent years living in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.
Tara Holden
Social Media Manager
Tara Holden
Tara (she/her) is the Social Media Manager for VSDC. She has been vegan since 2019 and vegetarian since she was nine years old, and she is a life-long animal lover.
Tara’s love of animals and commitment to ethical consumption extends to every part of her life. In addition to being vegan, Tara exclusively purchases clothing from second hand stores and ethical, sustainable brands. She is passionate about ending animal testing in cosmetics, ending the use of animal materials in fashion, and advocates for fair wages in the fashion industry. Tara aims to use social media as a way to educate and inspire others to make more ethical choices in every area of their lives.
Tara moved to DC in 2022 and lives with her orange cat, Charlie (who has thumbs).
Sara Murray
Membership Co-Coordinator
Sara Murray
Sara is a plant-based Registered Dietitian, a supporter of animal rights organizations, and an active investor in vegan startups. In 2004 she became a vegetarian and has been vegan for the majority of the time since then. She is also on the board of the Farvue Foundation. She’s a DC native who lives with a rescue mutt and foster fail kitty.
Wendy Finn
Whole Food Plant-Based Group Coordinator and Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary Volunteer Coordinator
Wendy Finn
Whole Food Plant-Based Group Coordinator and
Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary Volunteer Coordinator
Wendy has always been an animal lover. She started as a vegetarian as a teenager and became vegan in 2021. She was involved with dog rescue for many years, initially as a foster, and later led the largest breed-specific rescue in the country. Currently, Wendy serves as a nonprofit management consultant for Rosie’s Farm Sanctuary, working with the team to strengthen the operations. She recently launched the VSDC Whole Food Plant-Based Affinity Group. She also organizes the volunteer days at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary. In addition to her work with VSDC and Rosie’s, Wendy is engaged in animal advocacy with a national organization and continues to foster homeless dogs. She lives in Bethesda with her husband, Brian, and her rescued dog, Ruthie.
Mindy Kursban
Movie Night Host
Mindy Kursban
Movie Night Host
Mindy has been an ethical vegan since 2000 (and vegetarian since 1992), after learning about what happens to animals used for food. She is the Chair of the Board for a national plant-based nutrition advocacy organization and works as in-house counsel for a local home care company. She and her husband David live in Fairfax, having moved back to the DC metropolitan area after spending a few wonderful years temporarily living in San Diego.