Northwest Neighbors Village hires new executive director

When Marianna Blagburn announced she was leaving Northwest Neighbors Village to take a position at Forest Side Memory Care, NNV began its search for a new executive director. It has found one. Northwest Neighbors Village gave us permission to reprint this announcement from its May 2016 newsletter:

Stephanie Chong has wide experience working with seniors and village movement

by Janean Mann

NNV’S new executive director, Stephanie Chong, brings a wealth of experience working with seniors.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with all of the Northwest Neighbors Village members, volunteers and staff,” she said. Stephanie starts May 1 following her appointment by unanimous vote by the NNV board of directors.

Prior to her just-completed stint as community education and outreach director with the home care company LifeMatters, Stephanie worked for nine years with Seabury Resources as assistant director, then director of care management.

Seabury, a local nonprofit organization which operates Seabury at Friendship Terrace in Tenleytown, offers a variety of programs and housing alternatives for seniors and their caregivers. This position gave her a solid grounding in the issues confronting older D.C. residents and the resources available to assist them.

Stephanie previously held a variety of positions at the Residences at Thomas Circle, including assisted living, resident services and social services directorates. She also brings expertise in helping individuals return home after hospital stays, having spent six years as a discharge planner at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville.

Nor is she a stranger to the village concept. She volunteered as a member of the health and wellness committee of Dupont Circle Village and is a member of the Arlington Neighborhood Villages.

“I believe that villages are at the forefront of defining what it means to age well. I’m excited to be a part of the village movement,” she said.

She holds both undergraduate and master of social work degrees and is a board member of the National Association of Social Workers. Stephanie will share with us her vision for NNV in the June Village News.