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Town Council
The Town Council is responsible for making all of the legislative decisions that affect the Town. They are elected each May and serve for two year terms, with two seats being filled one year and three the next. The Council serves in an unpaid capacity. Each Council member donates many hours per year helping to ensure that the Town runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. The Council meets the second Wednesday of each month, in public, to discuss Town business and policy. In addition to these public meetings, each Council member serves as a liaison to at least one Town Committee and has many other public service interests.
Agendas & Minutes
Agendas and minutes are posted on the Town's website. Copies may also be obtained at the Town office.
Irene Lane, Mayor
Liaison to Public Services Committee
Term Expires 2024
My professional experience includes developing sustainable tourism products, measuring the return on investment (ROI) of sustainability in destinations, delivering training on sustainable certification criteria, and creating digital storytelling strategies for tourism boards and individual sustainable tourism businesses.
Prior to being elected to my second term on the Town Council, I was the founder of Greenloons, a digital sustainable tourism concierge service that partnered with more than fifty eco-certified companies around the world to inspire families, private companies, and university study abroad program participants to travel in ways that benefited communities socially, economically, and environmentally. In addition to being a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California, George Washington University, the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, I am the only person in the United States who can certify a green travel destination, accommodation, or event under the internationally-accredited Biosphere label.
I have a BA in Political Science with a minor in International Relations from Boston University, an MBA in International Finance from American University, and a Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Destination Management from George Washington University. As for hobbies, I enjoy traveling (current tally of 48 countries), reading historical fiction, biking, and keeping up my sourdough starter (apparently started during the Yukon Gold Rush), which was given to me by a Town resident. I live at 4106 Aspen Street with my husband, Brian, our son, Andreas, and our hound dog, Barstow.
Barney Rush, Vice Mayor
Liaison to Long-Range Planning Committee and Corso Special Committee
Term Expires 2024
I am now in my 4th term on the Town Council and have served previously as Mayor for four years. I have had a varied business career, including positions as an executive in an electric utility, CEO of a technology start-up company, a developer of renewable energy plants, and an operating partner at a private equity firm. I served on the board of directors of ISO – New England, the authority which ensures the supply of electric power for that region and was chair of the board of directors of a large solar energy developer based in India. I enjoy playing alto saxophone with the Rockville Concert Band. My wife, Marjorie, and I have lived at 6917 Maple since 2003. We have two grown children, Alison and Carolyn.
Stephanie Martz, Secretary
Liaison to Community Relations Committee
Term Expires 2025
I’ve lived at 4110 Leland Street since 2004 with my husband and 3 children, 2 of whom are in college and 1 of whom is still at home (in high school). I am currently the chief administrative officer and general counsel of the National Retail Federation, the largest trade association of retailers in the world. Before that, I was Senior Counsel and Special Assistant to the President in the Office of White House Counsel for President Obama, and for 5 years, I served as chief counsel to Senator (now Leader) Chuck Schumer. I've also worked for non-profits and in private practice, primarily as an appellate lawyer. I have volunteered for numerous nation al, state, and local campaigns, helping with get-out-the-vote and voter protection. I love spending time outdoors (especially with my 2-year-old dog, Brick), and volunteer with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
I am honored and excited to serve my first term as a councilmember. Our block of Leland Street has been close-knit and has provided my family with a safe, friendly, and engaging place to grow up. I'm looking forward to this opportunity to give back to the Town of Chevy Chase.
Joy White, Community Liaison
Liaison to Climate and Environment Committee
Term Expires 2025
I and my family have lived in the Town of Chevy Chase since 1999. While my children were enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools, I served on the PTA Boards of Rosemary Hills and Chevy Chase Elementary Schools, and Westland Middle School. I also spent four years as a cluster coordinator advocating for operating and capital budget priorities on behalf of all of the schools in the B-CC cluster. I was recently a volunteer on the Town’s Long Range Planning Committee.
Since 2001, I have enjoyed the great privilege of working at a Bethesda-based global development company, DAI, a leading partner of public and private sector donors around the world, including USAID and the World Bank. While at DAI, I have held a variety of leadership roles in project management, human resources, communications, and the Office of General Counsel. In addition to serving as an internal Board member of my employer, I currently lead employee ownership programs at DAI, which is 100-percent owned by employees hailing from 40 countries around the world.
Before joining DAI, I was a career foreign service officer with the Department of State, an analyst at the Departments of Commerce and Treasury, and a management consultant with Accenture. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University. I live on Leland Street with my husband, son, and Waldie, our German Shorthaired Pointer.