ABOUT US
Mission
The ERC is a civil rights organization that identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington, D.C. and nationwide.
Strategic Priorities
The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing. When the ERC identifies discrimination, it seeks to eliminate it through the use of testing data to educate the public and business community, support policy advocacy, conduct compliance testing and training, and, if necessary, take enforcement action.
History
The ERC was formed in 1999 by a merger of the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, which was established in 1983, and its sister organization, the Fair Employment Council of Greater Washington. In 2005, the Disability Rights Council and its membership joined the ERC. Through its use of civil rights testing, the ERC identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington DC and nationwide. The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing.
Board of Directors
Prof. Robert Dinerstein, President
Professor of law at American University’s Washington College of Law.
Prof. Peter Edelman, Vice-President
Professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.
George Ruttinger, Esq., Secretary
Partner and Co-Chair of the International Dispute Resolution Group at Crowell & Moring LLP.
Levi “Christian” Pearson, Treasurer
Manager of Trust & Safety at Google. Previously worked with Steptoe & Johnson and Accenture where he assisted the ERC to maximize its capabilities and outcomes.
Sunil Mansukhani, Board Member
Principal at the Raben Group, a Washington, DC public affairs firm. Former Executive Director of the DC Access to Justice Commission and a former presidential political appointee at the US Department of Education.
Sue A. Marshall, Board Member
Executive Director of the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.
Jackie Simon, Board Member
Realtor and member of the Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities.
Matthew Handley, Board Member
Founder and partner at Handley Farah & Anderson. Former Director of Litigation at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
Marsha Mazz, Board Member
Director of Accessibility Codes and Standards at the United Spinal Association. Previously oversaw the development of federal accessibility guidelines and standards at the United States Access Board’s Office of Technical and Information Services.
Laura Gaztambide Arandes, Board Member
Managing Associate General Counsel for Fair Lending, Anti-Predatory Lending, and Equity Initiatives at Freddie Mac. Former Senior Litigation Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Enforcement.
Jerome A. Murphy, Esq., General Counsel
Partner with Crowell & Moring’s Antitrust and Complex Litigation Groups.
EMERITUS
James O. Gibson (deceased)
Kim Keenan
Rev. Dr. James G. Macdonell (deceased)
Beatriz “BB” Otero
Rabbi Bruce Kahn
Dan Silver (deceased)
Charlie Crawford (deceased)
Rev. Cameron Wells Byrd
Staff
Kate Scott, Executive Director
Sara Surface, Deputy Director
Brian McKenzie, Training and Compliance Director
David Shaffer, Disability Rights Director
Beth Argent, Senior Civil Rights Testing Specialist
Julio Barducci, Administrative Specialist
Elias Cohn, Strategic Initiatives Specialist
Rebecca Waxman, Training Specialist
Susan McClannahan, Senior Fair Housing Rights Program Manager
Nick Adjami, Communications and Engagement Manager
Lee Birdwhistell, Civil Rights Testing Manager
Zoë Alles, Test Coordinator
Nancy Kim, Test Coordinator
Halle Ostoyich, Intake Coordinator
Tatyana Shields, Test Coordinator
Hana Cho, Outreach and Engagement Assistant
Anna Wessels, Testing Assistant
