OURLEADERSHIP
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CANDACE SAHM, MA Ed
Executive Director
Candace Sahm has a special interest in helping clients with ADHD successfully navigate the transition into and through college. She is a tireless advocate for raising awareness about ADHD. She leads workshops for conferences and community groups. Ms. Sahm is a coach, educator, and she has first-hand experience with ADHD. She holds a Master’s Degree in Special Vocational Education from GWU and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from the University of Maryland. Ms. Sahm has over 200 CEU credits in the areas of ADHD/LD/GT, Coaching, Executive Functioning, and Remedial Reading. She was also a coach and Study Strategies Teacher for the Lab School of DC, the Norwood School, and the Bullis School, to name a few.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MARLENE POVICH
Chair
Marlene Povich, is the owner and creative Director of Povich Design. She is a graphic designer and marketing professional for over 30 years. Marlene believes that design and social media presence is an integral part of the success of any marketing campaign. She has design and marketing for a wide range of associations, foundations, healthcare organizations and small business in the Washington Metropolitan area. She earned her BA in Advertising and Design from the University of Maryland, has won an ADDY, and received awards from and holds memberships in AIGA, Art Directors Club, Production Club of America, and Association Trends. She has also served on numerous boards over the years and is involved in many charities. In her free time, she enjoys travel, many outdoor sports, and spending time with friends and family. Over the past 2 years since joining the Board, Marlene has loved witnessing the growth of both the Foundation & the youth's successes.
MARK C. MILLER
Vice Chair
Mark is a native Washingtonian who grew up in Bethesda. In his more than 50 years of experience in the business world, he has developed an extensive skill set in everything from inventory, to sales, to management and to ownership. He has served on the Board of Woodmont Country Club on various committees, including Golf, Greens and Grounds, Member Task Force and Strategic Planning. He has also been the Club’s Historian for the past 12 years. Mark has worked on numerous charity events over the years as well including to help produce the initial gala for the DC Jewish Sports Hall of
Fame. Having family and close friends who have dealt with and been affected by ADHD and Autism has made being involved with our foundation and mission very important to Mark. Now retired, in his spare time Mark enjoys watching and playing sports, reading and taking care of his grand pup Leo. Mark resides in Rockville.
EMILY ACKERMAN
Secretary
Emily Ackerman, a graduate of the University of Delaware and native of Elkton, Maryland, moved to Montgomery County in 1963, beginning her career at Northwood High School teaching English and history. While raising three girls, Emily worked as an Executive Secretary for Robert Greenstein at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and for the U.S. Congress as clerk of two subcommittees of the House Interior Committee. She returned to teaching as a home and hospital teacher where she is currently employed and where she represents home teachers in their union, MCEA. In addition to this position, she is an instructor at Montgomery College, teaching reading and writing to students seeking to enter college and U.S. history to special needs students in the Graduate Transition Program. In her spare time, Emily participates in political activities as a precinct chair and enjoys reading, swimming, and staying in touch with her five grandchildren.
THOMAS SADLER
Treasurer
Thomas Sadler, is the Chief Operating officer of Distinctive Title, a real estate title and settlement company in McLean, Virginia, serving all of Maryland, DC and Virginia. He is very knowledgeable and versatile with various skills in his repertoire, stemming from his background in finance, real estate business, graphic design and computers. A life long Washingtonian, Thomas earned his Associates in Business from Northern Virginia Community College by way of the University of Maryland University College (now UM Global Campus, UMGC). He has also served as Deacon and presently as a Trustee for Geneva Presbyterian Church in Potomac, Maryland. Tom and his wife Sara recently became foster parents, and together thoroughly enjoy time their two dogs, Cayden and Clark. As a would-be intermediate level golfer, you may find Tom on the golf course from time to time, but more often than not in the stands as an avid fan of the local sports teams. Tom also enjoys camping and sight-seeing in this great country of ours.
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
SHERRY D. GOLDMAN, MD
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr. Sherry D. Goldman earned her M.D. from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1979. She then went on to complete her first residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in 1982 followed by a Chief Residency in Pediatrics at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore (1983). Knowing how much she loved mental health, child development and behavior, she decided to do a complete residency in General Psychiatry at G.W. (1986) and then a Fellowship and Chief Fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital (1988). She is Board Certified in Adult and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry by the American Academy of Psychiatry and Neurology.
RANDI WORTMAN, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Wortman is a licensed psychologist in the state of Maryland. She has maintained a full-time clinical psychotherapy private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland for over 25 years diagnosing and treating individuals, couples, and families. Dr. Wortman specializes in treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, grief, trauma, and those with a chronic medical or mental illness. Her office is LBGTQ welcoming. In addition, Dr. Wortman has worked as a part-time staff psychologist at the University of Maryland-College Park campus in the counseling center helping undergraduate and graduate students find constructive solutions for their emotional and academic challenges, as well as assisting those in need of accessibility and disability services for their mental, emotional, or ADHD diagnoses.
CAROL BINTA NADEEM LCPC, CCTP, ACS
Clinical Psychologist
Carol Binta Nadeem views the individual holistically and focus the counseling goals on mental, physical and spiritual well being. In the beginning of the therapeutic process she take the first few visits to gather information about the concerns you have, the area of your life that you would like to change and the goals you have for yourself. Carol uses certain assessment tools as appropriate including but not limited to the Adlerian Lifestyle Assessment. After the assessment has been completed in about three sessions, we will agree upon treatment goals for therapy. She also relates to her clients in the here and now; therefore remaining present for responding to situations in therapy as they arise. In this way you are free to deviate from a specific treatment protocol whenever an issue surfaces that requires immediate attention. She specializes in recovery from trauma using mindfulness techniques and visualization.
KERRI MIDIRI
Educator/Advocate
Kerri Midiri is serving the CSahm Foundation as Community Outreach Director and as a member of the Professional Advisory Board. She has worked in the field of education for nearly two decades where she has specialized in working with neurodivergent learners as both a classroom teacher and also currently part of an administrative team for several local private schools. She also serves her community as a mental health advocate, bridging the gap between schools and the resources needed to support adolescents and their families. Originally from Long Island, NY, Kerri has lived and worked all over the country and has loved the many experiences that each place has brought her. In her free time, Kerri most enjoys recharging in nature, whether reading a good book beside the ocean or hiking a new trail. She also loves experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, indulging in carrot cake, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
JAY BENDER
Sponsorships
Jay Bender is currently is working as an EMT-B for Lifestar Response in Howard County. He has previously worked as an Assistant Vice President and head of Security Operations for a local Community Bank and for over 30 years worked in the Commercial Construction industry as a Senior Estimator and Senior Project Manager. He also has volunteered for 45 years as a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ EMT-B for the Bethesda Chevy Chief Rescue Squad. He has served on numerous Board of Directors for local organizations and been involved in fundraising for same. He also has delivered Meals on Wheels during the Pandemic for JSSA. Jay has also been a College and High School Football Official for 33 years and officiates Girls High School Lacrosse and Fast Pitch Softball. In his spare time he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family and dogs.
DAVE DYSON
Entertainment
Dave Dyson achieved the "outstanding bandmember" award during his high school senior year. After witnessing David's participation in school, church, local top 40, R&B, funk and Go-Go bands (along with numerous studio sessions with local gospel artists), his parents were convinced that his talent was worth nurturing and supportive of his matriculation at Berklee College of Music, where more growth ensued. Throughout his career, David has earned quite a reputation as a bassist, songwriter, arranger and producer. He continues to strive for excellence as one of today's most promising artists. Dave is interested in helping raise money for low-income youth receive the services the CSahm Foundation offers. He will also be offering bass lessons to enrich the lives of the under-served ADHD community.
DINA JACKSON
Fundraising
Dina moved to Silver Spring, MD 18 years ago with my son (Zachary). She attended University of Dayton and Wilberforce University and earned 2 Bachelors in Science in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering. She is very active in my community and also in my church. Dina was a Den mother for the Cub Scouts for 6 years. She noticed our troop had many boys which were considered part of the High Functioning spectrum. They either had ADHD, Autistic and Asperger’s Syndrome. Dina knew she needed to get help for her son. Zachary was tested and it was discovered he had ADHD. She joined an African American group of women in scouts whom had similar children in the spectrum and we supported each other. Dina is active in many organizations which help women and children throughout Montgomery county, MD prosper. She 2 children Zachary and Anastasia.
ACADEMIC TUTORS
OLLEN DOUGLASS—Ollen is from Potomac, Maryland, and is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Applied Mathematics. He has been tutoring for over 13 years and is proficient in math up to Calculus 3. He also teaches SAT, ACT, and PSAT test-taking skills. In his free time, he enjoys dancing, DJing, and playing soccer. What he enjoys most about working with students is helping them to find their best learning method that allows them to succeed.
BARBARA McLAIN—Barbara McLain has worked in education for nearly 20 years, teaching on both the high school and college levels. She recently helped to develop online composition courses at the University of South Florida, and personally piloted the first courses. Barbara holds both a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in writing and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Towson University. She later earned an MA in rhetoric and composition from the University of South Florida, focusing primarily on the teaching of composition.
CLAIRE McVEY—Clare has a BA in History with a minor in Biology and a MS in Education with a concentration in Special Education. She taught high school special education in Indiana for four years before becoming a history teacher for a total of 8 years in the high school setting. Clare teaches a variety of social science courses including Honors World History, AP Human Geography, AP World History, AP United States Government and Politics. When she is not teaching, she is the advisor for Miracle League and current events club.
KELSI LISTMAN—Kelsi received a B.S. in Mathematics and Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from Bridgewater College. She has over 7 years of tutoring experience in mathematics, ranging from elementary to college-level courses. Her favorite math subject to tutor is precalculus with trigonometry. Kelsi also has experience conducting psychological research, so she is knowledgeable about scientific research methods and logic. In her free time, you might find her reading novels, baking tasty treats, and spending time with her nieces and nephews.
KAITLYN NEWMAN—Kaitlyn has been an educator for over ten years with professional licenses in various states across the country. She earned a Master’s degree in education from the University of Delaware in 2018 and is in the final stages of completing a Doctorate of Education degree from Liberty University. Kaitlyn has experience working with learners of all ages K-12 and beyond and has taught in both the physical and virtual classroom. Supporting the goals and aspirations of her learners is one of her greatest joys, and one of the core beliefs in her pedagogy is that with the right tools, everyone can succeed.
EMMANUEL REOUNODJI, DBD, MBA & MS—Emmanuel is a graduate from Northcentral University, University of Phoenix, and University of Houphouet BOIGNI (Ivory Coast). He holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration and two Master’s degree in Business Accounting and Finance. Dr. Reounodji has worked in the education over 20 years both in the United States of America as well as in Africa, teaching secondary and college students.
ABIGAIL SHERER—Abigail is a fourth-year student at American University studying Elementary Education. She believes that the best way for children to learn is when they are able to explore their interests and passions outside of the regular school day classroom. Abigail spent this past summer in Spain where she was an Au Pair and English tutor for a family with three children. She is incredibly excited to be a part of this team, and hopes to create meaningful experiences and one-on-one relationships with students while learning and growing together!
KIM STINSON—Kim has a BA in Spanish Language and Literature and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She has studied in both Spain and Mexico and has been teaching Spanish for 14 years. She likes to make the different language concepts as easy for her students as a possible to understand by breaking it down into smaller parts for them. She also color codes concepts to make it more visual for the students. So when working with Kim, it’s a good idea to have 3 different color pens or highlighters.
DAVID WALTERS—David graduated magna cum laude from Dickinson College in 1999 with a BA in psychology. He has 20 years of experience with one-on-one tutoring at Sylan Learning Centers, Mathnasium, and Trust Tutors, and has also worked as an instructional assistant with Montgomery County Public Schools. David’s areas of instructional focus are math, science, reading, and test prep.
STAFF
ESTELLA OGUGUA
Administrative Assistant
Estella is a part of our Executive Administrative team and is a part-time tutor and Candace’s assistant. She is a junior attending Montgomery College for an associates degree and is looking to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Virginia State University. She wishes to pursue a career in Forensic Pathology. She graduated from Richard Montgomery High School with honor roll and A’s in her AP classes. Estella helps out with the organization portion of the company. She keeps things in order, such as client scheduling , client documents, coaching and tutoring forms, contracts, payment tracking and much more. Estella has a variety of tutoring and life skills to offer. She’s great at science, math, english, reading/ writing comprehension, organization and memorization. She is very excited to work with all of our new students and looks forward to having fun during the school year.
Esther Ofori-Ansah
Administrative Assistant
Esther is currently a consultant who does both administrative and finance work. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Towson University in Secondary English Education and a Master of Arts in Practical Theology from Regent University. She has worked for twenty-years in the non-profit sector as a Music and Arts Director at The Church of the Living God in Hyattsville, MD. For the past eight years she has also worked in school finance both at Northwood High School and Thomas Pyle Middle School. Along with her administrative skills and finance she also does part-time marketing for the business that she and her husband own, Physiocare Rehab and Wellness with two locations in Brandywine and Lanham, MD. She is married and a mother of four children and is excited to join this dynamic team..