Our Mission
DarkSky DC works to restore the nighttime environment and protect the greater Washington DC metro area from the harmful effects of light pollution through advocacy, outreach, and conservation.
We involve people who live and work across the Washington DC metro area (which is known locally as “the DMV”).
Our chapter holds regular meetings and convenes workgroups to make progress on light pollution and protecting the night sky.
Meet Our 2025 Chapter Board Members
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2025 Board PresidentI joined DarkSky International in 1996, when I was prosecuting federal litigation to protect sea turtles from light pollution in Puerto Rico. I was recruited to the DarkSky International Board of Directors in 2013, and served for six years, including three years as President. Here in DC I’ve been active in our campaigns since 2009. I am leading a chapter workgroup plan to draft legislation to reduce light pollution in DC, and secure its enactment by the City Council.
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2025 Board Vice PresidentI have been an active member of DarkSky DC (previously the D.C. chapter of Dark-Sky International) for more than 10 years. I have testified on behalf of our chapter before the D.C. Council and the National Capital Planning Commission and drafted our chapter's official written positions on lighting issues for submission to multiple government bodies. Aside from policy work, I frequently participate in grass-roots public outreach at community events. I look forward to serving DarkSky DC in the coming year by continuing these activities, along with monitoring the District's LED streetlight conversion project and engaging with the National Park Service on lighting at the Rock Creek Park golf course.
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2025 Board SecretaryI have been passionate about the wonder of the night sky since childhood. Growing up in Montana, I experienced firsthand the humbling beauty of a truly dark sky, and I believe it's crucial to reconnect urban communities with this natural heritage. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management and government relations, I am glad to apply my skills to advance our chapter's mission to combat light pollution in Washington, DC. I am enthusiastic about building programs so everyone in DC can experience the profound connection to our universe that only the dark night sky provides.
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2025 Board TreasurerI’ve been involved with DarkSky International since 2007, when I arranged Congressional briefings on light pollution for House and Senate staffers. Since then I’ve spread the DarkSky message at the Air and Space Museum, National Mall, and many other locations. During much of that time, I’ve been the primary DC contact for interested people reaching out with questions; I’ve been the first DarkSky contact for some of our most active advocates. I am contributing to a new chapter project that will measure on-the-ground light levels in different parts of the city.
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2025 Board Member At-LargeWhen still a child, I first heard about the difficulty migrating birds had because of the nighttime glow from cities; with time, my understanding of the negative impact of artificial lights at night has grown enormously, as lighting up the night has become more and more excessive. But it's a pollution that many seem oblivious to, so a few years back, I thought to heighten awareness by encouraging the city to engage with EarthHour, and with the help of some who’ve been fighting this battle far longer than I, we inaugurated LightsOut Hour DC in March of 2023. But I yearned for more substantive impact, and so this past summer, I approached several other local environmental groups to ask that they join with DarkSkyDC in a campaign to lower the city’s lights during the Spring and Fall bird migrations in 2025. We now know that in the U.S. a billion birds fall prey every year to the cumulative hazards posed by light pollution in this country, and I believe that calling attention to this will prove to be efficacious in our efforts to rein in light pollution overall.
