Staff Directory

Steven Lozano is committed to helping youth who suffer from neglect. His own experiences have enabled him to empathize with youth who need a helping hand. He and his three brothers were raised by a single mother. He credits his well-being and success to the formal and informal mentoring he received. Whether it was the kind-hearted elderly couple that lived across the street who tutored him during his junior high years, the priest from the college campus ministry who provided him spiritual direction, or the professional colleague who helped him get promoted, they have served as role models.

With the encouragement he received from his "mentors," Steven graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Political Science, and earned a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Washington’s Graduate School of Public Affairs. For the past 16 years he has been employed at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington, D.C. His current position is Assistant Director, Strategic Issues.

Having lived in Washington, D.C., for the past 19 years, Steven has been both saddened and frustrated to see how so many youth have been neglected and marginalized and who then turn to violence and criminality, or become self-destructive. He says being a mentor can be his contribution to address this continuing crisis while also honoring the role models in life.

Krystal Speed joined BEST Kids as a mentor in January 2008. Krystal earned her BS in Elementary Education from South Carolina State University and a Masters in Education, Curriculum and Instructional Leadership from Vanderbilt University. She currently is employed at Data Systems & Technology, Inc., as their director of human capital development,

Born in Arizona, Krystal moved to Northern Virginia while in high school. She enjoys working with young people as evidenced by her 4-1/2 years as an elementary school teacher. She has especially enjoyed the fact that her mentee's interests are different from hers so she is able to try new things while exposing him to new ideas as well. One of Krystal's goals is to demonstrate to her mentee that there are people who genuinely care about him and are willing to put in time to ensure his success in life.

Jeffrey Nelson grew up in Seattle, WA, until age 13, then moved to Southeast Massachusetts (Raynham) until college. Jeff attended Cornell University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in 2006. Currently he is employed at Fannie Mae in Bethesda, MD. .

Jeff had a lot of experience working with children during college and enjoyed it. He joined BEST Kids in order to find a way to make a difference in the life of a young person who was encountering challenges. Jeff hopes to impress on his mentee the importance of math and science, especially as they relate to his ability to find employment in a field that interests him.

Kevin was blessed by having both parents and an older brother. His family enjoyed many dinners and activities together. His mother reviewed his homework with him and did not allow him to watch television during the weekday. Though “the rules” seemed strict at times, the values his parents imparted, including perseverance, commitment and caring have helped him become a successful entrepreneur.

Upon graduation from the University of Virginia in 2000 with a degree in architecture, Kevin recognized the need for a broader approach to assist companies seeking to use technology, to improve their companies’ performance in the new digital economy. In 2001, he co-founded Web-Emerse, LLC (www.web-emerse.com), a firm focused on developing web, multimedia, and interactive voice response solutions which improve an organization’s access to, and utilization of, their information and relationships.

Kevin’s achievements early in his professional career have earned him recognition as a 2003 Top “40 Under Forty” honoree by The Network Journal, a New York City based magazine that focuses on African American professionals and small business news. His energy and commitment is evident, serving on Committees of both the District of Columbia, and Montgomery County (MD) Chambers of Commerce, and in The 100 Black Men of Greater Washington. He is a past chapter president of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Kevin started giving back early by tutoring children while attending Gonzaga High School. He has since continued tutoring, and working with children through The 100 Black Men of Greater Washington, D.C. Kevin enjoys reading non-fiction and watching movies, along with playing golf and chess. One of his childhood hobbies was creating cartoons. He would love to share this interest as he mentors a child interested in art. We are looking forward to Kevin helping to discover a foster care child’s abilities, as his abilities have been drawn out so successfully.

Dr. Cox is a psychologist in the Department of Cognitive Neurology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Cox has extensive experience in neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric research. She performs yearly assessments of the cognitive and emotional status of children between the ages of two and-a-half through eighteen.

Marilyn B. Benoit, M.D. a child and adolescent psychiatrist, is the past president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).  Dr. Benoit is a graduate of the Georgetown University Medical School and completed her Child Psychiatry Fellowship at the Georgetown University Medical Center, where she is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She earned a graduate degree in Health Services, Management and Policy at the George Washington University.

Dr. Daum is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and a teacher at the Baltimore-Washington Institute for Psychoanalysis. She is the former head of the psychiatric consult service to pediatrics at Tulane University and now has a full time clinical practice in Rockville, MD.

Dr. Gross is a clinical professor of psychiatry at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and a lecturer in child psychiatry at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He is the former president of the Washington Psychiatry Society and also the former president of the Washington Council on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Todd Leibbrand has been a Volunteer Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children in the District of Columbia for over ten years. Currently Mr. Leibbrand liquidates venture capital companies for the United States Small Business Administration. Formerly, he was Controller for HealthPlus (a health maintenance organization) and The Artery Organization (a residential and commercial real estate developer). He has a B.A. from Michigan State University in Accounting.   Mr. Leibbrand started his career in public accounting and became a Certified Public Accountant.

Kenneth (Kip) Brunk is controller and assistant treasurer of the Police Foundation. The Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization devoted to the advancement of efficient, effective and humane policing that operates within the framework of constitutional standards and democratic values. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Accounting, he began a career in Public Accounting with Price Waterhouse & Co. Mr. Brunk earned his CPA certificate in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Brunk currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund  He is a member of the Fund's finance committee and is the chair of the audit committee. Mr. Brunk has completed multiple terms as the treasurer and chair of the budget and finance committee of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House (Alexandria, Virginia).

Reverend Allen is the pastor of Gateway Community Church, in Herndon, Virginia, (www.gatewaychurch.org) which he founded in 1998. Prior to serving at Gateway, Ed was pastor of an urban church in Boston, Massachusetts for 12 years. He graduated from Wake Forest University and studied for the ministry at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, where he received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees.

Pastor Davis directs mentor recruitment for BEST Kids™ Mentoring Program. He has been pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church on Sheriff Road in Northeast Washington, DC, for the past 27years. Under his leadership, the membership of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church has grown from 75 to more than 1,200. Among his many initiatives is a successful men’s fellowship that mentors groups of children monthly. Pastor Davis received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity Degrees from Richmond Virginia Seminary. He is presently pursuing his Doctorate of Divinity also from Richmond Virginia Seminary.

Ms. Bodner has over 20 years of administrative experience with non-profit organizations, both in the criminal justice and education fields. Her volunteer work includes literacy tutoring, fair housing efforts, and emergency foster care.

LaMar Henderson, LICSW, brings a depth of education, training and research in psychology, social work, and social policy that is only surpassed by his passion to help foster care children. After being accepted into Georgetown University School of Medicine, Mr. Henderson decided his passion lay in social work.

After graduating with a double major in Psychology and Biology from Syracuse University, he started his formal training in Family Mental Health at Syracuse’s School of Social Work. However, seeking to broaden his horizons, he transferred and completed his Masters of Social Work at Howard University School of Social Work in Human Service Management and Program Evaluation.

During Mr. Henderson’s fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine, Child Study Center his clinical responsibilities included providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents and families from a variety of cultures. LaMar provided Parent Management Training (PMT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to individuals and families. He participated in weekly interdisciplinary (MD, LCSW, PsyD/PhD) team meetings to assess the status of each case as well as evaluate whether there was a need for a medication regiment and/or psychological testing. He received training and intensive supervision on all cases from specialists in various professions.

Before joining BEST KIDS, Henderson was a forensic interviewer and evaluator for Safe Shores, the Washington, DC Children’s Advocacy Center. There, Mr. Henderson conducted forensic interviews with alleged child/adolescent abuse victims. He holds memberships in several professional organizations including the National Association of Black Social Workers, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.