ArtsFairfax Welcomes New Board Directors and Staff
Fairfax County, VA – ArtsFairfax, Fairfax County’s designated arts agency, announces the addition of five new Board of Directors and four new staff members demonstrating a continued commitment to diversity and service to our community.
“ArtsFairfax is pleased to welcome Julie Carter, Amy Ginn, Sung Bin Im, Upen Patel, and Sean Sharifi to our Board of Directors,” said ArtsFairfax President & CEO, Linda S. Sullivan. “They each bring traits to ArtsFairfax that support our mission and experience that will guide us to achieve our future goals. They join a strong Board whose leadership is committed to assisting our arts community.”
Meet ArtsFairfax’s New Board Members:
Julie Carter, Carter Consulting Group
Ms. Carter is the president and founder of Carter Consulting Group in Fairfax. She has served as the chief development officer of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, successfully completing the Foundation’s capital campaign to build and partially endow the Center for Education. Additionally, Ms. Carter served as the chief development officer for Americans for the Arts and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens. More recently, she worked on the initial stages of Mount Vernon’s campaign to establish and build a national library for George Washington. Ms. Carter earned a Master’s in Community Arts Management from the University of Illinois.
Amy Ginn, BSB
Ms. Ginn is a not-for-profit audit manager with over 15 years of accounting experience who joined BSB in 2006. She grew up in the art world, which encouraged her passion for music and art appreciation at a very young age. Over the years, her love for supporting the arts has intensified, reflected in her enthusiastic support of many art disciplines. Ms. Ginn attended the University of Alabama and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from George Mason University. She enjoys college football, attending concerts and musicals, and spending time with family and friends.
Sung Bin Im, World Bankcard Services
Mr. Im is the founder and president of World Bankcard Services, headquartered in Fairfax. He also served as a founding director and board member of the 1st Commonwealth Bank of Virginia. Mr. Im is actively involved in the Korean American community in the Washington area. In 2003, he led and directed the Washington Korean American Amateur Sports Association team in the National Korean American Olympic in Dallas, Texas. After immigrating from Seoul, Korea, in 1976, Mr. Im studied Pre-Law at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. He completed the Executive Program from Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business in E-Commerce and Business Management in 2001. Mr. Im and his wife enjoy traveling and experiencing visual and performing arts, specifically operas and classical music.
Upen Patel, The Federal Savings Bank
Mr. Patel is a senior vice president at The Federal Savings Bank in Vienna, Virginia. As a longtime resident of the Washington D.C. area, he has been actively involved in the D.C. real estate market. Mr. Patel graduated from The University of Texas – McCombs School of Business with an MBA. After graduation, he spent several years as a management consultant advising and assisting Fortune 500 clients. Outside of work, Mr. Patel keeps busy with his son’s baseball team, completing the “honey-do” list, hitting a few golf balls, enjoying the arts, and spending time with family and friends.
Sean Sharifi, Lydia Real Estate LLC
Mr. Sharifi is a lifelong resident of Fairfax County, the principal broker of Lydia Real Estate LLC, and an art lover. After graduating from George Washington University, Mr. Sharif joined the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, where he has served as a volunteer firefighter/EMT for more than 16 years. He currently serves on the One Neighborhood Foundation (ONF) board, a nonprofit that he and his sister founded during the pandemic to help feed food-insecure families in Vienna and throughout Fairfax County. In 2020, ONF raised over $100,000 from the community and offered tens of thousands of meals to those in need. Aside from his work and volunteering, Sean’s true passion lies in the arts. His experiences have taught him the importance of the arts and how art can bring together a community, promote empathy and understanding, and instill joy in the hearts of all who partake.
ArtsFairfax Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2022
Officers:
- Michele “Shelly” Hazel, Chairman
- Tim Sargeant, Dominion Energy, Inc., Vice-Chairman
- Pat Macintyre, Macintyre Electronic Design Associates, Inc., Secretary
- Jennifer Owen, Senior Private Client Advisor, Treasurer
Directors:
- Jose Banzon, White64
- Suzanne H. Bissell, Bissel Philanthropy Services
- Julie Carter, Carter Consulting Group
- Michael P. Coogan, Leidos
- Scott Cryer, HGA Architects and Engineering
- Bill Dubose, Heritage Financial, LLC
- The Honorable Eileen Filler-Corn, Virginia House of Delegates
- Amy Ginn, BSB
- Leila Gordon, Reston Community Center
- Sung Bin Im, World Bankcard Services
- Deirdre Johnson, Federal Realty Investment Trust
- Michael S. Liberman, Fairfax County Government
- Jennifer Owen, Senior Private Client Advisor
- Upen Patel, The Federal Savings Bank
- Sean Sharifi, Lydia Real Estate
- Cathy “Smitty” Smith, Long & Foster Tysons
- Maurice B. Springer, Cardinal Insurance and Financial Inc
- d’Andre Willis, d’Andre Willis Consulting.
“ArtsFairfax thanks outgoing board members Michael Forehand, Inova Health Systems, and Russel Hines, Monument Realty, who have been great champions for the arts in Fairfax,” said Ms. Sullivan.
Meet ArtsFairfax’s New Staff members:
ArtsFairfax welcomes the following staff members:
- Hope Cagle, Educations Manager and Accessibility Officer
- Jackie Dubin, Grants Manager
- Debbie Mueller, Director of Development
- Manuela Quintero Fehr, Digital Media & Outreach Manager
- Gaffar Shareef, Business & Operations Manager
“ArtsFairfax continues to attract talented individuals who are excited to serve the Fairfax community,” said Ms. Sullivan. “I encourage everyone to get to know our board members and staff and utilize the expertise they bring to our organization.”
ArtsFairfax thanks departing staff members Kimber Craine, Brenda McRoberts, Dana Stewart, and Danielle Stoebe for their hard work and dedication to the arts.
About ArtsFairfax
ArtsFairfax is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, incorporated in 1964 as Fairfax County’s designated local arts agency. ArtsFairfax is funded in part by Fairfax County, corporations, foundations, individuals, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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