Board of Trustees

Jorge Thompson Araujo joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2023. His younger daughter is a Seneca Academy alumna. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Cambridge and recently retired as a macroeconomics manager from the World Bank, where he served for 25 years. He is currently an independent economics consultant and a non-resident senior collaborating researcher at the University of Brasilia, Brazil. In his free time, he enjoys jazz music, art museums, and nature walks with his family.

Jill Babby joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2023. She is a clinical social worker and works as the Clinical Director of the Sheppard Pratt School, a nonpublic special education school serving students ages 5-21 with autism spectrum disorders and emotional disabilities.  She holds a BA in psychology from Wheaton College (MA) and an MSW from Catholic University. Her son attended Seneca Academy from the 3’s program through 5th grade. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing board games.

Janet de Moor (Secretary) joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2021. She holds a BS in human development and family studies from Penn State University and an MPH and PhD from the University of Texas School of Public Health. She is currently the deputy associate director of the Healthcare Delivery Research Program at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, MD. In her free time, Janet enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

John DeMarchi (Treasurer) joined the Seneca Academy Board in July 2015. He is currently head of school at Evergreen School, a preschool through third grade Montessori school located in Silver Spring, MD. He previously served as associate head of school at The Woods Academy in Bethesda, MD. Prior to The Woods, he was a founding teacher and division coordinator at Concordia International School Shanghai. In addition to spending time with his family, John enjoys cycling and the outdoors.

Michael DeVita joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2024, bringing his expertise as a real estate developer and founder/COO of StonePark. For over 20 years, he has been transforming communities in Washington, D.C. Michael resides in Gaithersburg with his family, and has two boys attending Seneca Academy. In his free time, he enjoys film production, coaching soccer, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Shampa Enayet joined the Seneca Academy Board in November 2024.  Her daughter attended Seneca Academy from kindergarten through fifth grade.  She earned a BA in literature from American University, and is a management analyst in the federal civil service.  Shampa enjoys reading kid-lit and classics, writing children’s novels, and traveling with her family.

Susan Farag joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2024. She is a legislative analyst for the Montgomery County Council, where her fiscal, legal, and policy work focus primarily on public safety. She holds a BA in English literature from the University of Baltimore and a JD from the University of Baltimore School of Law.  Her son attended Seneca Academy from kindergarten through the fourth  grade.  Her family has very fond memories of Seneca, particularly with its IB Primary Years Program, which effortlessly included and celebrated her son’s multicultural and bilingual background. In her free time, she enjoys bicycling, kayaking, and hiking with her dog.

Ryan Landoll joined the Seneca Academy Board in October 2020. He holds a BS in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MS and a PhD in child clinical psychology from the University of Miami, and an MHPE from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is a dual board-certified psychologist who currently serves as an assistant dean in student affairs at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Ryan is an avid distance runner who lives in Germantown, MD with his three children, two of whom are current Seneca Academy students.

Christen Lee joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2021 and is mom to three former Seneca Academy students.  She holds a BS in business administration, human resources management from California State University, Sacramento. Her entire career has been in the human resources field where she seeks to both partner with leadership and also empower and advocate for people. She is currently the human resources manager at BankFund Credit Union in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, Christen loves to spend it enjoying coffee, exercising or doing outdoor activities with her children. 

Lucy Martin has two daughters who both attended Seneca Academy, her oldest from kindergarten through sixth grade. She is director of camp and programs at Calleva Outdoors where she has worked for the past 17 years. Lucy is passionate about outdoor, experiential education. She earned a BA in education and humanities from Exeter University, England and taught in elementary schools for 10 years before moving to America. In her free time she enjoys spending time outside with her family and two dogs, and playing in the Poolesville town wind band.

Ginny McDonald (Trustee Emeritus) has served on the Seneca Academy Board since November 2005. Her son attended Seneca Academy from the year our building opened when he was in kindergarten through his eighth grade year (making him the first on our longevity board!). Ginny has also served the Parents Association in a variety of positions including chair. She is currently the tutoring supervisor for the Treatment and Learning Center. In her free time, Ginny enjoys reading and visiting with friends and family.

John C. McKew (Chair) joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2021. He earned a BS in chemistry and biochemistry from SUNY Stony Brook and a PhD in chemistry from University of California at Davis. His work passion is to develop novel therapeutics for underserved patient populations, primarily those with rare diseases. He developed this passion while working for almost 30 years in both public and private pharma and biotech companies, as well as the National Institute of Health. He is currently President and Chief Scientific Officer of Lumos Pharma and an adjunct faculty member of Boston University School of Medicine. John has had the opportunity to watch two of his children flourish during their time at Seneca Academy. He currently lives with his family on a small farm outside of Darnestown, MD. He enjoys spending his free time with his family enjoying outdoor activities.

Lili Portilla joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2023. She is the mother of a former Seneca Academy student. She has a BBA majoring in finance and Spanish literature from Stephen F. Austin State University and an MPA from American University. She is also a certified leadership coach. Lili has spent much of her career in establishing collaborations and public private partnerships at the NIH. She lives in North Potomac, MD with her family and her rescue dog. She enjoys traveling, especially with her family.

Jodi Thurmond (Trustee Emeritus) is the founding head of Seneca Academy and has served as a trustee since the beginning of the school in 1983. She holds a BA in history and political science and a MEd in reading. She is currently retired although she is an active wife, daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother (of four adorable grandchildren). Jodi has formerly served as a teacher of students in preschool through college, educational administrator, curriculum developer, and teacher trainer. She is a global citizen as she started kindergarten in Panama and finished high school in Germany. Jodi’s hobbies are travel, reading, and visiting grandchildren.

Matt Trammell joined the Seneca Academy Board in September 2024. He currently serves as Head of School at Mount Airy Christian Academy in Howard County, Maryland, having previously served in various roles at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, most recently as director of admission and codirector of financial aid. Earlier in his career, Matt’s experience in the K-12 education landscape spanned public and private schools at the middle-school and high-school level as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in communications; master’s degree in education; educational specialist in administration and supervision; and most recently, a doctorate in educational leadership from Carson-Newman University. He also completed the certificate of school management and leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Matt is passionate about leadership, personal development, and team building. He also coauthored the book School Culture Fit: How to Align Students, Parents, and Faculty Under One Common Purpose.

Alexander Walker joined the Seneca Academy Board in August 2024.  He holds a BS in psychology, an MS in applied psychology, and a PhD in human factors psychology from Clemson University.  He also holds an MBA from The Quantic School of Business and Technology.  Currently, he is the senior director of learning research and design at MedStar Health’s Institute for Innovation and holds an appointment as assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.  Alex has three kids and spends his time coaching kids’ sports teams, sewing, and cheering on his family in all their endeavors.