Meet our Board
JaLynn Prince, President and Founder
JaLynn Prince is the president and founder of Madison House Foundation. She is also founder and president of Times and Seasons, an arts management consulting firm emphasizing the arts, broadcasting, public policies, and public relations. JaLynn has also served as an instructor in the Evergreen Program at Johns Hopkins University, the public relations director for The Bicentennial Council of 13 Original States, and a management consultant for Hammond Associates in Los Angeles. Mrs. Prince’s varied background also included stints as press secretary to a U.S. congressman, radio announcer, theater critic, and producer and director for television and theater.
Within her community, JaLynn has been a pastoral care counselor, a Leadership Montgomery graduate, and an advocate for the Autism Society of America. She has worked to raise funds for children’s hospitals, Ronald McDonald houses, homes for battered women, inner-city educational programs, homeless shelters, and arts organizations including the National Philharmonic.
JaLynn serves on several boards, including Resource for Advancing Children’s Health (REACH), Southern Virginia University – National Advisory Council, Wesley Theological Seminary – Building Advisory Council, BlackRock Center for the Arts, National Philharmonic Board, Arts Gala Board for Montgomery College, Museum of Utah Arts & History, Brigham Young University Management Society, American Mothers Inc., and Rising Star Outreach – for untouchable children in India and the leprosy afflicted population.
JaLynn was named to the Who’s Who in Business 2005 list and was selected by the congressionally recognized American Mothers, Inc. as a National Mother of Young Children.
JaLynn and her husband, Dr. Gregory A. Prince have three children and live in Potomac, MD where she enjoys spending time with her family and pursuing her vivacious interest in the arts and music. JaLynn is known for using philanthropy to promote social awareness and goodwill. She has used her love of photography and travel to increase public awareness of important social issues in such places as India, Guatemala, Kenya, and Uganda.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, and pursued graduate studies at American University in arts administration and at Wesley Theological Seminary in theology.
Read about JaLynn being honored as 1999 National Mother of Young Children by American Mothers, Inc., the official sponsor of Mother’s Day and Mother of the Year awards.
Adrienne McBride, Project Director
Adrienne McBride is excited to be part of the Madison House Autistic Foundation and brings her experience and passion to move its mission forward. Raised in Staten Island, NY, Adrienne received her bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University, CT in politics and French. For the last 20 years, she has lived in Montgomery County, MD. While her children were young, Adrienne earned a Masters of International Business Management (Marketing) and remained active in many volunteer activities in Montgomery County, which included serving on executive committees of several schools.
For many years and in different capacities, Adrienne volunteered for her neighborhood association, SHARP, Pets on Wheels and Holy Cross Home care and Hospice. Later, Adrienne worked for Silver Spring Community Vision and Shepherd’s Table to help address the issue of homelessness in Montgomery County and pursue a career in nonprofits. She held a director position at UMUC at the Universities at Shady Grove. Currently, Adrienne is Board Director for the League of Women Voters-Montgomery County and is active on the Education and Fundraising Committees. She has volunteered to Chair the Study of the Montgomery County Budget Process committee.
Nancy Almacy, Executive Secretary
Nancy Almacy was raised in Aberdeen, Maryland, and graduated from Aberdeen High School. She is a graduate of Marjorie Webster Junior College, Washington, D.C., with an A.A. degree in Education and a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Education. Nancy is a longtime resident of Montgomery County. She is a retiree of Verizon where she worked for 29 years on various types of challenging operations and staff assignments. Her career began during the “Bell System” days and continued through divestiture, countless re-organizations and three mega-mergers. Her colleagues most notably remember her for her leadership in budgets and finance. Within her community, Nancy has served as president and treasurer on several association boards and continues to serve as a Chief Judge for Montgomery County’s gubernatorial and presidential elections as she has for many years. Nancy enjoys spending time on the Delaware Shore with friends and family, especially with her son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters who live in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Advisory Board Members
Rene Carlson, LCSW
Renee Carlson, a Utah native, has been a resident of the D.C. area for over 30 years. Renee is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and ran a private practice for sixteen years in Potomac, MD. Renee has also managed a successful real estate development business in Maryland and in the District of Columbia. In addition to her work in family therapy and real estate, Renee is also the author of two books: a children’s book entitled, Fenwick Falcon at the Air Academy, and a political biography entitled, The Best Man Doesn’t Always Win. An active member of the community in Montgomery County, Renee is a member of Leadership Montgomery and is a former a board member of Black Rock Center for Performing Arts. Renee currently sits on the Madison House Foundation Advisory Board. Renee is the proud mother of seven children and grandmother of twenty-seven. She has a B.A. from George Washington University and a MSW from Catholic University.
Faith E. Frankel, M.D.
Dr. Faith Frankel is a pediatrician with special interests in autism and pediatric Chiari. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, DC where she teaches physical diagnosis. She also is a member of the Madison House Foundation Advisory Board. Dr. Frankel received her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University (1987) where she was a member of the Ho Nun De Kah Honor Society. She received her medical degree from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine (1991) where she graduated Cum Laude and received a Woman in Medicine Award. Dr. Frankel completed her pediatric internship and residency at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC in 1994. Upon graduation, she joined Children’s Medical Associates in Alexandria, Virginia where she practiced pediatrics. Dr. Frankel has been board certified in pediatrics since 1995.
Dr. Douglas Frankel, M.D.
Dr. Douglas Frankel trained as an internist and is board certified in emergency medicine forensic medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University (1980). Dr. Frankel completed his medical degree and residency training from the University of Mexico America, New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens-New York and the State University of New York at Buffalo, respectively. Dr. Frankel has been in practice in since 1989 and specializes in emergency medicine, internal medicine and professional sports-injuries and rehabilitation in Rockville, Maryland where he is in active clinical practice. He has also served as a Trauma Physician for the State of Maryland Athletic Commission since 1995. Dr. Frankel has been involved in research and actively teaches as a medical student preceptor/instructor for the Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, DC.
Gonzalo Laje, M.D., MHS
After completing his medical education at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, Dr. Laje moved to the U.S. and worked at the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Columbia University. He completed his training in general psychiatry at New York University/Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and his training in child and adolescent psychiatry through the combined program NIMH/Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Laje has a Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Research from Duke University. Dr. Laje has been the recipient of multiple awards including: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Outstanding Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Resident; the AACAP Outstanding General Psychiatry Resident; the International Medical Graduate Mentorship Program in Psychiatry by the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT); the American Psychiatric Association – New York District Branch – Resident Research Award; the APA – Janssen Research Scholar on Severe Mental Illness and the NCDEU-NIMH New Investigator Award. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Society of Human Genetics and the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics.
Gordon W. Mella, M.D. – Bio Coming Soon
Steven A. Robins, Esq.
Principal; Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chtd Steven A. Robins chairs the firm’s Land Use & Zoning practice group. He has extensive experience representing a diverse group of clients including developers, contractors, lenders, businesses, technology firms, landlords and property owners in all areas of real estate law, land use, zoning and development law, commercial law, administrative law and lobbying. Steve has advised clients on numerous complex zoning map and text amendments, optional method of development applications, master plan amendments, comprehensive land use planning and zoning analyses, special exception and variance applications, preliminary and final plans of subdivisions, site plan review, condemnation matters, historic preservation and urban renewal issues, transit-oriented Smart Growth development, and on all aspects of regulatory permitting and licensing process. Steve often lectures on Smart Growth and other related topics. Steve served on the Character Committee for the Court of Appeals of Maryland. He was Chairman of the Board of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as a life board member. He is a graduate of the Leadership Montgomery Class of 1991 and an active member in the Urban Land Institute and the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association. Steve also served as Counselor to the Board of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington and as President of the Ring House, a senior housing facility. Since 2001, he has served as Chair of the Montgomery County Public Safety Awards. Steve received his undergraduate degree in political science, with distinction, in 1983 from the University of Michigan. He received his law degree in 1986 from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as an editor of the American Criminal Law Review. Steve is admitted to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia and is a member of the Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, and Montgomery County Bar Associations. Steve has been named to the current edition of Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession for his work in the area of Land Use and Zoning Law. He has been named every year since 2007. Steve recently was named the region’s “Top Lawyer for Land Use and Zoning” by The Washington Business Journal for his work in transit-oriented development.
