Meet Our Staff
Jaclyn “Jackie” Spainhour serves as the President of the Cemetery. She is a writer, researcher, nonprofit professional, and special needs mom. She is an alumnus of Old Dominion University and sits on the Board of Directors for the Victorian Society in America. Her first book, Gilded Age Norfolk, Virginia: Tidewater Wealth, Industry, and Propriety was published in 2015 by the History Press. She serves as the chair of the VSA Book Awards Committee and the copy editor for the VSA’s peer-reviewed journal Nineteenth Century. A life-long lover of historic places, she spent over a decade on staff and as the Director of the Hunter House Victorian Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. Her second book, Museums and Millennials: Engaging the Coveted Patron Generation, was published in October 2019 through the American Association of State and Local History. She has given numerous presentations on the local and national level and her third book, A History Lover’s Guide to Norfolk, was published in 2021. In her spare time, she uses her voice as an advocate for the creation of a more inclusive world for people living with autism and other disabilities in honor of her son Declan. Away from the cemetery, you can find her digging her nose into the worn-out pages of old books, sipping a latte at a corner café, or brewing a fresh pot of tea to pour into her extensive teacup collection. She never misses a good British drama and is a huge fan of the show Supernatural. She would love to chat with you about your wishes for the cemetery- especially if you would like to become a future resident!
Anthony “AJ” Orlikoff, Director of Public Engagement, is a dedicated and passionate historian, educator, and writer. After graduating with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in History from Old Dominion University, A.J. worked at Hampton Roads Naval Museum as an Educator and at the National Museum of the United States Army as an Education Specialist- Lead before joining the staff at Historic Congressional Cemetery. He is the author of “The Navy’s City: Norfolk’s Military History” in A History Lover’s Guide to Norfolk and is a contributor to Washington History Magazine. He is extremely passionate and enthusiastic about all things history and is always eager to share the amazing stories of the past. He specializes in American military history, with a particular focus on the American Civil War and World War II. He enjoys reading, sports, cups of black coffee, and is an avid Disc Golf player. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife Raven and his cats Reina and Ringo.
In 2012, fresh out of Savannah College of Art and Design Historic Preservation graduate program, Margaret Canilang started her journey at Congressional Cemetery, but her love for cemeteries was already well-developed. She was fascinated with the conservation science in her classes, particularly the properties and characteristics of stone. Even more specifically, slate. And what better place to observe stone than in a cemetery? She was so enthralled, she wrote her Master’s thesis, “The Cemetery as a Cultural Institution: Reforming Preservation Initiatives in Garden Cemeteries through Management, Conservation, Outreach, and Protection.“ A very long paper recommending the implementation of museum practices to care for cemeteries. When she first started at the cemetery, she managed tasks associated with an active cemetery – funerals, site sales – and helped with conservation any chance she was able. When the Director of Conservation position opened in 2019, she jumped at the opportunity to conserve the site’s memorials.
Lily Buerkle was once tasked with writing her own funeral as a freshman in college many years ago and took the assignment a little too far. By the end of it, she had interviewed every mortician in the small South Georgia town and created her dream funeral, which is now lost on a floppy disk somewhere. She knows it included a gospel choir singing graveside and being buried in the ’73 Cadillac she was driving at the time. Lily ignored signs from the universe for a good 20 years (a Meyer-Briggs style test said that Funeral Director would be the perfect career for her, and she scoffed at the results.) Somewhere after having her two girls (now 9 and 11) and her last fundraising gig (Lily prefers death to fundraising), she started to listen. Lily has been in funeral service for 7 years now and she can’t imagine doing anything else. She is a licensed mortician in DC, Maryland, and Virginia and is absolutely thrilled to be the new Director of Site Sales and Funerals at her hands-down favorite cemetery in town. Lily hopes to bring the focus back on death at this almost-too-fun cemetery. She loves doing community engagement through death education, hanging with her husband, Eric, and alley-cat, Sweetie, jogging in Rock Creek Park, and playing Would-You-Rather with her girls, Rose and Mae.
Antonio Coghill is our Administration and Communications Coordinator.
Sarah La Rocca, Marketing and Events Coordinator, is an event manager and arts administrator from New York City. She has had roles in program development and special events with several arts organizations. She earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and was a National Endowment for the Humanities grant recipient to study Victorian art in London. She has also attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and the London College of Fashion. Sarah is passionate about the arts, history, and nature. She is honored to join the staff at the Historic Congressional Cemetery.
Leigh Pickering is our Horticulture and Grounds Manager. A passionate advocate for the natural world, Leigh is personally and professionally interested in landscape design, ecological restoration, environmental education/outreach and enhancement of traditionally maintained landscapes by incorporating more sustainable practices.
Leigh has extensive experience in the field of sustainability and ecological restoration. She has owned her own residential/commercial design and installation firm; taught Graduate level courses in landscape design and plant identification; managed a natives nursery; and engaged in a number of consulting and volunteer activities. Aside from her passion and commitment, Leigh’s core professional strength is her breadth of experience. This experience has prepared her to manage complex and evolving professional challenges. In addition, she has created a set of native plant flash cards and is familiar with the uses of herbs and essential oils. Leigh enjoys following political history and its historical context, including the history at Congressional Cemetery. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her 3 cats Reina, Joe, and George.
Dayle Dooley’s initial introduction to HCC was in the early 1980s while doing genealogical research on her family. The staff member with the longest tenure, Dayle has been a docent since 2007 and since retirement in 2009 has been Congressional Cemetery’s part-time Archivist. Family members buried here include great-great grandparents starting in 1872 as well as her husband’s family beginning in 1858.
Andrea McCants has been in charge of the Finances of Congressional Cemetery since July 2012, coming in once a week to handle the books. She enjoys running, the occasional glass of wine and spending time with her new granddaughter. Andrea and her husband live in Baltimore, MD.
Quentin Datcher is our Visitor Services Associate.
Kennedy Simpson is our Visitor Services Associate-Lead. This smiley guardian of the gate is a recent graduate of the George Washington University Museum Education program— a historian with a passion for sharing knowledge and making learning about the past accessible to everyone. This passion extends to illuminating the lives of the dearly departed and participating in the Death Positivity movement, supporting the reclamation of the dying and grieving process by individuals and their loved ones. In their free time, they do research on their favorite subject: Japanese Folklore, hoping to write a book someday. This often happens with a cup of tea and their precious pup, Vincent Price by their side, quietly enjoying some lo-fi jazz and soft blankets as they read a book found in a strange corner of a used bookstore.