Board of Directors
Mitzi Brown, Co-Chair and Board Member
Mitzi Brown is the legal services director for Gerlach Law Firm, PLC. Mitzi’s legal experience has included commercial and white-collar crime litigation at two major national law firms, as well as local and community legal assistance. She has provided pro-bono legal services to non-profits and indigent individuals and founded and operated both a non-profit organization and a successful, award-winning event design business. Mitzi currently serves on the Economic Development Authority for the City of Fredericksburg, and serves on multiple commissions and boards. She graduated from George Mason University and received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a Dillard Fellow and an editor of Law Review.
Seth Silber, Co-Chair and Board Member
Seth Silber is co-owner of the Fredericksburg Nationals. He was integrally involved in the team’s relocation to the City of Fredericksburg, and the financing and construction of the stadium. He is actively involved in key decisions regarding the ongoing operation of the business. Seth also serves on the Board of the Fredericksburg Area Museum, where he chairs their Development Committee. He is also a partner at the law firm Wilson Sonsini in their antitrust practice in Washington, D.C. He received his B.A. from Emory University, a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and his law degree from George Washington University Law School.
Chris Muldrow, Vice-Chair and Board Member
Chris Muldrow is the owner of Rambletype, a digital marketing firm in Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg Today, a local news site for the City of Fredericksburg. Before starting Rambletype in 2013, Chris worked in the newspaper industry, where he helped train newsrooms in digital media. Chris helped start Fredericksburg.com at The Free Lance-Star and served as Vice President for Internet Operations and Technology for Community Newspaper Holdings, which operates more than 100 newspapers across the country. He was also on the digital advisory board for the Newspaper Association of America. Chris served as the President of Friends of the Rappahannock, one of the Region’s largest and most successful nonprofit organizations. He has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of South Carolina.
Irene Cimino Roberts, Vice-Chair and Board Member
Irene Roberts is retired from the corporate offices of Dominion Energy where she served as a senior spokesperson on electric utility issues and lead the company’s title sponsorship of the current Dominion Energy Charity Classic, a PGA TOUR Champions playoff event in Richmond.
Prior to her corporate career, Irene worked for the Virginia House of Delegates and served as Deputy Press Secretary to the late Virginia Gov. Gerald L. Baliles. She is a former broadcast and print journalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington with a degree in English/Journalism.
Andre Gilberto Pineda, Treasurer and Board Member
Andre Pineda is a Financial Advisor and Managing Director at Cary Street Partners. He has been with Cary Street Partners since 2007. He is also owner of Sophiola, LLC- a business formed to sell his daughter’s art and promote inclusion in all aspects of life for the differently-abled. Prior to becoming a Financial Advisor, he was a Special Assistant General Counsel at the Federal Election Commission and Trial Attorney at the Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of General Counsel – Fair Housing Division. Andre is a Board Member of the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region. Andre received a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his law degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. He has been actively involved in many Fredericksburg non-profit organizations through the years.
Lani Weiss, Secretary and Board Member
Lani Weiss is co-owner of the Fredericksburg Nationals. She has been an employee of the team (formerly the Potomac Nationals) since 1995, responsible for all areas of accounting, financial reporting, insurance, and human resources. She has been actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the ballclub. She received a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University in January 1989, and received an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1991.
Linda Alsop, Board Member
Linda is the Financial and Human Resources Director of the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors. Previously Linda worked for over 30 years as an accountant for The Free Lance-Star. She is a graduate of Strayer University in Accounting and is the treasurer of the Fredericksburg Regional Society for Human Resource Management. Linda is a life-long resident and active community member of the Region.
Cori Blanch, Board Member
Cori Blanch is a co-owner of Curitiba Art Café, a Brazilian cafe and craft cocktail bar in the City of Fredericksburg. Cori is a singer/songwriter and producer in the Fredericksburg area where he works with local musicians and does video game and film scoring, as well as video and podcasting projects. Cori is currently the president of the Fredericksburg Virginia Main Street (FVMS) Board of Directors and sits on the Virginia Black Business Directory’s committee for Black Tourism efforts in the Fredericksburg region.
Lisa Durham, Board Member
Lisa Durham is a community leader and connections maker in Fredericksburg. She currently co-leads The Table at St. George’s Episcopal Church, which addresses community food insecurity issues and the Fredericksburg Lafayette Bicentennial Commemoration Committee, a program of activities to commemorate the November 1824 visit to Fredericksburg by Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette and is a board member of the Arts & Cultural Council of the Rappahannock. Lisa has served on several other boards and in volunteer roles to benefit Fredericksburg and its communities over the past 12 years.
Joel Griffin, Board Member
Joel Griffin, a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, boasts 25 years of private industry consulting and two decades in government contracting. As the Founder and CEO of Riphean, a growth management firm, he focuses on private equity, venture capital, and angel investments, primarily in veteran-owned small businesses. Joel is dedicated to enhancing regional quality of life, supporting entrepreneurs and veteran-owned companies, and championing initiatives in education, workforce, and technology. Committed to philanthropy, He actively supports Gwyneth’s Gift Foundation, serving as Chairman, and contributes to local nonprofits strengthening communities. Recognized for his impactful leadership, Joel has received prestigious awards, including the Prince B. Woodard Leadership Award in 2022 and the Joe Dangler Leadership Award in 2015. Currently serving on multiple boards, Joel is a driving force in regional development and community advancement.
Howard Owen, Board Member
Howard Owen is the owner of Stafford Printing, a company he founded in 1987 following a nine-year career in journalism as a reporter, editor, and owner of a weekly newspaper in Dickenson County, Virginia. He is active in many non-profits in the Fredericksburg Region, serving on the boards of Mary Washington Healthcare and Loisann’s Hope House, and as Chair of the Economic Development Authority in Stafford County, Virginia. Howard has a degree in Mass Communications from Emory & Henry College, Emory, VA.
Megan Samples, Board Member
Megan Samples is a co-owner of Curitiba Art Café, a Brazilian cafe and craft cocktail bar in the City of Fredericksburg. Outside of the cafe her work is centered on human rights advocacy, and humanitarian issues, and small business and community development both locally and internationally. Megan holds a BA from Virginia Commonwealth University in International Social Justice Studies and has also studied at The University of the West Indies in Barbados. Megan is currently the Chair for Economic Vitality on the Fredericksburg Virginia Main Street (FVMS) Board of Directors and is on the Board of Directors for the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care.
Xavier Richardson, Board Member
Xavier Richardson is the Senior Vice & Chief Development Officer of Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC). In that capacity, he also serves as President of Mary Washington Hospital Foundation and Stafford Hospital Foundation. He has been a member of the MWHC executive team since 1997 and is responsible for the oversight of the organization’s fundraising, community benefit and engagement, philanthropy, and legislative affairs. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
