Diversity & Inclusion Board

Known for her tenacious energy, ambition, and commitment to physical fitness, Michaela Brown is a Regional Group Fitness Manager at VIDA Fitness, Inc., where she empowers the company’s culture, operations, and community impact. A veteran of the fitness industry with over 20 years of experience as an athlete, coach, personal trainer, and group exercise instructor, her success in the field comes as no surprise. Before joining VIDA’s team, Michaela was a successful entrepreneur, having run a popular women’s fitness studio for 12 years in Washington, DC. Her certifications include NASM-CPT, AFAA Group Exercise, Barre Fitness, Les Mills Advanced Bodypump Instructor, TRX, and Pilates Mat, to name a few. With a proven track record in driving organizational excellence and steering positive collaborative environments, she serves as Chairwoman of VIDA Fitness, Inc.’s first Diversity and Inclusion Board, lending a wealth of vision and experience to the organization’s mission.

Michaela earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Georgetown University, with dual minor degrees in Japanese Language and Communications. She also takes great pride in being the first Black letter-winner and captain of the university’s Women’s Field Hockey team. Michaela served two terms as the President of Georgetown’s Collegiate NAACP Chapter, and one term as the Vice President of the Nu Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., so chairing VIDA’s Diversity and Inclusion Board feels like a return back to her true roots of public service, social justice, and activism. It is with this energy and passion that Michaela seeks to use her knowledge, resources, and platform to blaze trails for the next generation of diverse fitness professionals.

William Whitfield is an operations professional for the District government. He has over 18 years of professional experience managing projects from $3M to over $300M in scope from his time in both the public and private sectors. William started his professional career in the field of architecture with ten years of architectural experience and over eight years of operations management experience in the non-profit and government sectors. William has extensive knowledge in workforce development, procurement, budget and financial management, program management, project management, as well as people management. William is also a bit of a nomad, having lived in Phoenix, AZ, Chicago, IL, Brooklyn, NYC, and now Washington, D.C. He enjoys meeting new people and cultivating community wherever he goes.

William obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies. He obtained his Master of Business Administration degree from Benedictine University with a concentration in Marketing.

Francisco Durán serves as Superintendent of Arlington County Public Schools. Dr. Durán has a diverse background in education, having been a special education paraprofessional for thirty years and teaching Spanish, social studies, and language arts. He’s also served in various other positions, such as an activities director, athletics director, assistant principal, principal, regional superintendent, superintendent, and Chief Equity Officer. He has been an adjunct professor for 18 years, teaching diversity, equity, and Inclusion courses.

Dr. Durán is a former Virginia State Board of Education member, President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), and the Chair of the Human Rights Commission for the City of Alexandria.
Dr. Durán earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from San Francisco State University, and a Master of Education and a Doctorate in Organization and Leadership from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.

Jennifer Krystopowicz has been an educator in the District of Columbia public schools for 15 years. She has dedicated her career to serving the district’s youth since being placed as a 2007 Teach for America Corp member in southeast DC. Jennifer leads initiatives to reshape the district curriculum using a DEI framework, facilitates educator workshops on family engagement, trains international educators on culturally responsive and equitable practices, and co-founded the nonprofit Art 4 the Sole to support the health and well-being of DC community members.

Jennifer holds a BA in Communication from George Washington University and an MA in Special Education from George Mason University. She is also Nationally Board-Certified as an Exceptional Needs Specialist.

Lisa Kizina is the Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer at National Real Estate Advisors, a real estate investment management firm based in Washington, DC. Colleagues describe her as a committed business leader, a critical thinker, and a change catalyst who underpins people operations and policy as the corporate nucleus. With forward-thinking business acumen and unparalleled success in influencing policy, she champions practical employee-centered programs that drive growth, increase profitability, strengthen employee well-being, and simplify processes.

Having started two successful businesses in the real estate and construction industry, capitalizing on employee and client engagement, she maximized people power, data, training, partnerships, technology tools, and risk management while challenging status quo thinking to usher in change. My due diligence as a principal enabled my companies, Property Detailing and Quality Contracting, to thrive and outpace competitors.

In addition to holding the Senior Professional Human Resources designation, she completed two degrees from the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC)—a master’s degree in International Financial Management and a BS in Business Administration. She resides on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., and recharges with high-impact health and fitness training, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

Vin Testa began his journey with VIDA Fitness as a Front Desk Team Member in December 2018, as a part-time job while teaching in DC Public Schools. When the pandemic hit in 2020, and he needed to step away from the classroom, Vin explored management positions within the VIDA family, serving as Assistant General Manager and General Manager at City Vista and as General Manager at The Yards.

Vin received his B.A.S. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Salve Regina University (Newport, RI) and his M.A. in Special Education – Learning Disabilities from American University. Throughout his nine years of teaching, Vin also served as an LGBTQ Liaison in DC Public Schools, providing professional development to colleagues on the school level around serving LGBTQ-identifying youth. Since leaving the classroom, he has continued providing that training at conferences and summits nationwide.

Despite reentering the world of education in August 2023 as Student Affairs Manager at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, VIDA (and the entire UAC family) continues to hold a very special place in Vin’s heart, and he looks forward to serving the community again in this new capacity on the Diversity & Inclusion Board.

Samuel Tatum, Jr. is a multi-media marketing professional who has worked to help companies develop diverse, effective media campaigns and brand strategies that target Black and Minority populations for over two decades. Driven by the passion to strengthen resources and representation for underserved communities in and around the DMV, Samuel works daily to find innovative ways to fulfill that through corporate relationships in various industries. Samuel has various hobbies, including working out at VIDA Fitness. A few of them are fitness, travel, cooking, live music events, and family time.

Chris Parkison is the Group Fitness Manager at VIDA Fitness at the Yards, Gallery Place, and City Vista locations. He practiced law for ten years in the District of Columbia before becoming a full-time fitness instructor and Personal Trainer and has worked at VIDA Fitness since 2013.

Jeremy is a Vice President of Digital Public Affairs, where he helps clients tell their stories on digital platforms across the world. A lifelong storyteller, Jeremy enjoys working in several arenas, including politics, pop culture, advocacy, and social justice. Jeremy most recently served as Kamala Harris’ social media director, leading social media content creation on the campaign trail during the vice president’s historic presidential run. While at Under Armour, Jeremy worked closely with global teams to not only create content celebrating the brand’s impact on the world but to tell the story of athlete activism on and off the field. In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys weightlifting and petting very cute dogs. Jeremy earned his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Mary Washington and his master’s degree in strategic communication from American University.

Daisy takes pride in leading diversity and inclusion efforts during her time at Harvard, including being the Director of the Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment Program and Founder of the Harvard Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers. She is currently working at Bergmann & Moore, LLC (Veteran Law) as a Case Manager and is working towards applying to law school in the near future. Daisy aims to become a public interest lawyer and serve underrepresented communities in her work.

During her free time, Daisy enjoys rock climbing, strengthening her yoga and pilates practice, running, and walking her dogs. She is working towards running her first marathon in May 2023.

Larry Brown is a Senior Membership Advisor at VIDA Fitness Logan Circle and has been a member of the VIDA staff since 2011. He has more than 25 years of management, communications, and sales experience and a passion for leadership, community, and building connections among people.

Larry is a native of Roanoke, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from Howard University. He began his career as an award-winning breaking news and criminal justice newspaper reporter before moving into local government communications and marketing. Along with membership sales, Larry has also worked fitness facility operations as part of the opening team of VIDA’s flagship location on U Street. He enjoys travel, music, writing and baking.

Samantha “Sam” Hawkins is the CEO and Founder of Hawkins CPA Solutions, LLC, an accounting firm based in Maryland, where she focuses on providing solution-driven services to assist her clients with meeting their personal and business goals.  She holds both a B.S. in Accountancy and an M.S. in Taxation from The American University in Washington, DC. She is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) in DC, MD, and VA. With more than 20 years of professional and leadership experience, Samantha shines in the areas of leading the efforts of organizations and mentorship.

Samantha is an active National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) member and has held various positions within the organization, including serving on the Eastern Region Leadership Board.  She was recently appointed to serve as the Treasurer of the Missouri Acres Homeowners Association, Inc., where she will be responsible for fully implementing an accounting system and processes.

In addition to being a full-time entrepreneur and caregiver for her mother, she enjoys working out at VIDA (The Yards), spending time with her family and friends, volunteering, traveling, and focusing on self-care.

Tabitha L.C. Clarke Joined VIDA Fitness in January 2020. She is a passionate, dynamic, and driven leader with over 18 years of proven success in developing sales teams across many industries. Her leadership abilities and strengths have boosted revenues for many tech companies, and she has received many awards for launching innovative sales and business strategies.

While leading sales teams is Tabitha’s passion, she also gives back to her community by serving on the board for the Black Leadership Counsel at First Data Corporation in Hagerstown, MD, for over five years. Tabitha has touched many lives at Howard University by participating in many panel discussions and helping young students who are finding themselves in the workplace to serve as ambassadors for their employers to bring diversity, awareness, and opportunities to others. Tabitha has helped many locally owned businesses increase revenues within their organization and helped bring awareness and diversity to the Western Maryland Community by attending LGBT community-based events. Her efforts have helped many organizations realize that to be successful, businesses need diverse, inclusive, and creative leaders with a strong understanding of the industry. Their talent within their organization sets them apart from their competition and determines how their business succeeds.