The Genderson-McCallum household in Cleveland Park has drastically expanded since they moved in 2018.  With three daughters Maya (6), Lily (4), and Emma (3), all of whom were born within a three-year span, chaos is embraced, and every day “feels like a party.”

 

Alana Genderson, a mom and a partner at a global law firm specializing in workplace health and safety law, met her husband Dan McCallum in law school in 2007. They will celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary in August. Alana remembers being impressed by Dan’s quiet intelligence in class. Dan, a father and an attorney focusing on intellectual property and litigation, shares a similar appreciation for the blend of academic and practical challenges their profession offers. “Knowing the law is a given,” Dan stated. “The real challenge and the fun is being able to craft a strategy from there.”

 

Alana’s family’s roots are planted in the Washington, D.C. area. Her grandparents and parents grew up in the DMV, with her Grandpa Abe delivering newspapers in Dupont Circle as an eleven-year-old. Dan, originally from outside Cleveland, Ohio, felt a connection to D.C. through his father, who worked for NASA and visited the city frequently.

 

In 2018, the couple moved to Cleveland Park just before Maya was born, drawn by its balance of city amenities and a wooded feel. It also offered proximity to Bethesda, where Alana grew up and her parents still live, and a 15-minute commute to downtown D.C. They often start their day by "wagoning our girls to school,” Alana said, describing it as “an outrageously idyllic way to start each day as a family.”

 

Weekends are often spent at Cleveland Park Club, a short walk or wagon ride from their home, burning off the girls’ energy. The family enjoys revisiting restaurants in their former Dupont/Logan Circle neighborhood and old favorites like The Red Hen and 2 Amy’s. At home, British television is a shared obsession. Dan, a dedicated fan of all Cleveland and Ohio sports, jokes that the neighborhood’s name was a deciding factor in choosing their home.

 

Despite the energetic pace of their lives, Dan and Alana prioritize family. “We are often surrounded by (or at least Facetiming with) our nieces, nephews, parents, and siblings, and aunts and uncles,” Alana said. This extended family includes her cousins and uncle who work at Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, a business founded by Alana’s great-grandparents and grandparents in 1949.

 

Amidst the “chaos,” Alana expressed gratitude for the joy and adventure in their “madness.” For the Genderson-McCallum family, this blend of professional drive and family devotion defines their active lives.