OUR BOARD
2025-2026 BOARD MEMBERS
CONNIE COLABATISTTO
PRESIDENT
Connie joined the Women’s Club of Great Falls in 2019. She served on committees in support roles until joining the Scholarship Fund Board as the Director of Publications in 2023. During this time, she worked closely with the Scholarship Fund president to increase the Fund’s media and publication presence, while tirelessly creating essential media support for the Fund’s Events Committee.
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Connie is a United States Air Force veteran. After leaving active duty, she joined the West Virginia Air National Guard where she served as the manager of the Education & Training Office. This is where she fell in love with education and helping others. As manager, Connie was able to help numerous fellow service members complete their college degrees. In 2020, Connie expressed her passion for education by endowing a named scholarship for Military Women at her alma mater, the University of Maryland.
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Connie brings a wide range of volunteer experience to her new board position. She was an active member of the Junior League of Northern Virginia for eight years, supporting Women and Children initiatives, and has continued to support the league as a sustaining member for over 20 years.
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Most recently, Connie completed a four-year volunteer commitment with the Parent Teacher Student Association at Langley High School as the Lead Class Parent for the Class of 2023. There, she was involved in faculty-parent engagement events, as well as fundraising for student events.
Connie is a native of Cumberland, Maryland and has lived in Great Falls since 2005 with her husband, three college-age children and two dogs. She enjoys tennis, Pilates, and travel.
SUZANNE CHARLESTON
VICE PRESIDENT
Suzanne joined the Women’s Club in 2021 and jumped into volunteering for the Scholarship Fund. Professionally, she has served in various roles on boards and brings a passion for investing where we live.
​She works in the government contracting industry with a focus on healthcare and has a background in regulatory and legislative organizations. She also serves as a mentor for students for the Health Information and Management Systems Society National Capital Area Chapter where she has seen the value of scholarships in supporting student goals and financial needs regionally. She has a passion for STEM programs and looks forward to expanded support for the Scholarship Fund.
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Suzanne has been involved in healthcare and government contracting for 20 years, supports Veteran Organizations like BurnPits360 and believes in the investment required to help students achieve success in our community.
Suzanne graduated from the University of Maryland and lives in Great Falls with a few dogs. She looks forward to maintaining and growing the success of the Scholarship Fund with her fellow board members. To quote Winston Churchill, "the price of greatness is responsibility’ and together this board will continue the success of previous efforts."
TORIA SCOTTO
TREASURER
Toria was introduced to the Scholarship Fund in 2023 and was immediately impressed with the work the team was doing to make a difference in the lives of local students.
Toria has worked in wealth management for over twenty years. She enjoys getting to know clients on a deeper level and helping them achieve their financial goals. She studied finance at Long Island University and furthered her education with the Executive Certificate in Financial Planning program at Georgetown University to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner and studied to become a Certified Private Wealth Advisor® through Yale.
Always eager to learn and grow, she is excited to work with the Scholarship Fund and help deserving students access educational opportunities. Her past volunteer work has focused primarily on animal rescue, spending several years organizing adoption events and training new foster families. She has been fortunate to host many foster dogs on their way to finding adoptive homes. Her current pack consists of three dogs but that number could grow any day.
Originally from upstate NY, Toria relocated to DC after college and quickly fell in love with the area. Toria moved to Great Falls with her husband and young children in 2021. They have enjoyed the beauty of the area and the small town feel within the community and are excited to become more involved.
JACKIE HARDING
DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING
Jackie joined the Women's Club in 2020 and is excited to be a part of the Scholarship Fund. She has a passion for education and looks forward to supporting students pursuing their educational goals.
Jackie has over 16 years’ experience in the Government Contracting industry. In her current role she enjoys working across the company to drive effective change and improve business processes that assist with the successful implementation of the corporate strategy and vision.
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Jackie completed her undergraduate degree in finance and obtained a master’s degree at George Washington University, where she currently sits on an advisory board for one of the Executive Programs. She lives in Great Falls with her children.
ALICE LEE
CO-DIRECTOR OF GRANTS
Alice joined The Women’s Club in 2025, after meeting some members and becoming excited about the Scholarship Fund and its mission to help local students pursue higher education. As a former high school teacher and a college counselor, the scholarship fund provides an opportunity for channeling her passions of education and helping students find their future paths.
Alice grew up in Suffolk, Virginia, the land of the peanuts. She attended Davidson College in North Carolina and completed its Kelley Honors History program. As a junior, she spent a semester at the University of Edinburgh and met her husband while playing volleyball with the Edinburgh University Volleyball Club. They lived in Edinburgh for the first few years of their marriage, where Alice completed a masters in History at the University of Edinburgh and continued to grow her love of Highland Cows.
The Lees moved back to the Hampton Roads area in 2010, and decided to move to Great Falls in 2022, to be closer to more cultural and diverse opportunities. Also, having two major airports nearby is a great facilitator of more travel for the family, which is especially helpful as grandparents and cousins live in Scotland! Alice has enjoyed supporting the local community through the PTA at Great Falls Elementary, and she is looking forward to this opportunity to combine her love of helping people and her interest in education.
LINDSAY HARPER
CO-DIRECTOR OF GRANTS
Lindsay joined The Women's Club in 2021 having recently moved back to the area with her family and looking for ways to get to know her new community. She enjoys being a member of the Scholarship Fund and its incredible purpose, helping to make a difference in the lives of local college-level students.
She grew up in Northern Virginia, where she attended and graduated from James Madison University. Lindsay's career has given her the opportunity to work in PR and events for some well-known brands including NASA, Whole Foods Market, national laboratories, government contracting companies, economic development groups, and education-based nonprofits.
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Intrigued by the many avenues of participation within The Women’s Club, the Scholarship Fund is the perfect combination of her happy place - working with people and education, helping and caring. It is a privilege to be a part of the scholarship recipients’ academic journeys.
KIMBERLY HAVER
CO-DIRECTOR OF SCHOLARSHIPS
Kimberly was introduced to the Scholarship Fund in 2025 and immediately knew she want to be a part of the team.
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She was raised in Great Falls, VA and is thrilled to join this organization and support its mission of helping people achieve their academic goals.
She holds a BS in Apparel & Design from Virginia Tech and began her career in retail before joining Custom Ink, where she helped grow the company from a startup into the nation’s leading provider of custom gear.
With deep experience in merchandising, eCommerce, leadership, operations, and customer experience, Kimberley has built a career driving growth and developing strategies that put people first.
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Passionate about mentorship, she is dedicated to nurturing successful career paths and guiding others toward achieving their goals. She and her husband Jim have three children and continue to call Great Falls home. She enjoys baking, travel, and treasures time with family and friends.
MISSY PERKINS
CO-DIRECTOR OF SCHOLARSHIPS
Missy has been an active member of the Women’s Club of Great Falls for the past nine years. She has served on the board for seven of those years, including past President, which allowed her to work closely with and support the Scholarship Fund. Missy is now excited to be bringing her talents and enthusiasm for philanthropy to the Scholarship Fund Board.
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Missy has extensive professional experiences in real estate, marketing, and sales. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she has been an active volunteer in many fundraising organizations, including the Spreckels Union Education Foundation on the central coast of California, where she was responsible for fundraising up to $120k per year to support music, arts and library programs.
She has been a fundraising and auction chairperson for the Celebrate Great Falls Foundation golf tournament, supporting our local elementary schools. Most recently, she has been the two-time chairperson of the All Night Graduation Party at Langley High School, raising funds and coordinating events for a safe graduation night for our graduating seniors.
Missy and her husband have lived in Great Falls since 2013 and have 3 adult children.
SUMAIRA MALIK
DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Sumaira has been a resident of Great Falls since 2015, and prior to that, she lived in five other states. She has been a part of the women’s club since 2021, and she was the Event lead for the successful Miami Vice themed Scholarship fundraiser in 2023.
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Sumaira grew up in Milwaukee, WI and graduated with a Degree in MIS and Organizational Management. She has held several positions with General Electric in program management, six-sigma, and international trade.
Sumaira is dedicated to giving back to the community.
She and her family have been heavily involved supporters of the Best Buddies organization. She is excited to be a part of the Great Falls Women’s Scholarship fund and to giving back to the education of youth in the greater VA community.
SARAH CHAMBERS
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY
Sarah joined the Women’s Club in 2025 and instantly knew the Scholarship Fund was the perfect group where she could share her knowledge and make a difference in her community. She brings seasoned leadership and strategic communications expertise to her role as Partner and COO of Akoya, a strategic communications and marketing firm.
At Akoya, Sarah oversees operations that deliver high-impact strategies and tools for government, corporate, and non-profit clients. Under her direction, Akoya develops innovative approaches that strengthen stakeholder connections, elevate brands, and help organizations achieve mission impact.
Sarah earned her B.S. in Marketing from Pennsylvania State University and her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. She lives in Great Falls, VA with her husband, two children, and two labradors. She enjoys running, tennis, and reading with a cup of coffee in hand.
CHRISTINA SEIDEN
SECRETARY
Christina joined the Women’s Club of Great Falls in November 2025 and is honored to serve as Board Secretary for the Women’s Club of Great Falls Scholarship Fund. A lifelong advocate for education, she believes learning empowers future leaders and strengthens communities. Christina is especially passionate about STEM programs and has authored two papers on the topic. She also supports Aspire Afterschool Learning, an organization dedicated to providing safe, enriching afterschool programs for local students. Christina looks forward to working with fellow board members to expand educational opportunities for young people in our community.
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Professionally, Christina leads Third Arrow Studios™, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the federal government market supporting programs across health, financial regulatory, and national security sectors. She holds a dual B.A. in Legal Studies and Business Administration from William Woods College and completed executive education at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Her professional and volunteer work reflect a shared commitment to education and opportunity.
Christina lives in Potomac Falls, Virginia, with her dog, Stella. An avid reader and writer, she also enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She is inspired by opportunities that bring together creativity, purpose, and service to others.
MICHELE CRADDOCK
CO-EVENTS DIRECTOR
Michele joined The Women’s Club in 2025. She was drawn to the Scholarship Fund Board because of her interest in helping students achieve their educational goals. Michele is an attorney who brings professional, volunteer, and educational experience to the Scholarship Fund.
Michele has decades of experience advising boards of directors, managers, and owners of closely held companies on matters involving corporate governance, ownership disputes and buy-outs, contracts, and complex commercial litigation in Federal and State Court. Additionally, she served as a director of the Lancaster County Broadband Authority, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Henrico CASA, and on the Board of Governors of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
Michele has experience as an educator and as an advocate for students with disabilities. As an adjunct professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, Michele taught a third-year practicum on Corporate Governance and Shareholder Litigation for seven years. She also taught seminars at the University of Richmond School of Law Disabilities Clinic on Litigating Claims Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”). In her pro-bono work, Michele represented special education students and their parents in matters relating to the students’ right to a free appropriate public education under IDEA.
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Michele is a native of McLean, Virginia. She and her husband enjoy visits from their three grown children and granddaughter, and hiking with their three dogs on the trails near their home in Great Falls. Michele is an avid gardener, tennis player, and a lifelong learner.
"Our mission is to provide scholarships to local students attending
George Mason University."
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