the 2019 POWER 100
C hecks & Balances: Women in the House An exclusive excerpt from Terence Ward’s ‘The Wahhabi Code’ Journalist Susan Page’s intimate look at Barbara Bush in ‘The Matriarch’ Power moms reveal their secrets to success • Unique Mother’s Day gifts Workouts that pack a punch • Inside the house where Jackie met JFK
56
38 64
'328)287 M AY 2 0 1 9
67
EDITOR'S LETTER
FEATURES
BOOK PARTIES
THE POWER
Politics, history, journalism and finance ....................
Those with the most influence on Washington ...........
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT " POWER MOMS Katie Beirne Fallon, Kimberly Johnson, The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Nicole Ehrhardt and Guiomar Barbi .......................... Extremism Globally" by Terence Ward .....................
FYIDC
LIFESTYLES
SOCIAL CALENDAR ................................... THE DISH Métier ............................................ HEELS ON THE GROUND ........................
FASHION Honest Forms ..................................
POWER TRENDS Bossy suits ......................... Workouts for Overachievers ................................... Fresh men's accessories for spring ............................ MOTHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE The next best thing to having well-behaved children ... ECO-FASHION Marci Zaroff ........................... Socially Concious Fashion: Rebecca Ballard ..............
LIFE OF THE PARTY Children's Ball ................................................... National Museum of Women in the Arts Gala .......... Chance For Life.................................................. Great Gatsby: Life's a Picnic .................................
POLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD ON THE POTOMAC GRAMMYs on the Hill awards ............................ USO Gala ........................................................ Kennedy Center Spring Gala ................................
EMBASSY ROW Diplomatic Tangle .................. Orchestra of the Americas Gala .............................. Norooz on the Hill.............................................. Women Making History Awards ............................ Catholic Charities Gala .......................................
14
WASHINGTON SOCIAL DIARY OVER THE MOON Beautiful machines..............
Alliance Francaise 70th Anniversary .......................... VIP Exotic Car & Luxury Lifestyle Reception............. Tiffany & Co. Opening........................................ Embassy Chef Challenge........................................ Regeneron Science Talent Search ................................ Punjab Grill Opening ........................................... Last Empresses of China ...................................... Umbrella 14 ....................................................... Parties, Parties, Parties! ...........................................
12 HOME LIFE INSIDE HOMES Scott Stewart's Camelot ............. OPEN HOUSE ...............................................
REAL ESTATE NEWS ................................... MY WASHINGTON Susan Page .......................
TOP FROM LEFT: FASHION Photo by Joi Lynn Jackson and Donovan Gerald; Nicole Ehrhardt and sons (Photo by Tony Powell), Venus et Fleur, gifts for Mother's Day (Courtesy Photo); Metier dish (Courtesy Photo); The String Queens will perform at the DC Jazz Fest (Courtesy Photo).
4
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
T H E I N S I D E R’S G U I D E TO P OW E R , P H I L A N T H R O PY, A N D SO C I E T Y S I N C E 1 9 9 1
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Nancy Reynolds Bagley EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Virginia Coyne SENIOR EDITOR
Kevin Chaffee MANAGING EDITOR
Catherine Trifiletti ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Dara Klatt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Roland Flamini COLUMNISTS AND CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
WASHINGTON LIFE PHOTOS AVAI BLE FOR PURCHASE!
Janet Donovan, Steve Houk,Vicky Moon, Stacey Grazier Pfarr and Donna Shor ART DIRECTOR
Matt Rippetoe PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Tony Powell CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Joy Asico, Ben Droz, Alfredo Flores, Larry French, Naku Mayo,Kyle Samperton, Erin Schaff, Jay Snap, Amanda Warden and Brian Wilson
PUBLISHER & CEO
Soroush Richard Shehabi SALES AND MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE
John Arundel BOOKKEEPER
Tomeka Tolson
Visit www.washingtonlife.com and click on “photos” to download your favorite picture ... or buy a print, T-shirt, canvas painting, and more! Hundreds of photos from events are available online.
WEB TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT
Eddie Saleh,Triposs Mihail Iliev LEGAL
Mason Hammond Drake, Akerman, LLP EDITORIAL INTERNS
Lauryn Cantrell, Max Harwood, Kaitlyn Hopkins and Georgia Slater
WASHINGTON LIFE’S WEBSITE IS THE ONLY P CE YOU CAN PURCHASE PROFESSIONALLY SHOT PHOTOS FROM THE CITY’S EXCLUSIVE A-LIST EVENTS.
FOUNDER
Vicki Bagley CREATIVE DIRECTOR EMERITUS (*)
J.C. Suarès CHAIRMAN, EXECUTIVE BOARD
Gerry Byrne Washington Life magazine publishes ten times a year. Issues are distributed in February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, November, and December and are hand-delivered on a rotating basis to over 150,000 homes throughout D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland. Additional copies are available at various upscale retailers, hotels, select newstands, and Whole Foods stores in the area. For a complete listing, please consult our website at www.washingtonlife.com. You can also subscribe online at www.washingtonlife.com or send a check for $79.95 (one year) to: Washington Life Magazine, 2301 Tracy Place NW, Washington D.C., 20008. BPA audited. Email us at info@washingtonlife.com with press releases, tips, and editorial comments. Copyright ©2011 by Washington Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content or photos in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States. We will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. *deceased
EDITOR’S LETTER
P
A SURGE OF POWER
ower in Washington, D.C. has something that no other city in the world can surpass. It’s built into the city’s DNA. It oozes through smiles, handshakes, and yes, tweets. But power can be ephemeral, subject to turbulent head winds. The May 2019 Power 100 issue of Washington Life shines the spotlight on the city’s most dynamic and powerful residents – from Capitol Hill and the White House to business trailblazers, cultural phenoms and eclectic tastemakers. On the government front, chaos is the new normal, with an ongoing revolving door of departing Cabinet members and White House senior staff. High-ranking Trump Administration officials who have assumed important posts in the last year include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr. Other influencers range from lobbyist Corey Lewandowski to moderate Senate Republican lawmakers. This year, we also added the new sisterhood of Congressional fresh(wo)men, all Democrats, who are shaking things up along the Potomac as never before. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), the youngest woman ever elected to Congress has created major buzz along with other female colleagues including CIA veterans Abigail Spanberger (Va.) and Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill (N.J.) as well as Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), the first two Muslim American congresswomen, and Sharice Davids (Kans.) and Deb Haaland (N.M) the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Reflecting on the power of global influence, we are privileged to have an excerpt from author Terence Ward’s recent book, “The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Extremism Globally,” which explores the export of Wahhabism from Saudi Arabia and its links to terrorism in the West. You’ll also read here about chefs and restaurateurs who sizzle while showing off their *stars* — José Andrés and Patrick O’Connell; tech execs like Joel Kaplan of Facebook who are fighting battles before
8
Congress; top lobbyists, education and arts leaders, including Kaywin Feldman, the new director of the National Gallery of Art. And with Mother’s Day coming up on May 12, we take a look at a few local power moms that I am in awe of: Kimberly Johnson at Fannie Mae, Katie Beirne Fallon at Hilton, Nicole Ehrhardt at George Washington Medical Faculty Associates and Guiomar Barbi at the National Endowment for the Arts. These women are “killing it” on the work front while juggling tots, tweens or teens at home. We got a few honest answers about how they conquer on a day-to-day basis (with some invaluable help!). Part of being powerful is presenting yourself as such, which is why we showcase white power trends to strut along with the ladies in Congress. We also have details on some of the city’s hottest power workouts, including the newly opened Rumble Boxing, plus Barry’s Bootcamp and Corepower Yoga. As always, our May issue covers the most sought-out events in town, including the WL-sponsored Children’s Ball, the National Museum of Women in the Arts gala and the VIP Exotic Car Show. Stay tuned next month for our annual coverage of events related to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
Nancy R. Bagley Editor in Chief Readers wishing to contact Nancy Bagley can email her at nbagley@washingtonlife.com
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
FYIDC The Insider’s Guide to Washington
April 30 – June 23 ‘SPUNK’ AT SIGNATURE THEATRE
Three short stories by Zora Neale Hurston will come to life on stage with wit, humor and energy. Signature Theatre, April 30-June 23, tickets start $40, contact box ofďŹ ce (703) 820-9771.
MAY 1 – 31
4
may WASHINGTON PROJECT FOR THE ARTS GALA
The annual event, which dates from 1980, features an auction of more than 200 artworks vetted by a national art committee, as well as food, cocktails and music. 1501 M St NW, 7 p.m., tickets start $250, contact Ashley McDonald, (202) 234-7103, amcdonald@wpadc.org.
8
MAR CH OF DIMES GOURMET GALA More than 50 U.S. senators and representatives will participate in a competitive cook-off as Congressional Chefs serve their favorite hors d’oeuvres, desserts and drinks. With corporate sponsor representatives as sous chefs, the recipes will be judged in six different categories. 1DWLRQDO %XLOGLQJ 0XVHXP S P EXVLQHVV DWWLUH VSRQVRUVKLSV VWDUW FRQWDFW .DWLH /HLE NOHLE#PDU FKRIGLPHV RUJ
9
AFTER HOURS AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
At the final “Evenings at the Edge� of the 2018-2019 season, guests are invited to take part in talks, activities and performances inspired by the exhibition “The Life of Animals in Japanese Art.� National Gallery of Art, 6 p.m.- 9 p.m., pre-registration required, free, contact evenings@nga.gov.
10
Evenings on theEdge at the National Gallery of Art
9
PREVENT CANCER FOUNDATION’S SPRING GALA
On the gala’s 25th anniversary, more than 1,000 guests from the business, government, medical, sports, media and social communities will gather to raise funds for cancer research. Last year’s event raised $1.7 million. National Building Museum, 6 p.m., black-tie optional, tickets start $500, contact Lorelei Mitrani, (703) 519-2102, lorelei.mirtrani@preventcancer.org.
Sara McGanity and Lee Bridgette at the 2018 Philllips Collection Gala after party
10
WASHINGTON BALLET GALA Join Artistic Director Julie Kent CIT YDANCE DREAM GALA and The Washington Ballet’s board of direcJoin chairs Patricia and Lloyd Howtors at this year’s soiree entitled “Illuminate and Ignite.� 7KH $QWKHP S P SULVPDWLF ell for a selection of a show-stopping perforEODFN WLH WLFNHWV VWDUW FRQWDFW 5LFNL mances combining the classical, contemporary, 0DULRQ UPDULRQ#ZDVKLQJWRQEDOOHW RUJ tap, ballroom and hip-hop genres. The event will support CityDance DREAM, a tuitionPHILLIPS COLLECTION GALA free dance program for underserved District The museum has partnered with the students. /LQFROQ 7KHDWUH S P FUHDWLYH FRFN Embassy of Mexico for the annual affair, WDLO DWWLUH WLFNHWV VWDUW FRQWDFW which ends with a lively afterparty. The gala raises critical resources for the museum’s D C FUNK PARADE award-winning educational programs. The Keep the funk alive at the 6th annual onePhillips Collection, black-tie, sponsorships start $5,500, contact Lizzie Temme, etemme@philli- of-a-kind day fair, parade and music festival celebrating the District’s vibrant music and arts opscollection.org, (202) 387-2151 x365.
11Â
10
11
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
P H OTO CO U RT E SY N GA ; P H OTO CO U RT E SY FU N K PARAD E ; P H OTO BY TO NY P OW E L L
PASSPORT DC A month-long journey highlights the thriving international diplomatic community and its varied cultures. Enjoy programming by 70 embassies and local cultural institutions including a ower mart at National Cathedral and the Fiesta Asia! street festival. May 1-31, free events, contact info@CulturalTourismDC.org.
FYIDC
dates back to the Founding Fathers. The biannual event offers vino from the state’s ďŹ nest wineries with delicious food, live music, and scenic views of the estate along the Potomac River. May 17-19, 6 p.m.; George Washington’s Mount Vernon; tickets: Friday, May 17: $48; Sunday, May 19: $42; mountvernon.org.
I NT ERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM REOPENING
Go “undercover� while sneaking over to the re-launch of the museum.The completely reimagined, state-of-the-art, 140,000-squarefoot space provides a behind-the-scenes look at how intelligence has changed the world. L’Enfant Plaza SW, 10 a.m., admission fee starts $14.95, contact Aliza Bran, abran@spymuseum. org, (202) 654-0946.
16
BENDER JCC’S ‘IMAGINE: A NIGHT SUPPORTING SCHOLARSHIPS AT THE J’ Join the Bender Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington to honor Jeff Schwaber with the Benjamin Ourisman Memorial Awards for Civic Acheivement. The event supports scholarships for pre-school, camp, after-school and ďŹ tness programs. Bender JCC of Greater Washington, 6:30 p.m.; tickets (under 40) $175; regular tickets $300; benderjccgw.org.
 16Â
MCLEAN PROJECT FOR THE ARTS SPRING BENEFIT Take in picturesque views of the Potomac River at 7KH )DOOV WKH .LPVH\ IDPLO\ UHVL GHQFH DQG RQH RI WKH PRVW LFRQLF SURSHUWLHV LQ WKH :DVKLQJWRQ UHJLRQ DW WKLV \HDU¡V VSULQJ IrWH WR UDLVH IXQGV VXSSRUWLQJ 03$¡V H[KLEL WLRQV HGXFDWLRQ SURJUDPV DQG DUW RXWUHDFK The Falls, sponsorships start at $1,000, contact Jennifer Wormser, jwormser@mpaart.org.
17Â 12
MT. VERNON WINE FESTIVAL Sample the history of Virginia’s viticulture, which
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation puts sneakers to the ground to help cure Type 1 diabetes, which affects both children and adults. Supporters will enjoy family-friendly activities surrounding the two-mile walk. National Mall, 10 a.m., contact Delia Gallucci, (202) 371-0044, registration closes May 31, donations encouraged.
4
scene. The community-based event draws in as many as 75,000 attendees annually. U Street NW, Festival 1 p.m.- 7 p.m., Parade 5 p.m.- 6 p.m. free parade, $10 festival, contact funk@TheMusicianShip.org.
12
2
june JDRF ONE WALK
17-19
LUCKETTS SPRING MARKET
More than 200 vendors will showcase eclectic refurbished furniture, garden gems, architectural decor and antique ďŹ nds. The three-day market is the ultimate treasure hunt. Live music, beer gardens, enticing food trucks and workshops all make for a spectacular shopping weekend &ODUNH &RXQW\ )DLUJURXQGV WLFNHWV VWDUW DW FRQ WDFW &DVH\ 0F*UDWK OXFNHWWVSULQJPDUNHW# JPDLO FRP
18-19
DC DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL Take part in the Festival’s 18th annual cultural exhibitions, craft demonstrations and dragon boat racing along the Potomac River. The festival runs over two days to promote Taiwanese culture locally. Thompsons Boat Center, registration starts at $500, contact info@dcdragonboatfestival.com.
HILLWOOD ESTATE “BLACK & WHITEâ€? GALA Just like in a ďŹ lm noir, guests will wear black or white and get a preview of the special exhibition “Mid-Century Master:The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedtâ€? followed by star-lit dinner on the Lunar Lawn. &RFN WDLOV S P 'LQQHU S P FRQWDFW $OOLVRQ .LQJHU\ DNLQJHU\# KLOOZRRGPXVHXP RUJ
6
NAT IONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PREVIEW GALA T-Rex is back! The gala opening of the new “David H. Koch Hall of Fossils–Deep Timeâ€? offers guests the chance to be the ďŹ rst to experience the “most ambitious retelling of Earth’s story, from the age of dinosaurs to the age of humans.â€? Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; 7 p.m.; black-tie, valet parking, membership required, contact Catherine McCusker, McCuskerC@si.edu, 202.633.0236.
21Â
ARENA STAGE GALA 'RQ¡W PLVV WKLV RQH QLJKW RQO\ SHUIRUPDQFH IHDWXULQJ DFWUHVV .DWKOHHQ 7XUQHU 7KLV \HDU¡V JDOD ZLOO SUHVHQW WKH %HWK 1HZEXUJHU 6FKZDUW] $ZDUG WR MRXUQDO LVW 1LQD 7RWHQEHUJ IRU KHU ORQJWLPH VXSSRUW RI WKH DUWV $OO SURFHHGV ZLOO VXSSRUW $UHQD 6WDJH¡V DUWLVWLF SURGXFWLRQV DQG FRPPXQLW\ HQJDJHPHQW SURJUDPV Arena Stage, cocktail reception begins 5:30 p.m., tickets start $300, contact Maria Corso, (202) 600-4025, rsvp@ arenastage.org.
7-16
DC JAZZ FESTIVAL
Feel the music! An exceptional array of renowned masters and emerging artists from across the jazz spectrum perform throughout the District. Various locations, free and for purchase, dcjazzfest.org.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Please join us at the Twelfth Annual
Saturday, September 21, 2019
HOPE AND HEALING
About the Gala
Joan Hisaoka, founder and president of Hisaoka Public Relations, was 48 when she lost her battle with cancer on May 14, 2008. This Gala was created to honor Joan and her dream of assisting those living with cancer. Through the Gala, we will continue her unfinished work by supporting organizations who bring hope and healing to those faced with serious illness. Robert G. Hisaoka, Event Chair Executive Committee: Jim Abdo, Tom Blair, Katherine Bradley, Ashley Dabbiere, Alan Dabbiere, Jack Davies, Ronald D. Herman, Richard Kay, Mark Kimsey, Sachiko Kuno, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lowham, Brenda Moore, Mark Moore, Tony Nader, John P. Oswald, Richard Patterson, Lauren Peterson, Steve Schram, Soroush Shehabi, Earl W. Stafford, Jeffrey E. Veatch, Eric Ziebold Cuisine Consultant: Chef Eric Ziebold
Venue Change
Please note the new location for this year’s Gala: Mandarin Oriental 1330 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, D.C. 20024
Gala Details
• Four course menu with wine pairings
• 6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction • 7:30 p.m. Dinner, Live Auction and Dancing • Black Tie
For more information about the Twelfth Annual Joan Hisaoka “Make a Difference Gala Benefiting” Life with Cancer,” The Smith Center for Healing and the Arts and for sponsorship details, or to purchase tickets, please contact Susan Hubert at 202-689-1917 or joansdifference@aol.com http://www.joanhisaokagala.org
FYIDC
| OVERHEARD IN DC
HEELS ON THE GROUND Musings, sightings and news from Washington Life’s editorial team QUOTABLE:
‘Daddy, can boys grow up to be senators?’ said by 8-year-old girl watching former Sen. Olympia Snowe on television, as recounted by Sen. Susan Collins at the Women Making History Awards.
‘Once you’re in it [the kimono], you’re kind of stuck… I was definitely excited to take it all off.’
‘Same dress as last year I see?! You got to save money, we’re on a tight budget here.’ Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw to Elaine Rogers, president and CEO of USOMetro, at the USO’s 37th annual awards dinner.
Reina Sugiyama, the 2019 Japan Cherry Blossom Princess and daughter of Japanese ambassador Shinsuke Sugiyama, on wearing the beautiful, but restricting garment, which takes 1.5 hours to put on.
‘If no one else comes to this table, I’m grabbing the goody bags!’ — guest Kathy Camp on the Anne Fontaine Foundation gifts bags at the Green Attitude Gala: La Parole est Aux Femmes at the French Embassy
WHAT’S NEW:
Fans of the retro Player’s Club bar can now take an elevator up to the building’s roof hang out Skybox, which boasts 270-degree views of Logan Circle. The collaboration is a first for developer Jim Abdo and Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton, who along with his brother Ian, owns several bars in the District. In his pursuit to bring some much-needed life into North Dupont, Eric Heidenberger opened Northside Tavern, a sports bar/restaurant in the old Maddy’s space. Don’t miss the ricotta and pea toast.
14
SPOTTED:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D – N.Y.) dropped by UMBRELLA 14, a three-day pop-up art exhibition by No Kings Collective and Collection 14. She took to Instagram to share her positive experience: “The beautiful thing about community is that you can find it or create it anywhere you go ... Shout out to all the incredible, hustling artists I met tonight.”
Local band SHAED rocked out at the Conrad’s opening reception with notable guests including Hilton President and CEO Christopher Nassetta, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Rep. Brendan Boyle, Sen. Roy Blunt and the Voltaggio Brothers, who are heading the kitchen at hotel’s resident Estuary restaurant.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
THE DISH
DINING’S FINEST Experience reigns supreme at Métier. BY C AT H E R I N E T R I F I L E T T I | P O R T R A I T BY TO N Y P OW E L L
Eric Ziebold and Celia Laurent
T
here are gestures, big and small, that comprise a fine dining experience. In the case of Eric Ziebold and his wife Celia Laurent’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Métier, the apogee is a fixed, seven-course menu that dazzles the senses. Operating from that essential foundation, Ziebold and Laurent have created a one-of-a-kind culinary journey that strikes an effortless balance between natural and methodical. It’s elevated dining that doesn’t fall into any clichés. In the Métier space, designed by Darryl Carter, intimacy is automatic, as if you have just been invited into the couple’s chic living room. With degrees in culinary arts and hospitality respectively, Ziebold and Laurent’s knack for hosting is a vocation and a passion. Ziebold calls Métier, which translates to a skilled trade in French, their “professional dream and achievement.” High standards are set once guests book a reservation and complete a questionnaire regarding preferences, opening a line of communication that is maintained throughout the course of the evening. Upon arrival, a private elevator transports visitors to the subterranean Salon—a candlelit, jazz -filled respite meant to ease the transition from average diner to spoiled guest. In The Salon, you can peruse the couple’s personal collection of books and review the tasting menu’s descriptions detailing the stories and inspiration behind each dish. The fixed-menu format was devised to eliminate decision fatigue, leaving diners with one choice: wine pairings or not (might we humbly suggest saying yes). The next phase of the evening commences in the dining room, where each of the 11 tables is precisely situated to face a large picture window into the kitchen. The team has tweaked seating arrangements, Ziebold explains, so that every diner can equally enjoy a dose of culi-
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
nary theater. Both food and wine selections, which change seasonally, build in “weight and richness,” which translates to diners feeling satisfied, but not full. Understanding that no one likes an abrupt end to a good party, Ziebold and Laurent encourage guests to take coffee, tea or a digestif from the bar cart in The Salon for a nightcap. “I want the guest to have an interesting and creative experience,” Ziebold says, “more soulful than intellectual.” Métier | dinner Weds. - Sat. | $200 prix-fixe | $200 wine pairings | jackets required | Métier.com NO DETAILS OVERLOOKED:
A hostess snaps a Polaroid of each party before dinner, which is later placed in a ribbon bound booklet amid descriptions of the evening’s food and beverage selections. The memento and a bottle of chef-made salad dressing are thoughtful parting gifts. Lighting levels are just so: “bright enough so that guests can see what they are eating, but low enough to create a mood,” Ziebold affirms. There are no direct HVAC outputs. Consistent airflow ensures guests’ comfort. Still cold? The restaurant keeps lush pashminas on hand for chilly patrons.
15
LIFE OF THE PARTY WL-sponsored and Exclusive Events | The Children’s Ball, Great Gatsby Picnic and more!
Cindy Jones, Norah O’Donnell and Amy Baier at the 2019 Children’s Ball. (Photo by Tony Powell)
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
17
LIFE
of the
PARTY
Carrie and David Marriott with Bret and Amy Baier WL SPONSORED
CHILDREN’S BALL The Anthem | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL RAISING HOPE: The 2019 Children’s Ball raised more than $3 million to support patients and families at Children’s National through world-class care and cutting-edge research. More than 800 guests filled The Anthem auditorium as emcee Bret Baier, clad in a Guns N’ Roses leather jacket, opened the night with a rock’n’roll entrance to “Sweet Child of Mine.” Later, guests enjoyed a special performance by Grammy-award winner Pa i Austin. Carrie and David Marrio received the Joseph E. Robert Jr. Prize in Philanthropy for their leadership and longstanding commitment to supporting the capital’s premier pediatric services provider. MAJOR GIFT Baier and Dr. Kurt Newman, CEO of Children’s National, announced a $30 million donation from the United Arab Emirates to fund the Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus, slated to open in 2020.
Keith and Stephanie Lemer, Stacey and Greg Lubar and Tara and Jarrod Patten Geoff Tracy and Norah O’Donnell
DeAnn and John Marshall with Toni and Lee Verstandig
Nancy Taylor Bubes with George and Kristen Lund
18
Callie and Brad Nierenberg
Jamie Dorros and Sharon Bradley
Ashley and Matt Bronczek
United Arab Emirates Amb. Yousef Al Otaiba and Abeer Al Otaiba
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
LIFE
of the
PARTY
Amanda Polk, Jayne Visser, Cindy Jones and Amra Fazlic
WL SPONSORED
Sara O’ Keefe, Marcy Cohen, Ursula von Rydingsvard and Kristen Lund
NMWA SPRING GALA National Museum of Women in the Arts PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL VITHAYA PHONGSAVAN AND PAUL MORIGI
INTO THE WOODS: Plates adorned with moss and pansies and centerpieces of towering leafy branches were the ideal spring accents for the annual arts benefit that raises funds for the museum programming. Guests joined co-chairwomen Marcy Cohen, Kristen Lund and Sara O’Keefe and the diplomatic hosts, Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio and Micaela Varricchio, in celebrating female excellence in the fine arts. The evening’s woodsy naturalist theme tied into works by this year’s honoree, Ursula von Rydingsvard, whose 40-piece exhibition “The Contour of Feeling” (on view through July 18) features large-scale cedar sculptures meant to mirror her experiences living in German refugee camps. Von Rydingsvard appreciated the thoughtful connection, acknowledging the gala’s beautiful décor in her speech. “I’ve never been to a fundraiser like this!” she told guests. After speeches and dinner, guests bolted onto the dance floor to cap off the evening.
Guests dancing
Micaela Varricchio and Italian Amb. Armando Varricchio Jane Roberts and ChiefJustice John Roberts Kristin and John Cecchi
Danny Korengold, Martha Dippell; Patti and George White
20
Melissa Shube, Amanda Strick and Erica Spevack
Finlay and Willee Lewis
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
LIFE
of the
PARTY DJ Neekola
Andrew McKenna and Greg Maurer
Brad Nierenberg, Terry Bradshaw, Cal Ripken Jr., Jerome Bettis and Doug Kammerer WL SPONSORED
CHANCE FOR LIFE MGM National Harbor PHOTOS BY VITHAYA PHONGSAVAN AND SARDARI GROUP INC
Maggie O’ Neill, Dave Dochter and Becky Lee
Tim Keating
2018 Stanley Cup Champions Washington Capitals
John Fitzgerald Booty and Britt McHenryl
Julie Donaldson and DeAngelo Hall
RECORD-BREAKING EVENING: Spirits were high after an all-day poker tournament turned into an all-night soldout fundraising bash. The 14th annual poker tournament and taste experience, founded by Brad and Callie Nierenberg, raised a record-breaking $2.1 million to benefit pediatric cancer research programs at Children’s National and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. After the event, key sponsor Boeing agreed to continue matching all donations up to $100,000 through March 31. Guests in their Saturday best sampled dishes from Chloe, Momofuku, Maydan and other top Washington restaurants while music from Party on the Moon and DJ Neekola kept them spinning on a glowing LED-lit dance floor. STAR POWER: In a surprise performance, Grammy-nominated artist Robin Thicke had the glitzy crowd reeling during his hit “Blurred Lines.” ALSO SPOTTED: NFL Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Jerome Be is, veteran Orioles player Cal Ripken, Jr. and Washington Capitals players, including T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson.
Kathleen McKenna, Angie Goff, Morgan Miller, Dr. Lily Talakoub, Robin Thicke, Callie Nierenberg, Lauren Rodgers, Lauren Oshie and Vanessa Patten
Bela Aggarwal, Ellie Christiansen and Jen Millard Yu Yue and Rhoda Septilici
22
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
LIFE
of the
PARTY
WL SPONSORED
GREAT GATSBY: LIFE’S A PICNIC
The lawn of the Warrenton farm Elway Hall
Warrenton farm Elway Hall, Warrenton, Va. PHOTOS BY RONDA GREGORIO
Rebecca Magnuson, Shannon Hoey and Cathy Brentzel
ROARING S: “I like large parties. They’re so intimate.” So says Jordan Baker in “The Great Gatsby,” a line that could characterize this second annual event where guests donned their best Gatsby era garden party attire and traveled back in time. The afternoon was hosted by Will Thomas of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty at the estate he owns with celebrated interior designer Barry Dixon, and included a catered picnic, signature cocktails, premium wines, live music, live auction and vintage cars. $153,000 was raised to benefit the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, (NVTRP), which provides equine-assisted activities to people with disabilities, youth-at-risk, recovering military personnel and others in need.
Trish Donnally and Barry Dixon
Michael Perez and Ann Pratt
Mike Manatos and Laura Evans
24
Otto Hoernig andCaption Carrie here Touchette
Todd Gambill, France Bognon andTimothy Watkins
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
POLLYWOOD The Nexus of Politics﹐ Hollywood﹐ Media and Diplomacy | Catholic Charities Gala, Kennedy Center Spring Gala, Orchestra of the Americas Gala, Embassy Row, Book Parties and more!
Jon Stewart and Miss America Nia Franklin at the USO Gala. (Photo by Tony Powell)
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
27
POLLYWOOD | HOLLYWOOD ON THE POTOMAC
MUSIC – THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE Singer Kristin Chenoweth and members of Congress are recognized at the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill celebration. B Y J A N E T D O N O VA N
Yolanda Adams
28
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
A C A D E M Y
music is such a universal language,” he said before taking advantage of the opportunity to further affirm his commitment to support and protect artists. American gospel singer, actress and fourtime GRAMMY-winning artist Yolanda Adams was honored for her advocacy on behalf of fellow creators. After being nominated multiple times, Adams was elated to finally bring home the prize. “As creators, we know what it’s like to birth something out of our experiences,” she said during her acceptance speech. “The one thing that I do know is that every person on earth, no matter which side of the aisle they are, no matter what color, creed, ethnicity, everyone has a heart. If we are able to touch hearts, which is what we get a chance to do here at the Academy, and as creators, I think that that’s part of our responsibility.”
R E C O R D I N G
of technology. “It’s really happening and changing things for the better moving forward,” she said. “This is a way to protect our music.” Chenoweth cited Dolly Parton as a leading example of a business-savvy artist who made it a point to maintain rights to all her music. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Grassley were also recognized for their role in achieving bipartisan support of the legislation. Jeffries spoke to the “spirituality and soulfulness” that makes music a special gift for all of humanity, referencing the dramatic shifts in how we have consumed songs over the last century, from phonograph to streaming. “I’m just thankful we came together as Democrats and Republicans, progressives and conservatives, the left and the right, because
T H E
hen introducing Kristin Chenoweth at the 2019 GRAMMYs on the Hill awards at the Hamilton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi offered the musician great praise. “Whether bringing new life to the Great American Song Book or giving voice to her faith through Christian music, Kristin’s art touches our souls and stirs our deepest emotions. It was a great honor and a personal privilege.” Pelosi added, “to hear Kristin’s gorgeous rendition of ‘For Good,’ from the hit show ‘Wicked,’ when she sang at the celebration of my 20th anniversary in Congress.” Prior to her performance, the diminutive singer with the voluminous voice strutted the red carpet, chatting with reporters about the Music Modernization Act, which passed after last year’s GRAMMYs on the Hill event. The new law targets copyright-related issues that have arisen from the advancement
F O R
W
Kat Graham, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Mario
W I R E I M A G E
Kristin Chenoweth and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
P.O. Duskin Deichl, Vice Adm. Rocky Bono and P.O. Traci Huddleston “WWE Raw” star Braun Strowman and Lt. Gen. Brian Beaudreault
USO AWARDS DINNER
Jon Stewart with Terry Bradshaw
Omni-Shoreham hotel | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL ACTS OF VALOR: Sixteen Medal of Honor recipients—from World War II, Vietnam and the War on Terror—donned their finest for the USO’s special salute to the heroic actions of service men and women with celebrity dazzle, comedic banter, operatic vocals and peppered beef tenderloin adding to the military pomp and circumstance. NFL commentator Terry Bradshaw served as presenter with other special guests including TV personality Jon Stewart, Merit Award recipient and newly retired New England Patriot’s tight end Rob Gonkowski, a.k.a. “Gronk” plus Miss America, WWE stars and Washington Redskins alumni. Behind jovial presentations that included even a few prosthetic hand “party tricks” was an evening publicly recognizing the extraordinary courage of those who have served while raising money to support the USO’s specialized programs. “What they have given to this country … to be able to thank them tonight in public is a thrill for us,” said the vivacious Elaine Rogers, president and CEO of USO-Metro.
Rob Gronkowski and Elaine Rogers
Rachel Goslins and David Simpson
Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter and Forrest Whittaker
Idina Menzel
KENNEDY CENTER GALA Kennedy Center Roof Terrace and Eisenhower Theater PHOTOS BY ELMAN STUDIOS
Patrick and Shirley Ryan WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
RITE OF SPRING: A 5:30 p.m. cocktail hour and a massive Cherry Blossom Festival traffic jam that caused many guests — including Secretary of Transportation Elaine Lan Chao — to arrive very, very late didn’t delay dinner or somewhat lengthy award acceptances by Chicago-based philanthropists Pat and Shirley Ryan and actor Forrest Whittaker before guests moved downstairs to hear Broadway star Idina Menzel perform Broadway standards, songs from her hit musical “Wicked” and animated children’s film “Frozen.” IMPRESSIVE NEWS: Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein’s dual announcement that the gala brought in more than $1 million for arts and education programs and that $210 million had been raised on the $250 million capital campaign for The Reach, the center’s first major expansion in its 48year history.
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Jacqueline Mars 29
POLLYWOOD | EMBASSY ROW
Diplomatic Entanglements NATO at 70 – Venezuela’s unmusical chairs – Serving in Trumpland according to a departing ambassador. BY ROLAND FLAMINI
Carlos Vecchio
MISSING LINK: Foreign ministers from 29
NATO countries gathered at what is now the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in April to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty that brought the military alliance into being. The building was known as the Departmental Auditorium in 1949, when Harry S.Truman and the leaders of 12 Western European nations came together to put their names to the historic document. It had been renamed the Mellon Auditorium by the time President Bill Clinton delivered a major speech at the same venue marking NATO’s 50th birthday in 1999. Conspicuously absent from the celebration was President Donald Trump, “European and American officials alike wanted to keep [him] away from the anniversary.,” said the New York Times because of his threats to pull the United
30
DIPLOMATIC TANGLE : Carlos Vecchio , who presented his credentials to President Trump in April, is an ambassador without an embassy and without a government. The Trump administration gave Vecchio diplomatic status as the representative in Washington of Juan Guaido, the challenger of the embattled Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela. The stand-off is far from resolved and may not be for some time, but the United States has recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate ad interim leader. Vecchio is hoping to move into his country’s embassy on Massachusetts Avenue NW, which has been empty since Maduro ordered it closed and recalled its staff. Some diplomats chose to remain, and now form the nucleus of the new embassy representing Guaido. In a heavy diplomatic blow to the Maduro regime, the Organization of American States voted to recognize Guaido’s nominee to represent Venezuela at its Washington headquarters, and literally blocked the sitting representative – an earlier Maduro appointee – from even entering the building. But at Venezuelan Mission to the United Nations in New York, the staff, which includes the late Hugo Chavez’s daughter Maria Gabriela Chavez Colmonares, remains loyal to Maduro, and has shown no signs of either changing sides or quitting.Vice President Mike Pence, speaking at the U.N. Security Council, turned to address Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s ambassador to the world body, and told him, “You should not be here.You should return to Venezuela.” Moncada didn’t budge.
ARAUD’S LAST WORD: Unusually for a depaing envoy, French Ambassador Gérard Araud was all over the media lobbing vale-
dictory grenades at President Trump and the administration. In France-Amerique, a New York-based French intellectual magazine, Araud wrote that he often felt he was “ambassador to a monarchy instead of a republic, given how a single person now decides without discussion or advice.” In the Guardian newspaper he compared Trump to King Louis XIV of France — “an old king, a bit whimsical, unpredictable, uninformed, but he wants to be the one deciding.” In Foreign Policy magazine he called Trump “an extrovert, really a big mouth, who reads nothing, or nearly nothing.” He complained that he could never get answers from administration officials because Trump never told them anything. Araud, who had been ambassador in Washington since 2014, never quite fit the traditional mold of the inscrutable diplomat—as anyone knows who is familiar with his often acerbic tweets. And many of his counterparts in the nation’s capital shared his view of the Trump administration as dysfunctional and indifferent to long-standing alliances. But some argued there were good reasons why ambassadors should depart quietly at the end of their term: one is the danger of doing harm to bi-lateral relations, and another is not to leave a diplomatic mess for his or her successor to clean up. Araud was less critical of Barack Obama, to whom he had presented his credentials. Obama, he said, was “a consistently rational intellectual to the point that some found him condescending.” But this is certainly not the ambassador’s last word on his nearly six years in Washington: he says he has written and will publish a memoir.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
P H OTO V I A F L I C K R
States out of the alliance. But while NATO may not be popular in the Trump White House, the story was different when Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian diplomat who heads the alliance, addressed a joint session of Congress: He got several standing ovations
Lisa Barry, Hilda Ochoa Brillemborg, Annie Totah and Lizette Corro
Gabriela Montero WL EXCLUSIVE
THE ORCHESTRA OF THE AMERICAS GALA Four Seasons Hotel PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL
NIGHT MUSIC: Diplomats, philanthropists and arts leaders from across the Americas celebrated the transformative power of music while honoring two distinguished individuals for their lifetimes of achievement. Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute and a former professional French hornist, received The Orchestra of the Americas’ Global Civic Leadership Award for, as co-founder Hilda Ochoa Brillembourg put it, “bringing to the world of social sciences the soul of a musician.” Grammy-winning pianist and composer Gabriela Montero received the Global Artist Leadership Award for human rights activism on behalf of her homeland of Venezuela. Following acceptance remarks, Montero took to the stage for a rousing performance and improvisation inspired by Beethoven. POSTLUDE: After dinner and a live auction, guests, including event chairmen Cecilia and Guillermo Schultz and OA Co-CEOs Nina Weir and Mark Gillespie took to the dance floor to close out the night with requisite salsa, mambo and merengue moves that few could resist.
Benjamin Zander and Arthur Brooks Arturo Brillembourg with Mirella and Salo Levinas
Isabel Ernst and Chris Martens
Ricardo Obert and Tsi-tsi-ki Felix
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Adam Vitarello and Sophia Newbold
Lenis Mastretta, Mark Gillespie and Monica Rothlaender
Guillermo and Cecilia Schultz
JoAnn, Jaclyn and Lauren Mason
31
POLLYWOOD
Morad Ghorban and Sunny Zia
Rep. Virginia Foxx and Leila Austin
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy with Sharlene and Aiden Ghorban
Yeganeh and Jason Rezaian with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
WL EXCLUSIVE
NOROOZ ON THE HILL Capitol Hill | PHOTOS COURTESY SPRING RENEWAL: In celebration of the Persian New Year, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) hosted its annual Norooz reception on Capitol Hill. The event was a collaboration between multiple members of Congress and the organization to recognize the significant contributions Iranian Americans have made to the U.S. Army Veteran and founder of the Academy of U.S. Veterans, Assal Ravandi, was among nine Iranian Americans highlighted for their public service. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy both offered remarks.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Ali Rahnama
Haftseen, an arrangement of seven symbolic items whose names start with the letter seen in the Persian alphabet.
WOMEN MAKING HISTORY AWARDS Carnegie Institution for Science PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL
Mariah and Sandra Lee
Johnnetta Cole and Olympia Snowe
Kelly Bolden and Karen May
Holly Hotchner and Phyllis Anderson Yu Yue and Rhoda Septilici
32
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
HISTORY-MAKING LADIES: Former Sen. Olympia Snowe didn’t wince when she reminded the audience, “If we can memorialize Archie Bunker’s chair … it’s not unreasonable to expect that we should have a museum in our nation’s capital to capture and memorialize the contributions that women have made to our country.” That vision of a forwardthinking museum to help discover women’s stories served as the evening’s focus. Sen. Susan Collins introduced Snowe, her former Maine U.S. Senate colleague, along with other honorees who included former Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art director Johnne a Betsch Cole and culinary and home expert Sandra Lee. NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker moderated.
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Rev. Bill Byrne, Chris Donatelli, Raul Fernandez and Karen Donatelli
Msgr. John Enzler with Cathy and Michael Rusnak
WL SPONSORED
CATHOLIC CHARITIES GALA Marriott Marquis PHOTOS BY ALFREDO FLORES
Rev. Paul Lee with Andrea and Michael Steele
INSPIRING HOPE BUILDING FUTURES: As the largest independent social services agency in Washington, Catholic Charities serves thousands of individuals in the area through its 59 programs. At its annual gala, 1,000 supporters joined president and CEO, Msgr. John Enzler, to celebrate and raise $2.1 million for the the organization’s important work, which includes prison outreach, employment services, education and food and housing services. 90s BABIES: The popular cover band White Ford Bronco had guests rocking on the dance floor at the end of the night.
Maria Matan, Luke Poulos, Meghan Carroll, Conor Nolan and Ana Matan
Chief Justice John Roberts and Jane Roberts with Cindy and Dennis Flannery
Megan Murray, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington Mario Dorsonville and Brendan Saxon
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Joe Burns, Bob Flanagan and Scott Pastrick
Honorary Chairs Anna and Robert Trone
Rijo and Megan Philip with Mary Forr
33
PARTIES PARTIES PARTIES
BOOK BUZZ
Fêting new tomes about politics, history, journalism and finance. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, Adrienne Arsht and Evan Thomas Robert Allbritton, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman
‘FIRST: SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR’ B Y E VA N T H O M A S
Ed Henry
[ADRIENNE ARSHT RESIDENCE] P H OTO CO U RT E SY
Philanthropist Adrienne Arsht hosted a celebration of journalist and best-selling author Evan Thomas’ new book about Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court justice. Guests included two of the three current female justices but not O’Connor, who has been battling dementia. In her honor, the hostess decorated her home in a Southwestern motif (O’Connor was born in Texas and grew up in Arizona), complete with desert flowers. “Our friendship began through my mother,” said Arsht. “She and Sandra met in the late ’70s when they were both State Court justices, my mother in Delaware and Sandra in Arizona.”
Margaret Carlson and Rep. Debbie Dingell
‘HILL TO DIE ON: THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS AND THE FUTURE OF TRUMP’S AMERICA’ Douglas Brinkley, Mary Streett and Clyde Tuggle
B Y A N N A PA L M E R A N D J A K E S H E R M A N
[SFOGLINA] P H OTO S BY TO N Y P OW E L L
Between television appearances, including Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” Politico reporters Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman were toasted for their buzzy debut book about Congress’ relationship with President Trump. Politicians and journalists attended the party hosted by Elena and Robert Allbritton, Lee Satterfield and Patrick Steel, and Maria and Fabio Trabocchi.
34
‘AMERICAN MOONSHOT’ BY D O U G L A S B R I N K L EY
[STREETT/TUGGLE RESIDENCE] P H OTO BY TO N Y P OW E L L
Gloria Borger and Kasie Hunt
Just as the Trump Administration makes it a mission to put U.S. boots back on the moon, the famed popular historian launched a book exploring how President John F. Kennedy put all of his political chips on the idea of going to the moon by the end of the 1960s—and what a patriotic “Moonshot” directive means for us today.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Amir and Hastie Afkhami
‘A MODERN CONTAGION’
David Chavern and Juleanna Glover
Danielle Coffey and Suzanne Chavern
‘THE LAST COLUMN’y
BY A M I R A A F K H A M I
[JULEANNA GLOVER AND CHRISTOPHER REITER RESIDENCE]
BY CO M M I T T E E TO P R OT EC T J O U R N A L I ST S
[JULEANNA GLOVER AND CHRISTOPHER REITER RESIDENCE] P H OTO BY TO N Y P OW E L L
Buffet supper guests got a taste of a modern contagion—in book form. Afkhami, a Yale-trained historian and professor of psychiatry at George Washington University, contributes to the history of epidemic diseases and the development of modern sanitary measures in Iran during the period of the Qatar dynasty. With endearing humanism, the book focuses on how the regime coped with depopulation, malnutrition and endemic diseases that ravaged Iran.
P H OTO S BY A L F R E D O F LO R E S
At a book launch reception, News Media Alliance President and CEO David Chavern dedicated its release to more than 1,300 journalists who have been killed in the service of reporting and news gathering. The book is a compilation of final pieces from the reporters who lost their lives. Chavern partnered with the Committee to Protect Journalists to help spread awareness and advocate for media across the globe.
Mark Gillespie and Hallie Sherard
Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg
Jessica Yellin and Melissa Moss
‘SAVAGE NEWS’
‘DELIVERING ALPHA’
BY J E S S I CA Y E L L I N
[SFOGLINA] P H OTO CO U RT E SY
B Y H I L DA O C H OA - B R I L L E M B O U R G
Clara Brillembourg and Tripp Donnelly
A string of familiar co-hosts joined forces with fashion house St. John to host a party for the debut author who formerly served as CNN’s chief White House correspondent. The novel centers on a young political reporter managing pressure from her network and workplace sexual harassment, all while reporting on an international political crisis.
[CAFE MILANO] P H OTO S BY TO N Y P OW E L L
Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg says that “managing assets is not that different than managing life” and the book party hosted by her children Arturo and Clara Brillembourg, their spouses Jen Brillembourg and George Chopivsky and Tripp and Amy Donnelly was the perfect spot to learn a few lessons about high finance as the noted investor and former World Bank executive shared insights from her guide to adding maximum value to globally diversified portfolios. Buyers seemed eager to learn from an author who has already earned plaudits for what critics are calling a “Bible on risk management.”
Stuart Holliday
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
35
POLLYWOOD
| WAHHABI CODE
UNMASKING THE TRUTH BEHIND JIHADIST VIOLENCE AND SAUDI ARABIA An exclusive excerpt from the new prologue of ‘The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Extremism Globally’ B Y T E R E N C E WA R D
T
his book was written to shed light on what the media has widely chosen to ignore since September 11, 2001: how a small puritanical sect of Islam, founded only 250 years ago, has inspired nearly every terrorist attack in the West. It is my strongly held belief that when Europeans and Americans learn to pronounce the word “Wahhabi,” 1.5 billion diverse followers of mainstream Islam—who have been targeted and unjustly blamed for extremism—will be exonerated and freed from the cloud of guilt and discrimination cast by populist politicians who profit by spreading fear. The truth is that this severe, ultraconservative Wahhabi sect has served as both Saudi Arabia’s official religion and the core ideology for international terror groups such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Al-Shabab, Boko Haram, and Towheed Jumaat. Over decades, the Saudi regime has engaged in a well-crafted mission (Dawa Wahhabiya) to fund charities, mosques, and schools to promote their Wahhabi doctrine across the Middle East and beyond. For years, global leaders at the highest levels of power have avoided speaking publicly about the roots of this extremism. American administrations have even been complicit in its growth. And, this silence has borne bitter fruit. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the young crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman (“MBS”) ascended to great heights by eliminating his family rivals. In 2017, he completed a masterfully orchestrated tour of America. Leading American public relations firms (Burson-Marsteller, Hill+Knowlton, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Fleishman Hillard, APCO, Qorvis, The Harbor Group) and a virtual army of 146 lobbyists (comprised of ex-senators, congressmen, ambassadors, and advisors) assured that the prince enjoyed privileged red-carpet access to America’s leaders in Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Houston’s petroleum sector, as well as
36
New York’s Jewish community, Los Angeles’s entertainment industry, and Capitol Hill’s fawning politicos. The prince was presented as a visionary. Then, on an Istanbul morning in early October of 2018, everything changed. Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, entered the Saudi consulate for paperwork related to his upcoming marriage and mysteriously disappeared. The much-lauded Crown Prince began to suffer from the toxic reactions to Khashoggi’s state-sponsored murder. This dark turn of events revealed another face of Saudi Arabia. The recklessness of MBS unnerved even staunch political supporters. For the first time, Congress united to call for an end of American military support for the Saudi war in Yemen described by the U.N. as “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster” with millions on the verge of starvation. Many asked whether lifting the ban on women driving or opening three hundred cinemas by 2030 signaled a dramatic break with the old regime. What about the jailed and tortured female activists who led the “right to
drive” campaign? Or those women who say “We are our own Guardians,” rebuking MBS’s refusal to end the “guardianship law” that places every woman in Saudi Arabia under the control of a male guardian. Or the 3,000 political prisoners documented by Amnesty International? Or the suffering innocents in neighboring Yemen? As President Trump rushed to pardon the Crown Prince, Fareed Zakaria reflected on the president’s first official visit abroad to Riyadh in his Washington Post opinion piece, “How Trump Got Played by the Saudis” (May 25, 2017): “The threat from radical Islamist terrorism is ongoing. And President Trump’s journey to the Middle East illustrated yet again how the country central to the spread of this terrorism, Saudi Arabia, has managed to evade and deflect any responsibility for it. In fact, Trump has given Saudi Arabia a free pass and a free hand in the region.The facts are well-known. For five decades, Saudi Arabia has spread its narrow, puritanical, and intolerant version of Islam— originally practiced almost nowhere else—across the Muslim world. Osama bin Laden was Saudi, as were fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 terrorists. And we know, via a leaked email from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, in recent years the Saudi government, along with Qatar, has been ‘providing clandestine financial and logistic support to the Islamic State and other radical Sunni groups in the region.’ Saudi nationals make up the second-largest group of foreign fighters in the Islamic State and, by some accounts, the largest in the terrorist group’s Iraqi operations. The kingdom is in a tacit alliance with al-Qaeda in Yemen.” In an earlier Washington Post piece, “Saudi Arabia, the Devil We Know” (Aug. 25, 2016), Mr. Zakaria explained the turmoil Saudi Arabia has spread globally across the Islamic world and his native country, Pakistan, from his uniquely
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
American Moslem point of view. From his perspective,Wahhabism was a distortion of Islam and has spawned lasting effects: “I believe that Saudi Arabia bears significant responsibility for the spread of a cruel, intolerant, and extremist interpretation of Islam—one that can feed directly into jihadi thinking. This globalized Wahhabism has destroyed much of the diversity within Islam, snuffing out the liberal and pluralistic interpretations of the religion in favor of an arid, intolerant one. Saudi funding of Islamic extremism has not ended, and its pernicious effects can be seen from Pakistan to Indonesia. These funds come from individuals, not the government. Still, it is hard to imagine that the Saudi monarchy cannot turn off the pipeline of money to extremists abroad and at home.” Most Moslems wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Zakaria. Substantial reforms must be made by Islamic scholars to those Wahhabi texts that have inspired so many jihadi groups. MBS has assured the world that such reforms will be forthcoming. If scholars carefully edit and reform the texts—attributed to the founder of the doctrine, Muhammad Abdul Wahhab—perhaps change can take place with a new clear vision that accepts all other Moslems—Shias, Sufis and Sunnis—and non-Moslems as God’s children. But there is troubling news. MBS has recently embraced the hardline cleric Saleh alFouzan, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars. As recently as 2013, Mr. al-Fouzan claimed that the Shia and other Muslims who do not follow Wahhabi beliefs are infidels and that anyone who disagrees with his interpretation is an infidel. In September of 2018, Mr. al-Fouzan issued a fatwa urging the state to kill political dissidents who promote sedition against the ruler. A month later, Jamal Khashoggi disappeared. Two months after the murder, in December 2018, the entire US Senate voted unanimously to condemn the Crown Prince for his responsibility in Khashoggi’s death; it was a rare moment of unity for the unruly Congress. Once-loyal Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called MBS a “wrecking ball” and said “there’s no smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw,” while Senator Rand Paul spoke of “ending
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
YELLOW REFLECTS AREAS OF PRINCIPAL JIHADI GROUPS
weapons sales to Saudi Arabia” as punishment. In private, secret service agents, intelligence officers, politicos and journalists had long known about the Saudi “double game” of publicly denying involvement with violence while turning a blind eye to those who aid and abet it behind the scenes. Today, Israel and Saudi Arabia’s shared loathing of Iran has bound them together as
‘America stands at the precipice of a new war. Recent history shows that America is very capable of starting wars but quite incompetent at ending them’ allies. America stands at the precipice of a new war. Recent history shows that America is very capable of starting wars but quite incompetent at ending them. Since President Trump tore up America’s nuclear deal with Iran, there has been a growing fear that he will lead the country into another ruinous Middle Eastern conflict. The Crown Prince and Prime Minister Netanyahu have aggressively lobbied the President and the Pentagon to launch a pre-emptive bombing campaign against Iran. We should be very wary. Perhaps the most dramatic truth that we all must calmly consider before America stumbles into this new ill-conceived conflict was summed
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
up by the analysis of the Global Terrorism Database managed by Professor Leif Wenar of King’s College London: “ …more than 94 percent of deaths caused by Islamic terrorism since 2001 were perpetrated by the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other Sunni jihadists. Iran is fighting those groups, not fueling them. Almost every terrorist attack in the West has had some connection to Saudi Arabia.Virtually none has been linked to Iran.” Professor Wenar then added that the Saudi export of Wahhabism, which is estimated by the U.S. State Department to have cost $10 billion, “may be the most expensive ideological campaign in human history.” With these facts in mind, how can anyone in the U.S. administration be considering sales of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia? The risk of a third world war is growing. Aggression against Iran risks rupturing ties with Europe and NATO, while provoking conflict with both Russia and China.Yet, the White House may be tempted because no sitting president has ever lost an election when the nation was at war. If missiles are launched and bombs fall, the narrow Strait of Hormuz that is the gateway in and out of the Persian Gulf will surely be closed to oil tankers until the shooting ends. As shortages occur, lights of the industrial world will dim. As oil prices soar, shock waves will panic global markets. This Wahhabi-Shia conflagration may well usher in a time of lighting candles, unless cooler heads prevail.
37
POWER 100 SPECIAL FEATURE
C
haos is the new normal in political Washington. Or, to put it another way, living in the nation’s capital is like being on a plane flying through permanent turbulence. Without a safety belt. Major decisions are made and unmade, sometimes in a single day. At the White House, the two most important installations are the television screens and a revolving door that spews out fired staff members at an unprecedented rate. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently told an interviewer that he will serve until the president “tweets me out of office.” The statement was a joke: the sentiment behind it was not. President Trump rules by tweet. This is not to say that the administration is totally without substance, but the style of delivery, the bluster, the fractured syntax, undermine any accomplishments. The first casualty of this disturbing approach to governance is truth. Two opposite narratives keep track of events: the mainstream media, with their increasingly combative reporting, and the administration, which creates an alternative reality often devoid of real facts — while at the same time accusing the media of “fake news.” The second casualty over 38
a long period is democracy. We’ve seen it before: The aggressive bullying the complacent into submission. In the present situation, compiling Washington Life’s annual list of the powerful and influential in the nation’s capital becomes an important assignment to identify the combatants in an epic battle to defend cherished values at home, and abroad, the norms and institutions of the liberal world order the U.S. had a major role in shaping. In a global economy, interaction with other countries is necessary and ongoing. The administration has collected a rogues’ gallery of accomplices and elbowed out America’s traditional, and generally more respectable allies. To the extent that there is room for nonbelligerent participants on the power list, tribute is also paid to the spectacular quality leap in Washington’s arts, culture, education and dining communities. But as the divisions deepen, and the wounds fester, 2020, and what happens then, becomes less important than 2076, and the question whether there will be a tercentenary to celebrate? >> WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
government donald trump President of the United States The Tweeter-in-Chief sits at the pinnacle of power in Washington and has revolutionized the use of social media, bypassing the usual outlets to make policy announcements, fire staffers, and move markets, 140 characters at a time. Herewith, fully tongue-in-cheek, is his latest: @ realdonaldtrump TRUMP=MOST POWERFUL PRESIDENT EVER. NOT Fake News! Mike Pence Vice President of the United States According to former New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s recent book, when he brought Donald Tr u m p together with Mike Pence for the first time, the latter began the meeting with a short prayer. Christie writes that it is Pence’s way, which might explain the Vice President’s inscrutable expression as he stands beside Trump. He is praying. The question then is: What is Pence, a born-again Christian and diehard conservative, praying for? Every vice president is president-in-waiting, at least in his own mind; and Pence’s prayer may be that Trump doesn’t leave the Republican Party in such a shambles that it will be shut out of the White House for generations. Mike Pompeo Secretary of State As secretary of state, Rex Tillerson agonized over President Trump’s jumbled and sometimes contradictory foreign policy ideas. His successor, Mike Pompeo has adopted a more pragmatic approach: He has narrowed down the complexities of U.S. foreign policy to one simple equation: The president gets what he wants. This frequently backfires, as in the failed summit between Trump and North
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
Korean strongman Kim Jong Un. Pompeo lunches alone with Trump at least once a month, but there is so far no available evidence that the Secretary of State has ever managed to dissuade the President from any decision on which he had set his mind — or even that he tried. If a photo is worth a thousand words, the one that marks Pompeo forever is the benign smile of understanding that he lavishes on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman after MBS had ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. He also has the dubious distinction of being the only U.S. secretary of state ever to have denigrated a former American president’s words in front of a foreign audience in a foreign capital. This was Pompeo’s “the age of self-inflicted American shame is over” speech in Cairo, referencing President Obama’s 2009 address on the U.S. approach to Islamism in the same city. William Barr Attorney General Barr campaigned for Jeff Sessions’ job with a memo labeling the Mueller investigation “fatally misconceived,” and saying Trump had the authority to fire FBI Director James Comey. If anyone was surprised when he got the job, that surprise evanesced when (1) Barr produced an ambivalent (not to say misleading) letter in advance of the release of the Mueller report, and it provided convenient cover for Trump; (2) timed the delivery to Congress of the redacted Mueller Report to coincide with lawmakers being on Easter vacation; (3) held a press conference which, to many, confirmed that Trump now had his very own attorney general. steven Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury “Fat Cat,” a not exactly friendly new biography, says Mnuchin embodies a “bland, smirking, technocratic style of rapaciousness.” But what matters to the White House is
| washingtonlife.com
Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump Senior Advisors to the President
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, offered advice to his friend Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on how to “weather the storm,” (New York Times) scudding down on him following Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Kushner’s Middle East peace plan remains under wraps because experts say it still needs work and reflects his lack of experience in the complexities of the region. And in January, Kushner led negotiations with Congress in the border wall stand-off (a stunning presidential set-back). Kushner, 38, still has Trump’s ear, more so now that retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, his White House nemesis, has quit as chief-of-staff. His recent absurd dismissal of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election as “a couple of Facebook ads” shows his role echoing his father-in-law’s tweets. Ivanka is seen at the White House as having “a unique sway over her father, especially when it comes to personnel decisions,” according to the New York Times, and has essentially served as the president’s ambassador-at-large. Both the Kushners are likely to leave the White House considerably wealthier than when they signed up for duty. that Mnuchin has been a determined executor of Trump’s trade agenda — tax reform and reducing mammoth U.S. trade deficits. Mnuchin’s $1.5 trillion “tax cut” got mixed reviews, with critics saying it mainly benefits the rich. Lengthy negotiations are expected to produce a trade deal between the U.S. and China, with Beijing promising to buy more American goods and Washington reportedly willing to drop tariffs imposed on billions of dollars of Chinese products. John Bolton National Security Advisor of the United States “The nation’s premier champion of a narrow, d e f e n s i ve , a n d ultim ately self defeating approach to the U.S. role in the world.” That is the critique of Bolton as
national security advisor from a report by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Washington think tank known to favor a strong U.S. role in international affairs. Bolton is well known for his vehement opposition to the United Nations and other multinational organizations, global treaties and international courts, arguing that such institutions threaten to undermine U.S. sovereignty. In the past, he has argued that the U.S. should bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, and North Korea’s. As Trump’s third national security advisor so far, he has at last found a home, giving concrete shape to Trump’s “America First” unilateralism, rejecting virtually all U.S. multilateral commitments, including the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord, and — most recently — a key nuclear arms control pact with Russia, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, opening the way for a new nuclear arms race.
39
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives San Francisco Democrat Pelosi is the first woman to hold the gavel, and one of only a few speakers to have served in the post twice. Her firm stand over the partial Federal shutdown and her success in blocking the president’s State of the Union address announced the start of an era of checks on Trump’s seemingly unfettered power. Her well-honed political instincts paid off in the 2018 elections and since then she has masterfully navigated the diversity in her own caucus, bringing left and right, and some Republicans, together into the mainstream center. Her success or failure in this regard will have a significant impact on the 2020 presidential race. Mitch McConnell Senate Majority Leader As Trump battled the resurgent Democratic leadership over wall funding, leading to the 2018 government shutdown, McConnell twice blocked Democratic bills to reopen the government, but ultimately played a role in pressing Trump to accept a spending bill without his wall money. The price: McConnell had to accept Trump’s decision to declare an emergency to secure the $5 billion-plus funding he wants, something the senator had been advising against. McConnell, who is unpopular in his own state of Kentucky, needs Trump’s support in getting reelected for a sixth term in 2020, which somewhat circumscribes his power. However, he has quietely and deftly run rough-shod over Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, and packed the federal courts with far-right judges that will leave his lasting impact on the republic for decades to come.
40
Stephen Miller Senior Policy Advisor, The White House President Trump’s U.N. General Assembly speech in September 2018, in which he used the words “sovereignty” or “sovereign” 21 times, was said to have been drafted by Stephen Miller, a hard-line economic nationalist. Miller, however, is more closely associated with Trump’s tough immigration measures. Within days of Trump’s inauguration Miller fired his first salvo, the 2017 travel ban, which was promptly blocked in the courts. After that, he engineered the family separation policy at the southern border. He is also a strong supporter of Trump’s insistence on building a border wall. His other distinction as a senior White House staffer is that he has survived numerous firings and purges, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his former U.S. Senate boss, who brought him to Trump’s attention in the first place. And after the mass firings at the Department of Homeland Security, his power has only grown as he directs DHS decision making from his powerful White House perch.
Kellyanne and George T. Conway III Counselor, White House, and attorney When pollster and Trump campaign strategist Kellyanne Conway spoke of “alternative facts” in the early days of the Trump administration, it turned out that she was serving notice of a planned White House strategy to continuously challenge the truth with its own manufactured version of reality. Since then Conway has been a star dispenser of Trumpian facts for the media and the diplomatic community. On the opposite side of the fence is her attorney husband, George, who is publicly critical of Trump and has started a conservative lawyer group called Checks and Balances to speak out against the president’s tweets and decisions in an administration he recently called “a shit show in a dumpster fire.” Oh, to hear their coffee talk. Rudy Giuliani Trump personal attorney It’s hard to see in Trump’s court jester (double meaning intended: The New Yorker called him “Trump’s clown”) the successful mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001 and the steadying hand in the metropolis following 9/11. His role seems to be less to give legal advice and more to create a smoke screen of contradiction and confusion behind which Trump’s real lawyers do their work. Brad Parscale Chairman, Trump 2020 presidential campaign Trump picked the computer specialist to head the 2020 campaign on the strength of his work in getting him elected the first time. Parscale once boasted on “60 Minutes” that Facebook got Trump into the White House. With a more vigilant Facebook, a defunct digital data supplier,
Cambridge Analytica and presumably less Russian help — can Parscale do it again in 2020? Michael Pillsbury China affairs advisor Pillsbury published his book, “The HundredYear Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower,” while he was a Pentagon consultant advising the Obama administration. Today he counsels the Trump administration on its confrontational China policy. According to a couple of administration insiders, Pillsbury, an urbane, scholar with a droll sense of humor, may be a hardliner on China, but amid the pandemonium of the White House he seems to be a voice of reason. Recently, the Chinese didn’t give him a visa to attend a conference in Beijing, without explanation. Perhaps he could be doing something right? Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.)
These U.S. senators represent a group of relatively more moderate lawmakers in the G.O.P.-dominated Senate who have shown themselves willing to break ranks on specific issues and vote against the proTrump party line. Twelve of them voted with the Democrats to pass a resolution opposing Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. The president promptly said he would veto the
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
resolution; but the action of this small group may be the first crack in the solid front of total obedience to the White House by Republican lawmakers. Robert Mueller and the U.S. attorneys from The Southern District of New York (SDNY) Special Counsel The completion of Mueller’s investigation into Russian penetration in the 2016 presidential elections is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a larger one over where its findings will lead in terms of Congressional action, and its impact on Trump and his presidency. Even before submitting his tiptoe-to-theedge report, two years in the compiling, Mueller cut a swath through Trump’s closest staff and advisors, indicting Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Michael Cohen, Rick Gates, George Papadopoulos, plus two dozen Russians, and another handful of alleged Russian intelligence officers for hacking the Democratic National Committee and U.S. election infrastructure. Part of the Mueller legacy is that aspects and offshoots of his investigation, including Trump’s personal and Trump Organization finances, continue to percolate in the Southern District of New York (where both Comey and Giuliani are former staffers) in addition to Congress and jurisdictions across the country. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Burman, a Trump appointee, has recused himself from these ongoing investigations. Barack and Michelle Obama Former U.S. president and first lady
Many Democrats feel the former president has shown remarkable restraint
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
while his successor dismantles his legacy piece by piece. But the conventional wisdom is that Obama will step into the fray once the 2020 election campaign gets underway. Democratic strategists believe that Obama is almost sure to focus his support his former vice president Joe Biden. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who is also close to the Obamas, is another possible candidate to get his backing. Michelle Obama’s very successful book tour raised hopes that she might consider running herself. For what it’s worth, she has repeatedly said,” Absolutely, no.” Joe Biden Former Vice-President In April, Biden threw his hat into the already crowded ring, immediately taking the lead in early polls, including racing ahead of Trump by nearly six percent. The Biden challenge has pressed panic buttons at the White House, where Trump doubtless considers the former vice president the candidate he least wants to face. Were Biden to win, he would be 77 when elected, and the oldest president since Trump, unless, of course, Sen. Bernie Sanders wins. Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff Chairman, House Judiciary Committee; Chairman , House Intelligence Committee
In March, Nadler subpoenaed 81 individuals and entities as part of his investigation into Trump, his family and his affairs, a Congressional probe that gives new meaning to the phrase “wide ranging.” Nadler’s investigation is one outcome of Michael Cohen’s recent testimony, in which he named names. California D em o crat S chif f also wields
| washingtonlife.com
Sisterhood of Congressional Firsts
“We’re in the building,” Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Instagram in January beneath a stylized photo of herself and five colleagues whose elections were historic firsts. Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has 3.2 million Instagram followers, is the youngest woman elected to Congress and has celebrity-like buzz. A surge in gender politics represented by #MeToo and other movements, plus the backlash against men behaving badly on the sexual front resulted in a record number of female lawmakers like Cortez elected to Congress in the 2018 midterms. Congress was color-coded for Trump’s State of the Union address, with female members en bloc wearing white, a color historically linked to the suffragette movement. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) are the first two Muslim American congresswomen. Sharice Davids (D-Kans.) and Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) are the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress. It’s not just women on the “left,” but Democratic centrists like former CIA operative Abigail Spanberger and former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill, who reflect the rise of powerful women in the House. considerable power as he draws on the Mueller report to lead the House Intelligence C o m m it te e’s investigation of the President. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court No other Supreme Court Justice has been the subject of a widely praised CNN documentary and a biopic produced in the same year. But, as The Guardian newspaper expressed it, she is “a tough, old school liberal
feminist whose dissenting positions and elegant, distinctive public profile have turned her into an A-list celebrity.” The documentary, “RBG,” shows why she is a role model for young female lawyers, and feminists alike. Justice Ginsburg describes the biopic, “On the Basis of Sex,” as part fact and part fiction. What is true is that she hasn’t hesitated to express her views on President Trump, calling him “a faker” during his campaign, and vowing to stay on the court until after the 2020 election, nothwithstanding fracturing three ribs last fall.
41
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
outside influencers Sheldon Adelson Casino magnate, philanthropist, Zionist Mega-rich Vegas casino owner and l e a d i n g Tr u m p backer (he gave $26 million to the Trump 2016 campaign), who is a supporter of Netanyahu and farright Israeli politicians. has been so influential on the Trump White House that The New York Times recently called him a member of “a shadow National Security Council” advising Bolton and the President. He has been credited with getting Trump to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and, with Jared Kushner’s help, to recognize the annexation of the Golan Heights. Tom Steyer Founder “Need to Impeach” movement; Hedge fund billionaire, Trump antagonist and Democratic activist Steyer has spent millions bombarding te l ev i s i o n s a n d computer screens around the country calling for immediate action to oust the president. To date, according to his Need to Impeach website, more than seven million Americans agree with him. He’s expected to spend millions more to fight Trump’s reelection. Michael bloomberg Former mayor of New York Bloomberg spent over $110 million backing Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms and is credited with helping at least 21 Congressional Democrats to win their seats. Although out of the presidential race, B loomberg continues to push his climate control and sensible gun control agenda at
42
appearances across the country, and he is likely to spend as much as $400 million from his sizable fortune to defeat Trump in 2020, a Bloomberg political advisor told Politico. Charles Koch Chairman and CEO, Koch Industries With the retirement of his brother David a year ago, Charles acquired full control of the Wichita-based $115 billion-a-year family business and the powerful, tentacular machine pushing the Koch’s arch-conservative agenda. The Koch brothers, who considered Ronald Reagan too liberal, have not supported Trump. However, Trump has introduced some measures the Koch organization favors, notably tax cuts for the rich and government deregulation. But free trade is holy writ for the Kochs so Trump’s imposition of tariffs is one disputed area, as is his tough stance on immigration. THOMAS BARRACK Chairman, Colony Capital The LebaneseAmerican billionaire real estate investor is a longtime Trump friend and an advisor, especially in the early days of the Trump presidency. Barrack brought Paul Manafort into the Trump campaign as chairman. It was reportedly Barrack who connected UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba to Jared Kushner and organized Trump’s meeting with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia during the president’s first overseas trip. Now Barrack is under scrutiny from the House Judiciary Committee along with numerous other Trump associates and friends, and in a separate action, federal prosecutors in New York have asked the Trump inaugural committee, of which Barrack was chairman, to surrender documents relating to the $107 million celebration.
The Second Coming of King David?
Jerry Falwell Jr, Franklin Graham, Pentecostal-Charismatic Christians, John Hagee, Christian ministers and Trump supporters
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Donald Trump’s rise to power, given his scandal-littered life, is the staunch support of the Christian right. A new “spiritual biography” of Trump (“The Faith of Donald Trump”) claims that large numbers of Christians believe “God has installed Donald Trump in the Oval Office to Make America Great,” and compares him to St. Augustine, much as others compare him to Cyrus the Great. Evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr. cites King David to rationalize allegations of Donald Trump’s extramarital affairs. According to the Biblical account, King David seduced Bathsheba and had her husband killed so that he could marry her. “God called David a man after God’s heart even though he was an adulterer and a murderer,” Falwell said in an interview. “You have to choose a leader that would make the best king or president and not necessarily someone who would be a good pastor.” Pentecostal charismatic Christians who make up one fourth of the American population were some of Trump’s earliest supporters in part because his campaign promises resonated with their admiration for Israel. Even the respected Franklin Graham, son of the charismatic Billy Graham, is prepared to make allowances for the president. “As human beings, we’re flawed,” he told the New Yorker, when questioned about the squalid side of Trump’s reputation. San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee, another Trump ally and founder of the Christians United for Israel movement, was one of two pastors invited to bless the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
global influencers Salem and Rima Al-Sabah Ambassador of Kuwait and his wife The Al-Sabahs’ lavish social evenings recall old-style diplomatic entertaining as it is not often seen in Washington these days. Their events gather the power elite to support charitable causes and to advance the small, oil-rich kingdom’s interests in the nation’s capital. A skillfull Ambassasor and hostess combo, the AlSabahs makes sure they have a bipartisan guest list, plus a sprinkling of movie stars, media and Washington old money. The focus remains on the leading figures of the administration. President Trump and his wife were guests early in the administration, ditto the Pences; the Kushners are regulars. Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani Ambassador of Qatar Talk about bad timing. A member of Qatar’s ruling family and a seasoned diplomat, Al-Thani arrived in Washington when tension broke out between his country and its main Persian Gulf neighbors, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Initially, the Trump administration supported Riyadh, with the president accusing energy-rich Qatar of harboring terrorists. But Qatar is home to the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in the Arab world, and the administration quickly reversed itself. As a testament to Qatari power, Secretary of State Pompeo was in the Qatari capital, Doha, in January to co-chair with his Qatari counterpart a so-called Strategic Dialogue meeting, where he spoke of a “robust bilateral relationship” between the two countries.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
Yousef Al Otaiba Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates A diplomat with deep pockets and a high profile, Al Otaiba has across the board entrée to politicians and officials from both parties, including — it is said — a close relationship with Jared Kushner. His reputation for checkbook generosity is well earned as he continues to support galas and charities, not to mention think tanks and an army of lobbyists. Although the UAE, together with the Saudis, continues to support the devastating war in Yemen, it has been reported that the two allies are supporting different factions as they vie for power. Binyamin Netanyahu Prime Minister of Israel Given his long association with Jared Kushner, Netanyahu’s influence within the White House remains high. Trump’s moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, reneging on Washington’s long-standing commitments to Palestinians, supporting annexation of the Golan Heights and other far-right Israeli positions are a testament to the influence of Netanyahu, Trump’s superrich Jewish backers, and his right-wing Christian base. Despite his corruption scandals, team Trump gave Netanyahu all the campaign help it could. Many view the prime minister’s election to a fifth term as a geopolitical catastrophe that, with help from the Trump administration, is likely to set back a lasting, equitable IsraeliPalestinian solution for decades. Vladimir Putin President of Russia For the past two years, Putin cast an ominous shadow over the Trump presidency. Two-thirds of the Mueller report details Russia’s extensive use of social media to
| washingtonlife.com
Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman
The expression “heads will roll” acquires a grotesque, literal meaning in Saudi Arabia where in April, 37 individuals were beheaded, of which at least 34 were from the desert kingdom’s Shia Muslim minority, according to Human Rights Watch. This brings the total number of executions so far this year to 105, including at least one crucifixion, and fits into Crown Prince Mohammad’s ruthless drive to secure his power within the kingdom. Known as MBS, the prince is regarded as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. His harsh application of Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi-based Islamic law, against non-adherents, his merciless bombing of neighboring Yemen - a humanitarian disaster of catastrophic proportions, and his role in the execution of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi have irrevocably undermined his multi-million dollar public relations blitz to present himself as a reformer. The Trump White House, however continues to support MBS, recently vetoing legislation to halt U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-UAE war in Yemen. As such, Saudi influence with the Trump administration appears immovable, perhaps in part because Saudi political and financial support are pivotal to Kushner’s Israeli-Arab peace plan. Saudi Arabia has the dubious distinction of being the top foreign spender with Washington lobby firms, employing a virtual army of 146 lobbyists to work on its image and advance its agenda. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Saudis lavished more than $19 million on the lobby sector between January 2017 and October 2018. Of course, this pales in comparison to the $10 billion the Saudis have spent over the past five decades, according to the State Department, to spread a narrow, puritanical, and intolerant version of Islam that has been linked to nearly every terrorist attack in the West. In fact, according to the Global Terrorism Database of King’s College in London, nearly every terrorist attack in the West since September 11, 2001 has had some connection to Saudi Arabia.
influence the outcome of the 2016 elections in Trump’s favor, which raises the question, why hasn’t the Trump administration responded to Moscow’s interference in the American democratic process or warned against more of the same in 2020? Strobe Talbott, a Russian specialist and former deputy secretary of state in the Clinton administration, recently wrote in Politico that, regardless of the Mueller investigation’s findings, Trump has colluded “with a hostile Russia throughout his presidency.” Perhaps it’s a testament to Putin’s power that earlier this year the Treasury Department lifted sanctions on three Russian firms with connections to Russian oligarch and close Putin ally Oleg Deripaska, who was linked by Mueller to convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. In his home country, Putin ejoys an 80 percent
favorability rating among Russians, as he continues to stoke Russian nationalism. Xi Jinping President of China President Trump boasts of his personal relationship with his Chinese counterpart, but a proposed summit early in 2019 had to be pushed back because both sides were trying to pin down details of a trade deal and avert the embarrassment of a failure. A further problem is the U.S. antagonism to Huawei, the world’s largest provider of telecommunications equipment. The Chinese foreign minister has warned that China will “take all necessary measures” to protect the company.
43
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
NEWS “FAKERS” AND MAKERS Dan Bongino and Rush Limbaugh Hosts, “The Dan Bongino Show” and the “The Rush Limbaugh Show”
Right-wing commentors Bongino and Limbaugh are somewhat inaccurately included as media, as are many bloggers. Limbaugh, a far-right broadcaster with one of the largest radio audiences ever, is among Trump’s most loyal supporters, and the feeling is mutual. Back in December, when Trump was on the verge of signing a budget that did not include his $5 billion to build the southern border wall, Limbaugh publicly urged him to reject it, and the president changed his mind, opening the way for the longest federal government shutdown in history. Fox News contributor and conspiracy theorist Bongino boasts over a million Twitter followers. He has used his platform to, in his own words,”debunk one liberal myth at a time.”
Pinocchio
Media Fact Checkers at The New York Times, The Washington Post, Associated Press, etc. A children’s tale from Italy, written in 1883, provides the symbol for media checkers who daily expose Trump’s habitual indifference to the truth. Pinocchio, the wood puppet that comes to life, gained a global audience in a Walt Disney toon, released in 1940. More recently, Pinocchio, whose nose gets longer when he lies, entered American politics as the lie indicator of media fact-checking teams: five small images of his long-nosed face to signify a whopper, and fewer Pinocchios for lesser fibs and inaccurate claims. As of April 2019, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker Database reports, President Trump has made or repeated 9,451 false or mistaken claims.
44
Chris Ripley President and CEO, Sinclair Broadcasting Corp. When the largest television station operator in the United States (193 outlets) instructed its news anchors across the country last year to parrot a prepared announcement warning that “national media outlets” spread “fake stories” — and used a version close to one of Trump’s favorite slogans to make its point, a lot of people, including some Sinclair staffers, were reminded of some countries, past and present, where the media are forced to follow regime orders. The fact that the Sinclair chain has a long-standing, rightwing reputation didn’t help. The defense was hardly convincing: Sinclair said it was referring to really fake news, and cited as
examples the notorious “Pizzagate” story and “Pope endorses Donald Trump for president,” both items the “national media outlets” had gone to great lengths to discredit. Tucker car lson Ainsley Earhardt and Sean Hannity Host, “Tucker Carlson Tonight”; co-host, “Fox and Friends”; and host, “The Sean Hannity Show”
Hannity is the main reason Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News is widely seen as Trump’s propaganda network — and the Democratic party’s justification for shutting out Fox from hosting any of its primary debates. New York-based Hannity is the voice of Trump’s core support, very close to the president (they are said to talk on the phone most nights); in 2018, he appeared with Trump onstage at a campaign rally. Trump starts his day watching “Fox and Friends,” and the show often inspires his tweets. Earhardt, also in New York, recently argued that one reason the United States is great is because “we defeated communist Japan.” lson is an often combative, conservative interviewer who has been accused of parroting the president’s white nationalism and climate change denial, has also been willing to challenge interventionist pro-war policies. Chris Matthews, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, and Rachel Maddow Hosts, “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” “Morning Joe;” and “The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC
If Fox News is Trump’s media ally, MSNBC is his sharpest media critic. Overall, the tone of MSNBC’s programs contrasts sharply with Fox’s wall-to-wall support for the president. New Yorkbased Rachel Maddow, in particular, takes no prisoners: in January, Maddow averaged 3.29 million nightly viewers, beating Hannity, Fox’s top performer (3.01 million). “Morning Joe,” once a Trump favorite, now fits into the MSNBC pattern of adversarial coverage. Veteran broadcaster Chris Matthews takes a more cerebral approach, challenging the neoconservative “foreign policy blob” on their interventionist advocacy for perpetual war. Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper and dana bash Respectively CNN anchors and chief policial correspondent
Having recently joined the “Billionaire’s Club” in terms of profits by a major TV news organization, chasing the Trump story has been good for CNN, which in 2018 had its best year ever, chalking up $1.2 billion in earnings on $2.5 billion in revenues. Its reporting is thorough and accurate, but the main attraction is its endless succession of panel dissections of the latest Trump news between resident journalists and guest experts, deftly orchestrated by Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper and others. The network claims to give equal time to pro- and anti-Trump views, but the overall tone tends to be adversarial towards the president. Trump is a CNN “hate watcher” who returns the compliment with scathing public comments. Chief political correspondent Dana Bash, who has been at the network her entire eer, is, alongside Blitzer and Tapper, one of the most recognizable faces on CNN. She’s the lead reporter on both the House and Senate, is a key player in the network’s campaign coverage, and hosts the “Badass Women
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
of Washington” series. Bret Baier and Chris Wallace, Host, “Fox News Sunday;” Fox News chief political anchor and host, “Special Report with Bret Baier”
“I’m not one of the opinion guys … They know I’m not going to sell a party line,” veteran Fox journalist Chris Wallace once told the Associated Press, putting distance between himself and the Fox commentators and talk show hosts — the ”opinion guys” — to whom Trump is a hero. Wallace, 71, describes himself as a journalist with a newsman’s perspective and many years of covering the White House. Unlike his fawning Fox colleagues, he has in recent months, memorably dismantled White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ claims that 4,000 terrorists crossed the southern border into the U.S.; shot full of holes White House adviser Stephen Miller’s defense of Trump’s emergency declaration; and admonished the president himself for attacking the media (“We’re all together. When you call CNN and The New York Times [fake news], we are in solidarity, sir”). Baier has played golf with Trump at Mar-al-Lago, but recently complained that he can’t get an interview with the president. Baier also challenged Fox’s reputation as Trump’s mouthpiece, drawing a distinction between his own program and Sean Hannity’s, and took heat from right-wing commentators for hosting a town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders. “The wall between real, factual journalism and opinion at Fox News is very much alive, very real,” Baier told a recent audience. Ryan Grim Washington bureau chief, The Intercept The Intercept, an online publication launched in 2014, leapt to notoriety by publishing National Security Agency documents
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
provided by NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Its co-founder, lawyer-turned-journalist Glenn Greenwald, now runs The Intercept by remote control from Rio de Janeiro, where he lives. Grim, who joined the publication in 2017, is The Intercept’s Washington bureau chief and has shown the courage not only to take the political right but the Democratic party as well. He is known as one of the hardest-working journalists in town. Martin “Marty” Baron and Fred Ryan Editor and Publisher/CEO, The Washington Post
In 2018, the Post first had to cope with the shocking murder of one of its columnists, journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and later faced the challenge of reporting on its owner, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his ongoing battle with The National Enquirer over publication of details of his affair with Lauren Sanchez. And all the while the paper was striving to maintain a competitive edge on the never-ending Trump saga. To their credit, The Post has published a string of stories on their owner’s problems with the Enquirer, while Bezos recently took to the website Medium (not The Post) with a spirited attack against the Enquirer, which in April was sold to new owners.
Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor and Jon Lovett Hosts, “Pod Save America”
Favreau, Pfeiffer, Vietor and Lovett are a quartet of former Obama aides. In 2017, they launched the HBO-based podcast which they describe as a “no bullshit conversation about politics” and it has become a go-to source of political commentary for American millennials, with an average audience of 1.5 million per show. Millennialls favor getting their news through comedy and following John Stewart’s lead, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee and John Oliver have taken this to another level. Together, with Favreau and company, they’ve helped politically engage millions of young Americans. president and the White House don’t want revealed and in her penetrating profiles of the man himself, as when she memorably described him rattling noiselessly around the residential quarters at night in his bathrobe. Baker was brought back from heading the Jerusalem bureau to lead the Times team at the White House, where he had earlier covered three presidents over a span of 15 years, and had a reputation for being marinated in presidential politics. Robert Allbritton, Patrick Steel and carrie Budoff Brown Founder and chairman, CEO, and editor, Politico
Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman White House correspondents, The New York Times
Haberman, who has covered Trump since at least 2011, is consistently the best Trump watcher in Washington, both when it comes to uncovering information that the
| washingtonlife.com
Now in its 11th year, the online juggernaut maintains its reputation for fast, penetrating political Washington coverage, and a respectable footprint in Europe and Canada. But its $113 million revenue in 2018 — the highest in its history — and $2 million profit is less due to its mainstream news delivery and more to its pricey Politico Pro, described by the company as a
“customizable policy intelligence platform for professionals.” Allbritton recently told Vanity Fair that Politico’s mission “is not to have the largest audience — it’s to have the most influential audience.” In 2016, when some top managers broke away to found the rival news start-up Axios, Allbritton hired investment banker Patrick Steel as CEO, and the company seemed to hardly miss a beat. Budoff Brown, who was appointed editor in 2016, has been a Politico staffer since its inception. Mike Allen roy schwartz and Jim VandeHei Co-founders , Axios Allen and VandeHei, who broke away from Politico in 2016 and joined forces with Roy Schwartz to set up their own media startup, seem to have struck a chord with their trademark formula of “smart brevity” news snippets plus standard articles on the internet. In his Axios AM and PM Mike Allen has replicated his Politico Daily Playbook, with comparable success.
45
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
ADVOCACY AND NONPROFITS Brian Ballard President, Ballard Partners Ballard was a top Florida lobbyist for years, with long business and personal connection with Tr u m p . Following the election, Ballard Partners established a serious presence in Washington. Qatar, Mali, Kosovo and Zimbabwe were added to their foreign client list, and the firm is regarded as the most successful of Trump era lobbyists.
Leana Wen
President, The Planned Parenthood Federation of America Leana Wen had hardly settled in as the first physician to lead the national organization in nearly 50 years, when she was pushing against new cuts in federal family planning funds
Jeremy Ben-Ami Founder and President, J Street Founded in 2008, J Street’s main thrust is the peaceful twostate resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and BenAmi’s intention was to introduce a more balanced voice that reflects the views of the majority of American Jews. While the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC – see below) finds itself reflecting Israeli Jews’ support for Trump (90 percent), J Street is more in tune with the views of American Jews, 75 percent of which increasingly perceive Trump as racist and antiSemitic, and voted Democratic in the mid-terms. Matthew Brooks and Norm Coleman National Chairman and Executive Director, Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC)
proposed by the Trump administration. Sweeping new rules will make organizations that provide or refer patients for abortions ineligible to receive funds under the so-called Title X family planning program. The new regulations also divert more funds to faith-base organizations that promote fertility awareness and abstinence as family planning methods. Planned Parenthood provides health services for millions of women through its 600 health centers across the country. Prior to moving to Planned Parenthood in November, Leana Wen was Baltimore’s City Health Commissioner. To combat an opioid crisis, she issued a blanket prescription for the opioid antidote, naloxone, to all 620,000 Baltimore residents, a program that saved thousands of lives.
46
Although the RJC only has the support of a small percentage of American Jews, it provided a very significant proportion of
Republican party funds. Its patron is mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, and its influence with Trump reflects the tremendous largesse lavished upon the president and the Republican party by Adelson and his RJC cohorts. It was not always such. In 2016 former Minnesota Sen. Coleman called Trump “a bigot, a misogynist, a fraud and a bully,” vowing never to vote for him. But that was then. Both Coleman and Matthew Brooks now shower approval on Trump’s Israel policy. Thomas Donohue and Scott Reed President & CEO and Senior Political Strategist, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Late last year, the Chamber of Commerce issued a statement saying it was “inappropriate for government officials to use their institution to attack an American company.” The official — not mentioned by name — was President Trump, and the company was Amazon, which had been the target of a presidential tweet attack. The statement shows the challenge facing the Chamber in dealing with an unpredictable president who is business friendly, except when he isn’t. Reed recently told The Atlantic magazine that the Chamber was reconsidering how to respond to Trump’s tendency to attack individual companies publicly and by name, which Reed called “unchartered waters.” Thomas Fitton President, Judicial Watch. The conser vative investigative website has been a thorn in the side of Presidents Clinton, Obama and even George W. Bush, but in Trump it has found a White House occupant it can defend. Its main weapon is the government itself through successful Freedom of Information
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
requests. In reality, Trump admires Thomas Fitton more than Fitton does Trump. But Fitton has said in interviews that Trump is being “victimized” by the national security establishment, the Democratic Party, the media and government bureaucrats. This “plot” finds fullest expression in the Mueller probe, which Fitton called “unconstitutional.” Jo ann Jenkins CEO, AARP An executive with years of federal government experience, Jenkins heads the $1.5 billion, District-based nonprofit group that advocates for Americans over age 50. The organization has upward of 38 million members. She has made cheaper medication prices, educating members in the new “job mobility” labor market and understandable technology the AARP’s top priorities. Howard Kohr Chief Executive, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Kohr heads the large and powerful — some say too powerful — right-leaning Israel lobby that has been struggling to keep up its bi-partisan persona. AIPAC does not endorse or raise money for individual candidates, but its members do, with AIPAC’s strong encouragement, giving considerable clout on the Hill. In addition, the group spent $3.5 million last year on lobbying. The majority of American Jews vote for Democrats, but Trump has won AIPAC’s approval with his support for right-wing Israeli policies.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox CEO, National Rifle Association, and Director, NRA Institute of Legislative Action
Year after year, LaPierre’s rhetoric never changes, but the killing statistics do. They continue to rise: 11,984 deaths in 47,220 gun incidents in 2018 (not counting suicides). To LaPierre and Cox, the NRA’s chief strategist, last year’s Florida school shooting (17 dead) was everybody’s fault but the weapons — lax school security, “rogue” FBI leadership and the Democrats. The reality is that opposition to gun violence is slowly growing in the U.S. Trump himself has voiced support for measures the NRA opposes, including raising the age limit to purchase an assault rifle and banning rapid-fire gun bump stocks. But at the same time, Trump calls LaPierre and Cox “GREAT patriots, and GREAT people.” Recently, the NRA fired president Oliver North for allegedly blackmailing LaPierre. Leonard Leo Executive Vice-President, The Federalist Society As head of the powerful, nationwide organization of right wing lawyers, Leo will have a lot to answer for long after Donald Trump has left the White House. Both Trump’s nominees for the Supreme Court so far — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — as well as several appointees to the federal judiciary, came from a list drawn up for him by thFederalist Society. And given the age of some of the other justices, Trump could well have the opportunity to appoint one or two more from Leo’s right-wing nominees.
| washingtonlife.com
WHO ARE THINK TANKS THINKING FOR? very year, the University of Pennsylvania publishes a comprehensive
E
ranking of more than 6,500 think tanks worldwide. For the past two years, the Heritage Foundation has topped the list in the category of institutions “with the most significant impact on public policy,” and the Brookings Institution was number one on the list of think tanks noted for their “independence and integrity.” The Heritage Foundation was not so much influencing policy as creating it. The right-wing Washington think tank submitted 334 separate policy recommendations to jump start the Trump agenda and two-thirds of them were taken on board for immediate action, including withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Sixty-four Heritage staffers joined the Trump Administration. Brookings, wrote Andrew Rich, of the City College of New York, “emphasizes their role as producers of credible expertise: the Heritage Foundation highlights their contribution to political debates over ideas.” This difference between claims of neutral analysis undertaken for the common good, and ideological activism divides the approximately 400 think tanks operating in Washington. Recently, however, independent think tanks have come under scrutiny over the amount of influence donors may have on their work, raising questions about their overall credibility. It 2014, an article in the New York Times claimed that Brookings, CSIS and the Atlantic Council were “recipients of overseas funds, producing papers, hosting forums, and organizing private briefings for senior U.S. government officials that typically align with the foreign governments’ agendas.” Following the article, plus two more in the Times some time later, as well as other media reports, think tanks found themselves on the defensive about lack of transparency regarding their funding, unreported conflicts of interest, and questions about their intellectual independence. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have paid millions to the D.C. think tank sector. Brookings, CSIS and the Middle East Institute stopped accepting Riyadh’s money following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in November 2018. Other big contributors: Norway, Japan and Kazakhstan. Think tanks pushed back vigorously against the notion that accepting foreign donations risks compromising their credibility. Strobe Talbott, when he was president of Brookings, refuted the claims of two Times articles in a lengthy item-by-item rebuttal, affirming the independence of Brookings scholars to conduct research. John Hamre, the chief executive of CSIS, said in an interview, “We gather stakeholders, vet ideas, find areas of agreement and highlight areas of disagreement.” The think tanks’ original purpose was indeed to research and analyze public policy issues to help lawmakers and others make informed decisions. But Washington is a political town and alongside organizations that still consider themselves cloistered hives of intellectual activity, others are making no excuses for identifying with specific political ideologies. A counterweight to The Heritage Foundation in this context is The Center for American Progress (CAP), with a progressive domestic agenda, even as its Middle East foreign policy agenda is less so. The Center has declared war on Donald Trump, calling itself “the central hub of the Trump resistance.” The issue of foreign influence begs the question whether think tanks are also susceptible to undue influence from U.S. corporations whose financial support continues to increase. More transparency about the relationship with donors would garner greater credibility in this regard. Despite the challenges, the sector is growing, and spreading worldwide. At last count, the global total was 8,162, including seven in China, and more than 280 in India.
47
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
he was to take to Jeff Sessions instructing the then Attorney General to make a statement which would clear the president of any wrongdoing in the Russian interference probe, and curtail the scope of Mueller’s investigation. Lewandowski failed to deliver the message himself, and then gave it to a White House staffer who didn’t deliver it either, according to the Mueller Report narrative. But Lewandowski has remained in Trump’s good graces, and has written a favorable book of the Trump presidency. Things may change if, like McGahn, he is subpoened to elaborate on the incident before Congress.
Fatima Goss Graves CEO, National Women’s Law Center
Through the Law Center, Graves promotes the rights of women and girls at school and in the workplace and works to ensure non-discrimination in athletics. She was one of the African American lawyers to publicly oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. She also came out against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ changes to the rules governing campus sexual harassment, limiting the cases schools must investigate, and allowing lawyers for the accused to question the victims. Goss Graves argues that the last measure would inhibit victims from coming forward at a time when one in five women students say they experienced sexual misconduct while in college. Corey Lewandowski Lobbyist Like White House counsel Don McGahn, Corey Lewandowski failed to ry out Trump’s i n s t r u c t i o n s to undermine the Mueller investigation. But, unlike McGahn, Trump’s former campaign manager escaped the president’s wrath despite his testimony to Mueller based on notes he kept in his safe. According to Lewandowski, Trump dictated a note that
48
Stephen Miles Director, Win Without War For the umbrella organization Win Without War, Miles directs a coalition of 37 national organizations, including the member groups MoveOn. org, CREDO Action and the NAACP, that are dedicated to the principle of resolving conflicts through diplomacy. Win Without War is a program of the Center for International Policy that maintains American victory in foreign policy can be achieved through U.S. diplomacy and negotiation. Janet Murguia Maria Teresa Kumar and luis miranda CEO, UnidosUS; Co-founder, Voto Latino; Chairman, Latino Victory Murguia heads the organization once known as the National Council of La Raza, the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., and is a powerful voice for the country’s 58.7 million Hispanics — 18 percent of the population. The organization changed its name in 2017, and Murguia works to amplify the Latino voice on issues affecting the Hispanic community, with immigration and civil rights as top priorities. Among the more recent of several non-profit Hispanic movements: The actress Rosario Dawson co-founded
the voter advocacy group Voto Latino, of which Maria Teresa Kumar, is president and CEO (and an MSNBC commentator); Luis Miranda and actress Eva Longoria founded Latino Victory, which recruits and develops Latinos for public office. Michael Petruzzello Managing Partner, Qorvis Communications It’s business as usual for Qorvis, one of several go-to lobby/public relations firms for the Saudis, after Saudi Arabian agents — acting on orders from Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, as has been widely reported — murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. Several other K Street firms dropped the Saudis as clients once the gruesome details of Khashoggi’s murder were made public, but not Petruzzello’s outfit, which in 2018 managed the crown prince’s U.S. tour. CHARLES RIVKIN Chairman & CEO, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) When Rivkin was appointed Hollywood’s man in Washington a year ago, The New York Times described the MPAA as “musty.” Rivkin, named ambassador to France by Obama and then assistant secretary of economic affairs from 2014-2017, and before that the Muppets’ boss as CEO of the Jim Henson Co., set to work removing the mustiness and reshape the trade association to reflect the upheaval in the business. In 2019, for example, he negotiated the admission of Netflix as a new MPAA member.
Anthony Romero President, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) The American Civil Liberties Union received a boost with Donald Trump’s election, when it found itself fighting legal battles on several fronts. Its membership quadrupled in 15 months. By 2018, it had initiated 170 legal a c t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e Tr u m p administration. The ACLU led the way in blocking the administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their families and was also involved in lawsuits on Trump’s Muslim travel ban, digital privacy, voting rights and free speech issues. Not surprisingly, it is hiring more lawyers. Mike Sommers President & CEO, American Petroleum Institute Sommers took over API this summer, after most recently serving as president of the American Investment Council, but is best known in Washington as former House S peaker John Boehner’s chief of staff and chief strategist. He takes over API at a time when U.S. oil and gas output is the highest ever, making extraction the nation’s fastest growing industry — and also the most devastating for the planet. Robert Stryk Executive Chairman, Sonoran Policy Group R o b e r t S t r y k ’s Sonoran Policy Group calls itself a “g l o b a l p r i v a t e diplomacy” firm. What’s in a name? It’s a lobby firm. Stryk was West Coast advisor to the Trump election campaign and is one of several people w i t h Tr u m p co n n e c t i o n s to
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
immediately jump on the influence p e d d l i n g b a n d w a go n . T h i s development is not unique to the Trump campaign, of course, but more of a fixture in Washington’s modern post-election scenario. Almost overnight, Sonoran had foreign clients, inevitably including the Saudis (more than $5.3 million before the Khashoggi murder scandal). Last year, SPG had $100 million in revenues. randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers In her Washington, D.C. office Weingarten has a blow-up of a statement she made prior to the 2018 midterms. “We must fight the antidemocratic, nativist, racist, incompetent, oligarchical, authoritarian and cruel instincts and actions of this president and his cronies and associates,” it said in part. That pretty much sums up where the teachers; union leader stands in relation to the present administration. As she tells it, her most recent contact with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was in 2017. The AFT spent $12 million on supporting Democractic candidates in the midterms, and, says Weingarten, has more to spend in 2020.
INTERNATIONAL MONEY David Malpass President, World Bank President Trump’s pick to succeed Jim Yo n g K i m a s president of the World Bank is a long- time critic of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund. David Malpass, a senior Treasury Department official, also has the dubious distinction of having publicly declared the 2008 financial meltdown wasn’t going to
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
happen — a few days before it did. This is why his critics say he doesn’t exactly shine as an economist either. Malpass has said he considers World Bank specialized staff to be overpaid. As one Bank insider tweeted about M a l p a s s’s a p p o i n t m e n t : “A n incorrigible arsonist has now been made our fire chief.” Christine Lagarde Managing Director, International Monetary Fund Lagarde is an influential voice in the global economy, but a calm and reasoned one. An absence of rhetoric against Trump’s protectionist policies and his rants against globalism help explain in part the absence of tension between the IMF and its biggest contributor, the Trump administration. Another possible explanation: the IMF’s deliberate media low profile, so the attention-hungry White House (i.e. Trump) doesn’t see it as a competitor for the spotlight. Lagarde, who is in her second five-year term as the IMF’s managing director has, for example, warned that the tax cuts could undermine the U.S. economy in the long term, but the IMF has not pushed back against the White House’s attack on U.S. international trade agreements. That does not mean that Lagarde is unafraid of speaking up against the Trump Administration’s protec tionist policies. At Spring Meetings of the 189-nation IMF, Lagarde said the world’s economies are at a “delicate moment” with 70 percent of the global economy caught in a growth slowdown that could be worsened by “unnecessary” trade battles. Despite forecasting a rebound in growth next year, Lagarde warned that forecast is “preious and subject to downside risks” with rising trade tensions a top threat.
| washingtonlife.com
Stephen Brogan, Don McGahn
Managing Partner, Jones Day; attorney, Jones Day Former White House counsel McGahn is caught in the middle of a looming legal battle between the Trump White House and the Congress over his revelations in the Mueller Report that — as the New York Times reported — he “stepped in repeatedly to thwart Mr Trump’s attempts to curtail the [Mueller] investigation.” Lawmakers want McGahn to elaborate on his disagreements with Trump over Mueller: the White House wants to prevent that happening. Trump has denied ordering McGahn, who is cited 157 times in the Mueller Report, to remove Mueller, but commentators have noted that the White House counsel was testifying under oath. McGahn is back at his old law firm and recently hinted to the Washington Post that he expected an unspecified number of former Jones Day lawyers to follow him out of the White House, just as they had followed him into it. In all, 14 Jones Day attorneys had joined the administration, including the newly appointed solicitor general, Noel Francisco, as detailed in our 2018 Power 100 feature. Brogan leads the firm of 2,500 lawyers in 43 offices across five continents, including one in Moscow to service its several Russian oligarchs. Recently, Jones Day represented the Chinese firm Huawei in its federal lawsuit against the U.S. government over a ban of its products.
LEGAL EAGLES Kim Koopersmith Chairman, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Koopersmith is now in her second threeyear term leading one of Washington’s major law/lobby firms, with more than
800 lawyers and a revenue in 2018 of $1.7 billion, up 3.1 percent over the previous year when the firm first topped the billion-dollar mark. As a firm originating in Houston, Akin Gump has a robust energy practice, but handling the legal complexities of trade sanctions against Russia and Iran is another strength.
49
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
BUSINESS Steve and Jean Case Chairman and CEO, Revolution; Chairman of the Board, National Geographic and CEO, Case Foundation Steve Case’s Revolution Growth venture capital firm aims at broadening the geographic areas of investment. He argues that 75 percent of venture capital went to three states in 2018: New York, California and Massachusetts. That left 47 states fighting over the remaining funds. His Rise of the Rest bus tour has visited 38 heartland cities and held pitch competitions for $100,000 investments. Jean Case heads National Geographic Society and also oversees the Case Foundation, funder of City Year, which provides academic support for public school kids and also focuses on “entrepreneurial investment.”
Jeff Bezos
Chairman, Amazon; owner, The Washington Post The bad news for Bezos is that his divorce settlement from his estranged wife MacKenzie is expected to knock him off his perch as the world’s richest man — and make his wife one of the world’s richest women. As of February, Bezos was worth more than $145 billion. Under Seattle’s community property laws his wife is entitled to half his estate, or $72.5 billion, however, they reportedly settled for $36 billion. Bezos has stood up to threats by the National Enquirer to publish photos and texts related to his extra-marital affair, accusing its owner, David Pecker, of extortion. The scandal sheet’s action is seen as inspired by Trump, who is close to Pecker, to retaliate against what the President sees as unfavorable coverage by the Bezos-owned Washington Post. But business is business: Amazon sells Trump’s signature Make America Great Again baseball cap on its website for $10.95.
50
Richard Fairbank Chairman & CEO, Capital One Bank The head of the bank that asks “What’s in your wallet?” in its advertising now has $1 billion in his. According to Bloomberg, Fairbank’s net worth passed the billiondollar mark in 2018. One of the longestserving bank CEOs in America, Fairbank hasn’t collected a salary since 1997. In recent years, he has received an average of $18 million in bonuses and shares. And he knows Jennifer Garner, main star of Capital One’s commercials. Marillyn Hewson CEO, Lockheed Martin When President Trump forgot her full name he called her Marillyn Lockheed, but to the defense industry that’s who she is. She joined the aerospace and defense company in 1983 as a senior industrial engineer, worked in virtually every department and 30 years
later was appointed CEO. Fortune magazine recently called her “the Pentagon’s top weapons supplier.” The list includes the F-35 fighter jet program, with a supersonic aircraft that breaks the sound barrier with no sonic boom under development. Hewson’s current annual compensation: $22.87 million. Sheila Johnson CEO, Salamander Hotels & Resorts. The co-founder of BET (Black Entertainment Television) found a new interest six years ago in the Salamander Resort & Spa, 340 acres in the heart of Virginia’s horse and wine country. In 2018, Forbes Travel Guide awarded the resort its coveted five-star rating. She has turned Salamander into the headquarters of a small empire, acquiring four more resorts, three in Florida, and more recently one in South olina. She has also returned to her entertainment roots by launching the annual Middleburg Film Festival, which has become a key stop on the road to the Oss. This is in addition to her being part owner of three professional teams, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, all of which secures her place among Washington business titans. David Rubenstein Co-executive Chairman, The lyle Group; Chairman, The Kennedy Center David Rubenstein is almost as much of a Washington monument as the historic sites he has contributed money to restore or preserve as a leader in the area of patriotic philanthropy, including the Washington Monument, the Library of Congress, Mount Vernon and the National Zoo. He is on the board of practically everything that is worth being on the board of, including the Washington National Opera, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution and a lot more. When it comes to supporting and
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
preserving the city, Rubenstein is philanthropic to the nth degree. In his spare time (he has spare time?) he does a creditable job of interviewing fellow entrepreneurs on Bloomberg Television.
TECH Teresa carlson , Jay carney Vice-President, Public Sector, Amazon Web Services, Amazon; Senior Vice-President, Global Corporate Affairs, Amazon
capital. Joel Kaplan, who recently ran into a storm of protest within Facebook for celebrating Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment as a Supreme Court justice, is a notable exception to the criticism from conservatives that the high-tech giants share a liberal bias. If true, the resurgence of a Democratic majority in Congress could foreshadow more cooperation from Silicon Valley on such issues as the extent of Russia’s internet involvement in the 2016 elections. Karam Bhatia is a new arrival handling Google’s government affairs; With 10 years in his present post Frederick Humphries is the dean of the group.
SPORTS Teresa Carlson, a cross-over from Microsoft, is in charge of the Amazon Web Services relations with its military and federal government customers. Carney, a former Obama Administration press secretary, was hired by Amazon in 2015 when the company had a reputation for avoiding publicity and Jeff Bezos made a fetish of personal privacy. Since then, Carney, a former Time magazine correspondent, has had to handle the fallout from his employer’s public clash with the National Enquirer and his divorce, and Amazon’s headline-festooned search for an East Coast headquarters. Karam Bhatia, Joel Kaplan, Frederick Humphries Vice President, Government Relations, Google; Vice President, Global Public Policy, Facebook; Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft
Top technology executives like Mark Zuckerberg come to Washington to fight the big battles before Congress as it pushes for more protection of people’s data and online privacy, but the periodic skirmishes are generally handled by resident representatives who man Silicon Valley’s forward trenches in the nation’s
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
mark ein, jason Levien, Mark Lerner and Dan Snyder Owner, Washington Kastles; CEO, DC United; owner, Washington Nationals; owner, Washington Redskins
Laurene Powell Jobs
Founder and President, Emerson Collective
Ein recently announced a new home for his Washington Kastles World Team Tennis franchise - the roof of Union Market in Ward 5 - and also acquired lead ownership of Justice, a D.C. team in Overwatch, the multi-player team-based action game. Levien is managing partner of DC United, the local soccer team rooted firmly at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but displaying a promising new energy since the arrival of the former record goal scorer for the English national team Wayne Rooney, and moving into a new stadium last summer. Snyder continues to cling to a team name that many believe disrespects Native Americans — and to run a team that has forgotten how to win. In Major League Baseball, Mark Lerner’s Nationals have edged upward in performance and public regard in the past five years or so, winning division titles in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, but losing in the National League Division Series (NLDS) each time.
| washingtonlife.com
Powell Jobs inherited stakes in Apple and Disney worth $19.2 billion from her late husband Steve Jobs. In 2004, she launched Emerson Collective as a for-profit social impact firm making grants and investments relating to immigration, education and social justice. Her increasing ties to Washington are a majority share in the District--based Atlantic magazine, acquired in 2017, and a sizeable stake in Monumental Sports and Entertainment. “It is my goal to effectively deploy resources,” she told the Washington Post recently. “If there’s nothing left when I die, that’s just fine.”
Ted Leonsis Founder. chairman and CEO, Monumental Sports and Entertainment As the founder and principal owner of a conglomerate of teams and sports facilities (the Capital One arena), Leonsis is virtually the voice of sport in Washington. With 18 other shareholders, he heads a $2.5 billion company that is one of the city’s highest profile enterprises. 2018 provided one of the high points of his life as a sports entrepreneur when the Washington Capitals brought home the coveted Stanley Cup after 43 unsuccessful seasons. Even though the Caps lost in this year’s playoffs, we are still ALL CAPS! The other teams include the
Washington Wizards and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. alex ovechkin Captain, Washington Capitals Sports heroes are a rarity in Washington, but nobody can say that Ovechkin hasn’t earned that distinc tion . And despite losing in Game 7 of the first round of Stanley Cup playoffs this year, the sentiment of his enduring power is perhaps best reflected in the Stanley Cup’s official tweet, “Dear @ovi8, It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. Yours truly, SC.” As the city switches gears to a 2020 run, Ovechkin remains the poster image of the Capitals, if not local sports.
51
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2016, the Maryland-based, family owned hotel chain also unwittingly bought one of the largest computer hacking thefts in history. Starting in 2014, thieves had breached the Starwood reservation system and stolen guests’ personal data. The thefts went on well after Marriott bought the chain, and by the time it was discovered in 2018, the number of guests affected had reached 500 million. This was Arne Sorenson’s biggest challenge since he took over leadership of the hotel chain (in 2012) from Bill Marriott, who had run it for 44 years.
J. Stephen Jones
President and CEO, Inova Health System In March 2018, Jones, a urology specialist, succeeded Knox Singleton, who had expanded the Falls Church health system of five hospitals to a still-growing network of healthe facilities that serves some two million patients annually, and has 17,500 employees. By December, Jones, formerly president of the Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals, had revised the original expansion plans that included what had earlier been called “a near mini-city” with a mall and residential areas to focus instead on advancing Inova’s existing medical and research plans. The state-of-the-art Inova Schar Cancer Center is expected to open later this year. Then, in 2020, the Global Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Institute housing research collaboration with the University of Virginia, and George Mason University, will be fully functioning.
health Kenneth Samet President & CEO, MedStar Health Samet became CEO of MedStar, the largest healthe provider in the Maryland and Washington area, in 2008. He was named chief operating officer ten years earlier when the hospital complex was founded, and president in 2003. In 2009, Samet
52
launched the first of MedStar’s outpatient e facilities in prime urban locations near shopping centers to operate in conjunction with the company’s 10 hospitals. To date, there are 250 such centers and in 2017, the network had treated 4.6 million outpatients and had a revenue of $4.6 billion.
Chris Nassetta President & CEO, Hilton Hotels & Resorts Nassetta, who took over as CEO of the then-struggling hotel chain in 2007 is credited for turning Hilton into one of America’s most successful hospitality firms, putting it on the Fortune 500 list and helping it earn $769 million in net income in 2018. Hilton, which boasts over 5,000 properities in more than 100 countries, is committed to cutting its environmental footprint in half and doubling social impact investment by 2030.
social entrepreneurs Sach iko Ku no an d K ate Goodall Chair, Halcyon; CEO, Halcyon
HOSPITALITY J.W. Bill Marriott and Arne Sorenson Executive Chairman of the Board, Marriott International; CEO, Marriott International
When Marriott International acquired
Kuno is the founder of the non-profit i n cu b ato r fo r s o ci a l i m p a c t entrepreneurs who get five months accommodations, a stipend and free expert advice in an 18th century Georgetown mansion. Her cofounder, Goodall, who trained as an underwater archeologist, runs both
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
Halcyon’s incubator and arts lab. Goodall also created the “By the People” arts festival, a free city-wide event now entering its second year, which has been described as “Art Basel with a conscience” and “the next SXSW.”
EDUCATION Sylvia Burwell President,American University Burwell and DeGioia (below) are two presidents of universities in Washington with ver y different backgrounds, but facing many of the same problems: tougher restrictions on foreign students coming to study in the United States , sexual harassment cases and the fear of Chinese indoctrination and most recently indictments in a large scale college bribery scam. Burwell has held cabinet and senior posts in the Obama White House, but has no previous academic experience. Her main challenge is addressing the problem of declining foreign student enrollments, a financial mainstay of many colleges, but now in jeopardy because the Trump administration is tightening restrictions on student visas. John J. (Jack) DeGioia President, Georgetown University DeGioia is an academic who for the last 17 years has headed the oldest and largest Catholic (Jesuit) university in America, founded in 1789. Georgetown’s nine schools include the undergraduate Walsh School of Foreign Service, virtually a dooropener to a State Department eer. In April, Georgetown students voted approval of a $27 increase to tuition fees to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves sold by the Jesuits in the 19th century to rescue
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
the university from bankruptcy. Georgetown is also one of the big name schools targeted in the college entrance bribes scandal.
real estate Monty Hoffman Founder and CEO, PN Hoffman With The Wharf, the mixed-use landmark development of the District’s Southwest Water front, now opened and flourishing, developer Hoffman has launched phase 2, with a completion target of 2022 for the 1.25-millionsquare-foot follow-up complex. In addition, in December 2018, PN Hoffman launched its first project venture outside Washington — a $250 million mixed-use project in Raleigh, N.C. Matt Kelly CEO, JBG Smith If there’s one date that is surely etched in Kelly’s memory for ever i t ’s November 13, 2018. T h at ’s t h e d ay Amazon told the D.C. developer that his company had won the rights to create its new headquarters — known as HQ2 — in Northern Virginia’s Crystal City neighborhood, across the Potomac from the District. The previous July, Kelly and his associates had a 10-hour meeting with Amazon representatives to make their pitch. But it was not until November that the firm got the green light to set to work on 1.5-million-square-foot headquarters — by 2021.
| washingtonlife.com
Jodie W. McLean CEO, EDENS
EDENS CEO Jodie W. McLean has been responsible for the development and redevelopment of more than $12 billion dollars in retail assets across the country, most recently in Northeast Washington’s Union Market area, where she transformed the warehouse district into a dining and retail hub for one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the nation’s capital (or, perhaps, the growth was due in part to her revitalization of the area). “We are in the business of humanity,” states EDEN’s website, and the company says its purpose is to “enrich community through human engagement.” To that end, McLean will open La Cosecha, a contemporary Latin market featuring food, shopping, entertainment and community spaces in the Union Market district next month. And she recently signed a deal with investor Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles, to construct a 700-seat stadium for the tennis team atop the food hall at Union Market, further ensuring the area will remain a gathering place for people from all over the city and beyond for decades to come.
53
SPECIAL FEATURE
POWER 100
CULTURE
He owns both establishments with his wife Celia Laurent, who runs the front of the house.
FOOD Fabio and maria Trabocchi, Franco Nuschese, Ashok Bajaj, aaron Silverman and Eric Ziebold Fiola Mare (Trabocchi), Café Milano (Nuschese), Rasika (Bajaj), Pineapple & Pearls (Silverman) Kinship and Métier (Ziebold)
José Andrés
Chef and Founder, World Central Kitchen When not opening new restaurants (he has seven in Washington) Michelin star chef José Andrés is most likely to be found at the latest natural disaster, setting up relief kitchens to feed its victims through his World Central Kitchen operation. In Puerto Rico, Andrés opened 25 emergency kitchens to serve three million meals after Hurricane Maria. In December, World Central Kitchen launched the #ChefsForFeds project to deal with another kind of disaster – the partial federal government shutdown. #ChefsForFeds served thousands of meals to federal workers in locations in 22 states. Andrés has been nominated for a Nobel Prize.
54
The group further reflects the range and quality of restaurants in a city that has blossomed into a serious gourmet capital. Fabio Trabocchi is the chef (mainly at Fiola, which has a Michelin star), but Maria Trabocchi is the owner diners know — the out-front personality at their clutch of restaurants including Fiola, Fiola Mare, and two called Sfoglina. Silverman’s Pineapple & Pearls retained its two stars in the 2019 Washington Michelin Guide. Bajaj, has turned his first District restaurant, The Bombay Club, into a collection, including the popular Rasika downtown. Nuschese’s Café Milano in Georgetown is the administration’s canteen, but it’s strictly bi-partisan. In the Obama years, the Bidens were regulars; Michelle Obama also ate there. Now, it’s Ivanka and Jared, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Louise Linton and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and wife Hilary. With two Michelin stars under his chef’s coat– one for each of his restaurants Kinship and Metier – Eric Ziebold has become a fixture in Washington’s burgeoning dining scene.
Patrick O’Connell Owner-chef, The Inn at Little Washington O’Connell deserves recognition for gaining a third star in th e Washing to n Michelin Guide, the first Washington, D. C. area restaurant to win the highest accolade that the iconic French dining guide has to offer. The Michelin Guide is new to Washington, but in France, the book with its familiar red cover has been awarding coveted stars from its unique rating system since 1926. Once awarded, Michelin stars can also be withdrawn for a decline in standards, and French chefs have been known to commit suicide after they lost one. O’Connell gained his third star in his fortieth year at The Inn at Little Washington and celebrated both landmarks with lavish dinners for his favorite diners at Mount Vernon and at the famous Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau in France.
Arts & Entertainment Michael Kahn and Simon Godwin Present and future Artistic Directors, Shakespeare Theatre Company S i m o n G o d w i n’s planned choice of “Much Ado About Nothing” in his first season as the new head of Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) in 2019 is a link to history. The sparkling Shakespeare comedy had been Michael Kahn’s first production when he took over the theater in 1986. This is Khan’s last season before his retirement after more than three decades. During that time, he moved the STC from the Folger Shakespeare Library to the Sidney Harmon Theater,
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
and became a key force in transforming the local cultural scene into what it is today. Godwin’s pedigree is Englishbased with directorships in the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic. Courtney Monroe President, National Geographic Global Networks After 13 years at HBO, where she was ch i ef m a r ket i n g of fice r, M o n ro e moved to Washington to join National Geographic Channel. She now heads National Geographic’s channels around the world, which include National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, People and Nat Geo MUNDO. Last month, Monroe celebrated the first National Geographic movie (“Free Solo”) to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. If Monroe has her way, it won’t be the last. Gianandrea Noseda Musical Director, National Symphony Orchestra Noseda is one of the outstanding conductors of his generation. In his first year heading the National Symphony he has done much to raise its level of performance, its spirit, and its energy. But on the first anniversary of his becoming the lead baton of the National Symphony, the Washington Post’s excellent music critic Anne Midgette wrote “It will take time to transform an orchestra that’s been allowed to develop some bad habits.” Noseda now has that time: he recently signed a four-year contract extension and will remain with the orchestra until the 2024-2025 season. That’s the longest period that any conductor has led the NSO since its creation in the 1940s.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
Emily and Mitchell Rales Owners, Glenstone Museum In 2018, billionaire Mitchell Rales and his art curator wife Emily opened what the New York Times described as “a private art Xanadu,” referring to its tranquil rural setting in Potomac, Md., and as “a bespoke temple” for artists the Raleses have collected. The last is a reference to the e taken to comply with the individual artists’ specific instructions on how their works were to be displayed. Works in the collection cover the time frame 1943 to 1989, and include such well known artists as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, but also Bruce Marden, Pipilotti Rist and the Brazilian artist Lygia Pape. Deborah Rutter President, the Kennedy Center Deborah Rutter is a relative newcomer to Washington where she runs the largest cultural complex in the countr y, embracing opera, theater, the national symphony orchestra, as well as jazz groups from Bulgaria. Such is the range of programming on offer that any evening the cavernous halls are filled with a public ranging from teenagers to patrons with walkers. Rutter also inherited a $250 million expansion program (financed in part by David Rubenstein) called The Reach to give the center more elbow room for education programs, additional performance space, and rehearsals, due to open later this year.
| washingtonlife.com
WOMEN HEADS OF WASHINGTON ART MUSEUMS Kaywin Feldman Director, National Gallery of Art Feldman is the first woman to be appointed director of the NGA, the country’s second largest art museum. Until March 2019, she was director of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, a distinguished, medium-sized institution, with a current annual average of 700,000 visitors. In 2018, the NGA’s average is over 5 million. Feldman succeeds Earl (Rusty) Powell, whose parting gift was an exhibition of works by Tintoretto, the first ever in the United States. Feldman, who took over as director of the National Gallery of Art in March is the first woman to run the NGA, but by no means the only woman at the head of a Washington art museum. With one or two exceptions, museum directorships in the nation’s capital are a female domain – well above the gender division nation-wide, which is 48 percent. Feldman has the added distinction of being the first woman to head one of the four museums in the nation with a budget of over $100 million ($154,114,000 for FY2020). The ultimate glass ceiling is the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – the NGA is the second largest art institute.
female heads of the leading U.s. art institution:
Sarah J. Bloomfield, US Holocaust Memorial Museum Melissa Chiu, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Susan Fisher Sterling, National Museum of Women in the Arts Anthea Hartig, Elizabeth Macmillan Director of the National Museum of American History Kate Markert, Hillwood Museum Dorothy Kosinski, Phillips Collection Emily Rales, Glenstone Museum Kim Sajet, National Portrait Gallery Ellen Stofan, National Air and Space Museum Stephanie Stebich, Smithsonian Museum of American Art
55
LIFESTYLES
H O N E ST FORM VINTAGE SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL SPRING FASHION
PHOTOGRAPHERS JOI LYNN JACKSON AND DONOVAN GERALD STYLIST JOELLE FIRZLI | TRIBUTE MAKEUP MICHANNA MURPHY | GLAMSQUAD HAIR MIA ARTIS | GLAMSQUAD MODELS MAYA WILLEY | T H E ARTIST AGENCY EDITORIAL ASSISTANT LAURYN CANTRELL EDITORIAL DIRECTION CATHERINE TRIFILETTI PHOTOGRAPHED AT TRIBUTE DC WWW THISISTRIBUTE COM TH STREET NW PHOTOGRAPHED IN FILM
TRIBUTE pleated Gitane dress ($96) Tribute,1929 15th St NW; SII ZU Lele earrings ($35) siizu.com; LØRDAG & SØNDAG Becal circle fan ($50) lordagsondag.com; Sunglasses and shoes, photographer’s own.
Left: GUCCI vintage pumps ($150); ZII ROPA pants ($195); SII ZU Dana Studs ($35) siizu.com; HUA Maria mesh body suit ($81) hua.global; CHARIX shoes ($145) charixshoes.com; BETWEEN linen cap-hat ($267); OAX-I-FORNIA Wood Bangles ($25 for a set of 2) Tribute, 1929 15th St. NW; additional items found on oaxifornia.org.
AVOCET CG post earrings in sterling silver ($135) avocetjewelry.com; TRIBUTE vintage chain necklace ($52) MARC JACOBS vintage patent leather skirt ($78) Tribute, 1929 15th St. NW; AUDETTE Le Cabas bag in terracotta ($400) audetteshop.com;.
TRIBUTE vintage suit dress ($80) TRIBUTE vintage 1970s ‘America Alive!’ windbreak jacket ($58); VERSACE vintage scarf ($34); CARALARGA Mazorca earrings ($95); TRIBUTE vintage 1950s candy dot purse ($54) Tribute, 1929 15th St. NW; shoes and socks, stylist’s own.
SII ZU Anais Dress/ Trench Coat in Blue ($178) siizu.com; AURELIA LADRILLO red cedar & strap bag ($490) thisistribute.com, 1929 15th St. NW; more items at aureliamexico.com; CARALARGA Batz Mono Necklace ($85) en.caralarga. com.mx.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| S U M M E R | washingtonlife.com
61
ST.JOHN by Marie Gray vintage disco dress ($84); TRIBUTE vintage bronze god brooch ($25); TRIBUTE Vintage metallic polyester gloves ($16) Tribute, 1929 15th St. NW; SII ZU Dana studs ($35) siizu.com.
62
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| S U M M E R | washingtonlife.com
TRIBUTE vintage finnish white dress ($85) CARALARGA Coz Gavilan earrings ($60) en.caralarga.com.mx; TRIBUTE vintage straw bag ($74); AURELIA LADRILLO burgundy belt ($90) Tribute, 1929 15th St., NW.
LIFESTYLES
POWER MOMS
RESPECT THE POWER MOM Four heavy hitters show how it’s done.
BY DA R A K L AT T | P H OTO S BY TO N Y P OW E L L AMBITIOUS MOMS know a thing or two about how to scale the ladder to the top, while also intricately managing their home life. It might involve working three and a half hours before a Saturday soccer game, or taking a red-eye flight to make the kid’s concert on time, or phoning
in mother-in-law help at home when leading a panel in China. The daily conqueror list spans tackling tantrums in the boardroom to mediating fierce negotiations at the kitchen table. Go ahead and give these women a time out already.
>>
KATIE BEIRNE FALLON Head of Corporate Affairs, Hilton
‘I’m not the only one on the team that has showed up to meetings with her shirt inside out.’
Katie Fallon at home with her daughter, twin sons and husband Brian
64
Fresh off maternity leave, Fallon is back juggling C-suite life at Hilton with her five-month-old daughter and four-year-old twin boys. “The second time at the rodeo is far easier than the first,” she says. Except rodeo number one started wildly when Fallon went into emergency labor in the West Wing as a senior advisor in the White House and was rushed to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital by the Secret Service and then- Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. Now, she’s got her home life talent pool in place: “I have a spouse [Brian, the national press secretary for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign] who leads the charge in making sure we have a lot of moments that matter with our kids. I have a mother-in-law who comes to town to help out when I travel, a friend who forces me to exercise, a friend who likes to declutter my closet, a friend who always has the latest tea to help with any mental or physical challenge and no shortage of friends who like to decompress over a glass of wine.” Even as Fallon helps Hilton mark its 100th year in business this year, her twins still think she works for “Uncle Obama” and that every hotel they see is Fallon’s office. It’s all relative. “Working at Hilton feels like I am back at home in Cleveland with my whole extended family,” Fallon says of the family-friendly hospitality company that was recently rated by Fortune as the nation’s top place to work. She emphasizes that in the last two years, seven babies have been born to moms on her team, with four more on the way.“I hope that I have been a good example to them as they all challenge themselves to find the right balance, to stay focused on what really matters and to go easy on themselves because being a working mom can get messy!” She light-heartedly adds, “I’m not the only one on the team that has showed up to meetings with her shirt inside out.”
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Kimberly Johnson with daughters Ava and Sadie
KIMBERLY JOHNSON Chief Operating Officer, Fannie Mae
Johnson has spent the last year in her new role as chief operating officer strengthening Fannie Mae’s workforce and “fostering an environment where innovation can thrive.” For the year ahead, she is focusing on leading the company’s ongoing digital transformation and realizing a towering vision of reducing the time it takes to get a mortgage. Describing herself as optimistic, determined, curious and hard-working, Johnson, the mother of young student athletes Ava, 13, and Sadie, 11, finds it “remarkably gratifying to
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
be part of something bigger than myself.” What’s challenging is deciding how to spend limited free time. “Between work and family commitments, it can be hard to make space for volunteering and community engagement,” she says. Taking red-eye flights to be home in time for her daughters’activities is part of the power mom journey. So is making time for herself and investing in friendships to “keep it all in perspective.” Johnson comments on how a work culture based on “compassion, flexibility and appreciation,” can make a difference. Oh, and another imperative: “our babysitter is a delight.”
‘I have taken my share of red-eye flights to make it home in time for class plays and holiday concerts.’ 65
LIFESTYLES
POWER MOMS
NICOLE EHRHARDT M D
‘The army taught me that a good leader takes on the same responsibility or duties they ask of others. I want to raise my children like that, to stand up and volunteer when it is the right thing to do.’
Assistant Professor of Medicine, George Washington Medical Faculty Associates
Ehrhardt’s son was just 14 months old when she was deployed to Iraq for nearly a year as an endocrinologist in the U.S. Army. She calls it one of the hardest things she has ever done. But like a soldier, she spares no time lamenting. “Yes, being a doctor is hard.Yes, being in the military is hard and no one should have to do it, but someone has to,” Ehrhardt says. After eight years in the army, the leadership teachings are paying off —both at her civilian role now with the Medical Faculty Associates at George Washington University, and at home. Along with seeing eight to 12 patients a day, she focuses on research and recently received a nearly $1.5 million grant to study disparities in diabetes for the Washington, D.C.-area Latino community. On the home front, she’s raising her two boys (ages 12 and 8) to “stand up and volunteer when it is the right thing to do.” She frankly admits she would be a “terrible” stay-at-home mom and stresses the need to be “very direct with your partner when you have an intense job.” Her expectations are clear: a 50/50 split in childcare with her husband. Just for the record, she says that “kids are much harder than work.”
Nicole with sons Ethan and Ryan
GUIOMAR BARBI International Activities Specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts
Jet setting around the globe is perhaps “routine quotidienne” for Barbi, whose job for the NEA is to increase recognition of U.S. arts around the world. What’s exceptional is how this Nicaraguan/Italian who speaks four languages and once called both Rome and Paris home, has successfully integrated work and mothering into a new hobby as a family travel writer. After her day job, which now includes managing an upcoming 2020 artist exchange in Tokyo during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Barbi’s “free time” is recommending hotels, restaurants and activities for traveling parents with children at her site, cosmomommy.com. “Juggling lives is
the hardest thing,” she notes after just completing a trip to Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Her advice to other power moms is simple: “Your kids will be fine! They really will. We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect and do a million different things thinking that’s what our kids want or expect. Do what you can. They will love you no matter what.”
Guiomar Barbi with son Luca Ochoa
‘I’ll be on a flight to Malaysia and remember that my son starts soccer the next day, so I’ll fervently sign on to onboard WiFi so I can text my husband to go buy cleats.’ Guiomar Barbi with daughter Anna Cecilia Ochoa
66
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
=396 138,)6¸7 (%= +-*8 +9-() What moms really want: a spotless house, laundry pressed and folded, children coifed and well-behaved … and a solo hotel-stay, complete with a deep tissue massage, a glass (or bottle) of red wine, and 10 uninterrupted hours of sleep. Can’t deliver that? These items are next best. BY DA R A K L AT T
TOM FORD ($1,950) Dark eye circles are concealed in style with these limited edition west gold plated sunglasses. tomford.com.
VENUS ET FLEUR ($399+) Flowers are gorgeous. But they die. Eternity ® Roses last for one year without the need for watering or maintenance. VenusetFleur.com.
BOSE ($349) Noisecanceling wireless headphones block out the “Mom, look at this! Mom, did you hear me? Mom, Mom, MOM!” Amazon.com.
LENOVA ($249.99) This hands-free smart clock with Google assistant is the next best thing to hiring her a personal assistant. Best Buy, 3401 Richmond Hwy.,Alexandria,Va.
FABULEUX ($275) Let her sleep like a queen past 5:30 a.m. in these printed combed cotton sheets with a satin inset trim detail. Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Chevy Chase, Md.
ROLEX ($35,800) You know she deserves this “Lady-DateJust” watch in yellow gold with diamonds. Think about it. Tiny Jewel Box, 1155 Connecticut Ave. NW
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
EUGENIA KIM ($535) Used tissues and Cheerios crumbs go unnoticed in this Flavia Exclusive woven tote bag with a grosgrain bow, open top and interior center zip pocket. Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave.,Chevy Chase, Md.
JO MALONE LONDON ($72) No one spots baby goo on the shoulder when mom smells lovely with this oneounce floral green “Nettle & Wild Achillea” cologne. Sephora, 3065 M St. NW
FRAMEBRIDGE (price varies) Put a wide pattern frame around that crayon creation that says, “You R the best mom evr.” She’ll need to remember it for the next 10 years. 1919 14th St., NW
POTTERY BARN ($119) Athleisure clothes are optional when she can cozy up in this monogrammed organic cotton spa bath robe for the day. 8004L Tysons Corner Center, McLean,Va.
67
LIFESTYLES | NPG VOTES FOR WOMEN
-283 8,) 0-+,8
The National Portrait Gallery celebrates the women’s suffrage movement with the opening of ‘Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence.’
Top, clockwise from left: Jane Abraham, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton, Hillary Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Doris Matsui and Kim Sajet; Right: a campaign poster of Rep. Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii): Left: Hedwig Reicher dressed as “Columbia” at the 1913 suffrage parade outside of the Treasury Department.
*
orward out of darkness. Leave behind the night. Onward out of error. Forward into light.” This poetic verse is stitched onto a banner from the National Woman’s Party circa 1913-1920. The piece, among more than 120 other portraits and objects, make up the National Portrait Gallery’s new exhibit “Votes for Women,” curated by Kate Clarke Lemay. The works, which span an 80-year time frame, beginning in 1832, document the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S. An opening event in the Kogod Courtyard titled “Shattering the Glass Ceiling” featured more than 500 museum supporters wearing “suffragette
68
white” to celebrate the history and progress of women’s rights. The crowd cheered loudly when Rep. Doris Matsui introduced surprise guest Hillary Clinton, who made remarks along with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton and National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet. The event ended with a performance by Roseanne Cash. Guests departed with yellow roses, which have long symbolized the movement.
Clockwise from left: Joy Kingsley-Ibeh; Barbara Crocker; Courtney Monroe, Jean Case and Susan Goldberg
The exhibit is on view through January 2020.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
P H OTOS CO URT E SY O F T H E N AT I O N AL P O RT RAI T GAL L E RY
BY CATH E R I N E TR I F I LE T TI | P H OTOS BY TO N Y P OW E LL
POWER SUITS
7LS[ 8LIQ ;LS¸W &SWW One of the most striking images of elected women’s leadership this year was the visual of Democratic Party lawmakers dressed in all-white at the State of the Union address. With a large number of first-term congresswomen dressing in the color in a symbolic nod to the American suffragist movement, the effect in the packed chamber was even more powerful. All-white showed solidarity. It showed protest. It showed power. The white call-to-arms also proved formidable at the recent National Portrait Gallery’s “Shattering the Glass Ceiling” event, with congresswomen, community leaders and influencers suiting up smartly. Slip on these white power suits before strutting into the corporate boardroom. Or add strappy five-inch heels and make an evening statement. It’s your call. >> BY DA R A K L AT T
TOM FORD ($3,490) Light mikado jacket with onebutton front and side flap pockets.
DEREK LAM 10 CROSBY
P H OTO BY E R I N SC H A FF
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN (jacket: $ 3,995, pants: $1,945) “Cabinet of shells” ivory wool silk jacket with single horn button fastening. alexandermcqueen.com CHANEL
(Jacket: $595, pants: $395) One-button blazer with white stretchcotton twill cut and classic fit. barneys.com
Pairing your white blazer or suit with black is easy and timeless. There’s no end to the ways you can wear this combo—from black lace cami tops to black chokers and elegant black waistband belts.
(jacket: $6,450.00, skirt, $2,950). Tweed white, beige and gold jacket. Saks Fifth Avenue, 5300 Wisconsin Ave NW
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
69
LIFESTYLES | POWER WORKOUTS
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART Power exercise classes for overachieving Washingtonians in pursuit of pushing their physical limits. BY C AT H E R I N E T R I F I L E T T I
BARRY’S BOOTCAMP DETAILS 1345 19th Street, NW | $34/class | barrysbootcamp.com NEED TO KNOW Get your energy boost at the studio’s Fuel Bar. WHAT TO EXPECT Known as the original high-intensity workout,
Barry’s Boot Camp opened its first Washington outpost in Dupont Circle last year. The program combines interval cardio and strengthtraining, and is said to burn up to 1,000 calories per class. TAKEAWAY If you do the workout consistently, you’ll see results, promises client-turned-CEO Joey Gonzalez. “No matter where you’re starting, you will lose fat and gain lean muscle.” COREPOWER YOGA DETAILS Various locations | $27/class | corepoweryoga.com NEED TO KNOW Mats and towels (you will need one) can be rented.
All classes require bare feet or socks. New members get an unlimited week for free. WHAT TO EXPECT The Denver-based workout combines traditional yoga poses with high intensity cardio, to work a wide range of muscle groups while providing the mindfulness encouraged by standard yoga practice. Corepower offers five class options, from beginner (C1) to heart-pumping Yoga Sculpt. Most classes are heated between 90 to 100 degrees. TAKEAWAY Mental and physical detox.
STUDIO SIGHTINGS: Former first lady Michelle Obama famously took SoulCycle classes. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton are also fans. NBC4 anchor Eun Yang and CNN White House reporter Kate Bennett are regulars at [solidcore], sources say. And when in town, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has been spotted at Vida on 15th Street, NW.
RUMBLE BOXING DETAILS 2001 M Street, NW | $34/class | rumble-boxing.com NEED TO KNOW Boxing gloves can be rented for $3 and wraps must be
70
P H OTOS CO URT E SY
purchased for $8. Try Rumble’s antioxidant packed juice for $5. WHAT TO EXPECT The trendy boxing studio, which opened in the West End in April, was founded in 2016 and counts Justin Bieber and Sylvester Stallone among its investors. The studio holds 60 people and is divided into two sections where participants alternate between boxing on water-filled bags and strength training with dumbbells and brass knuckle weights. There are no beginner or advanced classes. TAKEAWAY Rumble’s CEO and co-founder Andrew Stenzler sums up the workout best: “It’s flat out FUN.”
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
MEN’S ACCESSORIES
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA ($195) 6cm knitted silk tie; 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW GUCCI ($590) Leather driver with horsebit; CityCenter DC, 1000 I St. NW
CHARIX ($145) in hunter green; charixshoes.com; 1929 15th St. NW
DAGNE DOVER ($155) Weston laptop bag in dark moss; dagnedover.com
*VIWL EW GYX KVEWW Men’s accessories in mossy shades for spring.
HERMèS ($1,125) Brazilian horses scarf 140; hermes.com
ETRO ($360) Ostrich-print leather credit card holder; etro.com
MONCLER ($130) Hat in dark green; CityCenter DC, 913 Palmer Alley NW
PAUL STUART ($427)Two-tone rugby stripe leather handle umbrella; CityCenter DC, 906 I St. NW
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
THOM BROWNE ($1,150) Golf intarsia small tablet holder; thombrowne. com
GUCCI ($910) G-timeless gold PVD and leather bee motif watch; selfridges.com
TOM FORD ($460) Bradbury sunglasses; tomford.com
71
LIFESTYLES | BOOK TALK
GREEN GODDESS
Eco-lifestyle pioneer Marci Zaroff welcomes a new age of environmental innovation and awareness. BY ERICA MOODY| PORTRAIT BY TONY POWELL
Marci Zaroff’s new book features tips for eco-conscious lifestyles
L
ong before organic food had entered the mainstream, before sustainable clothing was more than unflattering sack dresses, before eco-friendly beauty products were even on the table, Marci Zaroff was championing environmentalism as a lifestyle choice. Zaroff, founder of MetaWear Organics, Farm to Home and Under the Canopy (the first direct-to-consumer sustainable lifestyle brand), producer of THREAD/ Driving Fashion Forward and co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Good Catch Foods and BeyondBrands is recognized for coining the term “ECOfashion” more than two decades ago. The former Aspen Institute fellow can now add author to her list of accomplishments. “ECOrenaissance: A Lifestyle Guide
72
for Cocreating a Stylish, Sexy, and Sustainable World” (Simon & Schuster) is informative, entertaining and uplifting, much like Zaroff herself. When we met in downtown Washington, after her board meeting with the Organic Trade Association, Zaroff explained that the organic industry is not only good for the earth and good for the body, it’s also good for business. “The beauty of the organic movement is that it is a total bipartisan movement,” she says. “People think it’s a liberal movement but it’s not. The organic industry has been growing for almost 20 years at double digit rates where there’s more demand than there is supply, where 83 percent of Americans are now buying organically at least occasion-
ally, where jobs are being created in over 60 percent of organic businesses annually. Farmers in America who are growing organically are making on average 35 percent more money. It’s a win-win on every level.” Zaroff ’s book delves into this; it’s divided into five easy sections she calls the “Five Cs of the ECOrenaissance Movement”: Creativity, Connection, Collaboration, Community and Consciousness. Each section includes true-life examples, lifestyle tips and interviews with eco-lifestyle entrepreneurs and advocates such as fashion designer Mara Hoffman and Beautycounter founder Gregg Renfrew. “Looking and feeling fabulous shouldn’t come at the expense of living in harmony with the environment,” Zaroff explains after arriving to be interviewed in a Rent the Runway ensemble, one example of living the “re-commerce” approach she champions. “Remake, renew, reuse, repur pose, recycle, rent, swap. These are all ways any consumer can participate in the sustainable fashion industry very easily,” she says. “Global Fashion Exchange is a great resource for people to check out.” Zaroff also recommends the Environmental Working Group’s “Skin Deep” app for beauty products. The fashion industry contributes anywhere from eight to ten percent of the world’s carbon impact, she explains, and this is why we need a “fashion revolution.” The conversation is beginning to pick up steam, Zaroff enthuses, contributing to the worldwide “ECOrenaissance” she’s so excited about. The latest United Nations climate conference she attended included fashion as a topic, where it hadn’t been before to any large extent. “We can’t solve today’s problems with the same consciousness that created them,” Zaroff says, quoting one of her favorite sayings by Albert Einstein.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
SUSTAINABLE FASHION
THE SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS DRESS CODE BY DA R A K L AT T
GREEN FASHION
ATTITUDE by the numbers:
2025
Year by which Burberry plans to eliminate plastic.
7UYEVI *IIX
Amount of fabric deadstock (unused fabric) by brands, or roughly 10 percent.
81 Pounds
Amount of clothing and textiles the average American throws away per year.
OK ZW OK The average carbon footprint of ordering a product online versus purchasing it at a store (without using high-speed delivery).
40
Number of global fashion brands and supplier organizations that participated in a recent U.N. initiative to better understand and reduce climate change.
0)77 8,%2 Materials in clothes currently recycled into new garments.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Rebecca Ballard
From spinning to shipment, Rebecca Ballard, the District-based founder of the clothing brand Maven Women, is all about integrating elegance with social consciousness. Her newest American eco-innovation collection is based on sustainable style. We asked Ballard about her commitment to American co-innovation and organic standards as she was preparing to launch her line. >> What were the values at play with your collection? I wanted to find a structured, sophis-
ticated and flattering knit made in a way that honors people and planet. How did your background influence your collection choice? I’m originally from North Car-
olina. My grandparents had worked in a woolen mill and picked cotton and my home state has struggled with the near disappearance of the garment industry. I have also lived and worked across Asia and seen how living wage jobs in good working conditions can be empowering. Is eco-innovation possible in America? Yes. Incredible eco-innovation is taking place here
in the States! I discovered the Los Angelesbased Laguna Fabrics that makes Ponte primarily out of organic cotton and is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard. How do you find a factory with a low-environmental footprint? Fair trade certification
is not common in the United States, so I used a more relational process to find the right partner. I simply looked for a factory I would want to work for myself. How does geographic proximity factor into the shipping process? Our new collection is
created within a 10-mile radius, from spinning through shipment. Due to the geographic proximity, we’re even able to forego polybags, the plastic bags that are standard to protect each garment when shipping by air or by sea. How does change towards sustainability overall happen in the fashion industry? We
are empowered to use our choices to change this industry. We can each seek quality products that we want to keep over time, shop our values, and vote with our wallets.
73
DON’T MISS A SINGLE ISSUE! NOW THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE‌ CALL` GO ONLINE` OR CLIP AND MAIL
Get your Washington Life Magazine Subscription Now! Subscription rate: issues for $ includes First Class delivery) Name: ___________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________ City: _____________________ State: ____ Zip: ________ Phone: ___________________________________________ Signature: ________________________________________
Send subscription information to: Washington Life Magazine 2301 Tracy Place NW Washington, DC 20008
Payment Enclosed
Rate limited to U.S.A and its Possessions. For delivery to Canada, please add USD$10 per order, elsewhere add USD$20. Please allow 6–8 weeks for delivery of the ďŹ rst issue. We also accept Visa and Mastercard.
Tel.: 202-745-9788 : Fax: 202-745-9268 : Email: info@washingtonlife.com
WASHINGTON S O C I A L D I A R Y over the moon﹐ embassy chef challenge﹐ tiffany & co﹒ opening and more!
Cleo Gewirz, Meg and Christian Clerc and Tracy Bernstein at the Alliance Francaise Gala. (Photo by Tony Powell)
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
75
over the moon
Up and Away in a Beautiful Machine Jimmy Mills flies the skies over Hunt Country in his vintage Cessna. Sto ry a n d P h otos by V i c ky m o o n
Jimmy Mills with his Cessna Skylark 182 single engine plane at his private airstrip outside of Middleburg,
James P. “Jimmy” Mills comes to his winged passion by way of his mother, the late Alice du Pont Mills. “My mother was an early flyer,” he says on a soft spring morning near his home outside of Middleburg. (Mrs. Mills received advanced instrument ratings and taught recruits on a Link Trainer for ferry command during World War II.) Jimmy started flying in 1962 in Abilene, Texas. “I was an oil worker and it was a nasty job.They said I needed to be tightened up,” he recalls. “I soloed there and took lessons. I got my license in 1964.” The setting is an emerald green 2,900-foot grass runway.Yet, the Mills airport is not the only private area strip out here. (Stay tuned.) Jimmy lives nearby at Burnt Mill, his parents’ original home that they purchased in 1951. His late father, James P. Mills Sr. and his mother (a daughter of A. Felix du Pont) added adjoining properties, which by 1966 became known as Hickory Tree Farm and included 1,600 acres. And just like the horses his family raised and sold, Jimmy has bought and sold a few airplanes, too. “I once had an English Beagle 206. It was a gorgeous plane with a cargo door and twin engines,” he says. He flew to Sun Valley from Delaware and said it was “a great flight. I’ve had a
76
lot of different planes over the years but I’ve had this one, a Cessna 182 Skylark single engine for four passengers, for 25 years.” His wife, Deborah Mills, a former American Airlines attendant who also has a pilot’s license, picked the colors.“She thought they were pretty,” he said. “She’s sharp as a tack.” The family farm has been sold and divided several times in the past decade. His sister Phyllis Mills Wyeth, a horse lover and wife of noted artist Jamie Wyeth, died in January. His older sister, Mimi Mills Abel-Smith, maintains a string of hunters and sport horses at her Hickory House property, which will be one of 12 stops on this year’s Trinity Church Hunt Country Stable Tour, Saturday May 25 and Sunday May 26 from Upperville. Just across the countryside, Bryce Lingo’s Orange Hill Farm is also on this year’s stable tour. Lingo, an enthusiastic equestrian, is part of his late father Jack Lingo’s real estate empire. Orange Hill dates to the 1800s as a noted equestrian property that has hosted numerous hunt meets and produced top quality Virginiabred horses for over a century. It’s now the home base for trainer Snowden Clarke, who specializes in producing quality young horses for jumping, showing and hunting.There will be jumping and
training exhibitions as well as an opportunity to introduce visitors to the farm’s cashmere goats, Serama chickens and call ducks. Trinity Church in Upperville was a gift to the community from the late Paul and Bunny Mellon. For years, Paul Mellon’s broodmare barn was a highlight of the tour. Mellon, who died in 1999, wanted the iconic barn to go on beyond the years of Rokeby Stables. In the spring of 2017, his wish became a reality when adaptive reuse renovations were completed on the barn, which retains its distinctive character. The interiors have been converted into an impressive accommodation and meeting space for scholars, artists and educators visiting the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF). Now a stop on the stable tour, OSGF was founded in 1993 by Mrs. Mellon and encompasses 700 plus acres of the Mellons’ beautiful Oak Spring estate, including their home, gardens, library and broodmare barn. The foundation is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating scholarship on the history and future of plants as well as the culture of gardens and landscapes. Visitors entering the farm should look to the west toward the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. Just across the quiet country road is the Mellons’ circa 1957 jet runway, now owned by the garden foundation, which looms large at 5,100 feet.
Trainer Snowden Clarke with owner Bryce Lingo at Orange Hill Farm, part of this year’s Trinity Church Hunt Country Stable Tour, Saturday May 25 and Sunday May 26
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
Alliance Française President Annie Seys
Amb. of Jordan Dina Kawar and Charles Rivkin, Ambassador to France and Monaco from 2009-2013 WL SPONSORED
ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 70TH ANNIVERSARY Private Club, Washington, D.C. PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL
Michael Gewirz, Meg Clerc, Cleo Gewirz and Christian Clerc Louise Linton and Amy Baier
Bobbie Brewster and Nina Pillsbury
Mindy Lam, Alliance Francaise Executive Director Sarah Diligenti and Isabelle Raquin
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Alison Shulman and Kathleen Biden
Edwin Paxson and Olga Sirodoeva
VIVE L’ALLIANCE!: The Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. celebrated the 70th anniversary of its reopening in the nation’s capital after World War II with major departures from the norm for the group’s annual fund-raising events. Guests gathered at a private club instead of the French Ambassador’s Residence and sat down to a dinner that departed from the usual haute cuisine to a menu of international fare (gazpacho, asparagus and prosciutto salad, Chilean sea bass and a Sakura tart) although all the wines were French, naturellement. “There’s no better organization to bring together these two great nations culturally,” event chairman and lead sponsor Charles Rivkin said, underscoring the Alliance’s “tireless commitment to transatlantic partnership” between the United States and its oldest ally. “After all, we are ‘the French heartbeat in Washington, D.C.,’” added the Alliance’s executive director, Sarah Diligenti, pointing out that the city was designed by a Frenchman, Pierre L’Enfant.
Melissa Moss and Jonathan Silver
77
Matthew Rosenheim
Felix Bighem and Anne Jacoboski
Dana Hines, Bob Hisaoka and Katherine Bradley
WL SPONSORED
VIP EXOTIC CAR AND LUXURY LIFESTYLE RECEPTION Walter E. Washington Convention Center PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL
Ashley and Alan Dabierre
A DRIVER’S DREAM: At the private celebration guests who weren’t mingling amid the fleet of brightly-colored luxury vehicles were taking the opportunity to sit behind their wheels. Robert G. Hisaoka hosts the VIP event every year to kick off the week-long Washington Auto Show at the convention center.The reception was sponsored by TTR Sotheby’s, Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram, Washington Auto Show and RBC Wealth Management. GANG’S ALL HERE Cars on display included Aston Martins, Ferraris, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and other high end automobiles.
Trish Yan and Jonathan Taylor
Chris Smith and Cliff Walzer
Dick and Bonnie Patterson
Jessica Stafford, Wanda Durant and Ronnette Meyers
Dionne McDaniel and Mark Stafford
78
Mona and John Oswald
Earl Stafford and Kay Kendall
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
wl sponsored
Alessandro Bogliolo, Diane Ray Brown and Brandon Clay
Tiffany & Co. Opening Tiffany & Co., 960 New York Ave. NW PHOTOS BY Tony Powell
Peter and Andrea Rinaldi
All That Glitters: The iconic jeweler has officially landed in Washington—on New York Avenue, which like many other thoughtful brand considerations, was no accident. The new lightfilled 5,000 square-foot CityCenterDC boutique incorporated several local elements into its design, including marble pillars and details from Union Station’s grand archway. During an opening reception, loyal customers and fans joined Tiffany &Co. CEO Alessandro Bogliolo in toasting the brand’s new chapter. Guests marvelled at archival pieces from the “America, The Beautiful” exhibit, curated especially for the store with items that included Mary Todd Lincoln’s pearls and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s watch. “After having served so many presidential clients, finally Tiffany has a store in D.C.” Bogliolo told us, “it’s a nice link with our history.”
Laura Carlson Tierney, Lindley Thornburg Richardson and Susan Farkas
Stavros and Berit Veletsis with John Katonis
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| m ay
2019
| washingtonlife.com
Lisa D’Angelo, Anastasia Dellaccio and Teresa Foss Del Rosso
Edward and Lisa Vaughan
Aaron Hinson, Kevin Barnett and Jose Ricci
79
Richman Fowler and Ron Johnson
Andrew Gelfuso, Jan Du Plain and Greg O’Dell WL SPONSORED
EMBASSY CHEF CHALLENGE Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL CULINARY GLOBETROTTING: Authentic food, drink, music and dance from participating embassies that included the Bahamas, Georgia, Greece and Saint Lucia were on offer at the Events DC-hosted celebration of diplomacy where international chefs toiled in make-shift kitchens to fill the space with multicultural sights and aromas. Chef Francis O o from the Embassy of Ghana took home the Pepsi Best Beverage Award for his ginger-infused Ashantie mule cocktail while the Embassy of Barbados’ Javon Cummings was awarded the Judges Choice Award for a guava brûlée pork belly. A surf and turf pumpkin soup won Haitian chef Dimitri Lilavois the People’s Choice Award. Winners received metallic pineapples in bronze, silver and gold, the international symbol of friendship and hospitality.
Michele Verebelyi and Janet Haley
Carol Melin and Bambi Landew
Chinyere Hubbard
80
Christine Warnke and Avital Shimshowitz
Giuseppe Lanzone
Barbados liquid artist Philip Antoine
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Student finalists WL SPONSORED
REGENERON SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH
Mary Hupe, Amanda Troutman and Noemi Negron Colon
National Building Museum | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL TEEN INNOVATORS TAKE ON EXOPLANETS HIV AND CLASSIC MATH: Some of the brightest young scientists in the area took home more than accolades as part of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors; they got six-figure checks. Ana Humphrey, 18, the first Hispanic first-place winner in 20 years, received the top award ($250,000) for her mathematical model to determine the possibility of planets outside our solar system. With parents glowing in the audience, second place and $175,000 was awarded to Samuel Weissman, 17, for his project analyzing the genetic makeup of HIV; while $150,000 was given to Adam Ardeishar, 17, for his “coupon collector” math problem. The young winners—who beat out nearly 2,000 other entrants—”embody true scientific and mathematical ingenuity,” said Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, the co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, and a 1976 winner of the same competition. His life-changing experience, he noted, was an “important early step on my path to a life devoted to using the power of science to do good.”
George Yancopoulos
Zoe Weiss
Leonard Schleifer and NIH Director Francis Collins
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Omar Gaya, Marcus Jones, Lyndon Mitnaul and Ross Grossman
Maya Ajmera and Rob Quartel
Adam Ardeishar
81
Melissa Chiu and Anne Landry
Amanda and Curtis Polk with Stan and Nina Snow
Rob Garza and Rob Myers
PUNJAB GRILL OPENING Punjab Grill | PHOTOS BY DANIEL SWARTZ
Amb. of Monaco Maguy Maccario Doyle and Karan Singh
82
Marcia and Eric Hilton
PULLING OUT THE STOPS: From airline pilot to real estate investor, Karan Singh has worn many hats. To celebrate the opening of his new Indian restaurant, Punjab Grill, he donned a colorful turban custom fitted for guests at the downtown eatery’s opening party. While an ensemble in saris performed traditional dance and Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza performed alongside a sitar player, guests nibbled on naan, 24k-gold-flecked lamb and spoonfuls of Russian caviar. Singh spared no expense constructing the chic restaurant, sourcing building materials that incude a mother of pearl-inlaid bar and hand-carved marble walls directly from India. EXTRA SPECIAL: Punjab’s private Sheesh Mahal dining room boasts more than 150,000 tiny mirrors and serveware by Hermès.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Gallery Director Chase Robinson and Susan Pillsbury
Guests admire art at the entrance to the exhibition
Ann Nitze and Tai-Heng Cheng
WL EXCLUSIVE
LAST EMPRESSES OF CHINA OPENING Sackler Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Castle | PHOTOS BY BEN DROZ
Willow Weilan Hai, Dame Jillian Sackler and Laurie Ying
THE POWER OF WOMEN: “Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 16441912,” the Sackler Gallery of Art’s most monumental show in years, opened with cocktails and followed with private tours of an exhibition filled with treasures that have never been previously seen outside of the Palace Museum in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The Qing Dynasty portraits, painted screens, silk robes, furniture and fabulous gold, silver and jewel encrusted stupa “show how these women traveled, rode horses and took on royal duties,” Smithsonian Institution Secretary David Skorton told guests later at dinner in the Smithsonian Castle, noting that they “held significant sway on imperial politics that shaped history.”
Elbrun and Peter Kimmelman
Madison Investments’ Barry Madani and No Kings Collective’s Peter Chang
Maggie O’Neill and Violetta Markelou
UMBRELLA 14
Kelly Towles and Virginia Arrisueno
14th Street Corridor | PHOTOS BY BEN DROZ
Cami Wolff and Martin Ditto WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Reggie Black and Audrey Fix Schaefer
THE BLOCK IS HOT: Famous for their colorful large-scale murals, the artists of No Kings Collective have mastered the connection between Washington’s real estate and art sectors by turning spaces scheduled for redevelopment into temporary works of art. In their biggest endeavor yet, they partnered with Madison Investments to create a three-day pop-up exhibit in the 14th Street NW space where Martha’s Table was previously headquartered. The real estate development firm is set to demolish most of the city block later this year to make way for the mixed-use Collection14 building. The successful ninegallery show featured a lengthy list of Washington-based artists including Maggie O’Neill and Kelly Towles with art sales from the weekend exceeding $100,000. SURPRISE VISIT Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez created buzz when she visited, happily chatting and posing for pictures with artists and fans. 83
PARTIES PARTIES PARTIES
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT NATIONALS DREAM GALA [THE ANTHEM] P H OTO S CO U RT E SY O F T H E WA S H I N GT O N N AT I O N A L S B A S E B A L L C L U B ”
Ryan and Heather Zimmerman
More than $1 million was raised at the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation’s annual gala to support programming for local youth including a variety of sports, arts and educational initiatives. Fans gathered at the District Wharf to cheer Nationals players and team management as they walked down a red carpet before the event. The festivities, emceed by Lindsay Czarniak, included live and silent auctions and an extra innings after party with a performance by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
AIPAC DINNER [ADVANCED SECURITY TRAINING INSTITUTE] P H O T O B Y B E N D R OZ
The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC hosted its annual policy conference in Washington, drawing thousands of the organization’s supporters to meet with political leaders to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Over the three day conference, members of Congress joined AIPAC CEO Howard Kohr to speak to large audiences about the valuable diplomatic relationship. In remarks Mayor Muriel Bowser called the conference “a place where policy meets passion.”
HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Candy Carson
Sebastian Gorka and Yair Netanyahu
CHERRY BLOSSOM RECEPTION [JAPANESE AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE] P H OTO CO U RT E SY
Keeping the ‘cheer’-y in the family, this year, Reina Sugiyama, the daughter of Japanese ambassador Shinsuke Sugiyama, served as the 2019 Japan Cherry Blossom Princess. “The second they saw me in a kimono, I almost teared up because they’re so happy,” she said of her parents. Following the cherry blossom lantern lighting ceremony at the Tidal Basin earlier in the week, the Ambassador hosted a reception at his residence.
Japanese Amb. Shinsuke Sukiyama with his wife Yoko and daughter Reina
84
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Bryan Voltaggio
CONRAD OPENING [CONRAD, WASHINGTON, D.C.] P H O T O C O U R T E S Y
Qatar’s Minister of Finance Ali al Emadi
Chris Nassetta and Mayor Muriel Bowser
Targeting the “globally connected traveler,” the Conrad Washington, D.C. officially launched with a guest list that included Mayor Muriel Bowser, Sen. Roy Blunt and Rep. Brendan Boyle. Hometown band Shaed and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir performed while guests took in panoramic views from the hotel’s Summit the Rooftop at Conrad observation deck.
MARIINSKY BALLET [THE KENNEDY CENTER] P H OTO CO U RT E SY
Balletomanes celebrated the opening of the Mariinsky Ballet with a party hosted by Russian Ambassador Anatoly I. Antonov (and sponsored by the absent Susan Carmel) in the Kennedy Center Opera House’s Russian Lounge (where else?). Dancers from the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre (formerly the Kirov Ballet) in St. Petersburg, Russia, now hail from many lands and mostly speak English, so guests enjoyed the opportunity to mix and mingle with them over caviar, vodka and champagne after a stunning performance of “Le Corsaire,” rightly called “the crown jewel” of the art form. The success of every performance in the U.S., Antonov told guests, “is yet another illustration of the fact that the Russian-American cultural ties remain strong and keep developing regardless of the political situation.”
Russian Amb. Anatoly Antonov poses with featured dancers from the Mariinsky Ballet
SOME WINTER BALL [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS] P H O T O S B Y N A K U M AYO
Jamie Cooke, Roma Daravi, Christy Ross and Kamran Daravi
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
James Ansberry and Dawn Washkewicz
Sold out for the fifth straight year, the SOME (So Others Might Eat) Winter Ball gathered young professionals to enjoy cocktails and hit the dance floor to support affordable housing programs for homeless and very low-income families. The Winter Ball was created over 15 years ago to support SOME’s work in the community. Co-chaired by Robbie Haben and Alex Schriver, the event raised more than $365,000 and featured music from The Blue Tips.
85
HOME LIFE Real Estate News and Open House I Inside Homes and my washington
8LI &MVXL SJ 'EQIPSX
Scott Stewart celebrates the history of Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy’s famous first meeting at his charming rowhouse in Georgetown’s West Village. BY CATHERINE TRIFILETTI PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL
HOME LIFE | INSIDE HOMES
ou would be amazed at how much Kennedy stuff people will send you,” Scott Stewart says with a laugh, referencing the thematic housewarming gifts he received after moving into the house where John F. Kennedy first e. Stewart says he was immediately drawn to met his wife. the attached colonial in Georgetown’s West Village and bursts with energy as he retells anecdotes of the dinner party that started it all. “The whole historic thing felt like a warm blanket,” Stewart explains amid detailed descriptions of how the famous evening went down. It was Sunday May 13, 1951, Mother’s Day, and an old family friend Charles Bartlett, who fought in World War II with JFK, hosted a dinner party for eight friends. What appeared to be casual on the surface was actually a matchmaking ploy conceived by John’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy. He had asked Bartlett to help get his son, then a second-term congressman, to abandon his playboy ways and settle down with a wife. Among the guests was Jacqueline Bouvier, a freelance photographer with whom Bartlett had previously worked. Over Rob Roys, Manhattans, chicken casserole and blueberry cobbler, JFK soon became enthralled with Jackie. The rest is history. According to Edward Klein’s book “All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie,” Kennedy said “I’ve never met anyone like her.” Stewart’s fascination with the political dynasty is not unique, but his connection to the late leader runs deep. He also went to Harvard (albeit the Business School), maintains a strong connection to the sea and generally,
88
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
OPENING PAGE: Scott Stewart with his 8-year-old husky, Brooke holding an iconic photo of the Kennedys he was gifted after moving in. PREVIOUS PAGE: (clockwise from top left) Two Giclee pop-art paintings of the Kennedys by John Stango, which were previously on display in Stewart’s office, now hang in the entrance of his home. Below, a credenza operates as a functioning Hi-Fi music player. For the interiors, Stewart went for a mid-century modern motif, sourcing most of his furniture from West Elm and Room & Board; When Stewart first moved in, the 2,000-square-foot space needed a face lift. He started by swapping out the kitchen floor, opting for tile inspired by the iconic bar P.J. Clarke’s. For the back splash, he chose his favorite color, seafoam green. He calls the hue calming and reminiscent of the ocean. THIS PAGE: (clockwise from top left) Stewart uses the outdoor garden for entertaining; Friend Jason Zuccari painted Stewart’s portrait and gave it to him as a housewarming gift – it hangs in the hallway outside his bedroom. Upstairs, he bumped the ceiling height to nine feet to fit his 6foot-4 frame; Stewart cherishes a rotary phone original to the house that the owners gifted him on the condition that he could get its old number back. (He had to fib a bit to the phone company to make that happen); Rugs are from Georgetown Carpet.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
subscribes to Kennedy’s ideals. Stewart’s penchant for the former president comes from his working class IrishCatholic mother from Detroit, whose loyalty was such that she used to root for the “Fighting Irish” of Notre Dame despite Stewart and his siblings having attended its major rival, the University of Michigan. Although Stewart’s mother died several years ago and never saw his historic home, he imagines she would be incredibly proud. “She was one of the people who swooned anytime he was on a magazine cover or on television,” Stewart explains. Between his job as founder and managing partner of Capitol Seniors Housing, a real estate and equity firm the develops retirement properties nationwide, and his vacation homes in Martha’s Vineyard and Vail, Stewart spends a lot of time on the road. His travel schedule combined with his three daughters being out of the house, made his decision to sell his McLean property an easy one. Last year, in Stewart’s attempt to downsize, he established his non-negotiables: three bedrooms, high ceilings (he is 6-foot-4), walkability and a functioning fireplace. After Stewart visited a jam-packed open house for the storied property last year, he didn’t think he stood a chance, but as fate would have it, after putting in an offer and returning to the rowhouse to take measurements, he accidentally bumped into the sellers. Though the previous owners didn’t personally punctuate the historical connection, they were looking for a buyer who would celebrate it. The day after the chance meeting, his offer was accepted. True to his word, Stewart has Kennedy memorabilia scattered throughout the house, including two colorful John Stango paintings of the late couple in the entrance hall –the very room where they first laid eyes on each other. Later this year he plans to install a plaque on the house that reads “The Birth of Camelot.”
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
89
HOME LIFE | REAL ESTATE NEWS
Georgetown Grandes Dames Three classic mansions with storied pasts and high profile former owners change hands in the East Village. BY STAC E Y G R A Z I E R P FA R R
Entrepreneur Otto W. Hoernig III sold N STREET NW in Georgetown (just a few houses down from JFK and Jackie’s former digs) for $6.8 million to Windsong LLC. Hoernig co-founded SpaceLink International, a government contractor in Dulles that he later sold for more than $150 million, and is now an executive at the Trace Systems telecommunications firm. He also runs a high-end tequila distillery, Casa Noble, in Mexico. The eight-bedroom, 1900 Colonial was formerly home to Lynne Williams, ex-wife of AOL International founder Jack Davies, and boasts over 9,000 square feet of living space on three levels, a gourmet kitchen, a banquet sized dining room, a spacious master suite with a new Waterworks bath, a detached two car garage and a walled garden. TTR Sotheby’s Michael Rankin was the listing agent. Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties represented the buyers.
THE DISTRICT Jeremy Calsyn , an attor ney with Cleary Gottlieb, purchased a brand new contemporary built by Realington in Forest Hills for $3.7 million. Janet Bloomberg was
92
the architect behind the 7,300-square-foot modern beauty at CHESAPEAKE STREET NW boasting unobstructed treetop views of Rock Creek Park. The property features a lower level recreation room,
multiple balconies, a sauna, a wine cellar and a pool, all on a quiet cul de sac. The listing agents were Patrick Chauvin and Brad House of Compass. TTR Sotheby’s Dara Gilman represented the buyer.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
DUMBARTON STREET NW in Georgetown’s East Village sold for $5.125 million when Howard and Ellen Eisenberg purchased the property from David Schwinger. The six-bedroom modern house was built in 1948 by Joseph Alsop (one of the nation’s most influential and widely read political columnists of the time) and has since been completely restored and remodeled. All rooms on the main level, including a dramatic 36-foot living room and a solarium with a cupola, open to a south-facing courtyard with gardens and a pool. The property boasts a long list of former high profile guests including Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush and local notables Dean Acheson, James Forrestal, Paul and Bunny Mellon and W. Averell Harriman. Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Real Estate was the listing agent. Pearson Smith Realty’s Elizabeth Emery was the buyer’s agent
Lawrence and Therese Dirita bought ST STREET NW for $4.9 million from The Rebecca Danesh Private Trust. The Georgetown mansion was previously owned by former Mayor of Indianapolis and former Deputy Mayor of New York City for Operations Steve Goldsmith and his wife Margaret. The five-bedroom, turn-of-the-century Federal boasts original hardwoods throughout, a gourmet kitchen and a spacious master suite with a separate sitting room with a fireplace. Washington Fine Properties’ Nancy Taylor Bubes and Paul Newton were the listing agents while Washington Fine Properties James Peva represented the buyers.
MARYLAND HONEYWELL LANE in Bethesda changed hands when Kristi and Robert Smith purchased the property for $2.43 million from Dawn and Matt Jessel . The
modern Craftsman residence was built by Sandy Spring Builders in 2017 to include five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The charming white house includes a farmhouse-style front porch, an open floor plan, a white gourmet kitchen and a fully finished lower level. Long & Foster’s Jane Fairweather represented both partied to the transaction.
VIRGINIA A brand-new shake shingle Nantucket-style house fetched $2.575 million when BDT Homes LLC sold it to Alicia and George McKenzie. CAPITOL VIEW DRIVE in McLean was built in 2018 in Old Dominion Gardens and boasts many pleasing features, including pristine finishes and a party perfect floor plan. Maureen Sloan of McEnearney Associates Inc. represented both the buyer and the seller in the transaction.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
Hui Wang and Xiaobing Xu purchased SPARGER STREET in McLean’s Springhaven Estates neighborhood for $2,731,132 from Russell and Farrah Richardson. A gated entry leads to this stone and brick, 2008-built, six-bedroom French chateau-style property on a one-acre lot that features a pool, a slate patio with a stone fireplace and an outdoor kitchen. The interior includes coffered ceilings and extensive moldings, a cherry-paneled library, media and exercise rooms and a wine cellar. Casey Margenau of Casey Margenau Fine Homes and Estates Inc. represented both sides of the transaction.
93
HOME LIFE | REAL ESTATE NEWS
PROPERTY LINES
MEDIA MANSE: Originally owned by the founder of The Washington Post, Stilson Hutchins, and more recently by television journalist Howard K. Smith, BROOKES RIDGE COURT is for sale for $3.25 million. The 1923 manor style house in Bethesda was restored with thoughtful design and sophisticated architecture with modern amenities in mind. Located on a private cul de sac set high on a hillside with unparalleled Potomac River views, it is buffered from future development by three acres of protected woodland. The classic abode includes an elegant living room with a marble fireplace and a formal dining room with a stunning crystal chandelier as well as a cozy study surrounded by builtin wooden bookshelves. Compass’ Hans Wydler and Lindsay Reishman are the listing agents.
SPRING VALLEY DREAM HOUSE: Sullivan & Cromwell LLP partner Robert Risoleo and Lucretia Adymy Risoleo listed INDIAN LANE NW for $6.995 million with the help of Washington Fine Properties’ Liz Lavette Shorb. The 11,500-square-foot, eight-bedroom residence was renovated from top to bottom to include custom millwork, geothermal heat, an impressive billiards room and a gourmet kitchen boasting all the culinary bells and whistles. Additional features of the 1931 Colonial include a home theater, a gym, a wine cellar, an au pair suite and a pool.
BRAND NEW IN THE PALISADES: The Hanlon Design Build Group is selling CATHEDRAL AVENUE NW with the help of listing agent Daniel Hynes of Compass. The 2019-built Palisades property has easy access to the Potomac River and features the small town vibe of MacArthur Boulevard’s shops and restaurants. This elegant house includes luxe materials, a modern open-plan layout, high-efficiency systems and ecofriendly construction. Its classic architectural style blends seamlessly into the historic neighborhood’s leafy landscape.
94
PORCH PERFECTION: Willy Walker, CEO of the Bethesda-based real estate lending firm Walker & Dunlop, and his wife Sheila listed NEWARK STREET NW for $6.75 million. The grand Cleveland Park Victorian on a quarter-acre lot was built in 1899 and includes a picturesque wraparound porch and a swimming pool. The interior features of the tastefully restored residence include a traditional floor plan with large rooms, woodburning fireplaces, a wine cellar, a steam shower, a home gym and an oversized gourmet kitchen with an adjacent family room. The master suite boasts panoramic views of Washington National Cathedral, a large dressing room and a master bath with Waterworks fixtures. TTR Sotheby’s International Realty’s Jonathan Taylor and Maxwell Rabin are the listing agents. Send real estate news to Stacey Grazier Pfarr at editorial@ washingtonlife.com.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
HOME LIFE | OPEN HOUSE
Open House Luxurious homes for sale in Maryland, Virginia and the District.
ASKING PRICE: $2,795,000
CAPITOL HILL EAST CAPITOL STREET NE This historic Romanesque Revival residence in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood has been renovated and restored with a modern touch. Originally built in 1896, the house features over 4,000 square feet of interior living space, including six bedrooms and four full bathrooms. Located just steps from Lincoln Park, Eastern Market and Barrack’s Row, this property will surely inspire.
LISTING AGENTS: Phyllis Pa~erson and Joanne Sawczuk, 703.310.6201 and 703.328.5427. TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
ASKING PRICE: $4,395,000
GEORGETOWN RESERVOIR ROAD NW
LISTING AGENTS: Eileen McGrath, The MorrellRoth Team, 202.465.9636, Washington Fine Properties
Ideally located in the very heart of the village of historic Georgetown, the residence’s main level features include a generous entry hall, a sunlit living room with a garden and terrace access, a gourmet chef ’s kitchen with custom maple cabinetry, an adjacent family room with French doors leading to a terrace, a formal dining room, a butler’s pantry, a laundry center and a powder room.The second level includes a deluxe master bedroom suite with a walk-in closet and a luxurious bathroom with a soaking tub and two additional bedroom suites.The third level offers a sitting room with Virginia views and a large fourth bedroom with a wall of closets. This beautiful home sits on a large private lot with an expansive flagstone terrace and professionally landscaped yard and gardens. There is a three car garage.
POTOMAC CONGRESSIONAL COURT
ASKING PRICE: Upon Request LISTING AGENT: Zelda Heller 202.257.1226, ZeldaHeller@ZeldaHeller. com, Long & Foster | Christie’s International Real Estate
Perfectly situated near the Congressional and Avenel country clubs, this inviting Aspen-inspired home is sited on two manicured acres on an intimate cul-de-sac. Ideal for a car collector, there is a three-car attached garage, a three-car detached garage and a hidden underground eight-plus car garage “bat cave” with full mechanicals and exhaust/air systems. The main house boasts expansive yet warm gathering spaces, with views to the private backyard. A pool, a pool house and an outdoor kitchen make this the perfect spot for relaxing or entertaining.
MCLEAN MOTTROM DRIVE This new custom home sits on over two acres and boasts more than 10,000 square feet. Its soft, contemporary style features dramatic walls of glass, an elevator and soaring ceiling heights punctuated with stone and exotic wood finishes. Cooking aficionados will apreciate the gourmet kitchen with topof-the-line appliances and a wine cellar; and for movie buffs, a home theater for a date-night in.
96
ASKING PRICE: $4,975,000 LISTING AGENT: Mark McFadden, 703.216.1333, Compass
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
MY WASHINGTON
SUSAN PAGE Author, ‘The Matriarch’ and Washington Bureau Chief, USA Today INTERVIEW BY VIRGINIA COYNE
MY TOP SPOTS
For ice cream, Thomas Sweet (3214 P St. NW) in Georgetown; the bittersweet chocolate and peppermint are standing orders for family celebrations.
For a good read and a chance to hear an amazing array of authors, the Politics & Prose bookstore in Chevy Chase D.C. (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW)
98
. For a drink, Rare Steakhouse (1595 I St. NW), next to USA TODAY’s Washington bureau. It’s perfect for staff confabs.
For regaining perspective, a walk with a friend along the C & O Canal, a wonderful urban park shared by canoeists, bicyclists, picnickers and the pensive.
he’s one of the longest-serving members of the Washington press corps, having interviewed every president from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump. Susan Page was there for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Moscow in 1988 and traveled with George H. W. Bush to visit U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia in 1990. Her work covering the White House has earned several prestigious honors, including the Gerald R. Ford Prize and the Merriman Smith Memorial Award. Yet, when the seasoned journalist sat down to write her first book, it wasn’t about an occupant of the Oval Office, but a first lady instead. >>
WHY, OF ALL THE PRESIDENTS AND FIRST LADIES YOU’VE REPORTED ON, DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY OF BARBARA BUSH? I’ve covered the past 10 presidential campaigns, and Barbara Bush played a role in seven of them. That’s pretty remarkable. While Americans felt they knew her, and mostly loved her, I thought they didn’t really understand how consequential she had been. HOW LONG DID YOU WORK ON THE BOOK, AND TO WHAT EXTENT DID MRS. BUSH COOPERATE? HOW ABOUT THE FORMER PRESIDENTS BUSH AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY? In a decision that was either brilliant or stupid, I didn’t contact her or others in the Bush family until after I had signed a contract to write her biography, a project that spanned just over a year. I’m grateful that she did agree to a first interview and then four more, and ultimately to share her diaries with me. I also ended up interviewing both Presidents Bush, not to mention two other sons, her brother, a half-dozen of her grandchildren and others in the family. Plus President Clinton, who had become
virtually a member of the clan. WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT MRS. BUSH? The powerful and enduring impact of the death of her three-year-old daughter, Robin, in 1953. Barbara Bush was 28 years old when Robin was diagnosed with leukemia, a disease she had never heard of, and the six brutal months that followed became a defining experience—shaping the toughness and the empathy she displayed through the rest of her life. IS IT TRUE THAT SHE DIDN’T LIKE THE TITLE OF THE BOOK? She didn’t like “matriarch” and she didn’t like “dynasty.” So I asked her, “what would you call it?” Without missing a beat, she replied: “The Fat Lady Sings Again.” WHICH OF THE MANY STORIES YOU’VE COVERED OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR CAREER HAS BEEN THE MOST INTERESTING OR MEMORABLE? My favorite interview wasn’t of a president, though I’ve had the privilege of interviewing nine of them. It was interviewing physicist Stephen Hawking in 2000. He was one of the most dynamic individuals I’ve ever met, despite everything. YOU’VE SIGNED A DEAL TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NANCY PELOSI NEXT. WHAT DREW YOU TO THAT PROJECT AND CAN YOU GIVE US A HINT OF WHAT WE’LL LEARN? WILL THERE BE ANY BOMBSHELLS? Like Barbara Bush, Nancy Pelosi has been repeatedly underestimated during her life, though her role since the 2018 midterms as the Democratic counterpart to President Trump has been changing that. As for bombshells: I hope so!
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| M AY | washingtonlife.com
S U SA N PAG E P O RT RA I T CO U RT E SY S U SA N PAG E ; I C E C R E A M P H OTO CO U RT E SY T H O M A S SW E E T/ FAC E B O O K ; CO C KTA I L P H OTO CO U RT E SY RA R E ST E A K H O U S E / FAC E B O O K ; P O L I T I C S A N D P R OS E E XT E R I O R A N D C & O CA N A L P H OTOS V I A W I K I M E D I A CO M M O N S
S