TARA S (SHE/HER)

President

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, DMV native and a lifelong cheerleader, finding Cheer DC was like finding home. Tara is in her 4th season with Cheer DC spending 3 of 4 seasons on the Board of Directors, first as Director of Fundraising and now in her second term as President. Last season, Tara joined teammates at the Guadalajara Gay Games in the Group Stunt and Pom division, taking home bronze. To date, one of her proudest moments was standing on stage at the Capital Pride Festival, seeing her mom and family members in the crowd and presenting Rainbow Families with $17,500, the largest check Cheer DC has had the privilege of donating since our inception, bringing our total donated to local DMV LGBTQIA+ organizations to over $80,000. By day, Tara is a Real Estate agent. By night, she lives with her partner Kaitlynn and their two dogs, Stevie & Bayleigh.

MANUEL M (HE/THEY)

Vice President

Manuel (Manny) has been a part of the Cheer DC family for several years and is excited to take on this role for Season 9. They are originally from Georgia but call DC home now, and teaches in a local DC school. Manny is active in the DC Drag community, leading the annual Mx. Cheer DC, and was crowned as Mx. Latinx Pride for the 2024 Pride Season. Follow @_mariconcarne on Instagram to check out one of their shows. Manny is a proud dog dad with a very supportive and goofy pitbull named Papas, or potato, or Papachon… etc. 

SAMANTHA RA (SHE/HER)

Secretary

MAYOWA O (SHE/HER)

Treasurer

Mayowa has always loved the art of dance and music and is so excited to use cheerleading to support a mission she cares about deeply. A longtime member of Cheer DC, Mayowa is also a key member of the Cheer DC pom team. She also competed with teammates at the annual Sin City sporting event in Las Vegas in the group stunt division, a part of the self-titled “Chaotic Emos” group. A DMV native, she now works as an engineer and uses her experiences to support STEAM education in the region.

BRENNAN Z (SHE/HER)

Member At Large

Originally from North Carolina, Brennan moved to Washington, DC after graduating from Duke University—at which point she promptly joined Cheer DC! Brennan has been thrilled to return to cheerleading in a different way through the organization, and she looks forward to continuing to support Cheer DC in her new role.

EMILY C (SHE/HER)

Member At Large - Communications

Emily has cheered all her life and was SO excited to join a community that represents her and supports causes important to her. A Nevada native, she now considers DC home. She has degrees in criminology, counseling, and public policy. She enjoys spending hours scrolling on social media and as such is excited to put her doom scrolling hobby to use in this position. She recently competed with teammates at the annual Sin City sporting event in Las Vegas in the group stunt division, a part of the self-titled “Chaotic Emos” group. Emily works in politics but considers dog mom her favorite role.

ERICA H (SHE/THEY)

Member At Large - Community Engagement

Erica is originally from Chicago but has been living in DC for 8 years. Having no family in the area, she joined Cheer DC in Season 7 and has loved it ever since. Erica is a 988 Digital Team Lead for The Trevor Project and a full-time counseling student. She is a member of the Phi Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., further embodying her commitment to serving communities in the DC area.

HAYLEY D (SHE/HER)

Member At Large - Events

Hayley has a PhD in Molecular Oncology and currently works at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Bioinformatics and Computational Science Directorate. Hayley formerly cheered at the University of Pennsylvania, and is honored to continue supporting Cheer DC in this role. Hayley is also currently on the Board for the Pride Cheerleading Association (PCA).

JEREMIAH M (HE/HIM)

Member At Large - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Jeremiah has done a variety of DEIA work; most recently serving as the Program Manager for Diversity Engagement and Residential Affinity Living at The George Washington University where he led efforts to create inclusive spaces for traditionally marginalized identities within residence halls on college campuses. After that, Jeremiah served as a diversity training and teaching manager in the corporate sector. Jeremiah is a self proclaimed sporty spice and when not cheering you can find him playing in one of the local DMV volleyball leagues, tending to his garden, chatting on the phone, or buying yet another plant for his house.

STEFANIE C (SHE/HER)

Pride Cheerleading Association (PCA) Delegate

Stefanie is a New York native who cheered through high school in addition to a few years of competitive cheer. She moved to the DMV area after graduating from NYU with a degree in Construction Management and currently works on construction sites with a general contractor. She recently competed with teammates at the annual Sin City sporting event in Las Vegas in the group stunt division, a part of the self-titled “Chaotic Emos” group. Previously serving numerous positions on the board, Stefanie is excited to help Cheer DC grow and to continue to give back to the community through her role as the team’s PCA Delegate.