BRAVO Board

Charles Rinker – President
Financial and development consultant with Rinker and Associates, which assists tenants in the purchase, rehabilitation and conversion of their properties to cooperatives or condominiums.  Affordable housing activist in Arlington. President of Arlington Home Ownership Made Easier (AHOME) and Arlington New Directions Coalition (ANDC). President of the BRAVO Board.

Ellen Bartlett – Vice President
An Arlington resident for over fifty years and an Arlington County Public Schools retiree, Ellen realized after her retirement from 36 years of teaching English at Wakefield High School that younger teachers were finding that they could not afford to live in Arlington. Her retirement “mission” became the effort to see that others who wanted to both work and live in Arlington would have the affordable housing available to permit them to do both – not just teachers, but other public servants. Having experienced the vibrancy offered by the cultural diversity of the school system, maintaining that diversity in Arlington became an allied mission, one that she has pursued through various groups.

Ellen joined the BRAVO Board in 2005 during its reorganization as in independent 501(c)3 organization. In addition to BRAVO, she has served as president of the Arlington Interfaith Council (AIC), a group of fifty Arlington congregations united in the cause of social justice and interfaith cooperation. She encouraged the Council’s focus on affordable housing and a living wage, and for those efforts was named an Arlington Community Hero in 2004. Years of testimony before the Arlington County Board gave her practice as an advocate for her own church’s affordable housing building project, the soon-to-be-completed Views at Clarendon.

Ellen is currently co-chair of the AIC’s Shelter and Housing Committee and is on the boards of ANDC (Arlington New Directions Coalition), the Arlington Committee of 100, Arlington Education Association-Retired, and Arlington Retired Teachers Association, as well as collaboratively working with other local affordable housing advocates and providers such as APAH and AHS.

Inta Malis – Treasurer
As a member of the Columbia Pike community Inta has been active in local revitalization efforts. She chaired the Columbia Forest Neighborhood Conservation Plan Committee, served for two terms on the Board of Directors of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, and chaired the Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force.

Inta was appointed to the Planning Commission in 2004 and chaired the Commission in 2007.

In addition to her ongoing work on the Planning Commission Inta presently chairs the Columbia Pike Form Based Code Working Group, which facilitates community review of changes to the Code; the Public Facilities Review Committee, which recently concluded a successful review of the new Wakefield High School; and the Working Group of the Columbia Pike Housing and Land Use Study, an effort that will develop a long range plan for residential areas along Columbia Pike.

Sydney Shea Chirico – Secretary
Sydney was asked to join the BRAVO board in 2008 after working with BRAVO as a tenant who received a 120-day notice.  She co-founded the Taylor Place Tenant’s Association and became lead-negotiator on behalf of the tenants with the owning company, helping them to reach an unprecedented settlement.  For her efforts, she received the First Annual BRAVO Award, and was granted scholarship to NVMS Mediation Certification Program.

An Arlington resident of 6 years, Sydney works in interior design as partner, designer, and head of business affairs of a DC and Boston based firm.  She has years of experience working in the philanthropic and non-profit sectors, politics, and finance.  Sydney cares greatly for the Arlington Community and is passionate about preserving its character and integrity.

Tillman Neuner – Director
Tillman spent his career as a lawyer, economist and business analyst. He worked in both the judicial and executive branches of the federal government and then for many years at the World Bank and later as an independent consultant. The central focus of his work was issues of human habitation and mobility, in particular transportation and urban development.

He has lived in various parts of the metropolitan Washington area including more than 30 years in Arlington both as a tenant and homeowner during a period when the County's dominant residential base declined significantly and its commercial base became dominant. His children attended Arlington County public schools and he maintained active participation in civic affairs particularly related to housing. Since moving to Bethesda he has continued to maintain his interest in Arlington housing issues as well as his civic involvement where he lives, particularly through Action in Montgomery, a community organizing group with a strong focus on housing and mobility for people with lower incomes.

Tillman was one of the earliest proponents of establishing the Arlington Housing Corporation and served as Board Member and President and on its various committees, He co-founded the Coalition for Housing in Arlington, an advocacy group, and participated in the efforts to protect lower income tenants from displacement when more than 700 units of affordable housing at Arna Valley were being modernized. This event led to the creation of BRAVO and to his affiliation with BRAVO.

He continues his strong commitment to providing affordable housing for all citizens in the community and to ensuring access to essential services for them.

BRAVO Staff

Dennis Jaffe – Executive Director
Dennis joins BRAVO as Executive Director as we embark on new initiatives to integrate tenants more deeply into local civic life.

With 25 years of experience in community outreach and communications, Dennis has passionately devoted himself to engaging people to participate more actively in our neighborhoods. He has championed opening doors to create and expand sustainable ways for citizens to make our voices heard – and to make them count. He aims to empower each individual as their own best advocate to improve their quality of life.

Dennis moved to the Washington area from his home state of New Jersey in 1998. He has established effective relationships with decision-makers, while keeping his feet planted in the community. He has served as an officer of two tenant associations and led successful campaigns to improve bus and rail service. He has also blogged at GreaterGreaterWashington.org.

He recognizes how critical it is that there be meaningful conversations between leaders in government and business and the residents they serve, who often feel disenfranchised and who don't expect to have influence in decisions on matters affecting their lives. He shares BRAVO’s commitment to preserving the community’s cultural and economic diversity, and is conversant in Spanish.

Dennis is committed to pursuing collaborative efforts that aim to: better inform decision-makers on issues that many of us face, develop constructive solutions, and instill faith among citizens that we can make a difference through our individual and collective participation.