Board of Directors

 Tanya Landry -Chairman of the Board

Tanya Landry remembers reading an article, in a local newspaper about Girls on the Run. She was excited to see an organization focus on developing girls’ self-esteem through running. Who knew that training for a half-marathon, a few months later, would also lead to becoming a GOTR coach? Serendipity! Tanya has been a GOTR coach since September 2008 and through coaching, she has merged her passion for promoting healthy lifestyles and empowering girls. She currently serves on the board and is a member of the Development and Marketing Committees.

Tanya has a wealth of experience working in health related non-profit associations in the Washington, D.C. area, with a focus on program management, policy, conference management and board governance. She currently works in the private sector as Vice President of Operations for a software development company, owned and operated by her and her husband, the business is located in Bethesda, MD. Tanya is also a long-time volunteer in a health ministry program with a church in Washington, D.C. She has coordinated a variety of health and fitness programs for adults and children and conducted fundraising efforts on behalf of the ministry. She volunteers with other organizations as well, using her knitting and crocheting skills to provide blankets, scarves and other items to homeless women shelters.

Educated at the University of Maryland, Tanya earned a B.S. in Health Education and earned a graduate degree in Health Care Administration. An avid runner and yoga enthusiast, Tanya enjoys finding new ways to challenge her mind and body. She lives in Potomac, MD with her husband and son, who are avid supporters of GOTR; just don’t ask them to run.

Brenda Dutrow- Board Member

Brenda grew up in Beaver Springs, Pennsylvania, a rural town 50 miles northwest of Harrisburg. The local GOTR chapter recently held their 5K race in Beaver Springs. Brenda is thrilled to see GOTR active in her hometown.

Brenda works in the commercial banking industry and has a law degree from Widener University. She serves on the Community Services and Philanthropy Committee at work and assists a DC-based non-profit that provides supportive services to homeless individuals as well as a national non-profit that advocates on behalf of men and women servingin Iraq and Afghanistan.

Brenda enjoys hiking the Billy Goat Trail and exploring the great outdoors spots in the DC metropolitan region and around the Chesapeake Bay.

Charli Long- Board Member

Charli was born and raised in Williamsport, PA. She graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College in New York, NY, with a degree in chemistry (minor in Spanish) and spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar doing laboratory research in Lima, Peru, before beginning her graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, Charli earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry under the guidance of Madeleine Joullie. She credits running for helping her handle the stresses of the graduate program. After graduate school, Charli and her husband Jorge, relocated to the Washington, DC, area and for the past 5 years, she has worked as a chemist reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine in Rockville, MD. 

Denyse Hamilton- Board Member 

Denyse Hamilton is a strong advocate for the underserved and has worked as an attorney representing mentally ill persons in state hospitals. She also advised healthcare boards in the District of Columbia on how best to regulate their professions to promote the best quality of care for the citizens. She further utilized her passion for advocacy in her community service endeavors. She was a former PTA president for a school with a culturally diverse student body. During her tenure she created an outreach committee and provided translations services for parents who did not speak English.

Denyse enjoys her family life with her husband and three active children who keep her busy running around to soccer games, basketball games, girl scouts and dance classes. She tries to utilize her wait time by fulfilling her personal passion of reading or going for brisk walks. She also enjoys providing supportive services to their school PTAs by helping out at the book fair or cooking for the International Night Dinners.

Denyse and her family reside in Silver Spring Maryland, where she grew up and attended secondary and high school. She went on to the University of Virginia where she received a BA in Psychology and a BA in Rhetoric and Communication Studies. After graduating she came back to Maryland and received her JD from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Leigh Janes-Secretary

Leigh first heard of Girls on the Run from a friend in graduate school. This friend had been a running buddy multiple times and casually mentioned it in passing one day. A few months later after moving to Montgomery County Leigh decided to volunteer as a GOTR coach. She has now been coaching at Oakview Elementary School in Silver Spring since the Fall of 2010.

Leigh caught the bug for volunteering when she moved to the DC area after college. Leigh currently works as a manager at NASA but spent 6 years as an aerospace engineer. Volunteering has been her outlet outside of work and she has volunteered with various organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Art with a Heart.

Leigh received her BS in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University and is completing her Masters in Public Administration from The George Washington University. She lives in North Bethesda, MD with her lab mix puppy who thinks he's part lab and part kangaroo. He can usually be found bouncing down the trails accompanying her on runs.

Stephanie Brant- Board Member

Stephanie started her career as a first grade teacher in Virginia around the same time she started running competitively. Since then she has completed several marathons, half-marathons, and a variety of other races.