Arlington Community Foundation will have three new trustees to the Board for fiscal year 2024: Dana Laidhold, Nancy Eileen McEldowney and Carmen C. Oviedo. These new board members bring highly distinguished and diverse perspectives in business, finance, and community impact to the work of the Community Foundation at an exciting time in its evolution. The Foundation is embarking on a strategic planning process to serve as a roadmap for deeper and broader engagement in meeting the needs of the community.
Dana Laidhold serves as Senior Vice President and Treasurer at Nasdaq. With more than 25 years of experience in capital markets, foreign exchange, investing, cash management, insurance and treasury technologies, she leads a global team of treasury and tax professionals. In 2020, her Treasury team was a finalist for the Pinnacle Award for excellence in treasury and finance. In 2015, Laidhold received the Highly Commendable distinction as Woman of the Year at the Adam Smith Awards. She is also on the board of the Nasdaq Foundation.
Nancy Eileen McEldowney is an academic and diplomat who served as the national security advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris during 2021 and 2022. She previously served as United States ambassador to Bulgaria, Interim President and Senior Vice President of the National Defense University, and Director of the Foreign Service Institute, among other foreign affairs distinctions. She has been granted the State Department’s Superior Honor Award on five occasions. She is also the recipient of the Sinclair Linguistic Award and of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award.
Carmen C. Oviedo is Founding Partner of Stanton Blackwell. Before founding Stanton Blackwell, Carmen was Senior Vice President and Executive Committee member of Delta Career Education Corporation. She held multiple positions at Fannie Mae serving as Chief of Staff to the CEO and leading regulatory affairs. Carmen began her career in business development at the Corporate Executive Board after spending several years on Capitol Hill. With a passion for community development, Carmen served as a Board President for Doorways for Women and Families in Arlington and is a former board member of Dress for Success in Washington, DC.
The Foundation would also like to thank John Andelin, who is retiring from the Board of Trustees, for his many years of dedicated service and leadership. He will continue to serve on the Foundation’s scholarship committee. Tanja Castro will serve as the Chair of the Board of Trustees. Together, current and new Trustees alike are poised to elevate the Foundation's initiatives and services to new heights, fostering an even stronger and more vibrant Arlington for all.
Arlington Community Foundation was established in 1991 to serve as a permanent community endowment built by the gifts and charitable legacies of individuals, families, and businesses for the betterment of Arlington County. As a grantmaker, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives, the Community Foundation strives to strengthen local nonprofits, encourage better understanding of the needs of Arlingtonians, and address the most critical issues of our time to ensure that our community provides opportunity for everyone. Visit www.arlcf.org or call 703-243-4785.