Leadership

Jane Solomon (Chair)
Community Advocate (volunteer)

Jane Solomon, Chair of the Board, is a trustee of the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, an early and ongoing Community Forklift supporter. Jane and husband Daniel deconstructed their DC home and the salvage became part of Community Forklift’s opening inventory. She began her career on Wall St. and ended it at The Nature Conservancy, leaving to raise twin boys and pursue community work. Now empty nesters, the Solomons are involved in many causes, particularly DC statehood. They divide their time between DC and an old farm in Craftsbury, Vermont, where Jane is usually in the garden.

Ken Scalet (Vice Chair)
Retired Consultant and Cabinetmaker

Ken Scalet, Vice Chair of the Board, retired as a partner in a large management and technology consulting firm and discovered Community Forklift as he transitioned into his next chapter as a custom woodworker and furniture maker. Ken has rejuvenated Community Forklift finds into unique furniture and remodeled bathrooms and kitchens. In many cases, Ken built these projects using Community Forklift donated vintage tools, hardware, and equipment.

Kyle J. Thomas (Treasurer)
Global Industry Lead, Public Sector, Appian Corporation

Kyle Thomas, Treasurer, has worked in financial supervision for over 15 years, first with a state regulatory agency and then at a non-profit trade association of state regulators (CSBS) in Washington, DC. He now works as a public sector industry lead at Appian, a low-code software platform based in McLean, VA. He and his husband, Brandon, live in NE Washington and are raising a son, Jack, who enjoys frequent trips to Community Forklift on the weekends.

Ann Hayward
Real Estate & Management Consultant

Ann Hayward spent the better part of her career as a television news and theatrical film producer/writer/director and non-profit organization executive before returning to her roots as a second generation Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty. Home renovation, scenic and landscape design, still and motion picture photography, golf and field hockey, are some of her passions as well as serving on the board of Community Forklift and two educational foundations.

Joe Schultz
Consultant and volunteer

Joe Schultz retired as director of communications for the International Council on Clean Transportation. From an early age he was instructed in the merits of old stuff and the virtues of fixing things, and he has come through a couple of house renovations and numerous refurbishment projects practically unscathed. He spends some of his time helping build new houses with Habitat for Humanity, and some of it salvaging parts of old ones with Community Forklift.

John Sheridan
Policy Director, Prince George’s County Council Chair Jolene Ivey

John Sheridan is currently the legislative director for Prince George’s County Council Chair Jolene Ivey. Earlier he worked as a legislative aide for eighteen years in the U.S. Senate, and has spent his career in electoral politics and public policy. He has renovated two late 19th-Century Victorian houses in historic Hyattsville, grateful for all the material available and used from Community Forklift.

Jennifer L. Botchway, PhD
Talent Strategist

Dr. Jennifer Botchway grew up in DC and most recently led Talent Development for the Technology Organization at Wayfair. Prior to Wayfair, Jennifer held various positions that helped to establish strategic partnerships across academia, government, and industry while leveraging the power of data to drive transformational organizational change. Jennifer comes from a long line of salvagers and frequently uses materials from Community Forklift to design curated spaces for herself and others. She resides in University Park with her husband, two daughters, and a backyard bunny.

Amy C. Serafino
Partner, Friedlander Misler, PLLC

Amy Serafino is a partner at Friedlander Misler, and is a leader of their commercial real estate practice group. In this role, she guides her clients through a wide variety of transactions including major industrial projects, large retail shopping centers and mixed-use developments. She is a life-long Washingtonian, was educated at the University of Maryland and George Washington University, and currently lives in Georgetown with her husband, two teenage kids, two dogs, and a cat. Many of the materials, fixtures and finishes from Amy’s first major DIY renovation were sourced from Community Forklift.