It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Board Chair, colleague, philanthropist, and friend, Margaret Singleton.
Margaret was an active member of the DC community for over 20 years, and her contributions to both our organization and our region were truly invaluable.
Margaret most recently served as the Interim President and CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce, where she held various leadership positions over the span of 16 years. At the DC Chamber, Margaret was responsible for directing and strategically aligning the Chamber’s small business development strategy and workforce development initiatives. She provided leadership for the DC Chamber’s Business Resource Center, collaborating with community economic development partners in the Upper Georgia Avenue and Takoma, DC commercial corridors in the execution of small business assistance programs. Before this role, she was Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development for the DC Chamber where she was responsible for developing and implementing the Executive Leadership Development Program for high growth small companies and overseeing the Mentor Protégé Program for small to midsize information technology companies
Margaret was a graduate of Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master’s in Urban Studies. She was also a graduate of Leadership Greater Washington and the Regionalism Sustainable Development Fellows Program with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.
She first joined the board of Covenant House Greater Washington in May of 2015 where she served as Board Chair and as a member of the Special Events Committee.
Margaret had a deep and unending commitment to Covenant House Greater Washington. Even while hospitalized, Margaret maintained contact with the Special Events Committee and though she was unable to join us for our most recent Sleep Out Executive Edition this past November, she called with words of support and told us that her check was in the mail.
Margaret’s continued commitment to the young people at Covenant House Greater Washington was truly remarkable. She believed in our youth and their potential – she always saw the goodness and promise in each of their faces – and was a true advocate for the young people who have experienced homelessness and disconnection in our region.
Our community and the world would be better served by more leaders like Margaret – and we honor her and will never forget her tireless efforts to make the Greater Washington region a better place for all those who live here.