Village Support Network Board Members
Officers
President – Anne Herbster
Anne is a seasoned marketing and sales executive who has built organizations from the ground up and identified strategic opportunities to expand revenue, influence, and engagement. Anne is passionate about creating meaningful customer and partner experiences that drive satisfaction and long-term loyalty. After leading brand initiatives at AARP focused on the needs of older adults, she joined Life Reimagined, an AARP startup, where she built and managed integrated online and in-person engagement experiences.
Her commitment to serving older adults extends beyond her corporate work. Anne is a current commissioner and past chair of the Rockville Commission on Aging and has supported numerous Village initiatives. In 2017, she founded the Rockville Area Village Exchange (RAVE), which evolved into the Village Support Network (VSN), supporting developing Villages.
Anne holds a BS in Mathematics from Jacksonville University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University. She is also a best-selling author who helps coaches launch and grow successful businesses.
Treasurer - Kathleen Cox
Kathleen has a passion for assisting non-profit organizations in navigating the unique financial issues they face. She was raised in Montgomery County, MD and has resided in three additional states. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Loyola University of Maryland and was formerly licensed as a CPA. She has worked in numerous industries, serving as Controller for two non-profit organizations and was the Financial Manager for a city with a $55 million annual budget. She has worked for Marriott headquarters, real estate developers, a BMW supplier, a world-wide printing company, and a federal government contractor.
At Large Board Members
Barry Jackson
Barry works professionally at AARP and has an interest in senior issues, such as aging in place, and combatting loneliness and isolation among the senior population. And in addition to serving as a board member for Village Support Network (formerly the Rockville Area Village Exchange), Barry was elected to be a councilmember in the City of Rockville for a four-year term. As councilmember he is a liaison to three City of Rockville organizations: the Senior Citizens Commission, the Financial Advisory Board and the Rockville Retirement Board.
Prior to his election to the Council, he served as president of the King Farm Citizens Assembly and the King Farm Conservancy. He has been involved in the King Farm homeowners association for almost 20 years, serving as board chair, treasurer and on various committees, such as the budget and finance, and external affairs committees.
Leslie Mulligan
Leslie is excited to apply her business expertise to the nonprofit sector as a member of the Village Support Network's Board of Directors. She has more than 20 years of experience driving strategy for Fortune 100 companies and Silicon Valley startups, most recently as a Worldwide Director at NVIDIA Corporation, where she led the company’s mobile business. After returning to the Washington, DC area, Leslie joined Watershed Associates, teaching negotiation to organizations ranging from Fortune 100 companies to government agencies and later joined the board of the Village to Village Network to support the aging-in-place movement.
Earlier in her career, she served seven years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and holds advanced degrees from Harvard University (M.S. in Applied Mathematics) and the University of West Florida (M.B.A.), as well as a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. Serving on the VSN Board marks a meaningful next chapter—an opportunity to put her leadership experience in service of a community she values deeply.
Katie Ostrowski
Katie brings over 15 years of client relations experience to Village Support Network (VSN). Her time in multiple industries, including retail, restaurant, and real estate, have helped to sharpen and hone her people skills. After serving on the City of Rockville's Senior Citizens Commission and moving away from Rockville, Katie joined the Village Support Network board to continue supporting older individuals within her greater community. She has a BA in Communications and a minor in Spanish from Tulane University. She currently resides in the mountains of Maryland with her husband, two dogs, and three chickens.
Barbara Thomas
Barbara Thomas is the published author of Advocate Marketing with Pearson Publishing and a seasoned marketing executive with a wealth of experience in both B2B and B2C sectors. Besides VSN, Barbara has served on the boards of several organizations including AARP, the Montgomery County Village Consortium, and the Direct Marketing Association of Washington. An award-winning marketing leader and natural problem-solver, Barbara leverages her expertise to drive impactful initiatives.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Barbara also has a unique passion for beekeeping, having cultivated buzz (literally!) as a previously licensed beekeeper in Maryland for five years.Now retired, Barbara dedicates her time to volunteering alongside her husband for various causes close to their hearts.
Michael Herndon
Michael Herndon brings extensive leadership experience at the intersection of aging, financial security, and consumer behavior. His career spans senior roles with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, AARP, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he has advanced initiatives supporting older adults, strengthening financial capability, and improving consumer outcomes. In addition to his professional work, Michael has been deeply engaged in volunteer efforts focused on aging policy, fraud prevention, and community-based engagement. He brings to the board a strategic understanding of governance, stakeholder collaboration, and mission-driven impact. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University, where he was a Dan Sweat Academic Scholarship recipient.
Cheri Sweigard
Cheri Sweigard is a retired healthcare information technology executive. Cheri brings her many years of experience managing teams and building clinical decision support systems to assist Villages to understand their technology needs. Since retiring Cheri is involved with a number of volunteer organizations that provide support to the aging, vulnerable women and children, and first generation college students.
Additional Board Members
Kelly Reed
Kerri Donnelly
Advisors
Eddie Rivas
Trish Evans
