Raina Rath (’10), President

I have lived in the Oella area since 1994. I am interested in preserving the historic streetscapes and natural landscapes that drew me to the area. Oella is unique in so many aspects that I felt it important to serve on the board to establish a functional and cohesive written govening policy. I am a local attorney and enjoy my Oella home which is a serene retreat from the workaday world.

Anne Altemus (’10), Vice President, Oella Mill Liaison Committee member

I moved to Oella in 1993, and bought my home in 1996. I am a medical illustrator by training, and work at the National Library of Medicine and teach in the Department of Art As Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins. My primary office location is at the NIH in Bethesda , MD. It is a lengthy and sometimes arduous commute, but once I turn onto Oella Avenue and wind up the hill toward Long Brick Row, I quickly realize why I live in Oella. I am keenly interested in preserving the charming and historic character of the village, and am happy to serve on the Board of the HOA to further the work done to firmly establish the policies and procedures of the Architectural Review Committee.

Scott Hall (’12), Treasurer

I moved to Oella in fall 2005 with my wife Jenn. We were drawn to a place where nature is intertwined with the community and that neighbors get to know each other. Having grown up in Northern Virginia and attending school in Williamsburg, the natural beauty and small-town historical feel is what makes Oella special. Since we've moved here, we've added two dogs to our house (Oreo and Daisy) and hope that we'll be here for many years to come. Currently, I work for Target in Laurel, Maryland as a part of a long career in retail with T-Mobile and CompUSA.

Since joining the board, I've helped to get the HOA's finances in order while securing our financial future as our Treasurer, including catching us up on back taxes. Our biggest challenge in our unique community is that we own a great deal of space that other homeowners associations do not, and that space contains so many unique characteristics that require both hard work and financial wherewithal to maintain. As we implement long-range plans to secure the beauty and improve the infrastructure of our community, I'm excited to have been part of making our little slice of paradise into a better place to live and protect its heritage.

Marcia Ames (’12), Director-at-Large, Resident Agent, Oella Mill Liaison Committee member

I have lived in Oella since I bought my house here in 1990. A native of Houston, I have a bachelor's degree in English from Rice University and am a retired staff writer for the Catonsville Times. I'm a former board member and officer of the Westchester Center Foundation in Oella and the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce.

Amanda Lauer (’11), Director-at-Large

My husband and I discovered Oella in December 2004 and moved to Long Brick Row in March 2005. I am a native of Pennsylvania, but moved to Maryland in 2000 to attend graduate school. I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I’ve been involved with the board on and off since 2006. My role as a board member has taken many forms, as I tend to take on odd jobs that no one else wants. Currently, I manage the HOA website and blog, and I am overseeing the landscaping. I am working to secure grants and develop a long-term plan for beautification of our common areas. My current passion is to rid the common areas of the invasive species that are taking over (if you see some nut with loppers furiously whacking at the vines, that is probably me). I have also been working on weeding, adding plants, and general beautification in several common areas since I moved to Oella. My philosophy is that gardens and forests filled with low-maintenance native and non-invasive species enhance our quality of life, improve the watershed and habitat, and improve our property values.

Shari Youngblood (’12), Secretary, Director-at-Large

Olivier and I, along with our two small children (Antoine and Tessa), moved to Oella in January of 2009, yet already feel very much a part of the community. Relocating to the area from Tresques, a pinky-sized village in the South of France, we took the recommendation of a Main Street shopkeeper one day and had lunch at the Trolley Stop, afterwards taking the meandering drive up Oella Avenue... and did a little happy dance at our discovery. Oella’s unique and quirky character – striking us as more like a European mountain village than anything we’d seen in the United States – combined with its proximity to Old Ellicott City and the area’s rich history meant "Oella or nothing" when we began looking for a house to buy. I am passionate about the preservation of that character, and will happily serve on the Board as long as they will have me. Though formally trained in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology, I primarily work as a ghostwriter and have recently begun turning out a variety of customized novels. When not writing or chasing my children, I can be found in one of the shops or restaurants downtown, or somewhere along the Trolley Trail.

Dan Hood (’12), Director-at-Large

Click here to read the end of 2008 letter to homeowners.