Meet The Team

Paula Manion, Founder and Chair

Paula Manion is the Founder and Chair of City Center NOVA, and also serves the community as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Primary Mental Health Care Specialist at Children’s Medical Associates of Northern VA. Paula has over 25 years experience caring for children from birth through age 22 with a special focus on advocacy and care of children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and mental health issues. She is a strong passionate leader for this mission to create affordable, inclusive communities and meaningful lives for adults with disabilities in Northern Virginia. She is married to Joe Manion, the president of City Center NOVA, a vital support to the mission. She and her husband have 3 children. Their oldest son Michael is an adult with autism, who continues to experience daily challenges and barriers as an adult with a disability. She is also a board member for the Northern Virginia Pediatric Society.

Larysa Kautz, Legal Committee Chair

Larysa Kautz has served as Director to the City Center NOVA Board since March 2019, and serves on the Corporation’s Legal Committee. Ms. Kautz also supports the Melwood nonprofit organization for individuals with differing abilities as Chief of Staff and General Counsel, supervising all departments working behind the scenes to execute Melwood’s strategic goals, challenges, and day-to-day issues. Ms. Kautz has more than 15 years of experience in law, corporate governance, risk management, government relations, and communications.

Denise Garcia, Legal Committee Co-Chair

Denise Garcia, Lawyer, DGG Consulting, LLC, and Management Consulting Board of Directors, Legal Committee Co-Chair.
Denise Garcia has served as a Director to the City Center NOVA Board since March 2019 and serves on the legal and strategic planning committee. Denise is an attorney in private practice representing emerging and mid-stage businesses, including startups and nonprofits, by providing daily operational support and guidance regarding corporate law, transactional, technology, healthcare and regulatory law. She is also the mother of four, including twins with neurodiverse abilities.

Jacqui Winters, Strategic Planning Committee Chair

Jacqui Winters is a Principal at Deloitte Consulting. She and her husband, David have two sons – Henry and Luther. Henry was identified as autistic at the age of four, after he started preschool and it was noticed that his communication and social skills were less developed than the other children his age. Since that time, Ms. Winters has been active in school advocacy and supporting her kids to be included in classroom and extracurricular activities. Both of her boys are very active in theatre and music, including school musicals and a local rock band. Jacqui has been a management consultant since 2001, serving clients in the Government. Prior to her experience in consulting, Ms. Winters led non-profit management for a healthcare services provider in rural Northwest Colorado.At Deloitte, Jacqui leads Deloitte’s Change Strategy & Analytics practice where she helps leaders to systematically influence their organization to perform better and to achieve their goals. She has a B.A. in English from Lenoir-Rhyne College and an M.B.A. from the College of William and Mary.

Maureen Waters, Director

Maureen Waters joined the Board of Directors in June 2019 and is focusing on management and marketing. Maureen’s interest in affordable and accessible housing dates back to when she worked at Habitat for Humanity International headquarters in Georgia, where she also met her husband Tom. Maureen and Tom have three children, including their daughter who is legally blind and has disabilities, but loves to be independent. Maureen brings with her 21 years of experience working in Marketing at Verizon, as well as years of experience volunteering with her kids’ schools, little league, and college alumni organization. Maureen has an undergraduate degree from Duke University, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bruce Finland, Director

Bruce Finland joined the Board of Directors in June 2019, focusing on the development of affordable and accessible housing for City Center NOVA. As Managing Director of MED Developers, Bruce has been directly responsible for the development and operation of over 1,000 units serving low income and special needs families in Washington, DC. Bruce and his wife Glen reside in McLean, where they raised their three sons, the youngest of whom is on the Autism spectrum. Glen is the author of “Next Stop”, which chronicles the Finland family’s experiences in helping their son achieve independence. Both Bruce and Glen are graduates of the University of Georgia.

Joe Manion, Co-Founder and President

Joe Manion serves as the President of City Center NOVA after assisting Paula Manion in the corporation’s founding and transition into a corporation. As the father of Michael, an adult with autism, he is committed to finding permanent solutions to improve quality of life of individuals with a disability, and in particular seeks to gain public understanding on how disabilities are perceived. Joe works as a freelance writer after retiring from active duty in the US Air Force and then serving as a Senior Defense Contractor at the Pentagon. His previous experience includes military aviation, representing the USAF on major Defense acquisition programs, and interfacing with the militaries of other nations to further US national security objectives.

Mark Lowe, Treasurer

Mark Lowe serves as Treasurer for City Center NOVA and is a member of the corporation’s Financial Committee. Mark is also Vice President of Gas Supply and Engineering for Washington Gas and an active member of the American Gas Association and the Southern Gas Association. Sixteen years ago, Mark and his wife Julie adopted Matt from Russia and shortly after returning home determined he was intellectually disabled and socially challenged. Now a wonderful young adult, Matt continues to be challenged by many of life’s routine, and struggles to develop those relationships essential to a full and happy life. Mark and Julie are focused creating homes and safe, inclusive communities for Matt and his peers to live independently. Mark holds degrees in Geological Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, an MBA from Pepperdine University and is a Registered Professional Engineer.

Kris McHarg, Secretary

Kris McHarg is a retired Navy Nurse, who has been working as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for over 20 years. She is an active member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and is a Past President of the Virginia Chapter. She was also a board member and President of the Washington-Tokyo Women’s Club. After living in multiple states, Guam and Japan, she and her husband, Rick, settled in Fairfax Station, VA. They have 2 children and one grandson who also live in the DC area and will welcome twin grandbabies in the spring. They also have a 10 year old Golden Retriever. She enjoys being a grandma, boating, traveling, reading, scrapbooking, and Jazzercize!