Meet ANC 3F’s new administrator

by Mary Beth Ray
ANC 3F03 Commissioner

Professional football player, Juris Doctor and UDC graduate – these skills will serve Rachel Huhn well as the new administrator of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F.

Until now, our ANC was one of the few without paid staff. And as our commission takes on additional responsibilities to enhance our area, administrative, technical and managerial support will be a welcome relief to the all-volunteer commissioners.

The commission voted several months ago to hire a staff member whose duties will include, among other things, videotaping the meetings so we are more accessible to our community. ANC 3F is the only commission to Livestream its meetings. The job also entails taking notes, updating the website, creating databases for neighborhood events, drafting resolutions and attending hearings when commissioners are unavailable. With the retirement of our treasurer, the position will no doubt include some bookkeeping aspects as well.

Rachel hails from Eagle, Michigan. She grew up on a farm growing wheat, soybeans and strawberries. Her dad put her to work with a variety of chores ranging from bookkeeping to hay baling, all of which prepared her for her future. Rachel graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in hospitality business, and she came to Washington to be a hotel manager at Kimpton. After six years at Kimpton, Rachel pursued her lifelong dream of attending law school.

She especially enjoyed her criminal law and procedure class, later serving as a teaching assistant in that course. She loved working in UDC’s well-regarded Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, which gave her 450 hours of hands-on experience at a grass-roots level. She was a legal intern with the DC Office of Tax and Revenue General Counsel’s Office. And her sense of community, responsibility and friendly demeanor led to her election as Student Bar Association president.

Rachel graduated from law school in 2013, and went to work for Know Who, a congressional and legislative research firm that researches and interviews candidates for a comprehensive database.

This is Rachel’s eighth season playing professional tackle football with the DC Divas. She’s on the offensive line, blocking for the quarterback and running backs. She credits her hay baling years with her strength, and her time as SBA president with honing leadership qualities that led her to serve as team captain. The Divas season is spring and early summer, and they play four home games and four away games, traveling as far as Boston to play other women’s teams. In 2009, the Divas made it to National Championships!

Rachel lives in Springfield, VA, although if the right opportunity came along, she would happily move to DC.

“While I was in law school, I spent almost 24 hours a day in Van Ness. I always loved the area, but I felt that it had untapped potential,” she said. “That’s why I’m excited about the direction our ANC is taking, especially the work of the Van Ness Vision Committee.”

Rachel’s leadership qualities, her efficiency, her work ethic and her warm smile are all welcome additions to our ANC. She will be behind the camera at our ANC meeting tonight, so please introduce yourself and welcome Rachel to our community!