Luminus Board of Directors - Lighthouse Image

Board of Directors

Our work would not be possible without the many volunteers that support Luminus. Lighting the way is our Board of Directors.

As a group of individuals with expertise in a broad range of disciplines, we rely on the vision and leadership of our Board of Directors to guide Luminus in our mission to help our beneficiaries reach their goals and better the lives of all immigrants.

Reginald Hightower

President

Reginald recently retired after enjoying a successful career as a federal agent and corporate security executive. He and his family have lived in the area for over 20 years. He is grateful that he can use the tools he has gathered over the years to assist Luminus in achieving its vision.

Reginald earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and a master’s from the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. He also holds a graduate certificate for study in China Intelligence Concerns from National Intelligence University.

He enjoys bike riding, running, reading, and spending time with his family.

Board of Directors

Vivian Hernandez

Treasurer

Financial and Business Operations Senior Professional with over 15 years of diverse-industry experience excelling at managing multimillion-dollar operations and monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting financial data.

Over the course of her career, she designed and developed multimillion financial proposals for USAID and other institutions such as Global Fund, IDB, World Bank, UN, and Bill Gates Foundation with emphasis in projects/programs in Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Early in her career, she worked as a financial consultant supporting international development programs to Non-Profit Organizations and developing financial and technical proposals.

In 2014, Vivian joined Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory supporting the Research and Exploratory Department (REDD) as a Department Fiscal Representative. While at REDD, Vivian led a team of Financial Assistants and Procurement Specialists and streamlined processes and conducted deep financial analyses to help the Department’s goals and expectations. In 2020, Vivian transitioned to a new Communications Department (COMMs). Vivian is serving as the Financial and Business Operations Group Supervisor, responsible for providing support to the COMMs staff and ensuring the systems, equipment, and processes are established and well defined to make the organization effectively function.

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Anish Manrai

Anish Manrai, assistant director of sport and fitness at the Columbia Association, is an experienced executive and thought leader in the sport, fitness and wellness industry. During his careers in professional tennis and sports management, he has won numerous awards including the United States Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic Innovation Award, Columbia Association Team Member of the Year, United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Illinois Professional of the Year, and the USPTA Midwest Division Player of the Year, among others. He is currently the Vice-President of the USPTA Mid-Atlantic Board and serves on the USPTA National Innovation Committee. Anish hails originally from Mumbai, India.

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Nana Owusu-Nkwantabisa

Nana Owusu-Nkwantabisa is the Director of the Library and Learning Commons for Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. A resident of Ellicott City, Maryland, Nana is a native of Ghana, West Africa. Nana appreciates the diversity of American society and the role that immigration has and continues to play in the national narrative.

Patti

Patti Pape Caplan

Patti Pape Caplan is a retired educator who moved to Howard County from Iowa in 1987 to assume the position of Public Information Officer for the Howard County Public School System. In that capacity, she directed the district’s public engagement, media relations and communications programs for 26 years. Her background includes over 50 years of experience in education, social services and public relations, and advocacy on behalf of the disenfranchised. She is now pursuing a second career as a professional artist.

Brendan

Brendan Mahoney

Brendan Mahoney is a Group Manager at M&T Bank, responsible for leading his team’s Corporate Banking efforts in the Central Maryland region. He represents the Bank in the local community through civic and volunteer efforts. In addition to his service on the FIRN Board, Brendan is currently a Board member for Leadership Howard County, and volunteers as a youth sports coach and at Trinity School.

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Poliana Conti

Poliana Conti is the Senior Director of Human Resources at W.R. Grace & Co., where she drives Global Human Resources strategies as the Global Human Resources Business Partner of the Refining Technologies business unit with its Fluid Catalytic Catalysts and Advanced Refining Technologies ® (ART), Grace’s Joint Venture with Chevron. Prior to Grace, Poliana held HR leadership positions in Fortune 500 organizations such as Honeywell, DANONE Group, Avery Dennison and Avaya.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Poliana Conti immigrated with her family to the United States in 2007 and has lived in Howard County since 2008. A mother of three adult children, all of them Atholton High School graduates, she’s grateful for the education and the opportunities they received at HCPPS.

A long-time volunteer with Special Olympics, Poliana is a fierce advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. In her leadership role in Human Resources, Poliana is a strong advocate working with the company leadership implementing D&I initiatives. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Heather Kang Dull

Heather Dull, a Managing Consultant at Vivaldi Lane LLC in MD, oversees investments for Puccini Lane LLC in Sarasota, FL, and serves as a Board Member for Dill Dinkers Holdings, Inc. Born in Ginju, South Korea, she immigrated to Baltimore in 1973. Heather, a Presidential Scholar at Loyola University Maryland, earned a BBA in Finance in 1987 and an MBA in International Business at George Washington University in 1989. With a Chartered Financial Analyst designation since 1996, she spent over 20 years as an institutional equity investment professional. Heather returned to Baltimore in 2005, ran a Kumon Math and Reading Center from 2010-2021, and currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Committed to improving immigrant lives in Howard County, she cherishes pickleball, scrabble, and mah-jong as hobbies. Formerly a USTA Captain, Heather now focuses on pickleball, her true passion.

Katherine Canales

Katherine Canales, currently a Senior Planning Specialist for Local Government, manages nonprofit public service grant contracts and contributes to the Federal Programs and Grants Team, ensuring HUD funding compliance. With almost a decade of experience aiding low to moderate-income individuals, she focused on financial empowerment in immigrant and underserved communities in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. In her downtime, Katherine enjoys video games, supporting her son's activities, and contributing to the PTSA at his school. She also serves as a commissioner for La Alianza Latina Commission under Howard County's Office of Human Rights and Equity, aiming to leverage her background to enhance access to resources at Luminus during her time on the board.