Meet our New Board Members!

We are very excited to welcome three new outstanding leaders to the Spitfire Club board!

Joanna Penn

Managing Director, Husch Blackwell LLP

Joanna Penn brings extensive knowledge in management, finance, and communications. As mom to a young Spitfire herself, Joanna is passionate about girls' empowerment and the power of reading. Joanna began her career in marketing and communications and later attended law school. After practicing, she found that her true interests lay in the business of law and the management and growth of law firms. Joanna has devoted the past decade to business development work for both law firms and firm service providers, including time as a client relationship executive for Bloomberg BNA. Prior to joining Husch Blackwell, she served as U.S. Director of Business Development for Eversheds Sutherland, managing a large team and helping develop and implement global strategies and initiatives.

Julio Ramirez

Senior Vice President, RS&H

Julio Ramirez brings a broad range of experience to the Spitfire Club through both his professional and volunteer experience. Professionally, for the past 20 years, Julio has built and developed finance and accounting functions for small and mid-market businesses, and is currently the Sr. VP of Finance at RS&H, a full service architectural, engineering and environmental services firm. He has a passion for helping small and medium-sized firms grow and understand the unique challenges they often face. Julio enjoys staying involved and giving back to the local community. In addition to The Spitfire Club, he serves on the Board of Directors for Arts on the Horizon, an Alexandria based non-profit theater company focusing on performances for children, and has also previously served on the City of Alexandria Budget and Fiscal Advisory Affairs Committee.

Julio lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and daughter. He is a musician and plays the guitar and the bass. Julio holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kayla Selsky

Branch Manager, Alexandria Library

Kayla Selsky is a passionate advocate for libraries, reading, and community-building. As Branch Manager at Alexandria Library, Kayla brings over a decade of experience in libraries, having previously served as the Youth Services Manager at James M. Duncan Library in Alexandria, VA and in various roles in other library systems. Throughout her career, she has focused on fostering a love of reading and learning in all ages, believing strongly in the ability of books to change lives. Kayla also serves on the board of Capitol Choices and on The American Library Association's Leadership Development Committee.

In addition to her professional role, Kayla has been a dedicated volunteer with The Spitfire Club for over two years, where she has led Spitfire Club programming and activities at her library. Her commitment to the organization reflects her deep belief in our mission to inspire and empower girls.

Spitfire thanks Leigh Dameron and Danielle Robinson for their exceptional service to the Spitfire Club, as they cycle off of our board this year.