Paul Grant | President
Paul Grant is a native of South Carolina and has been a resident of Washington DC for 20 years. He is Chief Creative Officer and Senior Producer at Ascender Communications (dba Ascender Films, Inc), a full-service digital advertising and media production company, based in Washington, DC. He established the firm in 2005 and has 20 years of professional experience producing award-winning advertising and public health campaign messages for non-profit advocacy groups, businesses, and federal agencies. He also produces interactive content, oral histories and factual/exploratory documentaries for museum exhibitions and broadcast media. Paul is a member of the American Advertising Federation (AAF-DC), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Women in Film and Video (WIFV-DC) and the Association of African American Museums (AAM). He studied filmmaking and graphic design at Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Visual Arts in Richmond, VA. He and his wife Tracey have lived in Penn Branch for 10 years.
CONTACT: President@pennbranchdc.org
Emile C. Smith | 1st Vice President
Emile C. Smith has lived in Penn Branch for over ten years. He is a longstanding member of the civic association in good standing, and served as a Block captain for years. Smith loves this great community and want to serve to maintain this outstanding community. His my education, work experience and political activists experience can be of great benefit to Penn Branch.
CONTACT: 1stvp@pennbranchdc.org
Leventon Brown | 2nd Vice President
I am a 7-year member of the Penn Branch community, and my family and I have grown to truly love the neighborhood and the families that we have met over the years. Professionally, I work in healthcare informatics and public health, and I am grateful for the opportunity to give back and contribute my experience in support of the Penn Branch community and its continued growth.
CONTACT: 2ndvp@pennbranchdc.org
Vacant | Recording Secretary
Shunda M. Leecost | Parliamentarian
Shunda Murray Leecost is a strategic program and partnership leader with experience across the technology, consulting, and public‑sector industries. With more than 15 years leading large‑scale transformation initiatives for Fortune 100 companies and Big Four firms, she specializes in stakeholder alignment, change leadership, and community‑centered innovation.
Her community commitments include active membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. the Junior League of Washington, and she also served in various leadership positions including President of the Nation’s Capital Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Shunda is a native Texan, proud Howard University alum and has been a Penn Branch resident for nearly a decade.
Her family includes her husband, Jason, and their sons — Miles, a student at Morehouse College, and Carter, a student at Xavier University of Louisiana.
Kerry Neal | Treasurer
Kerry is a career member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and serves as Managing Director for Financial Policy, Reporting, and Analysis in the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, U.S. Department of State. Kerry has been a member of various non-profit executive boards, including the African American Federal Executive Association (AAFEA) and the National Grants Management Association (NGMA). He is also a 2021 Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Kerry holds a B.S. in business from Long Island University, Southampton College; M.A. in business/legal administration from Marymount University; J.D. from University of Baltimore School of Law; and an LL.M. in environmental and energy law and policy from Georgetown University Law Center; he is admitted to practice law in Maryland, District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court