Bio of Alice Starr

Alice Starr has earned accolades nationwide for her wealth of experience in business, public service and charitable leadership. Mrs. Starr formed Starr Strategies in 2005 to help nonprofit organizations and start-up companies strategize on public relations, marketing and fundraising goals. She has more than 30 years of experience working with businesses to strengthen their visibility and reputation, and she has raised millions of dollars for nonprofits through unique events and strategic marketing campaigns.

For 16 years, Mrs. Starr was a vice president of WEST*GROUP, the largest commercial real estate firm located in Tysons Corner, Va. In addition, Mrs. Starr administered all of WEST*GROUP's charitable and political contributions and actively participated on many community boards. Prior to WEST*GROUP, Mrs. Starr worked as director of consumer affairs for NVR, a large national home builder and as vice president for business and community services at the Washington Airports Task Force.

Mrs. Starr presently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Cardinal Financial Corp., headquartered in McLean, Va. She also serves as a director and on the Executive Committee of Walnut Springs Inc. and is a former director of EnviroSystems Inc., a nano-technology company headquartered in San Jose, Calif. In addition, Mrs. Starr serves on the Advisory Boards of Base Technologies Inc., Childhelp USA, SongFest, The Fairfax County Public Library Foundation and Mount Vernon, and she is a long-time director of the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, McLean Project for the Arts, and Medical Care for Children Partnership. She also is a member of "The President's Campaign Cabinet" at Pepperdine University and is co-chair of Women Corporate Directors - SoCal. Along with her husband, she serves as co-chair of the capital campaign of Jill's House, an integrated auxiliary of McLean Bible Church serving children with special needs in the Greater Washington, D.C., area.

Mrs. Starr served five years on the Advisory Boards of Omniplex World Services Inc. and the Junior League of Northern Virginia. She also served as president of the Corporate Community Relations Council of Northern Virginia, chair of the Fairfax County Public Library Foundation Inc., president of Volunteer Fairfax, president of McLean Project for the Arts, and as president of the McLean Chamber of Commerce, increasing membership by more than 400 percent. She is a former vice president of the Committee for Dulles, former president of Malibu/Bel Air Republican Women Federated and former trustee and president of the WEST*LYNCH Foundation. She also served as a director of the American Red Cross for the National Capital Region and a five-year term as a commissioner on the Virginia Commission for the Arts. She was a trustee of the Potomac School in McLean, and for many years volunteered with Access Ministries, a program which helps families who have children with severe disabilities.

Mrs. Starr has received numerous honors, including "Outstanding Business Citizen of the Year Award" and "McLean Citizen of the Year." Upon her retirement from WEST*GROUP, both the Virginia General Assembly and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed resolutions, each commending Mrs. Starr for her "outstanding service, dedication and contribution" to Fairfax County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Mrs. Starr has a B.A. degree in psychology from Skidmore College and a masters degree in education from the University of Miami. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She and her husband Ken have three children and four grandchildren.