Staff

Co-Director – Mark Andersen – marka@wearefamilydc.org; 202-487-8698

Mark Andersen has worked with inner-city seniors in Washington, DC, since 1989, serving as Deputy Director for Outreach at Emmaus Services for the Aging until helping to found We Are Family in 2004. Mark has served on numerous Boards of Directors and currently serves on the DC FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board. He has a B.A. from Montana State University in Political Science and History (1983) and a M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (1986). Mark is also co-founder of Positive Force DC and the author of or contributor to numerous books. He has primary responsibility for recruiting and coordinating volunteers, including overseeing the grocery deliveries, senior visits, as well as the assembly and distribution of Thanksgiving baskets and holiday gifts. Mark is also responsible for our advocacy work, driving and maintaining our van, and managing other transportation resources – including We Are Family volunteers – to meet senior needs.

Co-Director – Tulin Ozdeger – tulino@wearefamilydc.org; 202-423-3858

Tulin Ozdeger has worked with low-income seniors in Washington, DC, since 2001, first as a volunteer with Emmaus Services for the Aging and We Are Family and then as a We Are Family Co-Director starting in 2008. From 2003 to mid-2011, Tulin also directed the Civil Rights Project at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. Prior to that, she was a staff attorney at Arnold & Porter, where she represented low-income women on matters related to public benefits, landlord/tenant, and tax issues as part of her pro bono practice. She has a B.S. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University, a J.D. from George Washington University Law School, and an L.L.M. in Elder Law and Estate Planning from Western New England University School of Law. She provides legal services to We Are Family seniors in the areas of Elder Law and Estate Planning. She also coordinates volunteers for grocery deliveries and oversees assembly and distribution of Thanksgiving and holiday gift deliveries. She also takes the lead in fundraising initiatives, maintains the financial records, and oversees administrative matters of the organization.

Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator – John Seager – johns@wearefamilydc.org; 202-321-9586

John Seager arrived in DC in 2002 and quickly became involved with punk activist collective Positive Force DC and the Brian MacKenzie Infoshop, an all-volunteer radical book & record store located in Shaw. Through Positive Force, he volunteered with Emmaus Services for the Aging and We Are Family, doing grocery deliveries to low-income seniors and developing a powerful, long-term friendship with an individual senior. In 2006 he co-founded Brighter Days Collective, perhaps the world’s first worker-owned pet care company, and worked as a full-time dog walker and pet sitter until 2022. He serves as Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator, building and sustaining one-on-one relationships between We Are Family seniors and volunteers, while also assisting with grocery bag preparation and delivery. He received his B.A. in English and music from Bates College and has played drums in a number of DC area bands.

Grocery Delivery Assistant – Sam Lavine – saml@wearefamilydc.org; 202-321-8401

Sam Lavine became more deeply engaged with his neighbors in need while working at The Potter’s House, a bookstore / coffee shop / community space in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. This experience led him to Erna’s House, an N Street Village Permanent Supportive Housing facility, where he was a Residential Advocate. He then served as a Homeless Outreach Specialist at Pathways to Housing D.C., providing case-management to individuals experiencing homelessness. He received his B.A. in Multimedia Art from American University, was Associate Producer on the documentary film, “Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement”, and works part-time at Dischord Records. He assists with the preparation and implementation of the We Are Family grocery delivery program.