For Immediate Release:                                                Contact:Bernice Mireku-North, Chair

September 12, 2014                                                               Tel. 301-602-1073

                                                                                        Email: Bernice.d.mireku@gmail.com

                                                                                        Twitter: @Bernice_DMN

Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board Names Five New Members

Diverse Board Reflects Changes in Demographics

Silver Spring, MD—The Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board, which provides advice to the County Executive and council on issues affecting Silver Spring and Takoma Park, announced five new members its September 8, 2014 meeting.  The new members are:

Stacey Brown

South Four Corners resident, Small business owner in Montgomery Hills

Stacey is vested in Silver Spring as a long-term resident and business owner of Silver Spring’s Signarama.  She brings a particularly broad perspective on relevant Silver Spring issues through her participation and leadership in organizations established to further community goals, such as PTA and NAACP Parent Council Rep at community schools, the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce and the MD97 Montgomery Hills Project Planning Study Stakeholders Group.

Philip (Phil) Dittmer

Downtown Silver Spring Resident and Active in Faith Community

Phil and his wife, Amy, moved into downtown Silver Spring in summer 2012, after he took a position with a large accounting firm in DC. They were drawn to the area's unique urban environment, diverse culture, and rich amenities that turn every day into an adventure. You can find Phil out on the tennis court, catching a game at the pub, catching a show at the Fillmore, or serving the community with his pals from Restore Church. Though Phil holds degrees from Purdue and Indiana University, his heart belongs to his home state Nebraska Cornhuskers.

DeAndre (D) Morrow

Silver Spring Resident and New Young Professional

D brings the perspective of a new, young professional, resident who greatly values the unique diversity of our community.  In addition to seemingly boundless energy and ideas, he brings the experience of leadership roles in professional and multicultural community organizations and a passion for “breaking through any racial, cultural and economic barriers that may exist” in Silver Spring. While an undergrad, he was awarded the David A. Portlock Cross-Cultural Diversity Award, and in law school, served as Vice President of the Charleston School of Law Black Law Students Association in Charleston, South Carolina.

Sigurd (Siggy) Neubauer

National Park Seminary resident

Siggy lives at National Park Seminary, which is a historic neighborhood idyllically adjacent to Rock Creek Park between Silver Spring and Bethesda.  Siggy is an internationally recognized foreign affairs expert, specializing in U.S. policy towards the Middle East and North Africa Region.  Originally from Lillehammer, Norway, Siggy has been a proud Montgomery County resident for the past seven years and serves on a number of community and county boards. Siggy is currently President of the National Park Seminary Master Association.  Fluent in seven languages, Siggy is a graduate of Yeshiva University in New York where he studied Jewish history (MA), political science (BA) and French literature.

Matt Losak

Downtown Silver Spring resident and advocate of Renters

Matt has over 25 years of community activism. Most recently, he has focused on building an active and organized voice for renters in Montgomery county, including leading the County’s Tenants Work Group and followed immediately after with the establishment of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance – the first non-profit in the County and State dedicated exclusively to advancing renters’ rights and security. Previously, Mr. Losak worked with – among others – the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Peace Corps, and the White House.

Following the changing demographics, the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board has gone through its own metamorphosis creating a more diverse representation of young professionals, seniors, renters, homeowners, small business owners, faith leaders, and members of Silver Spring’s diverse ethnic communities.  You can find the rest of the biographies of the board members here.

“In order to effectively perform our mission, the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board continues to work on reflecting our area’s many groups.  We must listen to each other, learn from each other and stay informed on the issues of the County that pertain to the many groups we serve,” said Bernice Mireku-North, the Board’s new Chair.

The Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board is one of five citizens advisory boards representing different communities.  The Board holds public meetings the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Silver Spring Civic Center, unless otherwise noted.  The Board is presently comprised of 18 members who are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. The Board is divided into three committees that normally meet the 4th Monday of each month at 7pm. The three committees are: 1) Neighborhoods, 2) Transportation, Energy and Environment, and 3) Commercial Economic Development.  For more information on the Board, visit: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/silverspring/boardscommittees/cab/index.html

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