Dr. Matthew Franke is Master Instructor of Music History at Howard University. He has a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound. His main research area is French and Italian opera in the long nineteenth century, particularly Massenet, Puccini, Mascagni, and Bizet. But he also has strong interests in global music and the role of music in creating a sense of nationalism.

Robert (“Bob”) Oliver is a partner at WardChisholm, LLP. His practice focuses on estate planning, estate and trust administration, and elder law. After 12 years as a trusts and estates attorney, Bob is able to anticipate legal issues which may arise after a client’s death and brings both technical and practical solutions to those issues before they arise. He is a member of both the Virginia State Bar and the Maryland State Bar.
Bob leads WardChisholm, LLP’s Trust and Estate Administration Department. He takes great satisfaction in working with his clients and his clients’ families to navigate the legal and practical issues arising after a loved one’s death. Bob’s broad experience as a trust and estate administration attorney allows him to navigate complex trust and estate administration issues while being able to clearly explain those issues, and the solutions to those issues, in an understandable way.
As an Elder Law attorney, Bob understands that seniors face complex legal concerns that often differ from what they faced when they were younger. He works with his clients to preserve their assets and avoid spousal impoverishment when a spouse enters a nursing home. He uses a holistic approach to legal advice by taking into consideration the key issues that face seniors, including, but not limited to, housing, financial well-being, health and long-term care, autonomy, and quality of life.

Jeanne Braha is Executive Director of the Rock Creek Conservancy, based in Bethesda. Jeanne holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Bryn Mawr College. She joined the Conservancy in 2018 after several years serving as Director of Foundation Relations for the Student Conservation Association. She has appeared several times on Carla Satinsky’s cable television show, “Montgomery Week in Review.” The Conservancy sponsors the annual Rock Creek Extreme Cleanup, which our club has participated in for nearly a decade.