Stephen Greer - Keswick, VA
Steve joined the Board of Directors of the ALS Association DC/MD/VA Chapter in March 2021 to help those battling ALS fight today for their tomorrow. After a long tenure at Microsoft as a Managing Consultant in the services organization, he is now retired and focusing on the ALS community. This year, he launched the inaugural Blue Ridge Ride to Defeat ALS in Charlottesville VA. In addition, Steve has an active team at the Richmond Walk to Defeat ALS, and serves on the ALS Association Congressional Advocacy Committee, and as a Pharmaceutical Patient Board Advisor. As an ALS gladiator, he recently celebrated his fifth anniversary of staying in the fight and living in the moment.
Chanel Hobbs - Chester, VA
Chanel is a native of Petersburg, Virginia. She was educated in the Petersburg school system and furthered her education with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Hampton University and a Master of Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Chanel currently serves as Assistant Comptroller for the Virginia State Corporation Commission. She is also a member of the Petersburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In 2019, Chanel was a recipient of one of the Governor's Honor Awards for her dedicated service to the Commonwealth of Virginia and advocacy for people living with ALS.
Chanel was diagnosed with ALS in 2008, at age 39. She, her husband Lamont, their daughters and their entire church community are huge supporter of the ALS Association. Their Richmond Walk to Defeat ALS team has raised close to $200,000 in support of this effort.
Brian Jones - Chevy Chase, MD
Brian W. Jones is President Emeritus of Strayer University, serving as the school’s 15th president from 2015 through 2021.
Prior to joining Strayer, he co-founded Latimer Education, a venture-backed startup devoted to partnering with an Historically Black College or University (HBCU), to assist the HBCU in offering its academic programs online. From 2001 to 2005, Brian as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education, the agency's chief legal advisor to the Secretary and to each of the agency's offices.
In addition to his professional commitments, Mr. Jones has served on an array of corporate, educational and philanthropic boards. He currently serves on the board of College Loan Corporation and previously chaired the boards of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national advocacy organization for the nation's public charter schools and its stakeholders, and the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB), the sole authorizing and oversight body of public charter schools in the nation's capital.
Brian took the bold step of announcing his ALS diagnosis through a family holiday card. His family’s card and message were highlighted in the Wall Street Journal as a means of sharing personal stories in impactful and creative ways. He is married to Samara and the father to three children.
Jay Kenney
Jay had 30 years-experience providing and administering services to older adults and people with disabilities. He worked with four health and human service departments in Montgomery County, and in 1995 he was appointed chief of Aging and Disability Services in the newly created Department of Health and Human Services. Following his career in public service, Jay joined the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) as its Chief Operating Officer.
It was during this time at JSSA that Jay started recognizing some unusual symptoms, including slurring of speech and fatigue, which eventually led to his ALS diagnosis. When he shared his diagnosis with friends, he did it through a Facebook fundraiser for his birthday. Since that first fundraiser, Jay's friends and family generously donated more than $30,000 to the ALS Association in his honor. Jay and his wife Nancy live in Rockville, MD and are active members of the Montgomery County Support Group.
