Type: Board of Directors

After graduating from Wellesley College in 1982, I began my career as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in Stamford, CT. I relocated to Washington, DC in 1992, received the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification in 1997, and joined Wheat First Securities (a predecessor firm of Wells Fargo Advisors) in 1998. I successfully completed the CIMA® (Certified Investment Management Analyst) program at the Wharton School of Business in 2009. I attended the Baron’s Top Female Advisors conference in Palm Beach FL and most recently (2019) the Baron’s Top Teams conference in Las Vegas NV. My entire career has been devoted to helping individuals and their families with the management of their financial lives. I was named Volunteer of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic region of Wells Fargo Advisors by Wells Fargo & Company, and one of the Top Volunteers for the entire Wells Fargo & Company in 2014.

I often work with children and grandchildren of clients, helping the next generation understand financial planning and investment management, as well as the often unseen challenges of managing inherited wealth. I help my clients complete the picture of their lives. A constant focus for me is health and exercise including daily 4 mile walks and Cycle classes at the gym. I love to read and have been a member of a book club for over a decade. I also love to travel. I have traveled extensively including European wine tours, a Safari in South Africa, and climbing Machu Pichu in Peru. I am an active member at my church, National United Methodist, I currently serve on their Board of Trustees, and I am a member of The Metro Players theatre group.

In addition to serving on the Board of Iona Senior Services, I also volunteer by delivering meals to older adults once a month. A large part of my professional clientele is older adults, and I am fortunate to work with a firm that has devoted huge resources to helping identify and protect them against financial abuse. Volunteering with Iona allows me to get involved with an even larger community, beyond my clientele. The programs Iona provides –whether art therapy programs with the Philips or the Take Charge Age Well Academy, are inspiring. I am honored to be a part of such a dedicated organization such as Iona.

Claudia Schlosberg is a health policy expert, creative problem solver and experienced program manager, with more than 30 years of professional experience focused on Medicaid and Medicare. She is currently the founder of Castle Hill Consulting, LLC.

Previously, Ms. Schlosberg served for four and a half years as State Medicaid Director for the District of Columbia and for three years as DC Medicaid’s Director of Health Care Policy and Research.  Ms. Schlosberg’s prior experience includes: Senior Policy Advisor and Acting Director of Programs, Policy and Training for the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Principal at Blank Rome Government Relations, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; Counsel to the D.C. Long Term Care Ombudsman Program; Senior Attorney at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Founding Director of Advocacy for the Elderly at the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University.

Ms. Schlosberg is an active alumni of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors (NAMD) and ADvancing States (formerly NASUAD). She is a 1981 graduate of Antioch School of Law and a member of the DC Bar.

Most of my professional career I have been involved with protecting the American public from exploitation, and unfair or fraudulent treatment. Most of my personal and private endeavors involve promoting the welfare of the disadvantaged and less fortunate.

I was born and raised in New York, and always had a passion to help others. I worked as a domestic violence counselor in my last year of college, and after graduation, I was hired as the shelter’s counseling manager in a shelter in Flagler county of Florida. Subsequently, I was accepted to law school and relocated to the DC area. After graduating cum laude from Howard University School of Law, I clerked for the Honorable Ellen L. Hollander in the Court of Special Appeals of Md., and then worked at an international law firm. In 2004, I decided to work in government at the Office of Federal Enterprise Oversight, and currently work at its successor agency—the Federal Housing Finance Agency as an Associate General Counsel at the Office of General Counsel.

I worked as a board member for D.C.’s Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter High School for more than ten years. I connected with the school’s motto, which was “Free to Excel.” There, I served as President for five years and Treasurer for three years.

I am dedicated to a healthy lifestyle, and I also value having fun. I work out regularly—4-5 days a week. I am a member of a monthly book club, and am part of a dinner group that allows me to try out new restaurants in DC. I enjoy traveling both domestically and internationally. I have traveled for work purposes all throughout the United States (Seattle, Chicago, Iowa Falls, Buffalo, Tampa, and Dallas to name a few cities). I have also traveled to various cities in Italy, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Hungary and Spain.

I first became interested in Iona after being invited to attend a few events by another board member. I’ve always loved and respected the population of older adults and I’m excited to be a part of Iona’s mission. I am grateful to be accepted into this community of dedicated people.

I currently serve as Special Assistant to Montgomery County, MD Executive Marc Elrich providing advice and direction on health, human services, early childhood and immigrant integration strategy.

I am also the president of Otero Strategy Group, an innovative consulting practice integrating education, health, human services and community development supports, with a focus on socially responsible policy and practice. As president, I advise nonprofits, philanthropy and local governments on strategic planning, policy development and strategies for funding.

I served for four years as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services with the D.C. Government. Prior to that, I led CentroNia, a nationally recognized child and family services organization serving over 1,200 children and their families, for 25 years. In this work I developed DC Bilingual Public Charter School and multiple child development sites throughout the Washington region.

Additionally, I have a wide range of international experience and have served on numerous local and national boards, including boards of education, hospitals and think tanks. I was the recipient of numerous awards for leadership, advocacy and public service including being named Washingtonian of the Year in 2000. I am proud to be on the board of Iona Senior Services and to join its wonderfully dedicated staff and volunteers in serving seniors in the District of Columbia.

I am a member of Clark Construction’s leadership team headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, having worked across a variety of geographies and roles for the company since 1998.  In my time at Clark, I’m honored to have had the opportunity to manage the development and delivery of many critical social infrastructure projects—universities, housing, courthouses, hospitals, and more.

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.  While an engineer and businessperson by training, I most enjoy the opportunity to connect with people listen to their stories.

Two of my lifetime-favorite storytellers were my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandfather, whose perspectives shared during our times together shaped my views of family, community, and industry from a young age.  They would both have so enjoyed Iona’s programs—the support services, the engagement opportunities, and the sense of community.  I appreciate participating on Iona’s Board of Directors to grow and support programs that help all seniors live well as they age.

I previously served on the Board of Directors for Rebuilding Together San Diego before relocating to the DMV area.  When not at work or assisting at Iona, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, as well as sports, travel, food, and wine.

I am a seasoned marketing professional with nearly 25 years of results-oriented experience in leading professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. As an accomplished MBA, I provide leadership for strategic marketing programs that employ the latest technology and innovative approaches to meet stated goals and objectives. I also develop complex technical solutions to address a variety of business challenges leveraging a strong network of personal and professional relationships.

At GRF CPAs & Advisors (GRF), I direct a cross-functional marketing team executing a variety of creative marketing tactics aimed at increasing market share, exploring new services and geographic markets, highlighting the firm’s international reach, challenging competitors, creating impactful marketing campaigns and maintaining a superior digital marketing presence. In 2019, I led GRF’s rebranding program including renaming the firm, implementing a new color palate, creating a new logo and developing a new tagline for the firm. The rebranding coincided with the launch of a new firm website and a re-envisioning of the firm’s marketing program.

In addition to my leadership role within the firm, I am also a founding committee member of Women on the Move, the formal women’s leadership initiative at GRF and a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion committee. I spend time mentoring young team members within Marketing as well as in other departments at GRF.

Prior to joining GRF, my professional experience included geographic and industry marketing roles focused on sectors such as nonprofit, real estate, A/E/C, legal, technology, government contracting and hospitality spanning the United States. I study audience and client behavior to develop targeted, high-impact marketing campaigns that achieve measurable results within budget.

I enjoy international travel having visited over a dozen countries to date. As a food and wine enthusiast, I enjoy cuisine from around the world and cook at home for relaxation. Other hobbies include exercise (especially running and Orangetheory) and spending time with my rescue dogs.

I joined the Board of directors of Iona Senior Services (Iona) in May of 2017, briefly serving as Treasurer. My interest in Iona came from the experience of transitioning my mother from living independently to assisted living in the midst of a health crisis in 2014. If only I had known about the services Iona offers when my mother was in crisis. Iona’s hotline and case management could have provided the answers I needed and saved me a lot of time and stress.

I am skilled in business development, program development, project management, customer service, and strategic planning—Including mergers and acquisitions. My background includes more than 35 years of experience in government contracting, primarily for Federal health agencies. I have a M.A. in Chemistry from Columbia University in New York, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. My husband, Richard D. Bates, Jr., is a Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Georgetown University, and I have two children, both married, and a grandson.

As a Vice President at Lockheed Martin (from which I retired), I had profit/loss responsibility for a $200M health business of 2000 employees. There, my responsibilities included managing both information and communications programs on HIV/AIDS, cancer, genetic and rare diseases, clinical trials, and other topics for the NIH, CDC, FDA, DoD, and other Federal agencies.

My philanthropic experience includes serving as a board member of the Hope for Children Fund, a nonprofit devoted to supporting children orphaned by AIDS in Ethiopia. I also volunteer for several, local civic organizations. Since 2018, I have been privileged to serve on Iona’s Board of Directors, and believe strongly in Iona’s mission and purpose. I first became involved with Iona through volunteering at the Active Wellness Program at St. Alban’s. Later, I began volunteering as member of Iona’s Board of Directors Program Committee. Friends and neighbors of mine have found Iona to be a wonderful source of help. Iona has helped them navigate personal aging issues, challenges with their parents, estate settlement, and dementia support for family. Iona also helped them find and get connected to creative arts and wellness programming. I especially like that Iona tackles awareness on difficult topics such as planning for a good death.

I relished a wide-ranging career as a management professional, starting with the AT&T Corporation for 25 years, followed by 11 years with the Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco). I retired in 2009, launching new initiatives through my own management consulting company, Blair Ink, LLC. I am a native of Kansas where I graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Mathematics. I earned an MBA in Management from Fairleigh Dickerson University in Rutherford, New Jersey.

At AT&T, I held key financial and operational positions in Operator Services, Strategic Planning, Financial Management, and Business Services. In my final assignment at AT&T, I managed an organization of more than 200 administrative employees responsible for the generation of customer billing data that accounted for $6 billion in annual revenue.

I held the position of Senior Strategic Planning Manager for the Pepco Government & External Affairs organization, which was led by the President of Pepco Region. In this position, I was responsible for the development of strategic plans and management of projects that strengthened key stakeholder relationships. I previously managed the Billing Services and Investigations Department and Customer Operations (Call Centers and Business Offices). I was also responsible for the customer contact channels that allow Pepco customers to meet their service needs.

In addition to my professional responsibilities, I’ve served on boards for my church, and in support of children. Most recently, I served on the founding board for the East Rock Creek Village to help seniors living in Ward 4 age-in-place. I have a passion for working collaboratively to solve tough business problems while fostering the well-being of older citizens in our community, especially minorities and low-income citizens. This has prompted my long-term interest in and admiration for the work of Iona Senior Services. I also have two adult daughters and three grandchildren who bring a great deal of joy and fulfillment to life.