Team Members
Jacqueline Conerly
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
A native of the District of Columbia, Jacqueline bringing 30+ years of leadership experience in government and the nonprofit sector. She honorably served 20 years in the US Marine Corps, often as the first African American woman in her specific leadership roles along the way. Upon retirement from the Marines, she worked for 5+ years in the US State Department before joining Jubilee Jobs as their Deputy Director in charge of the Southeast DC Office in Ward 8. Jacqueline is a volunteer DC Jail Chaplain and a member of Leadership Greater Washington.
She participates actively in supporting other emerging leaders seeking to found Recovery Café’s in other parts of the country through the nationwide Recovery Café Network.
Donald Conerly
Founder and Director of Programs
Donald brings to this role the lived experience of incarceration and addiction for 30+ years. The last time he was released – more than 16 years ago – he landed at the 801 E Men’s Shelter, where he entered fully into 801’s treatment and recovery programs and found employment through Jubilee Jobs.
Donald found the depth of healing community that he needed and dedicated his life to helping others in Ward 8 find and foster authentic healing community that provides social/emotional support, recovery from addiction and other mental health challenges.
He was clear on his call to create that depth of community for others who had also carried the suffering, exclusion and marginalization of people bearing incarceration, addiction and homelessness. Donald has 20+ years of experience in Building Maintenance, Construction, Engineering and Painting environments. He is highly skilled at training newly hired workers and working on complex projects requiring multiple subcontractors and vendors.
Elizabeth McMeekin
Director of Operations
Elizabeth brings deep operational experience serving to the Recovery Café of DC. She served as a direct service and administrative volunteer in mission for six years in Latin America.
Prior to this, she spent 15+ years working in senior-level positions for multiple DC-based nonprofit organizations, including the Festival Center (Executive Director); Jubilee Housing (Interim Vice President of Programs), and IMPACT Silver Spring (Grants and Contract Manager). She has also worked as a Spanish interpreter in both clinical and conference settings.
Board of Directors
Donald Conerly
Founder & Program Director of Recovery Cafe DC
Donald brings to this role the lived experience of incarceration and addiction for 30+ years. The last time he was released – more than 16 years ago – he landed at the 801 E Men’s Shelter, where he entered fully into 801’s treatment and recovery programs and found employment through Jubilee Jobs.
Donald found the depth of healing community that he needed and dedicated his life to helping others in Ward 8 find and foster authentic healing community that provides social/emotional support, recovery from addiction and other mental health challenges.
He was clear on his call to create that depth of community for others who had also carried the suffering, exclusion and marginalization of people bearing incarceration, addiction and homelessness. Donald has 20+ years of experience in Building Maintenance, Construction, Engineering and Painting environments. He is highly skilled at training newly hired workers and working on complex projects requiring multiple subcontractors and vendors.
Jacqueline Conerly
Board Secretary; Founder & CEO of Recovery Cafe DC
A native of the District of Columbia, Jacqueline bringing 30+ years of leadership experience in government and the nonprofit sector. She honorably served 20 years in the US Marine Corps, often as the first African American woman in her specific leadership roles along the way. Upon retirement from the Marines, she worked for 5+ years in the US State Department before joining Jubilee Jobs as their Deputy Director in charge of the Southeast DC Office in Ward 8. Jacqueline is a volunteer DC Jail Chaplain and a member of Leadership Greater Washington.
She participates actively in supporting other emerging leaders seeking to found Recovery Café’s in other parts of the country through the nationwide Recovery Café Network. A native of the District of Columbia, Jacqueline bringing 30+ years of leadership experience in government and the nonprofit sector. She honorably served 20 years in the US Marine Corps, often as the first African American woman in her specific leadership roles along the way. Upon retirement from the Marines, she worked for 5+ years in the US State Department before joining Jubilee Jobs as their Deputy Director in charge of the Southeast DC Office in Ward 8.
Jacqueline is a volunteer DC Jail Chaplain and a member of Leadership Greater Washington. She participates actively in supporting other emerging leaders seeking to found Recovery Café’s in other parts of the country through the nationwide Recovery Café Network.
Rev. Joseph Deck, III
Founder of the Institute of Radical Reconciliation, & Minister of Men, Reid Temple AME
Joseph serves as the Director of Pastoral Care and Clergy for a congregation of 6,000 members. Prior to this, he was the Minister to Men for 6,000 men at Reid Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church and served the Reid Temple Bible College as a Professor and Chaired the college’s appointments committee. He is an inspirational pragmatist who founded the Institute of Radical Reconciliation, an organization that focuses on building community through racial, relational, arts justice, and mutual liberating mentoring programs.
He served as the Executive Director of the Festival Center, home of the Servant Leadership School, a seminary of the people, where he organized classes and workshops in social, economic, ecological, and Biblical restorative justice. Joseph completed an intensive seminar of study at the Duke Divinity School, Institute of Reconciliation in Durham, NC and holds a B.S. Degree in Business Management with a concentration in International Business from the University of Potomac. He matriculated for his Masters of Divinity Degree at Payne Theological Seminary.
His ministry is ecumenical in scope which has led to many preaching and teaching assignments in various denominational and nondenominational pulpits across the country.
Kathy Guillaume Delemar
Director of National Partnerships at Center for Community Progress; Council member, Glenarden MD
With 20+ years of leadership in community development and philanthropy, Kathleen brings visionary leadership to prevent property vacancy and revitalize communities across the nation. Kathleen’s career is focused on addressing injustice, community revitalization, affordable housing, and homelessness. While working at Miriam’s Kitchen and Jubilee Housing, she motivated policymakers, funders, and partners to take innovative and human-centered actions to address historic disinvestments in Black/Brown communities.
A committed public servant, Kathleen served on the Glenarden Housing Authority Board, the Prince George’s County Affordable Housing Commission, and made history by becoming the first and only Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latina, and Haitian-American elected to the City Council of Glenarden, MD. She made strong contributions as a subject-matter expert to the Maryland General Assembly, the Office of the Governor of Maryland, and national community development partners.
Committed to social and racial justice, she sits on various boards and has been recognized in Fanm Potomitan magazine for her leadership and received the Excellence Award from the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network in 2024.
Dianna Guinyard
VP of Operations/COO of United Planning Organization
Dianna Guinyard, VP of Operations and COO, United Planning Organization (UPO). Dianna has 40+ years of social services industry experience, including program management and administration, project leadership, proposal and grant writing. She has proven ability to use analytical, problem-solving and communication skills to improve productivity and develop innovative human services delivery.
She has served as the Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer at the United Planning Organization (UPO) in Washington, DC since 2016. In this capacity, she oversees seven significant UPO programs, interacting with the division directors to ensure all activities and events related to each program are adhered to, based on agency-set standards and outcomes. She oversees 8 Community Service Providers partnering with UPO through the Community Service Block Grant. Dianna has also served as director of UPO’s Adult Education & Training Division from 2009 to 2016.
Her responsibilities included managing and coordinating a variety of UPO career path training programs through UPO’s Workforce Institute. She has also directed UPO’s Aging Services Division from 2000-2009.
Therein, she was responsible for the overall supervision of the aging community-based programs; the Case Assessment/Case Management Program for Wards 6 and 7; Washington Seniors Wellness Center, Weekend Nutrition Program, Foster Grandparents Program; and the Geriatric Adult Daycare Program. Dianna received her Bachelor of Social Work from Benedict College in Columbia, SC; and her Master of Clinical Social Work from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Jim Knight
Board Treasurer; and CEO of Jubilee Housing
Since 2002, Jim has led Jubilee Housing’s strategic direction in pursuit of its mission and vision. He leads a staff of more than 70 employees, developing and managing affordable housing communities and providing supportive services for residents. In his tenure, the organization has developed ten properties totaling $150M in investments, growing resident service
delivery for youth and families, and establishing first-of-its-kind housing and services for people returning from incarceration. In addition to utilizing cutting-edge financing and innovative solutions to address DC’s affordable housing crisis, Jim has led the organization to adopt environmental justice tools such as Solar for All, energy resiliency, and aquaponics.
Eric Letsinger
Founder & CEO of Quantified Ventures
In 2014, Eric founded Quantified Ventures, an outcomes-based finance firm that helps clients deliver measurable health, social, and environmental impact. Eric is a “tri-sector” executive, bringing 30+ years of leadership experience in government, nonprofit, and private sector organizations operating in healthcare, environment, education, and housing.
He has led transformative, public-private initiatives to drive social impact in complex, cross-sector business environments including IBM, Baltimore Public Schools, Baltimore Housing Department, Cyveillance Software, PWC, and Samaritan Inns Homeless Services. Eric is a routine and energetic speaker at conferences, events, and universities related to impact and outcomes-based investing in the environment and health sectors.”
Jim Marsh, Jr
Recovery Cafe DC's Headwaters Program Coordinator, & Licensed Counselor
Jim is a licensed counselor and ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, as well as co-founder of A Wider Table, an expression of The Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC where he has lived since 2001.
He is an appointed minister by the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, working closely with several non-profits to develop mentoring programs for young adults in the city.
Jim has been working with youth and families 35+ years as a mentor, spiritual director, educational advocate, intensive outpatient group therapist, and individual and family therapist. Jim helps provide the necessary guidance and accountability to help young people realize their unique potential.
Kim Montroll
Board Chair/President Recovery Cafe DC
Kim supports local groups across the US explore and launch the Recovery Cafe model within their own communities. Kim brings 30+ years of experience in DC-area non-profit leadership and resource raising, including 10+ years working with and advocating for children and families in Jubilee Housing and coordinating the Living Jubilee Capital Campaign.
Kim currently serves as Board Chair for Recovery Café DC and has served as Board Chair of Life Asset, which provides micro-loans to DC entrepreneurs with poor credit history. Kim has lived and worked in service in rural Haiti as a student of the power of collective community. She is an experienced retreat and strategic planning leader.