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Hi Team,
On behalf of Interim Director Shirley Kwan-Hui and all of us here at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), we thank you for increasing our ability to better serve DLCP customers.
In order to empower our staff to adequately meet the needs of those we serve, we prioritize recruiting, hiring, retaining, and developing our team.
Thank you for your contribution in serving the residents and businesses of the District.
We are glad that you are here.
Marchelle Harris|Account Manager
Marchelle Harris has taken on a new role as an account manager on the customer service team. Marchelle has extensive experience as a Program Support Specialist for the Business Licensing Division, the Office of the Director, and Customer Service and Outreach Services at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).
She has over thirty years of experience as a public servant with the District of Columbia, DCRA, and fourteen of those years with the Business Licensing Division. Her overall years of employment extend in municipal government, federal agencies, and the private sector. She has served as a panelist for the District of Columbia Bar: Continuing Legal Education Program and was a recipient of the Delta Epsilon monetary Scholarship Book Fund. Marchelle graduated from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, and with two minors: American History and African American History.
Marchelle enjoys the arts, international travel, and watching the clouds for figurine shapes.
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Christopher D. Johnson Sr.|Program Manager
Christopher D. Johnson, Sr. has taken on a new role as a program manager with the Consumer Protection Unit. Prior to working at DLCP, Christopher was an investigator for The United States Department of Homeland Security, The Office of the Attorney General, and was a police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department.
Christopher was born and raised in New York City and relocated to the District in 2007 after leaving the United States Navy after ten years of service.
He enjoys spending time with his large immediate family, riding motorcycles, working on cars, and working on house projects.
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Melanie Konstantopouls|Interim General Counsel
Melanie Konstantopouls is now the Interim General Counsel at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. She has served as the Deputy General Counsel for DLCP, and its predecessor the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, since joining in March 2020.
Prior to joining the District government, she worked as a trial attorney in civil litigation and has done civil litigation for approximately thirteen years. Melanie graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at The George Washington University.
Melanie was born and raised in Montgomery county, Maryland; lives in the District with her husband; and loves visiting the zoo with her daughter.
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Shakira Richardson|Program Manager
Shakira Richardson was recently promoted to the program manager role for the Consumer Protection Unit. She has a ten-year career in District government. Soon, she will celebrate her four-year anniversary with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, formerly the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), where she worked as an investigator with the Consumer Protection Unit.
Shakira was the lead investigator with the District’s Department of Health Animal Services Program, an investigator for the District’s Board of Veterinary Medicine, an agency representative at the Mayor’s Special Events Task Group, and served as a Freedom of Information Act Officer
with the District’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Shakira graduated from The George Washington University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Sociology, with a minor in Art History. She is a proud Washingtonian and enjoys nature hikes with her dogs, cultivating her houseplants, gardening, and spending time with her parents and siblings.
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Marsita Bryant|Support Services Manager
Marsita Bryant joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as the Support Services Manager. Before joining DLCP, Marsita worked as a support services specialist at the Department of Buildings, formally known as the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
She also was a contractor specializing in scanning and data entry. Marsita was born and raised in the DMV area; she enjoys spending time with family, dancing, and listening to old-school R&B music.
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Elspeth Callahan|Policy Analyst
Elspeth Callahan joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as a policy analyst on the Legislative Affairs team with over ten years of experience in policy research, and small business management.
Elspeth is originally from North Carolina, where she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History. She enjoys cooking, walking the dog, and volunteering for cleanup events.
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Paul Caswell|Account Manager
Paul Caswell joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as an account manager on the customer service team. He has thirty plus years in the hospitality industry in leadership roles from several restaurant concepts and hotels in New Hampshire, Florida, New York City, Southern California, and Maryland.
Paul worked for notable restaurateurs Paul Fleming and Tilman Fertitta. In fact, he operated their restaurants in the Southern California locations of Malibu and Westlake Village. He also worked at his family-owned restaurants in New York City and California, two of which were highly-rated in The Zagat Guide for fine-dining Italian restaurants in New York City.
Paul graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire. Paul is from New York City and is a Yankee sporta fanatic. He enjoys spending time with friends, cooking, exercising, playing golf, and traveling.
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Anisah Crosby|Program Manager
Anisah Crosby is returning to District government as a program manager with the Enforcement Unit. Anisah served as the special events & vending manager for the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.
She graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from North Carolina A&T State University (Aggie Pride!) Anisah is a proud DC resident.
Anisah is excited about returning to serve District residents -like herself- and reconnecting with her colleagues.
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Beau Finley|Chief Enforcement Officer
Beau Finley joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as the Chief Enforcement Officer leading the Enforcement Division. He has experience in investigations and consumer protection as an Attorney for the Federal Communications Commission. Earlier in his career, he served in The United States Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General investigating supplier-owned joint ventures, and analyzing capital budgets for fraud, waste, and abuse.
Beau earned a Juris Doctor at Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at the University of Maryland. He enjoys playing soccer, watching the NBA, and photography.
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Lawrence Holland| Investigator
Lawrence Holland joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as an investigator within the Consumer Protection Unit. Lawrence has over twenty years of law enforcement and investigative experience from the Metropolitan Police Department, DC Department of Health, and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.
Lawrence attended Virginia State University where he majored in English and Minored in Mass Communication. Lawrence is originally from Washington DC. He enjoys good music and spending time with his family--especially his two grandsons.
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Vanessa Ingram| Training Specialist
Vanessa Ingram joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as the training specialist with over twenty years of experience in training facilitation, management, and program development. Vanessa has previously worked in both the private sector/non-profits and government.
Over the past decade, she has worked as the lead training facilitator for The Department of Employment Services providing training to staff, District of Columbia residents, and partner agencies in both groups. She believes in being an example of excellence and strives to bring the best out of colleagues through her knowledge, skill, and passion for providing excellence in customer service.
Vanessa is a native of Washington DC and looks forward to being an asset to the agency and to DC residents. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
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Minhye Kim|Data Scientist
Minhye Kim joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as a data scientist. In her new role, Minyhe will be working on performance management, data integrity, and advanced analytics. She recently earned her Master of Business Administration degree with a focus in Business Analytics at the George Washington University.
Originally from South Korea, she has many years of global working experience in both the private sector and not-for-profit realms.
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Jemeisha Lyde|Public Affairs Specialist
Jemeisha Lyde joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as a public affairs specialist. She was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina where she found her passion for working in media.
Prior to joining DLCP, Jemeisha worked at The U.S. Department of Transportation. There, she helped with production aspects supporting the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. She also worked four years as a reporter at television stations across the Southeast and Midwest.
Jemeisha earned a Master of Arts Degree in New Media Journalism at Full Sail University; she is also a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Arts. In her spare time, she enjoys dining at restaurants, shopping, and volunteering at the humane society.
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Aimellia Siemson|Supervisory Legislative and Public Affairs Officer
Aimellia Siemson joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection with great experience in legislative and policy development at the DC Council. Aimellia will serve as the Supervisory Legislative and Public Affairs Officer where she will lead the legislative affairs team.
She has over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors, including legal practice, business, and academia.
Aimellia earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the District of Columbia, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics from California State University in Fresno.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, experiencing authentic foods, and learning different cultures and languages.
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Thomas Wilson| Public Affairs Specialist
Thomas Wilson joins the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection as a Public Affairs Specialist.
Thomas has fifteen-plus years of experience in public policy and marketing helping the public and private sector. Prior to working at DLCP, he operated a digital marketing agency providing marketing and creative services for various private sector small businesses nationwide. As a research fellow at DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and DC based think tank, Thomas authored an annual DC state of the economy report, and worked with various local advocacy groups. He has also worked on various local political campaigns.
Thomas graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Government and Politics, with a minor in African-American Studies from the University of Maryland in College Park. He is also a 2023 candidate for master's in public administration from the University of Baltimore.
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It is important to be clear as to our roles when interacting with our customers. Additionally, our email signature establishes and reinforces who we are as an agency. By creating a cohesive email signature for each employee, we’ve created brand recognition in every email we send.
Please follow the steps to set up your email signature in the Setting Up Your Computers and Mobile Devices Guide.
Additionally, staff should upload their headshot as their profile picture in all DLCP and District Government portals and systems such as PeopleSoft, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft 365, Outlook, etc. If you require assistance uploading your photo, please reach out to the Office of Information Systems (OIS) Helpdesk at helpdesk4@dc.gov.
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