AT THE CLOSE OF A YEAR that tested democracy and civil institutions on multiple fronts, The Civic Circle nevertheless has much to be thankful for. At the top of the list is our amazing Board of Directors, whose commitment as volunteers help bring civic arts to so many students.
The latest newcomer to our board is Dr. Monica Moody Moore, founder of the educational consultancy High Aspirations, who has worked in education, nonprofits, business and government for more than 20 years. Other Civic Circle board members who strengthened our team this year are Cesar Anaya-Delgado, an attorney with the Mill Law Center; Daniel Obregon, a strategic marketing consultant advising mission-driven education organizations; Kathleen Schmermund Pavich, a senior director at Street Law, Inc.; Adam Peyman, global director of programs and campaigns at the Earth Day Network, and Neetha Tangirala, who manages the Proteus Fund’s Protect Dissent Network. They join Rick Cohen, Ann Levin and Catherine Sheehy on a hard-working board marked by its passion for public service.
WE ALSO GIVE THANKS for the collaborators and supporters who have helped make 2025 a year of expansion and innovation at The Civic Circle. We are grateful for the opportunity to offer after-school programming through Montgomery Housing Partnership and the Montgomery County Recreation Department’s Excel Beyond the Bell Program. We also thank Community CHEER for making this year’s civic arts summer camp and “Jobs for Change” career club possible.
THIS WORK WOULD NOT be possible without generous sponsors like the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland Humanities, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Newburger-Schwartz Family Foundation, and the Takoma Foundation. AmeriCorps, Transform Mid-Atlantic, and the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation have also provided essential people power by sponsoring our TMA AmeriCorps VISTA and Maryland Corps team members.
Finally, we extend big thanks to the many individual donors whose generous, ongoing support has helped underwrite our civic arts workshops, assembly shows, camps and student concerts. Thank you! You are empowering and inspiring the next generation of voters, volunteers and civic leaders. If you have not yet had the chance to join our “Freedom Grows Here” campaign, it’s not too late! Just click HERE. We wish you a holiday filled with peace, warmth and joy.