Logan Taaffe

Board of Directors

Logan Taaffe is a community organizer, facilitator of development, and a non-profit director with a passion for empowering young people. Government and the love of football brought him to Florida State University.

He graduated in 2019 with a BS in International Affairs. Only steps away from the Florida Capitol, Logan found his passion for politics and non-profit work. After working in the Florida Legislature, he became interested in working in Congress. During his senior year, he took a chance and moved to Washington. Through networking with other Alumni in the area and FSU's ProfessioNOLE mentoring program Logan made his way in Congress.

Logan is currently a Director for the Girl Scouts in Maryland where he advocates for and secures resources for the next generation of leaders.

In addition to the FSU game day watch parties, you can find Logan volunteering and leading service projects around Washington, D.C.

He loves the outdoors, trying new food, and exploring national parks!

Suzi Berkey Hanson

Suzi was a Nole from the start! Born to an alumna of Florida State University, she was destined to seek out her own education and development from the same institution. She moved from Tarpon Springs, Florida, to Tallahassee on her 18th birthday and was never the same since.

In 2012, Suzi graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. She worked full-time for Campus Recreation in the Leach Center while attending graduate school. In 2016, she graduated again from FSU with a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration.

At the time, the Bobby E. Leach Student Recreation Center underwent a physical transformation. Suzi began to wonder how the physical environment and physical activity play a role in human health and development, especially on a college campus.

Suzi moved to the DMV in August 2016 to further her skills at American University in Recreation Sports & Fitness. In 2019, Suzi shifted gears again and refined her curiosity to how the built environment affects human sustainability and long term health. She joined the US Green Building Council/Green Business Certification Inc. in program operations as a service provider to the International WELL Building Institute. WELL Certification has impacted over 300 built projects and 37 million square feet. She develops the site visit schedule for over 100 projects due for mandatory environmental testing each year in 62 countries, and growing. Suzi also manages the operational aspect of WELL Portfolio and assists in the new WELL Health-Safety Rating in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Suzi loves the outdoors and maintaining a balanced fitness routine of mountain biking, kayaking, running, and circuit training. She and her husband (also a Florida State University alumnus) are the subordinates in the house, serving 2 adorable though fickle cats. This is Suzi’s first term with the DC Noles Board of Directors and she is thrilled to serve the institution in new ways!

Carl Willis

Carl Willis is an anchor and reporter for Greater Washington, D.C.’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV.  A 2001 graduate of the Florida State University, Carl earned a Bachelor of Science in Media Studies. He worked for WFSU-TV covering the state legislature for the statewide program “Capitol Update” during his senior year. 

During his time at FSU, Carl became a member of Garnet & Gold Key, the W.E.B. DuBois Honor society, the Student Senate, and the Iota Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Shortly after graduation, Carl accepted a position with the ABC affiliate in Amarillo, Texas. That would lead to roles at the ABC station in Orlando, the NBC station in Houston, the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, and ultimately his current position in the nation’s capital. 

Having covered a wide range of historic moments from shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral, to the tragic shooting at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Carl considers it an honor to bring these impactful moments to the community. 

Carl credits his time at Florida State for giving him the foundation, the experience, and the guidance to jump head first into his dream of becoming a journalist. 

Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, Carl grew up in a family of Gator fans, but thankfully saw the light upon his first visit to Tallahassee. He fell in love with the campus and the sense of community, and he knew that would be his home. 

Carl, his wife Rebecca, and son Carter currently live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Arsene Frederic Jr.

Board of Directors

Arsene Frederic Jr. graduated from FSU in 2018. Arsene was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and now resides in the DMV. He is a Policy Advisor of the Prince George County Public Schools Academic Validation Program. His work specifically focuses on Project Management with the Maryland Academic Validation Program and Organizational Development.  He is currently a second-year Master of Public Administration Student at the American University School of Public Affairs where he serves as the Editor in chief of the peer-reviewed Public Purpose Academic Journal. When he is not busy writing about Afro-Futurism, he enjoys taking Hip-Hop dance classes and focusing on his styling consultancy business. You can follow along with his hobbies here: @classicarseneofficial. During his time at Florida State, he was the recipient of the President's Undergraduate Humanitarian of the year and Student Seminole Awards. Arsene is also a member of the Seminole Torchbearer Honorary Society. This is Arsene's first year on the DC Noles Board and his first term as the FSU Black Alumni Association DMV, Regional Representative. 

Bryan Spells

Board of Directors

Bryan is from Newport News, VA and moved to the DMV area in 2017. He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science in 2007, and knew FSU was the place for him when he visited for the first time in 8^th grade and glad he made that decision. After graduating from FSU, Bryan attended Hampton University where he received a Master of Science degree in Medical Science which helped him start his career at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he transforms drug regulatory operations with a customer focus through analysis, informatics, and pragmatic solutions that work to advance the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s public health mission and implement decisions, guidance, laws, regulations, and policy in the development of data standards. This is Bryan’s first term on the DC Noles Board and he’s excited to contribute to the success of the club.

Joe Vita

Board of Directors

Joe Vita was born and raised in New England. His disdain for winter and a fondness for the state of Florida from vacationing drove his decision to head south for school. After a weeklong road trip visiting nearly every major college and university in the state, the decision was easy, and he chose to attend Florida State University. After suffering through arguably 4 of the worst years in Florida State Football history, Joe graduated in 2008 with a degree in Business Administration with focuses on Economics and Finance.

Joe entered the workforce as an intern in college with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. After graduating, he continued working with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as a Market Research Analyst. Over the past 10+ years with Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International, he has carried roles as an analyst while living out west and Director of Revenue Management here in DC before moving to his current role as Revenue Management Operations Leader for the DC Market through Marriott Headquarters in Bethesda. Overseeing a portfolio of 15 hotels in the downtown DC area with an annual topline revenue budget of over $500 million. 

Since high school, Joe has been volunteering and coaching with community aided projects, specifically related to inner city youth basketball clinics/camps with community service initiatives in both Massachusetts and Phoenix. He was also a student volunteer in the FSU Men’s Basketball office while in Tallahassee, assisting in recruiting and team operations. Joe has participated in the annual wreath laying at Arlington cemetery as well as Seminole Service days during his time in DC and is extremely excited to begin his first year of service on the Board for the DC Noles.

When Joe isn’t watching the Noles on Saturday or crunching numbers, he enjoys spending time outside with his beautiful fiancée Catherine and their 5-month-old Maltipoo puppy, Lincoln Chief. He is an avid golfer and tries to play as often as he can despite it not being quite as easy as in Florida. He also enjoys working out, playing basketball/baseball, and attending any live sporting event. He looks forward to the opportunity to support the University he loves, while serving the community of Greater Washington DC. Go Noles!

Jaamal Jennings

Board of Directors

Jaamal grew up all over the country spending a majority of his life between Hartford, CT and Miramar, FL. His transient upbringing fostered his empathetic and charismatic personality which served him well once he arrived in Tallahassee. After graduating from Florida State University, he went on to North Carolina Central University School of Law, which help him start his career in Contracts and Acquisitions. This is Jaamal’s third term on the DC Noles board and he continues to contribute to the success of many of the clubs events.

Kelly Burton

Board of Directors

Kelly graduated from Florida State University in 2013 with a bachelor’s in English. She worked in Tallahassee for three years after graduating, doing public affairs at Hill+Knowlton Strategies. She now works at National Parks Conservation Association as a grant writer. She is also a part-time graduate student working on her master’s in PR and Communications. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys reading, running, exploring DC and cheering on FSU football. This is Kelly’s second term on the DC Noles Board and we are excited to have her back as she lends her expertise toward launching our Legacy Gala on October 5th. 

Jared Blue

Director, Noles at the Park

Jared is a recent Alumni of FSU who graduated with a degree in Management. He has held positions with Raymond James, Olive Garden while in school and now currently with the Washington @Nationals. He is a big outdoors person, someone that loves to travel to new places, loves to white water raft and explore new things. He loves being in large crowds and loves spending time with his wife. He has a huge interest in WW2 history and constantly tries to learn more about the war and how it affected today's society. He played sports growing up, most notably baseball and football. This is Jared’s second term on the DC Noles board and he chairs our inaugural “Noles At The Park” event benefiting our scholarship fund.

Grace Perez

Vice President

Grace is a Northern Virginia transplant born in Miami, Florida. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and is now a real estate expert with Keller Williams Realty in the DMV area. She is licensed in all three jurisdictions: DC, VA, and MD and is bilingual, speaking fluent Spanish. 
Grace has excelled in her real estate career with her creative mind and her resilient attitude, winning Rookie of The Year her first year in real estate, consistently ranking in the top 10% among the agents in her brokerage, selected as a leader at Keller Williams as the Productivity Coach, winning awards with Northern Virginia’s Realtors Association (NVAR) Top Producer Club - Platinum Member, and currently serving as NVAR’s Co-Chair of the New Member Committee. 
Prior to real estate, Grace worked as an IT professional in both the private and public sectors, holding positions as a Software Tester, Software Head Trainer, Project Implementation Manager, and Business System Analyst. 
Grace adores animals and volunteers with local animal organizations. You can find Grace in her spare time participating in social sports, networking, cheering on her Seminoles, and taking classes at OrangeTheory Fitness. This is Grace’s second term on the DC Noles Board and she adds tremendous value as she leads our “Neighborhood Networking Noles” events this year. 

Tisa Sinclair

Director, DC Noles Holiday Social

Tisa received both her BA in English Literature and her Masters in Media & Communication studies from Florida State University. Her work experience has given her the opportunity to engage in several areas of communications—from public relations to digital marketing. She also has expansive social media marketing experience working with Fortune 100 companies like Delta and CBS. She is a hard working, travel-loving, book nerdin', FSU Alumna from Miami, FL who currently leads a D.C. based team that forges the ongoing social care strategies, processes, and official responses to members and non-members as they interact with AARP's digital content. She is also a part of the planning committee for @themomference, a conference in DC for millennial moms of color. This is Tisa‘s third consecutive term on the DC Noles Board and she leads our highly anticipated annual DC Noles Holiday social. 

Brian Valentine

Treasurer

Brian graduated from Florida State University in 2007 then went on to pursue his Master of Education from UWF. Brian was born in Ohio, raised in Newport News then moved to Orlando prior to heading to Tallahassee to start school. Brian knew that FSU was the place for him from the moment he stepped on campus. He was certain even after surviving pre-season training for the Marching Chiefs. Service is at the center of everything Brian does. He credits his time at FSU for introducing him to the concept of service to others by being a part of something bigger than himself. In addition to his dedication to the Marching Chiefs, he served on the Campus Recreation Board and as a site supervisor and referee in intramural sports. He currently serves the Annandale School District as a highly-skilled Assistant Principal. Brian was honored as Orange County Public School Systems Science Teacher of the Year in 2011. Brian is the current US MONOPOLY Champion and ranked 3rd in the world. This is Brian’s second term on the DC Noles Board and he leads our annual “Wreaths Across America” event on December 14. 

Mikhail Sinanan

President

Mikhail is a 2010 graduate of Florida State University, with a BS focused on Computer Science and Business. He was born in Trinidad & Tobago and grew up in Miami, Florida. 
After graduation, he started his career in mobile app development at SAS, in North Carolina. There he learned about how to build applications for the iPhone and iPad platforms. Since SAS, he’s built apps for leading brands, including NPR, The Atlantic Magazine, Government Executive, National Journal, and Capital One. During Mikhail’s time at NPR, he lead the development for the NPR News app and NPR One, where he won a Material Design Award from Google. He’s partnered with Google and Apple to be launch partners for Apple Watch, Chromecast, Apple CarPlay, Android Wear, and many other products.
Currently, Mikhail is leading multiple engineering teams for one of the largest business segments at Capital One. He loves to lead and empower his teams to deliver highly polished user focused experiences. The Capital One application has won back to back J.D. Power and Associates Awards for being the Best Banking App in 2017 and 2018.
Mikhail is also an avid traveler and amateur food photographer. In 2018, he traveled to 11 countries and dined at some of the top restaurants in the world. You can follow his travels and food adventures here: @the_mikhail This is Mikhail‘s second term on the DC Noles Board and his first on the Executive Board. In his current role as President, he has revolutionized the way the board communicates and interacts by introducing applications and technologies that improve our processes.

Mitchell Segermeister

Board of Directors

Mitch graduated from FSU in ‘79. He has spent the past thirty-nine years as an Aviation Professional and he’s excited about entering retirement soon. Mitch has been married for 37 years to his lovely wife, Tish (also known as Mama Nole), who absolutely loves FSU except for one game; the Miami game. Their service to DC Noles, FSU and the Greater Washington DC area is tremendous. They have two grown children who are not FSU Alumni but they root for the Noles. Mitch grew up in Miami and spent most of his professional career there. He moved to Arlington Virginia in October 2015 and has called it home since. This is Mitch’s 3rd Consecutive Term and he will be leading our Virginia Game Watching events this fall.

Farrah Saint-Surin

Secretary

Farrah is a proud Haitian-American Florida State University alumna, who currently serves as the Scholarship Chair for the Seminole Club of Greater Washington DC. Farrah has been an active DC NOLE since 2009 when she first moved to the DC area from Boston where she served as the President of the Greater Boston Seminole Club. Farrah has chaired the Scholarship Committee for the past five years and enjoys community service. When she is not busy bragging about FSU she serves as a Senior Consultant for Deloitte.
Farrah holds her B.A. in History, 2004 from the College of Arts and Sciences at FSU and Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School, 2008. She has over 10 years in Corporate, Federal, State, and City government experience. During her time at FSU, she was very involved in Student Government, served as the Secretary of Women’s Concerns, Black Student Union executive board, HLSU executive board and various student led organizations including interning for Representative Bob Henriquez. Her vast knowledge of policy planning and implementation and a passion for civic engagement was fostered on the campus of FSU registering students to vote in local elections beginning her freshman year.
Farrah has a passion for philanthropy and service. She developed and coordinated the Heroes Walk, a memorial honoring fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters. She also spends a great deal of time mentoring youth, working with the Salesian Brothers Mission in Haiti, volunteering with the American Heart Association and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. In addition to diligently serving on the DC Noles Board for the past decade, she also serves on the District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility Advisory Board.

Daryl Levine

Board of Directors

Daryl is a 2002 graduate of FSU and Life Member of the FSU Alumni Association. Daryl moved to Washington, DC in 2005. He has served as an AmeriCorps VISTA and a higher education professional association manager. Daryl served as a Special Assistant to the Mayor of the District of Columbia and now serves as the Public Affairs Specialist with DC Fire and EMS after serving for two years as an IT Compliance Officer/Program Analyst. His service to the Seminole Club of Greater Washington, DC since 2006 includes three terms as secretary, two terms as vice-president, and service as a member of the Board of Directors with responsibility for coordination of all past FSU at Maryland Weekend events since 2008. Daryl is the longest serving board member in DC Noles history. His service to his community, his love for FSU and his dedication to DC Noles are undeniable.