Board of Directors

Pam Feinstein, Chair
Pam Feinstein is a former nurse who received her BSN-RN from American University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins.  She is also a 2005 graduate of the Nonprofit Management Executive Program at Georgetown University. Pam has an extensive background in human resources, having worked many years in management at Georgetown University Hospital. Other groups with which Pam is actively involved include: the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Ellen’s Run, and the B-CC High School Community Scholarship Program. Pam also currently serves on the Board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) for Montgomery County. In October, 2010 Pam received A Wider Circle’s Commitment to Change Award.

Trevor W. Garner, Vice Chair
Trevor Garner earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the College of Wooster and his MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Trevor started his career at the Bank of New York in their Management Development Program.  During his time at the bank, he held various management positions within the Retail Banking group.  In 1998, Trevor joined M&T Bank and for the last 8 years has been the Regional Business Banking Manager for Suburban Maryland. In addition to his role as a Board Member and Vice-Chairman of A Wider Circle, Trevor currently is on the board of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, serving as the chair of the Annual Business Awards dinner. He also serves on the board and as the VP for Development for Leadership Montgomery and is the immediate past chair of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, Trevor enjoys coaching his daughters’ soccer and basketball teams.

Mr. Jason Dahl, CFP®, Treasurer
In 2002, Jason joined A Wider Circle as an intern, and he remained a core volunteer before joining the Board of Directors in 2008. Jason is a Certified Financial PlannerTM in Bethesda, MD with AFS Financial Group, LLC and an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA).  Jason received a Bachelor's degree in International Finance from the American University, Kogod School of Business.  A native of Oregon, Jason and his wife Elizabeth have lived abroad in Spain and Argentina.

Pam Loprest, Ph.D., Secretary
Dr. Pam Loprest is a labor economist and Director of the Income and Benefits Center at the Urban Institute, a non-partisan public policy research institute. Her research focuses on low-wage labor markets and how government policies can help to reduce and remove barriers to work among disadvantaged populations. Pam has a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has been at the Urban Institute since 1991.

Mark Bergel, Ph.D., Founder
Dr. Mark Bergel has served as the Executive Director of A Wider Circle for all ten years of its existence, bringing to his position a high level of energy and enthusiasm as well as considerable knowledge and experience in the field. Prior to founding A Wider Circle in 2001, Mark spent 15 years managing health and wellness initiatives and serving as a part-time faculty member at American University. He is a nationally acclaimed speaker in the fields of poverty, health, and social connection and has been featured on national television and radio programs. Mark earned a BA from Northwestern University and went on to receive both Masters and Doctoral degrees from American University. In 2010, Mark received the Essence of Leadership Award at the Greater DC Cares Business and Nonprofit Philanthropy Summit. He has previously received the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region's Linowes Leadership Award, which was created to recognize "unsung heroes" in the community who "quietly and tirelessly work to make the metropolitan Washington area a better place to live."

Marty Durbin
Martin (Marty) Durbin is Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the American Petroleum Institute (API), responsible for integrating all of the advocacy resources for this trade association representing America’s oil and natural gas industry.  He previously worked as a lobbyist with two other trade associations and spent six years on Capitol Hill working in both the Senate and House of Representatives.  Marty grew up in Kensington and received a BA in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland College Park. He and his wife, Eden, live in Kensington with their three children, all of whom remains active in their schools, their neighborhood and the broader community.

Sean Fromm
Sean Fromm is a Co-Founder of G2SF, Inc an Information Technology consultancy focused on the federal market. He has extensive business and strategic planning experience, and brings that - and a strong desire to increase the philanthropic nature of corporate America - to A Wider Circle. He has served on various non profit boards.  Sean received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and his M.B.A. from Loyola College in Maryland.

Rachael Coleman Gibson
Rachael Gibson is a nonprofit management consultant who has worked with nonprofits of all sizes to enhance their infrastructure. She has also helped to develop the leadership skills and talents of numerous nonprofit leaders through Board development, resource development, fiscal management, strategic planning, and evaluation. Rachael received a Master’s Degree in Community and Urban Planning from the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from the University of North Florida.

Matt Hodgson
Matt Hodgson is the President of hodgsonConsulting LLC, a Web Technology firm located in Kensington, Maryland. Matt started the business with two very important objectives: delivering excellent technological solutions; and, being a company with deep ties to the community. In October 2009, Matt became the president of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Montgomery County (CVC-MC). The CVC-MC educates businesses on how to partner with and support non-profit organizations by helping create successful volunteer/charitable programs that positively impact the business, its employees and the local community. hodgsonConsulting is also a prominent contributor to many non-profits, donating both employee volunteer hours and funds. Matt’s prior experience includes HTML Development at Thompson Publishing Group and Director of Web Development at Iconixx.  Matt has a BTech Degree in Cartography from Kingston College, London.