Ghent Neighborhood League Leadership
President - Eleise Theuer
Eleise Theuer is the President of the Ghent Neighborhood League and a longtime advocate for community building, public green spaces, and neighborhood engagement in Norfolk’s historic Ghent neighborhood. Eleise was born in Ghent and has deep maternal and paternal family roots in the neighborhood. With the GNL Board she has helped lead the League’s growth through expanded programming, community events, beautification initiatives, and neighborhood outreach. Eleise is also actively involved with Fred Heutte Garden, where she works to promote horticultural education, environmental stewardship, and accessible public programming for Norfolk residents of all ages. Her passion lies in helping to create welcoming, vibrant spaces that strengthen connections between neighbors and enhance quality of life throughout Ghent and Norfolk.
Vice President - Jennifer Dawn
Jennifer Dawn is a REALTOR® in Hampton Roads. She serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Hampton Roads REALTOR® Association Board of Directors, Government Affairs Committee Vice Chair, and serves as an Association Brokerage Ambassador. Additionally, she serves on the Public Policy Committee for Virginia Association of REALTORS®, as well as a current member of VLA, their Leadership Academy cohort. She is a Commitment to Excellence State Ambassador for the National Association of REALTORs®. After moving to Hampton Roads from NC in 2017, she relocated to Ghent with her 2 pups in May 2023. She has since engaged as a member of the Ghent Neighborhood League, as well as co-chairing the Events/Programming committee. Most recently, she has been appointed to the NFK2050 Advisory Committee, for the purpose of assisting the City Planning Commission in the development of a proposed new Comprehensive Plan. Before becoming a REALTOR®, Jennifer was a National Board-Certified educator, mentor, and coach for almost 2 decades.
2nd Vice President - Shawn Z. Tarrant
Shawn Z. Tarrant, Candidate for 2nd Vice President GNL Shawn was born and raised in Long Island, New York. Shawn spent most of his professional career in Baltimore, Maryland. He and his wife Latisha recently moved to Ghent from Chesapeake with their youngest son and have a blended family of five adult children.
Shawn is the Graduate Advisor Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc, at Old Dominion University Eta Omega Chapter and the past President of Norfolk State University, Chesapeake Alumni Chapter. Shawn was also elected to Maryland General Assembly House of Delegates and the Baltimore State Delegate serving two 4-year terms.
He is also the Past President/Vice President of Ashburton Area Association and he has served on the Boards of the Maryland Zoo, SPCA & Baltimore City Community College Foundation.
Secretary-Lynne Seagle
Lynne Seagle has lived in Ghent for over 40 years. She attended ODU and received her bachelor’s degree in special education and master’s degree in public administration. She was hired at Hope House Foundation in 1978 while living on Redgate Ave, and then later moved to Graydon Ave, where she resides today.
Under Lynne’s leadership, Hope House has become internationally known for its innovative, person-centered approach. One of her proudest accomplishments was guiding Hope House through its transition from group homes to supporting people in their own apartments in the early nineties.
In 1986, Lynne was honored as the Virginia Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Community Living Association (CLAMR), and also received an Innovation Award from the same organization. In 1990, she received the Leadership Award from the American Association on Intellectual Disabilities, and in 1998, she received the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation's International Future Leader Award. In 2011, she was appointed to the Arc of Virginia’s board of directors. She has also served on the President's Commission on Intellectual Disabilities and is on the advisory board of the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation.
Lynne is passionate about social justice and equality for all people, particularly those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. She also enjoys reading, travel, Mexican cuisine, and the beach. Having recently retired Lynne is very interested in her community and contributing to the success and continued improvement of her neighborhood. Lynne is concurrently a consultant for not for profits and corporations, specifically concerning leadership and strategic planning.
Treasurer - Debbie Walsh
Debbie Walsh moved to Norfolk 2 years ago, previously residing in San Diego and Indiana. She has been an RN for 30 years, 17 years as a family nurse practitioner. She is currently a nurse practitioner with Sentara Community Care, working at various mobile sites in the city of Norfolk and the Union Mission shelter. She and her husband are members of the Norfolk community garden, and joined the GNL earlier this year. She is a member of the book club. Issues regarding social justice are her passion. They love living in Ghent and look forward to seeing continued community and business development.
Board Member - Brooks Johnson
Germaine Clair and I purchased our home on Stockley Gardens in 1988 and moved in on April Fools’ Day 1990. For more than three decades, we restored and modernized our home with respect for its architectural integrity and for the historic character that defines Ghent. Germaine, my partner and wife of 43 years, passed away in June 2025. Our shared love of this neighborhood, the arts, and travel shaped not only our lives here but also my life’s work.
Born a stone’s throw away from the Chrysler Museum in the original Leigh Memorial Hospital and raised beside the historic Johnson family pre-Civil War home in Deep Creek, I have long been rooted in places where history and culture meet. After earning a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, I spent 31 years building the photography program at the Chrysler Museum while completing an MA from ODU in 1985. That program required developing the collection, organizing nationally recognized exhibitions with publications, cultivating patrons, fundraising, and community engagement. By the time I departed as Curator of Photography and 21st Century Art, the museum had achieved an international reputation for photography — the only area of art that Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. did not meaningfully include in his expansive collection.
In 2008, I joined Harmony Investments Inc./Harmony Hospitality Inc., where we develop hotels and multifamily housing projects from concept through completion, navigating zoning, infrastructure, financial feasibility, and marketing strategy. Although I retired in 2023, I continue to consult with Harmony on new developments.
Board Member - Catherine Kilduff
Catherine (Ware) Kilduff first moved to Ghent when she was six years old and is thrilled to have moved back as an adult. She lives in her childhood home with her husband, two children, dog and two cats. In the past Catherinehas served as Secretary of the GNL Board and participated in the GNL Flooding Committee's work. You may have met her in Stockley Gardens walking the family dog, a fluffy Siberian husky. She especially appreciates Ghent's walkability and is enthusiastic about increasing the tree canopy and other beautification efforts. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. She currently works to protect endangered ocean wildlife at a non-profit organization, the Center for Biological Diversity.
