Lisa Helfert Photography

08/08/2025

Great story written by Jane on Cancer Survivorship research initiatives studies at Georgetown University. A child's journey through cancer continues even after they beat it. Such a pleasure to meet this family. https://today.advancement.georgetown.edu/health-magazine/2025/a-better-journey/

01/06/2025

Another Bethesda Women Inspire post just in time for the kids to go back to School.

Rosario "Paola" Celasquez, Principal Jackson Road Elementary

"It’s been five years since Velasquez, 44, took over the reins of Jackson Road Elementary School in Silver Spring’s White Oak neighborhood. It’s a Title 1 school with a minority population of more than 95%, where more than 75% of the students qualify for free meals. She started in the role only months before the pandemic hit. Since she’s been at the helm, the school rose from a 3-star rating to a 4-star, according to the Maryland State Department of Education, making it one of only four Title 1 elementary schools in the county (out of 40, according to Velasquez) to earn a 4-star rating for the 2022-23 school year, the most current rating year available. “Many schools throughout the state decreased a star, but we increased,” she says.

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10/02/2024

Another inspiring woman from Bethesda Magazine! The Newsroom and Marissa were more than nice about me popping into their workspace. Fun to see.

"Marissa Mitchell knew at the age of 9 that she wanted to be a journalist. “Unlike other kids that age, I didn’t run home and watch cartoons. I watched my local news and The Oprah Winfrey Show,” she says. “I wanted to be just like those women on television who delivered information that mattered.”

Today the four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist is FOX 5 DC’s main morning anchor and co-host of the news and lifestyle show Good Day DC. She’s also one of the most altruistic on-air personalities in the Washington, D.C., area, donating hundreds of her off-duty hours to charitable causes, from women’s empowerment to raising awareness for missing Black youths “who don’t get the on-air coverage that they deserve,” she says.

Over the course of her career, she’s covered events from the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march on Selma to the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington. She has interviewed celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Clint Eastwood to wellness guru Deepak Chopra. Many of her stories have earned national recognition, including her celebrity-filled tribute to the late “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, which earned her a Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. She’s also been inducted into Emory’s Hall of Fame, and its 40 Under 40, which “celebrates young alumni who represent the very best in achievement and service,” according to the university.

The stories that mean the most to her, though, are those that show how regular people can inspire others, she says. This summer she won a Capital Emmy award for a discussion series she produced and hosted on mental health awareness, and earlier this year she introduced the weekly Fox 5 feature Motivation with Marissa, where she profiles local women who have overcome tremendous odds. She brought the idea to fruition “in hopes that [their] stories will inspire and empower others,” she says. “To develop trust and to be effective, you have to be a part of the community that you report on, and you should want to be.”

To read the article:
https://moco360.media/2024/08/28/2024-women-who-inspire/

09/19/2024

Another inspiring woman - Rev. Anne Derse a deacon at St. John’s Norwood Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase and former State Department leader.

"Anne Derse has also been the impetus for projects helping asylum-seeking families from Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East settle in the county and for establishing Nourishing Bethesda, a food distribution nonprofit that feeds nearly 5,000 people each month."

Prior to becoming a deacon, "Derse was a U.S. diplomat and Foreign Service officer. She served as ambassador to Azerbaijan under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and ambassador to Lithuania under President Obama. During her tenure in that Baltic nation, she was instrumental in encouraging the Lithuanian government to criminalize domestic violence against women, promoting LGBTQ+ and other human rights issues, and lobbying the political leadership to address the tragic legacy of the Holocaust in Lithuania."

"Largely due to her efforts, Lithuania passed a historic restitution bill, awarding millions of dollars for Jewish property that had been seized by the N**i government in Lithuania. It was only the third European country, after Germany and Austria, to pass such a bill. A “door is opening, and an awareness is gradually replacing ignorance,” she told a Lithuanian news outlet at the time."

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09/11/2024

Meet Simona Cabana another inspiring woman featured in Bethesda Magazine this month.

Cabana is president and CEO of a local coffee and restaurant empire. She’s grown Java Nation to include four locations—in North Bethesda, Kensington, Silver Spring and Gaithersburg—plus a commissary in North Bethesda and a roastery in Frederick.

Her staff numbers more than 130, she says, and includes both an executive chef and a pastry chef who create an extensive menu of cocktails, salads, entrees, desserts and breakfast pastries that are trucked daily to each restaurant. This year, she says, Java Nation sales are expected to exceed $10 million.

Many of Cabana’s original employees have moved into leadership roles. A few had ties to small coffee farms in their home countries, and Java Nation, with Cabana at the helm, has provided equipment so these farms can grow the high-end beans used in Java Nation’s specialty brews. The company has even supported the villages where they are located, Cabana says, donating funds to one town after it was hit by landslides, and computers and uniforms to local orphanages.

And the food is yummy!!!

Read more about her in the article
https://moco360.media/2024/08/28/2024-women-who-inspire/

09/05/2024

I will be posting photographs of six women featured in the Women Inspire article in Bethesda Magazine over the next two months. The first woman Cynthia Bryant who became legally blind in her 40's. She "encourages people not to focus so much on what they see with their eyes; it can drive people apart. Instead, she says it’s important to consider where others are coming from and, figuratively, to walk in their shoes. “The only way to master the story,” she says, “is to get back to interaction through our other senses.”

There is so much more to say about Cynthia and the gifts she brings to the community. She really touched me with her kindness. And her dog was pretty cool! Check out the article https://moco360.media/2024/08/28/2024-women-who-inspire/

08/29/2024

Bob Schieffer is as nice, smart and charming as he appears on TV. Not only is he a Emmy Award winner for news reporting but he also had a solo painting show at AU last spring. I had a wonderful chance to photograph him for an article about his new talents for the TCU alumni magazine.

Here is the article :

https://magazine.tcu.edu/summer-2024/bob-schieffer-cbs-face-nation-vietnam-kennedy/

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05/04/2024

Fun shoot at the Sienna School for Bethesda Magazine & Bethesda Beat

The Siena School 301-244-3600 TheSienaSchool.org The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with language-based learning differences on campuses in Silver Spring, MD. (grades five through 12) and Oakton, VA. (grades three through 11).  Beginnin...

03/14/2024

I had the honor to photograph Anthony Fauci and his wife Christine Grady for Georgetown Today last fall. The story by my fav writer talks about their commitment to public health and service. Dr. Fauci has joined the faculty at Georgetown. check it out https://today.advancement.georgetown.edu/health-magazine/2024/a-partnership-for-good/

My mother worked for Fauci at NIH during the AIDS crisis and also talked about his stellar decision making during crisis. So proud of our DC science community!!

01/25/2024

NIce to photograph Carlo Mahfouz for his book jacket. He sends out an insightful weekly emails on innovation, leadership and awareness. Lots of good stuff to ponder. Sometimes even a poem! Here is his website site : https://www.realitycheck.institute/newsletter