Board of Trustees | Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion | Philadelphia's Victorian House Museum

A. Luke Smith, Esq. - President

A. Luke Smith is a 4th generation Germantowner and a product of the School District of Philadelphia and the State System of Higher Education. When he is not suing drug companies on behalf of classes of drug purchasers for unlawfully delaying the availability of low-cost generic medicine, Luke volunteers his time as a member of the boards of the Germantown United Community Development Corporation (which he co-founded in 2012 and where he serves as the Secretary), and the West Central Germantown Neighbors Association, where he is Vice President and Chair of the Zoning and Land Use Planning Committee. Luke takes great pride in the Tulpehocken Station Historic District, both its natural beauty and its cherished historic assets like the Maxwell Mansion, and strives to share that pride with the energetic groups working all over Germantown for its betterment. Luke is also currently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government, where he is pursuing (slowly) a Masters of Public Administration. When not occupied with the foregoing, Luke enjoys spending time with his wife, Rama, and their two young children, Rosie and Aiden.

A.Luke Smith, B.Sc., J.D | (267)738-0407 | http://about.me/a.lukesmith

Brett Danko, CFP - Vice President

Brett R. Danko, CFP®, CRPC® has worked in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years and is a featured nationwide lecturer on matters of personal finance. He teaches all the required CFP® Certification Education Courses (Financial Planning, Insurance, Investments, Income Tax, Retirement and Estate) and CFP® Board Certification Examination Prep Courses throughout the United States. He also provides classroom continuing education to industry professionals. Brett is a regular speaker at key client events where he presents on emerging and hot topics in the financial planning arena.

In addition, Brett is President of his own RIA, Main Street Financial Solutions, LLC, a fee-only firm specializing in financial planning and asset management. In addition, Brett is a volunteer consultant a number of New Jersey organizations that serve women affected by domestic violence. In that capacity, he helps the agency clients address their complex financial planning situations.

Brett grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Lawrenceville, NJ with his wife and two children.

More information can be found at www.brettdanko.com and www.msfsolutions.com.

Norman Marcus, P.E. - Treasurer

Zachary Burkholder - Trustee

Zachary Burkholder was born and raised in Germantown. Once he graduated from Central High School, he went to Virginia for school. And during his time there fell in love with building and remodeling homes. He spent some time in Lancaster County becoming a contractor. And in 2014 moved back to Germantown to start his own remodeling business. He loves working in the old stone and brick homes, and trying to keep them up to date while not losing their original style. He is also a very active member of the Germantown Mennonite Church right next to the Johnson on Washington Ln.

Michelle DiMeo, PhD - Trustee

Michelle DiMeo is the Director of the Othmer Library at the Science History Institute. She holds a PhD in English and History from the University of Warwick in the UK and has taught classes at the University of Pennsylvania, Lehigh University, and Georgia Tech. Her research is mostly focused on the history of women in science and medicine. She is the author of Lady Ranelagh: The Incomporable Life of Robert Boyle’s Sister to be released in 2020. Michelle also brings nearly ten years of non-profit management experience to the Board, having previously worked at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Science History Institute. Though she is originally from Chicago, she considers the Wissahickon her true home.

Kevin Ann Blough, Esq. - Trustee

Kevin Ann Blough | Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion

Kevin Ann Blough is a commercial contracts and software licensing attorney with 12+ years in-house counsel experience. Most recently she worked for Oracle Corporation and for Primavera Systems, a small software company headquartered in Bala Cynwyd. Ms Blough has a long standing love of history, art and architecture. She grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, where she took full advantage of the city’s rich culture and history. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia, where she double majored in Art History and English Literature. She later moved to Chicago and earned her law degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. After graduating from law school, Ms Blough remained in Chicago for 10 years, working as Legal Counsel for a small start-up software company, followed by 7 years as lead Contracts and IP Counsel for the American Dental Association. Since returning to Philadelphia in 2008, she has become actively involved in the city’s cultural institutions. Ms Blough is past president of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Philadelphia Chapter. She presently serves on the Board of the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, a historic house museum in Germantown; and is a Member of the Chestnut Hill Musical Cocktails Committee, a fund raising committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Ms. Blough presently lives with her husband, Jim, in Ardmore, PA.

Amy Cohen. - Trustee

Amy Cohen - Trustee

Amy Cohen spent twenty years as a middle and high school social studies teacher. While teaching at Masterman School, she was among the first cohort of educators to teach African American History once it became a graduation requirement for Philadelphia students.

As Director of Education at History Making Productions, she develops educational materials to accompany documentaries about the history of Philadelphia. Cohen is a monthly columnist for Hidden City, an on-line magazine about the city’s landscape. She is board chair for Friends of Sueños, a 501c3 that supports the work of an educational program for the children of street vendors in Antigua, Guatemala.
Cohen earned a B.A. in history from Brown University and an M.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband have two grown daughters and an exceptionally cute dog and cat.

DuRay A. Montague - Trustee

DuRay Montague has lived in and been a student of historic properties throughout his many years in greater Philadelphia. Arriving after completing his Engineering degree at his hometown Howard University, he quickly became thrilled by the treasure trove of historic buildings and homes here. He moved into the Penn Knox neighborhood into a 1880s Victorian because he believed in the premise that “When in Rome do as the Romans do”. As a member of the Advocate Community Development Corporation DuRay and his wife Michele lived in North Philadelphia while restoring a row of Diamond Street brownstones attributed to Frank Furness. For over a decade they lived in and enhanced the 1890’s Stone Colonial “Breezewood” designed by prolific architecture Horace Trumbauer in Wyncote PA. Here DuRay became an admirer of the many local works of the architect and his African American protégé, Julian Able. DuRay and family now live in one of the gems of the Tulpehocken Station Historic District. DuRay applies his professional skills while traveling the globe to ensure effective and safe manufacture of some the world’s most important medicines and vaccines. DuRay is a frequent volunteer of the Germantown Face to Face mission and member of the West Central Germantown Neighbors association.

Naomi Taback, PhD - Trustee

Naomi Taback received her Ph.D. in European History from UCLA. Her research focuses on the history of early modern England, the American Colonies, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment. Naomi is an Assistant Professor in the Intellectual Heritage Program at Temple University, where she teaches great books of civilization from Gilgamesh to The Second Sex. Previously, she worked at the Getty Research Institute as an assistant curator of rare books. She grew up in the San Francesco Bay Area, moved to Los Angeles for college, and afterwards to Brooklyn, NY. She now intends to remain in Philadelphia in West Central Germantown, near the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion. When she is not teaching, she enjoys gardening, walking her dog in the neighborhood, and watching existential films.

Roberta Moore - Trustee

After countless moves and too many years, Roberta and her husband couldn’t be happier to once again call Philadelphia home! With a career spanning 30+ years in continuing education, alumni engagement and travel, Roberta feels fortunate to have discovered a talent for developing engaging learning experiences which she credits to intellectually curious parents and growing up in historically rich Philadelphia! Previously, she held administrative positions at Penn State University and Dartmouth College where she led comprehensive program renewals for alumni and donors before transitioning to senior leadership positions with luxury tour operators in Boston and NYC. Recently launching into a consulting role, she manages a variety of business development initiatives for travel and travel-related companies. Her academic background includes a B.A in Visual Arts from Millersville University and an M.F.A in Photography from Penn State. She was a former Board Member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and the Educational Travel Consortium. She is currently the Vice President of West Central Germantown Neighbors where she leads the Community Engagement Committee.

Concetta Martone Dragani, Ph.D - Trustee

Concetta Martone Dragani, Ph.D. - Trustee

Concetta Martone Dragani, Ph.D. is an art and architectural historian and a founding principal of dMAS, an award-winning design studio in Philadelphia. She was born in Naples, Italy, where she began her studies, later moving to the United States to complete her education. Concetta holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. She teachers courses in the history and theory of art and architecture at Thomas Jefferson University and Temple University.