June Kress (Co-President)
June Kress has more than 30 years of criminal justice experience as a policy analyst, researcher, program director, consultant, and academic. Since 2004, she has been the Executive Director of the Council for Court Excellence, a non-profit, nonpartisan civic organization that since 1982 has worked to improve the administration of justice in the local and federal courts and related agencies in the Washington, DC area. Before that, she spent 9 years at the U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and completed a year as a loaned intergovernmental executive with the DC Council’s Judiciary Committee. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from NYU and a masters and doctorate in criminology from the University of California, Berkeley. Her volunteer experience with the homeless dates back to the early 1990's when she and others founded the St. Luke's Shelter where she served as the Coordinator from 1991 to 2003 and Board Chair from 2003 to 2006. June has been active with Friendship Place since the beginning, chaired "Friendship Place Partners" from 1995 to 2009, and was awarded the 5th Annual Benjamin A. Cooper Award for outstanding volunteer service in November 2002.

Michael Durst (Co-President)
Michael Durst served as the board's treasurer for three years and is the congregational representative from Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ. He is a tax attorney with a long-term interest in issues of homelessness and “was delighted when this opportunity to serve presented itself.” His wife, Carol Emig, has been involved as a volunteer with the Haven, our shelter for women, for many years. They are members of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church.

Rosalie Berk (Vice President)
Rosalie Berk serves as vice president and chair of the board's Development Committee.  She is the congregational rep from Washington National Cathedral and has facilitated the use of the Cathedral’s Pilgrim Observation Gallery for special events.  She has enthusiastically led volunteers in providing meals to Crossroads Shelter at St. Alban’s and Veronica House, and recruited a team for the Help the Homeless Walkathon.

Tom Patterson (Treasurer)
Tom Patterson has been a Friendship Place supporter since 1996 and previously served on the Executive and Finance committees of the board. He practiced commercial real estate law for over 30 years, and is currently active as an organizer and director of a new community bank. After a sabbatical, he has returned and we are glad to welcome him back to both roles.

Kate Belinski (Secretary)
Kate Belinski earned her bachelor’s degree from American University and her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law.  She is an attorney at the Federal Elections Commission.  Kate is a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and also serves as the congregation representative from St. Paul's.  She is not only the secretary of the board, but a community member as well.