Board of Directors

Chair

Earle “Chico” Horton III, Esq.

Mr. Horton is a Partner with Tiber Hudson LLC practicing in the areas of finance, real estate and energy. Mr. Horton’s practice includes the financing of multi-family apartment and condominium projects, office buildings, hotels, retail, mixed use projects, P3 projects and energy projects; real estate acquisitions, dispositions, development and entitlements including zoning and historic preservation issues; tax credits including low income housing, new markets, historic and solar renewable tax credits; corporate formation, advisory, restructuring, asset sales and purchases; capital structuring including debt, equity, alternative sources including EB-5; energy facilities including solar and the negotiation of Power Purchase Agreement; banking and finance including commercial loans, public and private financing transactions including private placements and public offerings. Mr. Horton serves as one of the lead attorneys on behalf of the firm in the areas of banking and finance.

Mr. Horton is one of the first African Americans elected into the American College of Bond Counsel. He represents banks and underwriters as counsel in public and private finance matters including tax-exempt and taxable transactions. Mr. Horton has represented: Citigroup Global Markets; Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley; UBS/PaineWebber, Inc; Merrill Lynch; Jeffries; JP Morgan Chase; Banc of America Securities LLC; Loop Capital Markets; NatCity Investments, Inc.; A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.; Bear Stearns Co. Inc.; SBK/Brooks Investment Corp.; Apex Pryor Securities; Prager, McCarthy, Sealy, US; Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. LLC; McDonald Investments Inc., a KeyCorp Company; M.R. Beal, Robert W. Baird & Co. and others as underwriter’s counsel. Mr. Horton has been involved in billions of dollars of financial transactions over his twenty (20) year career.

Mr. Horton has represented both private entities and governments in regulatory matters. He has been involved in the interpretation of regulatory procedures and rules, as well as participated in various regulatory proceedings. His range of private clients has included regulated companies.

Mr. Horton has represented clients in the acquisition of real estate that have included land use issues, historic preservation, environmental issues, zoning and multiple parcels and non- contiguous projects. He has been involved with the negotiation and drafting of complex leases.

2025 Board Officers

  • Chair – Earle “Chico” Horton III, Esq., Tiber Hudson LLC.
  • Chair-Elect and General Counsel – Stacy Burnette, Comcast
  • 1st Vice Chair – John Tucker, TD Bank
  • 2nd  Vice Chair – Rashad Young, Howard University
  • Secretary – Heather Ness, The Robert Bobb Group
  • Treasurer – Winell Belfonte, CohnReznick

2025 Board of Directors

  • Daniel Aberra,  Bank of America
  • Lisa Brown Alexander, Nonprofit HR
  • Vida Ali, Ben’s Chili Bowl
  • William Alsup, Hines Interests Limited Partnership
  • Felis Andrade, Giant Food LLC
  • Joseph Askew, Verizon
  • Claude Bailey, Venable LLC
  • Emmanuel Bailey, VSC, Inc.
  • Leila Batties, Holland & Knight
  • Marc Battle, DC Water
  • Winell Belfonte, CohnReznick LLC
  • Madia Brown, Brandire Agency
  • Stacy Burnette, Comcast
  • Socrates Cala, The CALPRO Group
  • Wendy Carr, Deloitte
  • Ryan Chaffo, City National Bank
  • Evens Charles, Frontier Development & Hospitality Group LLC
  • Colette Chichester, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
  • Karen Dale, AmeriHealth Caritas DC
  • Robert Duru, M & T Bank
  • Delicia Gunn, HEMPSULATION LLP
  • Brett Greene, American Management Corp.
  • Seth Grossman, American University
  • Jacquay Henderson, Square Peg Technologies
  • Earle C. Horton III, Tiber Hudson
  • Carolyn Howell, Events USA
  • Rose Johnson, United Way of the National Capital Area
  • Kevin Gaughan EagleBank
  • Tonya Vidal Kinlow, Children’s National Hospital
  • H.H. Leonards, The O Museum in the Mansion
  • James Martinko, CohnReznick LLP
  • Valencia McClure, Pepco
  • Garrett McGuire, AT&T Services Inc
  • Marissa McKeever, Sibley/Johns Hopkins University
  • Renee McPhatter, The George Washington University
  • Ronnette Meyers, JLan Solutions LLC
  • Heather Ness, Robert Bobb Group
  • Sindara Oyekola, Clark Construction
  • James Page, Page After Page Business Systems, Inc.
  • Necole Parker, ELOCEN Group
  • Connie Russell, C. L. Russell Group, LLC
  • Benjamin Soto, Premium Title & Escrow, LLC
  • Jim Steffes, Washington Gas
  • Susan Shorter, High Impact Partners (HIP)
  • David Smith, PNC Bank
  • Tiffany Tate, Tate.Alpha Total
  • Henoke Tesfaye, U Street Parking
  • Ronald Thurston, Truist
  • John Tucker, TD Bank
  • Annie Whatley, The University of the District of Columbia
  • Sonja Wells, City First Bank
  • Simone Williams, Williams Global Law, PLLC
  • Regina Knox Woods, MedStar Health
  • Rashad Young, Howard University

Committee Co-Chairs

  • Audit Committee – Jim Martinko
  • Finance Committee – Winell Belfonte
  • Government Affairs – Brett Greene
  • Membership Committee – John Tucker and Robert Duru
  • Health & Wellness Committee – Colette Chichester and Regina Knox-Woods
  • Small Business Advisory Council – Ryan Chaffo and Jacquay Henderson
  • International Business Dev. Committee – Simone Williams and Henok Tesfaye
  • Retail Workgroup – Garrett McGuire
  • Governance Committee – Earle C. Horton, Tonya Kinlow, and Bill Alsup
  • Workforce Development – Jim Steffes and Connie Russell

Subcommittees

Women in Business Subcommittee

The objective of the Women in Business Subcommittee is to create a network of women professionals who can collaborate, share resources and opportunities, and cultivate strong partnerships to increase the equity and inclusion of women business leaders in the District. In the spirit of “Lifting As We Rise”, the committee will develop an mentor program for young women who are focused on their professional development. The Women in Business Subcommittee falls under the Small Business Advisory Council.

Construction Subcommittee

The local construction industry is an integral part of Washington, D.C.’s growth and development. A committee of construction contractors representing the various trades is an important resource for the D.C. Chamber in gaining new insights and expertise on a variety of issues such as workforce development, building standards, codes, licensing, indoor air quality, fire life safety, creating and maintaining energy efficient buildings. As such, the construction industry’s interest are compatible and aligned with the interest of the business community.

Technology Subcommittee

Operating as a subcommittee within the Government Affairs committee, our primary objective is to advocate for and inform members about changes occurring in the District of Columbia. Given the perpetual evolution of technology, our aim is to continually adapt and expand alongside it.