Meet the Board
Donna Martin
Immediate Past President
Houston, Texas
Donna has been involved, coordinating “The Holiday Project” in Houston, Texas and surrounding areas, through Volunteer Houston, since Christmas of 2002. In 2007 she was invited to be on The Holiday Project’s National Board.
Donna is retired from her career, as an activity director and community liaison, but continues her passion for connecting volunteers to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, to enhance the lives of the residents and the volunteers. Two of her favorite sayings are, “To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world” and “For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through, The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.” John Greenleaf Whittier
The Holiday Project brings Donna much JOY! She invites everyone to volunteer and experience the joy of volunteering and to spread joy through The Holiday Project!
Soren Trimble
Youth Coordinator
Soren Trimble is a junior at West Springfield High School in Springfield, VA. She has been volunteering with the Holiday Project since literally before she can remember. Making holiday cards to give out during her visits has become such a tradition that she now has her own trademark; if you see a card with "Made in the USA" on the back above an American flag with an inaccurate number of stripes, chances are she made it. Over her long tenure with the Holiday Project, Soren's cardmaking skills have evolved slightly beyond her early work, but she is most proud of the improvement in her people skills. When she was younger, all she had to do was give out cards and a few hugs. Now, she has the responsibility and pleasure of striking up conversations with residents. She has come to realize her time is more valuable than any gift, but that most people still appreciate a festive card. Currently, Soren is continuing as a volunteer and and encouraging other young people to participate by making cards and visits in her role as Youth Coordinator.
Paula Trimble
Treasurer
Paula Trimble is the Treasurer for The Holiday Project and has been a volunteer with the organization for several years. She and her daughter have participated in holiday visits and have helped organize visits with residents of nursing facilities and rehabilitation centers.
Paula is the Chief of Policy and Director of Small Business Programs at the Space Development Agency in the U.S. Department of Defense. The Space Development Agency (SDA) is building a space-based architecture to provide advanced missile tracking and targeting to meet the needs of the joint warfighter. At SDA, Paula is driving policy solutions to reduce barriers in the acquisition process and enable small businesses and start-ups to work more easily with the federal government.
Paula has always been attracted to disruptive organizations at the nexus of policy and technology. She started her career in the Washington, DC-area as a reporter at Space News and Federal Computer Week. She served in the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Space Commercialization, helping promote the expansion of commercial markets for GPS, satellite communications, and satellite imagery. Following that, she served at the Office of Commercial Space Transportation in the Federal Aviation Administration, helping shepherd a new reusable launch sector, and supporting the agency during the historic 2004 SpaceShipOne X-Prize flights. Paula spent more than eight years overseeing prototyping and experimentation efforts in the DoD’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office and most recently was Senior Principal at Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, leading the lobbying firm’s national security practice in support of university researchers, scientific societies, and national research institutes.
Paula and her teenage daughter live in Springfield, VA, where she seems to collect hobbies. When she’s not cycling, running, or practicing yoga, she’s a wine hobbyist and foodie always ready with a wine or restaurant recommendation. In her spare time, Paula chairs the judging committee for the annual Gerald R. Ford Prize for Reporting on National Defense and serves as the Communications Director on the Board of the Information Professionals Association, a professional organization that promotes cognitive security.