WASHINGTON, DC (December 28, 2016) – CulturalDC is pleased to announce the addition of Julie Chase, Todd Galaida and Ted Toon to the CulturalDC Board of Directors.

“We’re excited to welcome all three to our board as we continue to execute our mission to facilitate economic and cultural vibrancy across Washington D.C.,” said Tanya Hilton, interim executive director of CulturalDC. “Julie Chase, Todd Galaida and Ted Toon are passionate individuals with diverse and accomplished backgrounds. We look forward to the contributions they are committed to bring to CulturalDC.”

Julie Chase is the president & CEO of Chase Communications. Formed in 1997, Chase Communications provides public relations and marketing communications services to a diverse client base focusing on real estate, healthcare and corporate affairs. She has more than 25 years’ experience in these areas, providing counsel and strategic execution of media outreach, marketing, crisis planning, public affairs and events.

Julie is active in both the D.C. and Bay Area communities. She has served on the boards of the Corporate Committee of the Trust for the National Mall, San Francisco Architectural Heritage, Enterprise for High School Students, American Liver Foundation, Bay Area Council of the USO, Women in Ophthalmology and American News Women’s Club. She is a member of the Economic Club and the Urban Land Institute (ULI); past affiliations include the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and the joint ULI Baltimore/ULI Washington Transit Oriented Development Product Council. Most recently, Julie initiated a marketing forum for ULI, bringing together real estate marketing professionals from across the nation.

Julie, a daily runner, holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University and a minor in art history.

Todd Galaida is the founder of a company that is actively investing in janitorial and maintenance opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic. He is an accomplished senior financial planning & analysis executive with a proven track-record in the sports/entertainment, sporting goods, publishing, and art marketplaces. Todd has a robust background in FP&A management, strategic planning, and business development. He has demonstrated effective guidance aimed at growing revenue and profitability margins while finding smart ways to minimize expenses with the goal of meeting short and long-term business plans with such companies as Sotheby’s, Everlast and Scholastic.

Todd spent four years as a mentor at Free Arts NYC, teaching at-risk children during after-school art education programs in East Harlem, providing city youth a safe and reliable outlet for individual creative expression with a focus on increasing self-esteem and personal awareness. Additionally, Mr. Galaida supports young and emerging artists and is also Co-Chair of the Contemporaries Steering Committee at the Phillips Collection.

He graduated UNC Chapel Hill in 2006 with a BA in Economics with an additional focus in Finance & Art History.

Ted Toon is a professional in housing finance, affordable housing, urban development, sustainability, and resilience. He is a Senior Advisor to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). From April – December, 2016, Ted was Senior Policy Advisor to the White House, Office of Management and Budget, Energy and Environment team. He has directed of FHA’s Multifamily Production, with responsibility for FHA’s $12 billion annual average mortgage insurance platform, and directed HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing Preservation, focused on the rehabilitation, recapitalization, and sustainability of the multifamily portfolio, with programs under his direction including the Mark to Market program, the Green Retrofit Program (a $250 million Recovery Act program), and the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.

Prior to joining HUD in February of 2001, Ted was Vice President of ACG Professionals, an Atlanta-based consulting firm specializing in financial analysis, due diligence and underwriting services to the commercial real estate industry. He holds undergraduate degrees in Environmental Design, and Business, from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned a Master of Real Estate from MIT. Ted is also accredited through the US Green Building Council as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) AP (Accredited Professional) in Building Design and Construction.

Outside of work, Ted has been active with the Human Rights Campaign (serving on its Board of Governors, and co-chairing its National Dinner), as well as volunteer work with multiple campaigns.

About CulturalDC
CulturalDC’s 18-year history of creating affordable, sustainable artist spaces in the District, including live-work spaces such as Mather Studios and the new H-Space project; the 27 artist studios at The Arts Walk at Monroe Street Market will continue for many years to come. CulturalDC has brokered over 250,000 square feet of artist space, including the Atlas Performing Arts Center, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Source.

Each year, CulturalDC serves over 1,000 artists and welcomes 30,000 audience members and participants who patronize local businesses, contributing an estimated $1 million to the local economy.

For more information on CulturalDC, visit culturaldc.org and follow CulturalDC on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for updates on this transition and all of its projects. #WeMakeSpaceForArt

General: 202.315.1305 • Fax: 202.315.1303 • Email: plandes@culturaldc.org
CulturalDC • 916 G St, NW • Washington, DC 20001