By Kathleen McSweeney

San Diego native Tabitha Ricketts moved around a lot growing up, which for a child of a Navy dad wasn’t unusual. After graduating from Notre Dame, she took a job as a tech consultant which gave her a list of cities to choose from. With a preference for living on the East Coast, she selected the Washington, D.C. area as her new home. 

She rented in Rosslyn and Courthouse for the first few years. Her younger sister moved to the area when she became a Federal employee and rented a house in Lyon Park. During one of Tabitha’s first visits to Lyon Park, she met Paul Showalter, who invited her to a Danville Street block party. Drawn by the sense of community in Lyon Park and wanting to be nearer her sister, she began renting in Bedford Park. She attended a Woman’s Club lunch and volunteered to help. “I figured I can bake cupcakes—it wasn’t a scary commitment.” She heard that assistance was needed for the Halloween bonfire and has coordinated it for the past two years. Next, when she learned there were openings on the LPCA Board, she volunteered and was elected to represent our community on the Arlington Neighborhood Advisory Committee (ArNAC) and as a representative to the Board of Governors. In 2023, she saw a listserv post from a departing neighbor and is now a Lyon Park homeowner.

Tabitha has enjoyed playing a role in continuing our treasured community traditions. Lyon Park is a perfect blend of big city amenities (for instance, she appreciates the availability of good take-out food options) with a small-town feel. She spoke a bit about her work on the ArNAC, and in the two years she has served has seen a shuffling in County staff working with the committee. She observed that new staff brings new leadership, varied experiences, and fresh perspectives—all positive changes in Tabitha’s view. The ArNAC representatives have been discussing a more equitable point system and prioritization process for project approvals. They look forward to reviewing more art and beautification projects for neighborhoods, along with the more traditional streetlight, signage, and sidewalk fixes which have been staples of neighborhood conservation projects. In this month’s article about the LPCA Neighborhood Tabitha invites neighbors to contact her about priorities and ideas for projects. Although Tabitha has not lived here long, she has emerged as a generous volunteer and leader in our community.