Board of Directors

Rebecca Borton is proud to be an Associate Financial Advisor at Maven Financial, a women-owned small business that helps its clients improve their profitability, , and quality of life. Maven Financial focuses on assisting clients with complex financial planning and wealth management needs, specifically managing directors and partners as top consulting firms with significant equity compensation. 

Beyond her day-to-day role, Rebecca mentors young people, career changers, and women to increase diversity in the financial planning profession. Rebecca believes in practicing politics in person and relishes canvassing. She serves as a Precinct Captain for the Dranesville District Democratic Committee and has volunteered with many campaigns and grassroots groups. Rebecca believes in open-minded civil dialog and has participated in Braver Angels the Bipartisan Leadership Project at GMU. She is a relentless champion and super-connector for activists, women, and main-street businesses.

Rebecca loves her adopted home in NOVA and enjoys the W&OD trail, yoga, baking sourdough bread, and caring for her three cats and houseplants with her husband Timothy.

Fatimah Dandashi is a Legislative Aide to Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell. Fatimah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics as well as her Master’s of Public Administration from George Mason University’s Schar School of Government and Policy. Her previous experience includes serving as a Staff Aide for Fairfax County Franconia District Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk and managing field and campaign operations for Democratic candidates in Alexandria City, Arlington, and Fairfax County.

Fatimah serves as a community advocate for MOVE, the Northern Virginia Muslim business chamber, and is committed to advancing the interests of Virginia business owners through strengthening relationships with Democratic policymakers. Her passions include working to empower underserved communities to become civically engaged and active participants in emerging industries through community outreach programs and workforce development opportunities. Fatimah is a lifelong resident of Fairfax County and currently resides in Springfield, Virginia.

Lindsey Davis Stover is a partner at Edwards, Davis Stover & Associates, LLC in McLean, VA, a strategic communications and public affairs consulting firm she founded in 2013 with former U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards. Lindsey previously served in President Obama’s Administration and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She served as one of four Senior Advisors to the VA Secretary for Strategic Communications leading coordination for all internal and external communications efforts.

Prior to serving at VA, Lindsey served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards, where she developed robust legislative and communication strategies on issues including Veterans, Defense, Non-Proliferation, Education, Transportation, Energy and Homeland Security. As Research Associate for Texas A&M University, Lindsey co-developed the POWER SET program- Powerful Opportunities for Women Eager and Ready for Science, Engineering, and Technology: an educational program that focuses on effective teaching methods to further develop science and math related skills and abilities of young women while providing supportive tools to ensure their success. Lindsey also served as a Volunteer In Service to America (VISTA) at the Texas Center for Service Learning focusing on revitalizing government and civics programs in high school curriculums.

Lindsey graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science and Master in Public Policy, receiving the Stormy Schoft Award for Academics. She also holds a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and she received the Donald K. Price Award for Academics and Leadership. Lindsey serves on the Churchill Road Elementary PTA and teaches Sunday school and serves as Chairman of the Stewardship Committee at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Lindsey was a candidate in the 2018 Democratic Congressional Primary in VA-10 and continues to help mentor and fundraise for candidates throughout the Virginia. Lindsey served on Secretary Clinton’s Veterans Policy Team and continues to be active in the DNC’s Women Leadership Forum.  Lindsey is an active member of the Fairfax County Democrats, the Dranesville District Democrats, Emerge Virginia Alum, and periodically hosts Inside Scoop, a local television show focusing on policy and politics.

Rebecca Geller is the owner and CEO of The Geller Law Group, a firm she founded in 2011 with the goals of providing high-quality legal services while emphasizing a healthy work–life balance for the firm’s staff. Rebecca’s firm was profiled by the New York Times for its leadership in revolutionizing the legal industry by creating a law firm model parents can be lawyers and successfully balance legal careers and being an actively involved parent – they were even invited to appear on Shark Tank! Now with 20 employees (14 of whom are lawyers) and 4,000+ clients, the firm was recognized in 2018 by the Washington Business Journal as one the region’s Top 100 Best Places to Work.

During the recent government shutdown, the firm hired 22 furloughed government workers to provide temporary employment during a challenging time for many families. In 2015, Rebecca was instrumental in drafting and passing the VA law that provides women with legal protections to breastfeed their children in public places – a right previously not protected in Virginia.

In 2019, Rebecca received the NOVA Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leader of the Year award. The Washingtonian Magazine selected Rebecca as a “person we would like to have dinner with” and she received “Mom of the Year” from Northern Virginia Family Magazine. Virginia Lawyers Weekly awarded Rebecca as an “Influential Woman of the Law” in 2019.  She received the Rising Star award the March of Dimes and the Silent Sentinel Award by the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial.

For the past decade, Rebecca has served on the leadership team to the Democratic Party of Virginia’s legal steering committee. She is responsible for training dozens (sometimes hundreds!) of lawyers to staff the boiler room on Election Day and supervising their activities on Election Day.

Francesca Ioffreda is the founder of Breakthrough Strategy Partners, a Virginia-based consulting firm focused on strategy, economic development, and public-private partnerships. Francesca is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Metro Program and Senior Advisor to the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. 

Most recently, she was the Vice President for Inclusive Growth and Talent Initiatives at the Greater Washington Partnership, a CEO-led business alliance focused on the economic vibrancy of the Baltimore to Richmond region, where she launched the organization’s inclusive growth initiative and led efforts to create a diverse technology workforce for the region. Francesca previously spent seven years in strategy consulting at Deloitte and served as Chief of Staff for the firm’s global Smart Cities practice. She has also served as a policy fellow for former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a capstone fellow for former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and a research Fulbright Fellow in Bogota, Colombia.

Francesca is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Washington Business Journal 40 under 40 honoree (2022). Francesca has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in from Claremont McKenna College. Francesca was born and raised in Northern Virginia and currently lives in Arlington, VA.

James Maloney is a resident of Alexandria, VA, and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tiger Hill Partners, an Alexandria-based regulatory and public affairs firm. In his professional capacity, James advises leading impact funds, technology firms, and clean energy companies on corporate reputational and federal regulatory matters. He is particularly sought out for his expertise on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, guidance on the clean energy transition in coordination with the Biden Administration, and his work on innovative solutions to access to credit for marginalized communities.

In his personal capacity, James advises a number of non-profit entities focused on youth financial literacy and capability, effective venture philanthropy for youth-development organizations, and empowering future entrepreneurs and community leaders. He is active in both national and Virginia Democratic politics, and routinely brings together political, non-profit, and private sector leaders to address and advance economic and societal matters.

He was previously a senior member of the Capital Markets practice at the global consulting firm Edelman, where he led teams advising top investment firms. Earlier, James was Head of Public Affairs for the American Investment Council, the leading trade association for US-based investment firms. He was the Council’s principal spokesperson and served as the lead Democratic liaison during the Obama and Trump Administrations as a member of the senior leadership team. James has also led policy and communications for numerous U.S. Congressional campaigns and began his career in corporate strategy.  

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Council on Economic Education, the Executive Board of Venture for America, and the Sustaining Board of YOUTH INC. He is an alum of the Sorensen Institute’s Political Leaders Program. 

Ibrahim was born and raised in Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan – Flint with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and soon thereafter moved to Virginia in 2003. In 2007, Ibrahim graduated from the Howard University School of Law and then clerked at the District Court of Maryland in Prince George’s County. Following his clerkship, Ibrahim moved to Loudoun County and served as Delegate David Poisson’s Legislative Assistant during the 2009 General Assembly Session.

In 2009, Ibrahim joined a local DMV law firm, now known as NOVA Business Law Group, LLP, of which he is now a partner. Ibrahim focuses his practice on corporate work and serves as Outside General Counsel to many national and international companies. Ibrahim has been awarded the distinction as one of Virginia’s Rising Stars in Business and Corporate Law from 2013-2020.

Since 2013 Ibrahim served on the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers (5 years) and on the Loudoun County Fiscal Impact Committee from 2016 until 2020. Governors McAuliffe and Northam both appointed Ibrahim to the Real Estate Board and he was recently elected as the Vice-Chair. In 2020, Ibrahim was appointed by Loudoun County Chair Randall to the Loudoun County Board of Zoning Appeals.

Ibrahim stays active in the local political community as a member of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee, as a board member of the Loudoun Citizens for Public Safety, and as the Secretary for the International Interfaith Peace Corps. Ibrahim was a Virginia Co-Chair for the 2020 Mike Bloomberg Presidential Campaign and a member of its AAPI National Leadership Council. Ibrahim then went on to be a member of the AAPI Working Group for the Biden campaign. 

Ibrahim lives in Sterling with his wife, Sadaf, and their three daughters. Ibrahim has been a member of the DemBiz Council since February 2017.

Nancy Najarian is a small business owner, entrepreneur and consultant to U.S. and international firms doing business with the U.S. federal, state and municipal governments. She is a longtime resident of Northern Virginia, moving to Arlington in the mid-1990s after residing in Washington DC for seven years. She currently lives in McLean. Ms. Najarian has been an active and consistent volunteer in local, state and national Democratic elections since her college years. Highlights of her experiences include volunteering for the campaign of the first African-American to run for Mayor in the City of Boston, coordinating volunteers in Wilmington, NC during the first election for Presidential candidate Barack Obama, and campaigning for numerous VA state legislators that helped to turn the VA legislature Blue in 2019.

Ms. Najarian brings a wide network of professionals working in international development, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and business development in the private and public sector. She is a graduate of New York University (B.A. Politics) and of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (M.S.). Ms. Najarian has been a consistent participant in the many Zoom discussions DemBiz has offered since the start of the pandemic and, pre-pandemic, she attended many of the in-person events. She appreciates the importance of networking to grow the reach and voice of the Democratic party in Virginia.

Ms. Najarian is currently serving a three-year term as an elected Board Member for Share of McLean and is an active member of two local grassroots organizations. She participates in the numerous activities of VA Democracy Forward (VADF) and is an advocate for clean energy in Virginia as a member of the Climate and Clean Energy Working Group of the VA Grassroots Coalition. Ms. Najarian is interested in helping develop innovative programs for DemBiz should the pandemic continue to cause restrictions on large, in-person gatherings, as well as to serve on the membership committee and with marketing and communications. 

Saddam Azlan Salim is a Bangladeshi-American and a graduate of George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. His family immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s and has since lived in Fairfax County for over 21 years. He grew up in Northern Virginia, attended Falls Church High School and George Mason University for his BA and Masters in Public Administration. In 2022, he completed the Sorensen Institute Emerging Leaders Program at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. 

Saddam has worked in Federal financial management and consulting for over seven years and works for 11th Hour Service located in Falls Church, providing financial management services to Federal Government clients. He serves as Co-Virginia State Director for South Asians For America and Vice Chair of Finance for Fairfax County Democratic Committee. He volunteers his time to the Democratic caucus and where it can make community impacts. He is also a grassroots advocate for state and local issues and has been involved in numerous coalition building projects to empower others. 

During Covid, he served as Co-Chair of the Providence District Democratic Committee where dinner discussions on various topics were held and dinners were sent to participants in coordination with local family-owned businesses. He serves as Vice President of the Fairfax Young Dems and Second Vice Chair to the 8th Congressional District Committee. In his spare time, he enjoys running and continues to run at least one half-marathon a year.  

Kannan Srinivasan is a Senior Finance professional with 30 years of experience in building high performance teams and helping companies achieve and manage high growth in the customer service, insurance and retail sectors. Kannan was an early Finance team member at NEW/Asurion, a global leader in warranties on electronics, cell phones and appliances. In his 21 years with the company, Kannan built finance, analytics and operations teams. He currently leads a team of operations professionals helping to provide a best-in-class customer journey and experience. He was previously with AXA Insurance Group.

Kannan serves on the Virginia State Medicaid Board (DMAS) and the Loudoun Fiscal Impact Committee (FIC). He is a Board member of George Washington University’s Heart and Vascular Institute and is a supporter of its Annual Cardiology Mission to Honduras. He is also Treasurer of Capital IIT, an alumni association of the Indian Institute of Technology.

Kannan graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk with a Masters in Accounting and is also a Chartered Accountant (Member of AICPA).

Julie Strandlie is CEO/Principal of Strandlie Advocacy, LLC, a woman-owned small business providing federal, state, and local government and public affairs services. Ms. Strandlie first joined DemBiz in 2011 and has actively participated in events through the years. She recently completed eight years on the Fairfax County Planning Commission, representing the Mason District and serving as Parliamentarian, chair of the Schools Facilities and Housing Committees, and representative to the Economic Advisory Commission and the Affordable Housing Advisory Council. 

Over the course of her career, Strandlie has worked on Capitol Hill for large law firms (Patton Boggs), small law firms with national practices, and a variety of professional associations as legislative counsel/director including the American Bar Association and the National Employment Lawyers Association. She also had her own law practice, during which time she served as the University of Florida’s Washington Representative. Ms. Strandlie’s clients/partners have included a professional association representing IT/engineering recruiting firms, many of which are based in Virginia, the Congressional Management Foundation, and the Virginia Fair Arbitration Coalition. She has been a member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee since 2015 and successfully managed school board and House of Delegates campaigns. 

Ms. Strandlie is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Florida. She is also a graduate of the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute for Political Leaders Program (PLP), Class of 2011, and the Candidate Training Program (CTP), Class of 2012. Her community involvement includes various American Bar Association committees, the Virginia Governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism (appointed member and former chair) and Chair, Virginia Service Foundation. In October, the America’s Service Commission recognized Virginia’s work. She is engaged with a variety of organizations to promote civics education; in February 2022, VACivics presented Ms. Strandlie with the inaugural John Sponski Civic Champion Award.

Jasmine Zamani runs a boutique political consulting firm that focuses on building an individual fundraising network for Democratic Congressional Members, Candidates for state and federal office, independent groups, state parties and non-profit organizations. She began her career at EMILY’s List as part of their first WOMEN VOTE! Program.

Over the last twenty-two years she has consulted on over 50 campaigns at the Federal and state level and has worked with various organizations in both the political and non-profit world. During her career, Jasmine has been particularly focused on expanding representation among women and people of color. She has worked with over twenty women who have been elected to U.S. Congress. 

Jasmine has a broad range of experience raising money through every channel—from planning and managing high-dollar fundraisers and working with major donors to coordinating direct mail and Internet-based campaigns. She helps her clients produce content for solicitation and overall messaging on both the campaign and policy side. Her firm specializes in launching campaigns and working through all levels of the process.

Jasmine grew up in McLean and has lived in Northern Virginia for more than two decades.