​

Hazel Broadnax, President
Hazel, a long-time resident of the Brightwood community is very active in the Emory
United Methodist Church and local civic-events. She is a Certified Public Accountant
(CPA) and a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) with a Masters in Public
Administration from American University. She retired from the Federal government in
2005 as the Chief Financial Officer of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Prior
to joining the federal government, she served in numerous financial jobs in the District
of Columbia including Controller of the Department of Human Services. Following
retirement, she worked as a consultant for KPMG to NASA assisting environmental
engineers and ultimately assisting NASA in obtaining a clean audit opinion. She
currently serves on the Goodyear VEBA as a member overseeing health coverage for
retirees and is chair of the audit committee. She also sits on the board of WLF which is
a workforce nonprofit assisting low income residents secure employment.

James Waller, Vice President
James holds a BS in Secondary Education from the University of Virginia and currently
serves as Deputy Chief of School Excellence for Friendship Public Charter Schools.
James, a former Chief of Staff for US Congressman John Lewis, has a strong record of
organizational design and development in the areas of youth mentoring programs and
education and is particularly interested in working with organizations that will enable him
to have a direct impact on youth development. James was one of the co-founders of
100 Black Men of Washington and previously held leadership roles as National
Executive Director of Everybody Wins! USA, and Senior VP, Public Policy and State
Affairs with Mentor/National Mentoring Partnership.

Dian Lammy, Treasurer
Dian, a resident of Ward 4, a former Vice-President of Capitol One Bank. She has
twenty-seven years of progressive banking experience and an extensive background in
finance as well as an outstanding track record in the area of retail banking,
management, and supervision of overall expense profit performance. She is currently a
financial consultant. Diane received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the
University of the District of Columbia.

Marcia Mendenhall, Secretary
Marcia, a life-long resident of the Brightwood community. She is a graduate of Hampton
University. She has served as the coordinator the EBOL Transitional Housing Program,
President of the United Methodist Women for Emory United Methodist Church and is a
very active member of the congregation. She also serves a vital role in EBOL’s
mentoring programs for youth and senior citizens. Marcia who has worked in education
for more than twenty years is a teacher at a private school in Brightwood.   I attended

Hampton Institute which is Hampton University and earned a BS in Early Childhood Education.
I attended Trinity University and earned an MA in Special Education.

Lillette Campbell, Director
Lillette is the Founder and Executive Director of The Bridges Academy, a small private
school in upper NW DC serving students from infancy through Middle School. She has
operated Bridges Academy located in the 6100 Block of Georgia Avenue, NW for the
last 25 years. She represents the Beacon of Light Board with other businesses on the
Avenue, as well as leading our business and economic team on the Board. Lillette is
the16th National President of Continental Societies, Inc. an International service
organization solely focused on improvement of children's lives. She serves as a
member of the Industrial Bank New Market Tax Credit Advisory Board. She teaches
Spanish and is fluent in the language. She supports the Beacon of Light food pantry and
our immigration clinic as an interpreter for clients. Lillette graduated from Howard
University with a BA in Romance Languages/Education MEd - Education/Spanish

Joseph W. Daniels, Director
Rev. Daniels is a husband, father, pastor, author, prophetic imaginer and leader of a
Relevant, Enthusiastic, Authentic and Loving church movement. Joe has dedicated
his life to growing the kingdom of God. For the past 31years, he has done so as the
lead pastor of the Emory United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C During his
leadership at Emory, the congregation has grown from an average of 55 people in
weekly worship attendance to 400. In 2019, the Emory Church and the Beacon of
Light completed a $60million, 99-unit affordable rental housing, commercial and
congregational development project that will provide hope to many individuals and
families desperately needing an affordable place to live in a region that is arguably
one of the top five most expensive in the country. Joe holds a Doctor of Ministry
degree from Wesley Theological Seminary (2000) in Washington, D.C.  He is also a
1991 graduate of Howard University School of Divinity, and has earned a Bachelor
and Master’s degrees in the areas of Public Communication, Psychology, Journalism
and Public Affairs from The American University (1982, 1984) in Washington, D.C. 
He is very active in community affairs, serving as a founder and co-chair of
the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) from 1992 to 2021. In 2023, Joe has
worked as one of the founders of D.C. Power, a new, church-based, social justice
network addressing issues of wealth, equity and respect for marginalized
communities in D.C. He also teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary in both the
Urban Ministry and Practice of Ministry and Mission programs.
As a sought-after speaker, preacher, mentor and author, Joe inspires and equips
others to see the possibilities God has for them and their communities. To that end,
he has written four books: Begging for REAL Church (2009), The Power of REAL
(2011), Walking with Nehemiah (2014) and co-authored Connecting for a Change
(2019)

​

Jaleesa K. Hall, Director
Jaleesa Hall is a native of Miami, Florida. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media
Arts, Radio, TV, Film from Clark Atlanta University, a Master of Public Administration
from American University, and is a recent graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary
where she obtained a Master of Divinity and a coveted Community Engagement
Fellowship. She is the Founder of Raising A Village (RAV), a non-profit organization that
provides high-quality intervention programs and community resources to underserved
children and families. Since its inception, RAV has administered over 1,500 tutoring
sessions at 15 different school and community sites throughout the DC Metropolitan
area. Prior to founding Raising A Village, Jaleesa held leadership positions at some of
the most notable non-profit and government organizations in the district including
Center City Public Charter Schools, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Wolf
Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and Wesley Theological Seminary.

Jennifer E. Loud, Director
Jennifer is the principal/sole owner of The Loud Law Firm in the District of Columbia.
Jennifer started her legal career with a two-year judicial clerk to The Honorable Susan
R. Winfield of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Jennifer has been a
practicing attorney in the District of Columbia for the past thirty-three years. She has
experience handling District of Columbia probate cases and estate planning matters.
She has represented clients in complex civil litigation matters such as the Camp
Lejeune Justice Act claims. Prior to starting her own law practice, Jennifer was a Senior
Associate Attorney with the national, medical malpractice law firm of Eaton & McClellan.
The law firm was at one time, the largest African American owned personal injury law
firm in the country. Jennifer is passionate about service to her community. During two
mayoral terms, two separate DC Mayors appointed her to serve on city wide boards.
She served on the first DC Commission on African and Caribbean Affairs. She also
served on the board of The DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation.
Outside of service to the District of Columbia, she has also served as a member of the
Board of the Scleroderma Foundation of Greater Washington. Jennifer is a founding
member of the board of The Emory Beacon of Light, Inc. She is an active member of
The Emory Fellowship [a United Methodist congregation]. She has served in numerous
capacities at Emory. Jennifer received a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law,
1985 and a B.A. from Howard University in1982. Jennifer also serves as general
counsel for the Beacon of Light.

​

Brian K. McCollum, Director
Reverend Brian Keith McCollum currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of
AIEGS Global. Rev. McCollum has vast experience in strengthening and advancing the
missions of academic and cultural institutions. Prior to his position at AIEGS, Rev.

McCollum served as the Director of Development for a nonprofit organization called
Seeds of Peace in Manhattan, New York. Over his career, he has raised over $50M for
nonprofits and educational institutions; including Wesley Theological Seminary in
Washington, D.C., where he served as the Vice President of Development and led a
$35M capital campaign. Prior to Wesley, Rev. McCollum served as the Director of
Recruitment, and later as the Director of Alumni Relations, for Princeton Theological
Seminary. He also served as the chaplain, performer, and Director of Arts and
Education for Step Afrika dance company. As an ordained teaching elder in the
Presbyterian Church, USA, Rev. McCollum haspreached around the world in places like
DC, NY, Liberia, Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. He is a graduate of Morehouse
College, Princeton Theological Seminary, Columbia University, and is expected to
complete his PhD program focusing on Educational Management in Higher Education at
Hampton University in May 2025.
Rev. McCollum is a “people” person and loves engaging with others. He lives by
Philippians 1:6, “Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it
to completion until the day of Jesus Christ!”

Belva E. Milson, Director
Belva is a former accountant for the National Association of Manufacturers. A graduate
of the University of the District of Columbia, she is one of the founding members of the
Beacon of Light. She is very active and supportive of the transitional housing ministry
and the food pantry. She has served in various financial capacities at the Emory United
Methodist Church for the last 40 years. She is a dedicated volunteer to the work and
mission of the Beacon of Light and the church.

​

Fonda Sutton, Director
Fonda Sutton has blended nearly three decades of legal and policy experience in
non-profits, schools, consulting organizations, and government with her passion for
serving children and families in underserved communities. She combines deep
experience in K-12 education policy and advocacy; and coaching organizations and
senior leaders in areas of strategy, governance, and collaborative action, with a
deep commitment to justice, equity, and the common good. Fonda currently serves as
the Partner for Public Engagement and Advocacy at Education Forward DC, a local
philanthropic organization. She is active on the boards of several non-profits serving
families in DC.   Having earned a B.S. in International Studies from Georgetown
University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, a J.D. from its Law Center and an
Executive Master’s in Leadership from its McDonough School of Business, Fonda is
a diehard Georgetown Hoyas fan.  She has made her home for many years in the
Manor Park neighborhood in Ward 4, where she lives with her rescue Mastiff-Pit
Bull mix, Bruno.