Board of Directors
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Margaret Ballard
President Margaret has been a Board member since 2022 and was acting treasurer until September 2024 when she was elected as Vice President of the Board. She was elected Board President in September 2026. She retired as Senior Project Manager at HDR, Engineering, Inc in 2008. Her 35-year career involved nearly every mode of transportation, alternatives analysis, project planning, public participation, and project management. She managed large environmental projects across the U.S. She began her career with more than a dozen years in the Maryland Department of Transportation, working on environmental issues of ports, highways, Metro and airports. Growing up in PA, her family regularly went to hear Eugene Ormandy conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra. An Alexandria resident since the 1990's, she started attending occasional Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic performances at Bishop Ireton in the 2000’s. She joined the WMPA Friends tour to Croatia in 2013 and subsequent tours as well. She received her B.A. from Goucher College and her M.S. in Urban Planning from The Johns Hopkins University. She had been active in various professional activities and boards. |
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Joe Keum
Treasurer Joe Keum holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, an M.S. in Computer Information Systems, and an MBA. He built a distinguished career as a senior systems and software engineer in aerospace, missile defense, radar systems, and homeland security. As a serial entrepreneur, Joe is the founder of AI BOKI Robotics, where he is developing AI-powered companion robots for families and seniors. He is also an active angel investor and Managing Partner of Keum Venture, with a focus on AI, robotics, healthcare, and biotech. Joe is committed to supporting WMPA by contributing his financial and strategic expertise. |
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Donna Reuss
Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator Donna joined the WMPA Board in September 2022. Her association with the Philharmonic grew over the years, from concert attendee, to a regular at the summer Lyceum series, and then, as a member of the traveling friends of WMP. An amateur singer herself, Donna appreciates the impact of music and the arts on communities and cultures, and is enthusiastic about assisting in furtherance of the WMPA mission and vision. She currently serves as Volunteer Coordinator and Board Secretary. |
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Brittany Pemberton
Orchestra Representative Brittany Pemberton grew up in Ohio, where she was a member of the historic Squire's Junior Military Band and the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra. Brittany holds a B.M. (Cincinnati CCM) and an M.M. (James Madison) in clarinet performance, and her principal teachers include Dennis Nygren, Ron deKant, and Janice Minor. Brittany is an active performer in the DC area and a practicing attorney. |
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John Suntherland Earle
Lyceum Chamber Series Co-Coordinator John Sutherland Earle enjoys dual careers as pianist and professor. Having trained at Oberlin, Stanford, and Vienna, he has won prizes in international competitions and concertized in more than a dozen US states, several countries of Europe, and in Russia and Japan. Since moving to the DC area in 2010, he has become a well-known collaborative and solo pianist on the local music scene. A Distinguished University Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, where he is also a graduate music student, he is a widely cited scholar for his research on labor policies, entrepreneurship, and inequality. He previously taught and made music in Stanford, Prague, Stockholm, Budapest, and Paris. |
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Rachel Sheedy
Member Rachel L. Sheedy, CFP®, is an at-large Board Member of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association. A former personal finance journalist, Sheedy now works in communications for a financial services related nonprofit. As a longtime resident of the Washington, D.C. area, she has enjoyed the many cultural and arts opportunities the region has to offer. Having attended many WMPA concerts in recent years, she is excited to be supporting WMPA behind the scenes as a board member. |
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Clay Berry
Member Clay Berry has more than 25 years of experience managing complex global economic and financial sector policy initiatives across both the public and private sectors. She was most recently Managing Director and Head of Global Engagement for JPMorganChase, leading international government relations for the firm. Previously, she spent more than 15 years at the U.S. Treasury Department including as Acting Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe & Eurasia. Clay grew up in Alexandria, playing the violin in the Alexandria City public schools and participating in regional youth orchestras. |
