Washington Life Magazine - November 2014 by Washington Life Magazine

Sachiko Kuno (center) and her

social impact entrepreneurs at Halcyon House

'%4-8%0 -223:%8-32 MEET THE ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERS BEHIND WASHINGTON’S START-UP REVOLUTION

WASHINGTON LIFE NOVEMBER 2014 s $7.95

EXCLUSIVES: Steve Case and Walter Isaacson FASHION: Ice, Ice Baby Blues & Cool Suedes REAL ESTATE: The New Tech Corridor MY WASHINGTON: Raul Fernandez

>> PLAY THE ENTREPRENEUR BOARDGAME AND GO IPO!

PA RT I PA ES! RT PA IE RT S! IE S!

>> VENTURE CAPITALISTS, ACCELERATORS, INCUBATORS, CO-WORKING AND GEEK CHIC GIFTS

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POLLYWOOD

WNO Opening Night ........................................

SPECIAL FEATURE INNOVATORS

HOLLYWOOD ON THE POTOMAC

Women Against Alzheimer's Inaugural "Out of the Shadows" Dinner .................................

CAPITAL DISRUPTION A city known for politics is

National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts' "Noche de Gala"..................................................

EDITOR'S LETTER

getting hijacked by millenials and their startups ...........

WASHINGTON STARTUPVERSE Board game for entrepreneurs .................................

STEVE CASE Want to go far? Go together ......... HACKERS GENIUSES AND GEEKS An excerpt from Walter Issacson's "The Innovators" ...

AOL FAMILY TREE Then and now ................ ADVENTURES IN PHILANTHROPY Leaders of Venture Philanthropy Partners discuss their successes...

Primary Sources ...................................................

National Tropical Botanical Garden's "Agent of Change" Dinner ....................................

Digital D.C.Tech Fund Awards ...............................

EMBASSY ROW

Ike Behar Opening Party........................................

Red Letter Month.................................................

Rural Society Opening Party ...................................

Bob Woodruff Foundation Gala Dinner ......................

PERFECT PITCH For the Record ....................

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Parties! Parties! Parties!........................................

HOME LIFE INSIDE HOMES Timothy Chi and Tracey Thomm .........................

Champions of Democracy Awards Gala ...................

GO NORTHEAST Spotlight on H Street NE ........ OPEN HOUSE Fall Finds ................................. REAL ESTATE NEWS Fieldstone Fantasy.............

WASHINGTON SOCIAL DIARY

MY WASHINGTON Raul Fernandez ...................

Sasha BruceYouthwork's Anniversary Dinner ...............

AROUND TOWN Fall FĂŞtes ............................. Night Nouveau.................................................... Environmental Working Group's Dinner .....................

LIFE OF THE PARTY

The Boomer's List Opening Celebration .....................

Imagination Stage Gala........................................

Inaugural Chefs Roast of Nora Pouillon .....................

Meridian Ball and White-Meyer Dinner .....................

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT INOVA's Life with Cancer marks 25 years ............................

NSO Season Opening Ball ..................................

OVER THE MOON Notable Beasts .................... Beasley Office Opening ..........................................

@SILICON BELTWAY The nation's capital is shaping up to be a serious contender in the valley of innovation .... American Ireland Fund's "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day" Party ......................... SHARED WORKSPACES All together now ....

35th Anniversary of Diane Rehm Show .................. INSIDER'S GUIDE ..................................... THE DISH Chef's Table at Home ........................... SOCIAL CALENDAR November events .............. GIFT GUIDE ............................................. TREND REPORT Ultra Suede......................... TREND REPORT Ice Blue ..............................

Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans Dinner ...

Best Buddies Gala ................................................

Chinese Investments Bring Dollars and Unease ............

FYIDC

Innocents at Risk Cocktail Reception .........................

CORRECTION The October 2014 issue included the incorrect flag for the Republic of China (Taiwan). The correct flag is noted here.

We regret the error.

Harman Center for the Arts Gala ..........................

CharityWorks' "Dream Ball" .................................. ON THE COVER Top row from left: Ari Raz, Diana Sierra, Kevin Friend, S&R President and CEO Dr. Sachiko Kuno, S&R Foundation COO Kate Goodall, Matt Fischer; bottom row from left: Halcyon Incubator Program Manager Ryan Ross, Olivier Kamanda, Dan Gallagher, Ben Reich and Heather Sewell of S&R Foundation's first class of social impact entrepreneurs at Halcyon House (Photo by Tony Powell). TOP FROM LEFT 1776 innovators (Photo by Tony Powell); Anthony Shriver, Jan Brandt, Ted Leonsis and Jack DeGioia at the Best Buddies Gala (Photo by Vithaya Phongsavan); Hungarian Amb. Gyorgy Szapary, Laura Denise and Italian Amb. Claudio Bisogniero at the Meridian Ball (Photo by Tony Powell).

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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 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Anne Kim-Dannibale MANAGING EDITOR

Alison McLaughlin SENIOR EDITOR

Kevin Chaffee ASSISTANT EDITOR

Laura Wainman CONTRIBUTING GUEST EDITOR

Michael M. Clements COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Timothy J. Burger, Kiki Burger, Steve Case, Janet Donovan, Roland Flamini,Walter Isaacson,Vicky Moon, Stacey Grazier Pfarr, Nikki Schwab and Donna Shor ART DIRECTOR

Matt Rippetoe PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Tony Powell CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Tony Brown, Ben Droz, Alfredo Flores, Nick Ghobashi, Neshan Naltchayan,Vithaya Phongsavan, Kyle Samperton and Jay Snap

PUBLISHER & CEO

Soroush Richard Shehabi ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

John H. Arundel ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Todd Kapner ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Sheila Menn and Denise Rossi BOOKKEEPER

Trina Hodges WEB TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT

Eddie Saleh,Triposs Mihail Iliev LEGAL

Mason Hammond Drake, Greenberg Traurig LLP INTERNS

Jamie Lichay 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

Innovation Capital We like to keep readers on their toes. When you open our pages you know to expect top coverage of Washington’s social scene, sartorial inspiration, insights from our columnists on everything from Embassy Row and the Virginia hunt country to the latest real estate news. This month, we are delving into a topic that is a bit new for us and especially exciting: innovation in Washington. Gone are the days of a new concept restaurant being the most adventurous thing to hit the nation’s capital, as guest editor and former Washington Life executive editor Michael M. Clements notes in his introduction to our indepth look at innovation.We are in the midst of booming startup growth across a wide range of industries and it is high time that the individuals behind these ventures — and the entrepreneurs who are bankrolling them — receive the recognition they deserve. Some faces will be familiar, such as the legendary innovators behind America Online who are highlighted in our AOL Family Tree dating back to Jim Kimsey, Steve Case and Marc Seriff. Most, however, are lesser-known entrepreneurs who are quickly making their own waves and establishing the national capital area as a “Silicon Beltway” to rival Silicon Valley. In truth, we can only touch the surface when it comes to reporting on innovation in Washington. Look for a more in-depth series over the next few months delving deeper into these new faces and their endeavors. The holidays are rapidly approaching and it is time to start making our lists and checking them twice. We prefer to avoid the mad store rush as much as possible and to help you do exactly that we have prepared a gift guide with perfect baubles for all, from hostess gifts for the soirées filling your calendars now through New Year’s to the latest must-haves to satisfy your tech-obsessed teen. If you just want to treat yourself, don’t miss our on-point Trend Reports featuring the coolest in blue hues and sleekest suedes. If you’ll be hosting dinner parties this season you won’t want to miss our review of the latest dining craze: Kitchensurfing.The New-York based company launched in Washington, its seventh city, late last month and connects diners with personal chefs who will cook in your home for any occasion, from date night to a family gathering. In keeping with our entrepreneurship theme, we took a peek inside the Bethesda Colonial home of two-time entrepreneur Timothy Chi and his investment-banker-turned-mom-to-three wife,Tracey Thomm. The couple, who started Chi’s second business,Wedding Wire, from their first house, lived for two years with only primer on the walls. But now that things are smooth sailing with the business, and their youngest is sleeping through the night, they have created a space that works not

just for hosting large-scale dinner parties but also accommodating the sticky-fingered needs of their three young girls. The social season is now in full swing and we won’t be resting a single night until well after the sparkling lights have been packed away. This month we bring you coverage from all the smash hits, including the WL-sponsored CharityWorks Dream Ball, Imagination Stage’s Gala, the Meridian Ball, Noche de Gala, Champions of Democracy, Best Buddies Challenge, Night Nouveau as well as the opening nights of the symphony and opera and more. Don’t put away your dancing shoes just yet as we have plenty more can’t-miss events ahead for November. If you do have to sit one out, never fear, our December-January Holiday issue will give you the inside scoop on the WL-sponsored LUNGevity Gala, Sibley Gala, the Washington International Horse Show, the Wings of Hope and Noche de Pasion galas, Fight Night and so many more. This month we mourn the loss of iconic Washington journalist Ben Bradlee. In addition to a brilliant journalistic career that brought down a president, Bradlee, with his gravelly voice and Turnberry & Asser shirts, cut a swath through the capitals political and social scene for six decades, starting with his close relationship with President and Mrs. Kennedy. He and his wife Sally Quinn lived in the historic LairdDunlap House in Georgetown, where they threw marvelous New Year’s Eve parties filled with iconic figures of the day, and where they were interviewed and photographed for a Washington Life cover feature in Nov. 2005. At the time, we called them “Washington’s original couple par excellence,” something he and Quinn lived right up to his death last month at 93. We will also miss Donald W. Sigmund, a fourthgeneration Washingtonian and philanthropist who held a great sense of pride for his home town and for his beloved Washington Redskins.

Nancy R. Bagley Editor in Chief Readers wishing to contact Nancy Bagley can email her at nbagley@washingtonlife.com

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FYIDC The Insider’s Guide to Washington

‘Deferred Dreams’ Exhibit

Dream a Little Dream

Indulge in a little artistic education at Syra Arts, a gallery promoting contemporary Middle Eastern artists, from jewelers to sculptors and everything in between. Their latest exhibit, “Deferred Dreams,” opens to the public on Nov. 1 and runs through Nov. 8. Artist Qais Al-Sindy’s solo exhibition explores the agonies and ecstasies associated with pursuing one’s dreams. On Nov. 1 you can view the exhibit and ask the artist any lingering questions you may have. Free, Syra Arts, 1054 31st Street NW, 202-733-8199, www.syra-arts.com

Pinstripes Georgetown

Bowl the Night Away With the holidays approaching, scheduling family time is increasingly a priority and finding fun, unique ways to gather parents and children together becomes all the more important. This fall, head to Georgetown’s newest gaming attraction, Pinstripes. With bowling and bocce available, plus surprisingly good food (think gnocchi and ahi tuna homemade pasta), there is something for the whole family to enjoy. Mom and dad, don’t miss the limoncello martini! $5-$10 per game,The Shops at Georgetown Park, 1064 Wisconisn Ave. NW, 202-625-6500, www.pinstripes.com

FotoWeekDC Returns

Shutterbugs and photography groupies won’t want to miss the seventh-annual FotoWeekDC exposition, returning this fall from Nov. 8 through Nov. 16. Through local and international collaborations, FotoWeekDC provides exposure for photographers from all over the world and brings world-class photography to Washington. Spanish Amb. Ramon Gil-Casares hosts a kickoff reception at his residence on Friday Nov. 7 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., an event which will also serve as this year’s FotoWeek Central. This anchor space includes an exhibition, “The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus” organized by Aperture, New York and the Sochi Project with photography by Rob Hornstra and Arnold van Bruggen. See website for full details on events and locations, www.fotodc.org

Introducing the Largest Passenger Aircraft It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a.. Oh Wait, It Really is a Plane British Airways recently introduced the largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380, into daily service from Dulles to London (Heathrow). The goliath plane can carry as many as 525 passengers across multiple classes and time zones, with First Class beds that lie fully flat for the ultimate in travel comfort. It is the second A380 to land at Dulles, with Air France adding daily service to Paris (Charles de Gaulle) in 2011. Airbus built the new jet, which is 40 percent larger than a 747, for airports crunched for landing slots, and airports like Dulles have ensured that runway concrete won’t crumble from its enormous weight. Travelers embark on their British voyage from two loading bridges for the upper and lower decks, with a seating chart in the gate area to inform passengers where to line up by row.

Fiddler on the Roof

Sunrise, Sunset

It is hard to believe that it has been 50 years since audiences across the world fell in love with a humble Jewish milkman and his five rebellious daughters. To celebrate the golden anniversary of “Fiddler on the Roof,” Arena Stage is bringing this celebration of family, community and tradition to life, starring Tony nominee Jonathan Hadary in his Arena debut as Tevye. Experience Tevye’s struggles to adhere to tradition as his headstrong daughters and spunky wife test his devotion to God, all as the increasingly ruthless Russian czar evicts Jews from their village. October 31, 2014-January 4, 2015, Arena Stage’s Fichlander Stage, 1101 6th St. SW, $45-$119, 202-4883300, arenastage.org

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D e f e r r e d D r e a m s ” p h oto b y Qa i s A l S i n dy, c o u r t e s y S y r a A r t s ; F oto W e e k D C p h oto by I r a S i l e r b e r g ; a i r p l a n e p h oto co u rt e sy b r i t i s h a i r ways ; p i n st r i p e s p h o t o b y S t e p h a n i e B r e i j o ; F i dd l e r o n t h e R o o f i l l u s t r a t i o n b y J o d y H e w g i l l ;

A snapping Good Time

FYIDC | THE DISH

at home Chef’s Table The latest dining craze allows diners to enjoy multi-course meals at the hands of expertly trained chefs without ever leaving the comfort of home.

s t o r y a n d P H OTOS B Y L A U RA W A I N M AN

here are a few telltale signs indicating that you have made it in life: a personal driver, a designerladen closet and a private chef. Unless we count Uber, I typically chauffeur myself and my wardrobe is more akin to a Target showroom than the pages of Vogue. For one night, however, I dined like the one percent and it was glorious. Thanks to the New York-based startup Kitchensurfing, which launched in Washington on Oct. 15, seven of my friends and I were treated to a delicious Chef Frank Paris in my kitchen three-course meal prepared by chef Frank The “Welcome to Fall” menu prepared by Chef Frank Paris Paris in my own apartment. As the seventh city where Kitchensurfing has launched, Washington residents now him to join us, as it only seemed fair that he got to sample his own have the option of browsing the online marketplace for personal chefs creations, but he politely declined saying he had eaten beforehand, and to create at-home dining experiences for parties between six and 12 went right about cleaning up.Yes, that’s right, the chefs clean all the tools guests, though Kitchensurfing will consider special requests for larger they use, leaving not a single dirty dish in your sink before they depart. or smaller groups as well. The table was silent for a good while as we dug into the meal before us: Paris, who has been cooking since college in the early ’90s and most a crisp romaine salad lightly dressed in a red wine and Dijon vinaigrette recently served as the executive chef at Sona Creamery, showed up early and topped with goat’s milk feta cheese and shaved red onions; roasted and with all the equipment and fresh ingredients necessary to prepare okra served with red bell peppers, corn, popcorn and grated pistachio as our “Welcome to Fall” dinner. After I briefly gave him a tour of the fairly a salty seasoning; butter-poached rainbow trout in lemon and rosemary small kitchen space he would have to work in, he set to work poaching sauce topped with button mushrooms; roasted carrots with cumin and fish and roasting carrots. My friends slowly trickled in but Paris seemed macerated in honey and brown butter crumbles; and warm brown butter unfazed by the periodic interruptions, which was impressive considering cake with Granny Smith apples and caramel. my entryway, kitchen, living and dining room all subsist in the same 400“For me, the best part of cooking food is seeing and hearing about square-foot space. how much guests enjoyed eating it,” Paris said. “Kitchensurfing allows for To be candid, I had a few qualms. I had never imagined having a chef me to really see guest reactions, facial expressions and to watch them close cooking dinner for my friends and me in my own kitchen. Sure, I was their eyes as they are chewing, trying to savor every last bite.” ecstatic at the thought of eating food prepared by a personal chef at home. When dinner was over and the plates had been cleared I peppered my My guests certainly thought I was the epitome of posh, but I still worried guests for their thoughts on the meal, whether they would use the service it might feel awkward to have someone doing a task I usually do myself. and their overall impressions. The idea of chefs distributing recipe cards Thankfully, Paris made it as natural as possible. He accepted the beer I at the end of the meal was a popular one, and though we all agreed we offered him, which put me at ease, and joined in our conversations while were beyond impressed with the food, one criticism kept coming up: the entertaining my foodie friends’ many questions regarding his cooking. He price. As 20-somethings who have never found ourselves needing to book truly allowed us to be active observers of our meal’s preparation and made the services of a private chef, the $50-per-head pricepoint, excluding us feel like we were learning from a friend. alcohol, gave us a bit of sticker shock at first. But upon further reflection Dinner was served promptly at the time I requested. After an overview we agreed we could see oursleves using the service for special occasions, of the menu, Paris explained his motivations behind dishes, where he had or date nights. sourced ingredients (several came from his own garden), and cooking After all, it’s rare to go out for less than $100 per couple in Washington techniques and answered a few questions from my guests. We invited these days.

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FYIDC | SOCIAL CALENDAR

NOVEMBER

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART’S TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Join Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson as they celebrate 50 years of African art with the unveiling of the “Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue” exhibit featuring works from Bill and Camille Cosby’s collection. Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art; 6 p.m.; black-tie; $500; sponsorships start at $5,000; contact Marie Woodward Graves, 202-6334648, gravesmw@si.edu.

WINGS OF HOPE GALA Support advancements in melanoma treatment at the sixth annual Wings of Hope for Melanoma Gala. Fine food and drink and live music are featured as the Melanoma Research Foundation raises funds to unlock the cure. Trump National Golf Club; 6:30 p.m.; cocktail attire; $175; sponsorships start at $1,000; contact Bill Reilly, 571-267-2156, galas@ melanoma.org.

NOCHE DE PASIÓN THE TANGO SOIRÉE Enjoy a night of sultry performances with members of Washington Ballet’s Women’s Committee, Jeté Society and Latino Dance Fund as they celebrate “Noche de Pasión.” This inaugural event beneﬁts scholarship programs and the Latino Dance Fund while celebrating the company’s Latino-inspired fall repertory program, “Masterworks” by choreographer Hans van Manen. The Organization of American States; 7 p.m.; tempting, tango cocktail attire; $250; sponsorships start at $500; contact Alex Whetzel, 202-362-3606, awhetzel@ washingtonballet.org.

LAB SCHOOL GALA HONORING OUTSTANDING ACHIEVERS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES This gala raises awareness about learning disabilities and recognizes those who have overcome such challenges to achieve success in a variety of ﬁelds. Dinner, dancing and a Q&A session with outstanding achievers like Richard Ford and

Vin Roberti are featured. National Building Museum; 6 p.m.; black-tie; $1,000; sponsorships start at $5,000; contact Marty Cathcart, 202-9442201, events@labschool.org.

Amanda Goblesk, Cicely Fox and Meredith Jones at the 2013 Capital for Children’s Casino Night. (Photo by Ben Droz)

WOLA HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS GALA Guests will honor the courage and leadership of Claudia Paz y Paz and Rep. George Miller while celebrating 40 years of the Washington Ofﬁce of Latin America’s Human Rights Awards. A seated dinner is followed by an awards ceremony. Union Station; 6 p.m.; cocktail attire; $250; sponsorships start at $1,000; contact Kelly McLaughlin, 202-797-2171, kmclaughlin@wola.org.

FIGHT FOR CHILDREN’S FIGHT NIGHT The late Joseph E. Robert Jr. created Fight Night to help low-income children in the District achieve a promising future. Join heavyweights of the nation’s capital for an evening of live boxing and auctions and ﬁght for underprivileged children at this 25th annual event. Washington Hilton; 6 p.m.; black-tie; $1,000; sponsorships start at $25,000; contact Judy Wrench, 202-772-0417, judy.wrench@ﬁghtforchildren.org.

KNOCK OUT ABUSE AGAINST WOMEN While the men enjoy live boxing and cigars at Fight Night, the ladies head across town to raise funds to end domestic violence. Over the past 21 years, Knock Out Abuse Against Women has raised over $8 million to aid victims of domestic violence. Ritz Carlton; 6:30 p.m.; “Hollywood black-tie;” $600; sponsorships start at $1,000; contact Eleanor Arlook, 202-466-6040, Eleanor@ knockoutabuse.org.

SPANISH CATHOLIC CENTER GALA Rev. Mario E. Dorsonville, will be honored for his dedication to the Spanish Catholic Center at this annual gala. Spanish Amb. Ramon Gil-Casares serves as this year’s honorary chairman. Organization of American States; 6:30

p.m.; black-tie; $1,000; sponsorship start at $2,000; contact Carmen Joya, 202-7724334, Carmen.joya@catholiccharitiesdc.org.

ICON DINNER AND TALENT Let the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Teen Arts Program (TAP), STEAM initiative and ICON competitors impress you with their talents at the ICON showcase. Four hundred of Washington’s greatest arts inﬂuencers, child advocates and nonproﬁt leaders attend for one-ofa-kind entertainment and to support our youth’s talent. Ritz-Carlton,Tysons Corner; 6 p.m.; cocktail attire; $400; sponsorship start at $4,000; contact Terri Johnson, 202-540-2323, tjohnson@bgcgw.org.

CAPITAL FOR CHILDREN TEXAS HOLD ’EM

TOURNAMENT Put your money where your cards are to support children’s education issues at this brand new event hosted by chairmen Ken Doyle and Dean D’Angelo featuring food, fun and poker for a charitable cause. Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown; 6 p.m.; Buisiness attire; $250; sponsorships start at $5,000; contact Cassandra Hanley, 703-237-4978.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RAISING THE ROOF Honor entrepreneur Sheila Johnson and 25 years of Habitat for Humanity at the group’s annual Raising the Roof dinner. Habitat for Humanity has built and rehabilitated over 200 homes in Washington and the event is a tribute to various leaders’ commitment to energy-efﬁcient housing. Union Station; 6:30 p.m.; cocktail/business attire; $250; sponsorships start at $5,000; contact Heather Phibbs, 202-882-4600, heather.phibbs@dchabitat.org.

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FYIDC | GIFT GUIDE

`` ¸8-7 8,) 7)%732 `` Don’t get caught empty-handed this season. Start shopping for that perfect gi now! +))/ ',-' MOPHIE rechargeable spacepack for iPhone 5/5s ($150), Bloomingdale’s, 5300 Western Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, bloomingdales.com

WAKAWAKA POWER solar charger capable of charging any smartphone/ small electronic device after 2 hours in the sun and providing 150 hours of sustainable light ($79), us.waka-waka.com

BEATS BY DR. DRE gold-hued adjustable wireless headphones and pill speaker set ($700), Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, neimanmarcus.com

PROTOCOL “Dronium” remote-controlled picture-taking drone ($99), Bloomingdale’s, 5300 Western Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, bloomingdales.com

TIVOLI audio pal Bluetooth ($300), Room & Board, 1840 14th St. NW,, roomandboard.com

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ADRIENNE LANDAU rabbit fur coat ($395), Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave., NW, neimanmarcus.com

GUCCI tuxedo jacket ($560), tuxedo shirt ($260), pants ($350) and bow tie ($95), Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, saksfifthavenue.com

NEIMAN MARCUS EXCLUSIVE canvas tent with organic bamboo poles ($225), Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave., NW, neimanmacus.com

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

THINK FUN “Robot Turtle” board game to teach kids coding ($25), available at Amazon,Target and thinkfun.com ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY

OLIVER & ADELAIDE organic wood elephant rocker ($950), Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, saksfifthavenue.com

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,378)77 ;-8, 8,) 1378)77 JONATHAN ADLER handcrafted brass Mr. and Mrs. muse napkin rings ($128 set of four), Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, neimanmarcus.com

KATE SPADE woodland park owl bottle stoppers ($40 set of two), Kate Spade Georgetown, 3034 M St. NW, katespade.com OSCAR DE LA RENTA glass acorn ice bucket with brass top and tongs ($295), Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, neimanmarcus.com

VIA UMBRIA Murano glass and striped pitcher ($275),Via Umbria Georgetown, 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW, viaumbria.com

BACCARAT crystal medallion candelabra ($3,970), Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, saksfifthavenue.com

PLOOSH “Antoinette” Italian leather cross-body hippo bag with Swarovski crystal accents and leather inlaid crossbody chain ($1,362.50), Reddz Trading, 1413 Wisconsin Ave. NW, plooshplace.com

BROOKS BROTHERS RED FLEECE long brim hat ($348), Brooks Brothers Georgetown, 3077 M St. NW, brooksbrothers.com

'-2()6)00%¸7 '037)8 TORY BURCH “Grace” leather riding boots ($495), Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, neimanmarcus.com

KATE SPADE SATURDAY “Coldspell” coat ($290), Kate Spade Saturday, 3061 M St. NW, saturday.com P H OTO S C O U RT E SY O F E AC H C O M PA N Y

CHRISTIAN DIOR HOMME aviator sunglasses ($495), available at Dior Homme boutiques nationwide, diorhomme.com

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PIRANESI 18k yellow and white gold flower earrings with yellow and white diamonds ($65,850) and PIRANESI 18k yellow and white gold flower ring with yellow and white diamonds ($30,050), Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, saksfifthavenue.com

TIFFANY & CO. oval cocktail watch in 18k white gold with diamonds on a black satin finish strap ($12,600), 8045 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182

OMEGA “De Ville Tresor Master” coaxial watch ($13,800), Omega Boutique Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Drive, McLean,VA 22101, 571-633-9710, omegawatches.com TEMPLE ST. CLAIR 18k gold charms (start at $1,000), Liljenquist & Beckstead, Shops at Fairfax Square, 8075 Leesburg Pike,Vienna,VA 22182, liljenquistbeckstead.com

JEFFREY DANIELS platinum and diamond cage bracelet ($55,000), Liljenquist & Beckstead, The Shops at Fairfax Square, 8075 Leesburg Pike,Vienna,VA 22182, liljenquistbeckstead.com

CHRISTIAN DIOR ear jewel in metal with gold finish and white crystals ($610), available at Dior boutiques nationwide

CHRISTIAN DIOR “Miss Dior” 4-finger ring in metal with pink gold finish ($710), available at Dior boutiques nationwide

TIFFANY & CO. “T” square bracelet in 18k gold ($5,000), 8045 Leesburg Pike Vienna,VA 22182

BREGUET 18k rose gold 40 mm wristwatch ($39,200), Liljenquist & Beckstead,The Shops at Fairfax Square, 8075 Leesburg Pike, Vienna,VA 22182, liljenquistbeckstead.com

ROBERT PROCOP 18k white gold aquamarine and diamond ring ($19,600) and 18k white gold aquamarine and white diamond earrings ($21,800), Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815, saksfifthavenue.com

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BOTTEGA VENETA Roma small intrecciato leather tote ($3,600); saksfifthavenue.com

LIFE OF THE PARTY WL-sponsored and Exclusive Events | NSO Season Opening Ball, Imagination Stage Gala, CharityWorksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dream Ball and more!

Emily DiBari and Jennifer Tapper in David Meister at the 2014 White-Meyer dinner before the Meridian Ball (Photo by Tony Powell)

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PARTY Jane Fairweather with Gigi and Jeff Godwin

Rynthia Rost, Bonnie Fogel and Katie Rost with Ike and Catherine Leggett

Psalmayene 24 and Diana Morrison WL SPONSORED

IMAGINATION STAGE GALA Imagination Stage, Bethesda, Md. | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL READY. SET. CHANGE THE WORLD: This festive evening, which raised more than $300,000, celebrated the power of creativity to transform lives with a performance from Imagination Stage students and professional actors Jonathan Atkinson, Ayanna Hardy, Chris Wilson and Caroline Wolfson. Local playwright Psalmayene 24 received the Imagination Stage Award, and the girl power rap from the last installment of his hip-hop children’s trilogy, “Cinderella: The Remix,” was performed to showcase his work. Guests mingled over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the lavish post-show reception where the brand new alliance between Imagination Stage and the National Theatre was announced by Jay Adams and Genny McSweeney Ryan.

Md. State Sen. Richard Madaleno

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Mike and Jennifer DeSimone

Genny and Fred Ryan with Sarah Bartlo Shari Kapelina, Jennifer Whipp and Anna Trone

Monte Monash and Aisha Anders 30

Rachel and Paxton Baker

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Connie and Anthony Morella

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Ball organizers Rep. Steven and Sonya Horsford, Rep. Ed and Marie Royce, Max and Lindsay Angerholzer, Janet and Jim Blanchard, Edi and Carlos Gutierrez and Gwen and Stuart Holliday J

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MERIDIAN BALL Meridian International Center | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL DIPLOMATIC DANCE: Glamorous guests, dancing under the stars and picture-perfect weather — and yes, that does mean there were lots of “selfies” — ensured that this year’s Meridian Ball would be a major contender for Most Glamorous Event of the Fall Social Season. After dining at numerous ambassadorial residences, big bucks benefactors joined a younger ball-only crowd to sip Champagne, gorge on desserts and puff cigars before hitting two separate dance floors where a brassy Motown band and a DJ kept revelers bouncing until the wee hours. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Lloyd and Ann Hand French Amb. Gerard Araud and Monaco Amb. Maguy Maccario Doyle

Sarah McHaney, Becca Taylor, Lauren Aitken and Copeland Barnes

Liechtenstein Amb. Claudia Fritsche and Dr. Michael Olding Mark Gillespie and Caroline Dalton

Azerbaijan Amb. Elin Suleymanov and Lala Suleymanov WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Maestro Philippe Auguin

Iris De Graaf and Granada Amb. Angus Friday 31

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Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter with ball chairmen Catherine and Wayne Reynolds (Photo by Yassine El-Mansouri)

Soprano Kelli O’Hara

NATIONAL SYMPHONY CONCERT AND BALL The Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Terrace | PHOTOS BY JAY SNAP

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, NSO Conductor Christoph Eschenbach and violinist Joshua Bell

SYMPHONIC STARS: The National Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 84th season (and its 44th in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall) in grand style with violinist Joshua Bell taking a star turn in selections from Ravel and Saint-Saëns and soprano Kelli O’Hara lighting up the stage with “Glitter and be Gay” from Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide.” Cocktails, dinner and dancing under a massive marquee followed on the Terrace where guests queued to chat with the soloists, conductor Christoph Eschenbach, Symphony Chairman Jeanne Weaver Reusch (who announced that $1.4 million had been raised for education and community engagement programs) and incoming Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Ru er. DROLL HUMOR: “She certainly has the right initials,” KenCen Chairman David Rubenstein told the crowd. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Judy and Ahmad Esfandiary

NSO Chairman Jeanne Weaver Ruesch Ann Jordan and Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein

Jane and Calvin Cafritz with Maria Kersten 32

Betsy DeVos

Mary Ourisman and Julie Connors WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Wayne Safro, Sunlen Serfaty and Matthew Ruesch

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Jean-Marie Fernandez and Raul Fernandez

Katherine and David Bradley

Barry Dixon, Leah Gansler and Mark Lowham WL SPONSORED

CHARITYWORKS’ DREAM BALL

Wendy Adeler Hall with Paul and Angie Pagnato

National Building Museum | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL SEEING GREEN: This year’s much anticipated Dream Ball raised nearly $400,000 for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Takoma Park’s Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Teach for America. More than 700 guests sampled absinthe while enjoying hold-your-breath acrobatic performances against a backdrop of emerald-hued décor illuminating the National Building Museum’s vast interior before settling in to a seated dinner followed by hours of spirited dancing.

John Enzler and John Kane VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Tom Liljenquist and Erin Kilday

Graciela and Jorge Adeler

Liz and Fernando Murias Heidi Kallett and Valentina Adeler Armour Amy and Pierre Chao Nataly Ibragimov

Whytnee and Ricardo Silva WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Lawrence and Georgia Behar

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POLLYWOOD The Nexus of Politics﹐ Hollywood﹐ Media and Diplomacy | Embassy Row, Noche de Gala, Champions of Democracy and more!

Rima Al-Sabah, Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden and Kuwait Amb. Salem Al-Sabah at the Kuwait-America Foundation Dinner (Photo by Vicky Pombo)

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PRIMARY SOURCES PBS’ ‘Makers’ series is a first-hand exploration of the women’s movement B Y J A N E T D O N O VA N

nce upon a time, television ads for women went like this: “Honey, when was the last time you baked a cake?” “Last week, dear.” For those of you who didn’t take History of the Modern Women’s Movement 101, that was typical. “I was brought up in the Betty Crocker era. You had to get married and you had to have a child.” — Carol Burnett “That’s what it was about, to meet the guy, to get married.” — Judy Blume Then everything changed. “It was like a tsunami. It was something that was boiling under the earth and we could bring it up.” — Marlo Thomas “It was exhilarating. It was also somewhat torturing because we were breaking new ground.” — Hillary Rodham Clinton The quotes above came from activists interviewed in the documentary “Makers,” which tells the stories of the modern American women’s movement. Each chapter in this six-part series examines the impact of the women’s movement on several fields once largely closed to women: business, space, Hollywood, comedy, war and politics. In each field, women have pried open and profoundly reshaped the central institutions of American life and culture. Presenting station WETA recently held a screening of “Makers” with an interactive discussion with WETA President Sharon Rockefeller. “Each topic is different,” she told us. “Tonight we’re going to be screening ‘Women in War’ and so we will be talking about the variety of roles that women have played in the armed forces since the days of Vietnam. There’s another program called ‘Women in Business,’ but there are all sorts of

CEO of WETA-TV Sharon Rockefeller and Executive Producer Dyllan McGee

topics: ‘Women in Politics’ as well. I think every area has been included and I hope we’ll have another round next year. I don’t think we’ll ever run out of topics.” “‘Makers’ really began about nine years ago when I went to Gloria Steinem and I asked her if I could do a film on her life and she said no, explaining that you can’t do a story on the women’s movement through the story of one person,” said Dyllan McGee, executive producer of the series. “So I went back to the drawing board and to Steinem and said: ‘What if I do all of the stories of all the modern American women’s movement?’ That ‘no’ turned into the best ‘yes’ I have ever received and that is how ‘Makers’ really began.” Some of the women, like Steinem, devoted their life to the cause, causing us to wonder if they regretted their decision. “People pick different paths,” said Patricia de Stacy Harrison, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and one of the evening’s hosts. “And, as you look back you could say I wish I had done this or that, but the common theme among all of these women is that they didn’t seek to become famous, but they looked at their environment and they wanted to affect change, and sometimes it was a result of things happening to them — working at a coal mine, not getting paid

Corporation for Public Broadcasting CEO Pat Harrison

enough, not having proper safety measures in place. So, in the process of making their own lives a little better for themselves and their families, they got other people involved and before you knew it they were benefiting others. It always happens with an idea, and a passion and a commitment and that attracts people to affect change.” We wondered how new generations would beat the drum to handle the challenges ahead or did they think the goal line had been reached? “The history is so important to have,” AOL’s Samantha Leibovitz said. “You need to look at the history. Social engagement is the number one metric we’ve seen among all the documentaries right now and people are joining the conversations in a very new way. We are trying to track the conversations to see what the impact is online versus going to rallies or going to movements instead. It will be amazing to see what that impact will be and if it will really take traction.” “In order to get people’s attention, you’ve gotta blow a loud trumpet, you’ve gotta beat the drum loudly.” — Oprah Winfrey, “Makers” Check your local PBS stations to tune into “Makers.”

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Juanes, Merel Julia and Felix Sanchez Janet Murguía, Arturo Sarukhán and Verónica Valencia Sarukhán

Jesse Garcia

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NATIONAL HISPANIC FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS’ ‘NOCHE DE GALA’ Laura Maristany, Spanish Amb. Ramon Gil Casares and Amy Hinojosa

Aimee Garcia and Emily Rios

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL LATINOWOOD ON THE POTOMAC: Now in its 18th year, Noche de Gala has become one of fall’s most anticipated events with prominent members of the Latino community being fêted for their contributions to the arts. This year’s celebrations highlighted Grammy winner Juanes, who was presented with the Raul Julia Award, and actors Jesse Garcia and Emily Rios, who received a Horizon Awards. Founded in 1997 by four actors and a Washington lawyer, the foundation promotes careers for Latinos both in front of and behind the camera by continually providing access to emerging artists in the entertainment industry.

Jorge Plasencia and Deborah Rutter

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Ginny Grenham and Paul Zevnik Caroline and Roberto Soberanis with Melody Gonzales

Adrienne Watson, Lyndon Boozer and Adrienne Elrod WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Ivette Saucedo and Adrian Nevarez Gaby Natale

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Tom Friedman and Tim Smit

Rima Al-Sabah, Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden and Kuwaiti Amb. Salem Al-Sabah

Art Collins and Sophia Shaw

Chipper Wichman and Alain Touwaide WL SPONSORED

NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN’S ‘AGENTS OF CHANGE’

Dr. Will McClatchy and Dr. Paul Cox

Mike Maunder, Kirk Johnson and Ken Furton

St. Regis | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL GREEN POWER: The National Tropical Botanical Garden’s 50th anniversary was a celebration in green that began with a symposium of leading experts discussing pressing botanical issues of the day and was capped oﬀ by a gli>ering gala in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History. Pulitzer-winning journalist Thomas Friedman contributed his thoughts on the weighty issue of conservation in a changing world. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Andrew Messner, Donald Goo and John Clark

Jan Elliott, Dr. Avegalio Failautusi and Adaline Frelinghuysen

Gordon Deane and Mary Bird

Motoko Deane, Jack Hooper and Suzy Orb Candyce Clark, Ken Ringle and Diane Ragone 38

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Kevin O’Brien, Jack DeGioia and Ted Leonsis with Barry and Kim Trotz

Michaela Oliver, Steve Swad and Michele Katsouros

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BEST BUDDIES CHALLENGE GALA Jan Brandt and Anthony Shriver

Healy Hall, Georgetown University | PHOTOS BY VITHAYA PHONGSAVAN BE A BUDDY: Best Buddies International pulled out all the stops to celebrate its ﬁrst 25 years at Georgetown University, which was symbolic as the organization was founded there in 1989 when its founder and chairman, Anthony Shriver, was still a student. The evening served a dual purpose: highlighting the silver anniversary while also kicking oﬀ the Best Buddies Challenge weekend. STAR TURN: The crowd was wowed by Buddy Ambassador Sujeet Desai’s saxaphone and clarinet performance. The Berkshire Hills Music Academy graduate has performed in 40 states and 13 countries to promote self-advocacy, has received more than a dozen awards and performed on “The View,” “20/20” and Oprah.

Adam MacLaurie, John Oswald and May Liang

Mark Del Rosso and Teresa Foss-Del Rosso

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Sujeet Desai

Marisa Dockum and K. Lee Graham

Max Hershberger and Karen Glasser WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Mert and Alev Bakan with Chris Allen

Alina Shriver, Rocio Beckschi and Eunice Shriver

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Charles Calhoun and Natalie Van Eron 39

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Red Letter Month Remembering the Wall, tangos and Vivaldi, and too many ‘selfies’ at the British Embassy BY ROLAND FLAMINI

CELEBRATING AN ANNIVERSARY: November is a red-letter month in Central and Eastern Europe. Twenty-five years ago, a seismic crack opened in the historical surface separating the Soviet Union from its satellites; in a matter of days the Kremlin had lost its empire and the Iron Curtain had disappeared. The destruction of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 became a universal symbol of that collapse. Still, Berlin was not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning, and East European countries and the Baltic States each celebrate their own landmarks on the path to freedom. This summer, for example, the embassy of Poland in Washington hosted a reception to mark the country’s first free elections in June of that year. In October, Hungary’s ambassador, György Szapáry , hosted a dinner and a concert by Hungarian jazz musicians to commemorate his nation’s first free elections. As a prelude to its own program commemoration this month of the wall’s collapse, the German embassy website has been running the personal recollections of native east German staffers of the dramatic protest demonstrations that forced the demise of the East German regime. And on November 19, a bust of Václav Havel, Czech playwright and dissident-in-chief, will be unveiled in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the Czech composer Antonin Dvôrák’s masterwork the symphony “From the New World” at the Washington National Cathedral. MUSIC IN THE ROW: An observant member of the audience at Milan’s La Scala Opera House in early October might have noticed that the orchestra’s string section was under strength. That’s because 14 of its members were per-

The Cameristi della Scala chamber group of Milan’s La Scala opera house play for a select audience at the Embassy of Italy (Embassy photo).

forming in the atrium of the Italian embassy in Washington as well as subsequently in New York and Boston. More than 500 people were on hand for the embassy performance by the Cameristi della Scala chamber group of an imaginative juxtaposition of two contrasting works separated by some 250 years: Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” composed in 1725, and Argentinian Astor Piazzolla’s tango work on the seasons written between 1965-1970. The concert was part of the embassy’s eventpacked program of cultural diplomacy to mark Italy’s current six-month presidency of the European Union council. Vivaldi’s fluid masterpiece is so familiar that it tends to get listened to on automatic pilot, but alternating with the jagged sounds of Piazzolla’s seasons gave it remarkable freshness. The credit for pulling off this neat musical trick goes to the La Scala musicians, brilliantly led by Francesco Manara, the solo violinist. Gianluca

Scandola said later that the group had been

performing this musical coupling for years and had played in on tour in many countries — but not yet in Argentina. “The Argentinians tend to be very protective of Piazzolla’s work and they may not like our interpretation,” Scandola said. THE BUTLER DID IT: It’s not often that guests at the British Embassy in Washington are accused of lacking decorum, but that’s what Jim Carter, the actor who plays Carson the magisterial butler in “Downtown Abbey,” did in a recent BBC interview. Carter, an avowed hater of selfies, recalled at an embassy reception that “there were all the great and the good of Washington, all of them in suits, and they behaved most inappropriately. They were tearing at us! It got to be, ‘Yes, all right, I will take a selfie. Back off!’” Tearing at us? My word!

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Ian Cameron and Susan Rice

Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Rima Al-Sabah and Kuwaiti Amb. Salem Al-Sabah Kari McDonough and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough with Lee and Bob Woodruff

KUWAIT-AMERICA FOUNDATION DINNER Kuwait Ambassador’s Residence PHOTOS BY VICKY POMBO AND TONY POWELL

Bill Ichord, Deanie Dempsey, Gen. Martin Dempsey and Jill Ichord

HUMANITARIAN MISSION: A major list of political, corporate and media VIPS a>ended a dinner hosted by Kuwaiti Amb. Salem Al-Sabah and his wife Rima to thank donors to the Bob Woodruﬀ Foundation, founded by the ABC News correspondent and his wife Lee a er he was critically wounded in a 2006 roadside bombing in Iraq. “I was there and became one of them,” Woodruﬀ said of the injured service members his foundation is now helping. “If I can improve just one life it will be worth it.” SURPRISE ENDING: A er dessert and a performance by members of the Music Corps Wounded Warriors Band from Walter Reed Hospital, the Al-Sabahs’ 6-year-old son, Nino, helped Teresa Heinz blow out the candles on a special cake to celebrate her 76th birthday.

Jeremy Bernard, Lucky Roosevelt, Laura Denise Bisogniero and Italian Amb. Claudio Bisogniero

Jason Kliot, Tom Nides and Joana Vicente

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Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Dr. Bryan Traubert

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Gen. Jim Jones, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Frank Beatty Jake Tapper

Teresa Heinz and Nino Al-Sabah WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Lynn and Wolf Blitzer

French Amb. Gérard Araud

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Liza Gilbert and OMB Director Shaun Donovan

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John F. Kerry 41

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

CHINESE INVESTMENTS BRING DOLLARS AND UNEASE The Chinese would love to use their U.S. dollars to invest in America — if we let them. BY ROLAND FLAMINI

ust as world leaders were checking out of the Waldorf Astoria early in October following the annual gabfest officially known as the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, Hilton Worldwide Holdings announced that it had sold its iconic hotel in midtown Manhattan to the Chinese insurance group Anbang for $1.95 billion. Rumors of the sale had been circulating for days, and more than one foreign head of state or government probably went home wondering whether the Chinese would have bugs in place in their favorite suite before next year’s U.N. session. The acquisition raised awkward questions for the U.S. government inasmuch as a sumptuous suite at the Waldorf Towers had been the official residence for successive American ambassadors to the U.N. for about 50 years. An embassy spokesman told Reuters that whether that address remained appropriate depended on what he called “security considerations.” But apart from the uncertainty surrounding the future sleeping arrangements of Samantha Power, the current U.S. permanent representative at the U.N., the Anbang deal also captured headlines as a landmark in the growing wave of Chinese acquisitions in the United States which last year topped $14 billion, double the previous year. Chinese companies are relative newcomers in the foreign investment field and they have a long way to go to match British or French investment levels in the United States; but, swimming in dollars, they are now making up for lost time. In 2013, Chinese enterprises concluded 87 deals: 44 of them were acquisitions and 38 so-called “greenfield” investments, which involve setting up their own industrial plants. Food, energy, real estate and entertainment are among the main targets. This summer, a good many of the hot dogs sizzling in backyard cookouts across America came from a Chinese firm. Why? Because Smithfield Foods Inc. of Virginia, the world’s largest pork producer,

AMC Entertainment’s 5,000-plus movie theater chain is now Chinese-owned. (Courtesy Wikimedia/Andreas Praefcke)

was acquired in 2013 by Shuanghui (its biggest counterpart in China) for $4.7 billion, thus turning a quintessential company into a Chinese subsidiary. It’s also likely that your cinema seat is Chinese-owned following the acquisition of AMC Entertainment’s 5,048 movie screens in the United States by the Wanda Group for $2.6 billion.Wanda’s colorful chairman,Wang Jianlin, is mainland China’s richest individual with a personal fortune of more than $13 billion. As Chinese acquisitions have increased, so has the concern among U.S. lawmakers over Beijing’s intentions, and Congress has pushed for more scrutiny, especially in deals that transfer American high-tech to Chinese hands, or that appear to have implications for America’s security or America’s interests. Lawmakers are paying more attention to the work of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, a somewhat shadowy multi-agency U.S. government committee charged with screening potential foreign buyers of U.S. assets.

CFIUS operates out of the U.S. Treasury Department and is chaired by the secretary of the treasury, but that’s just for starters. CFIUS brings together the heads of 15 executive agencies, including the secretaries of homeland security, justice, commerce, defense and state, together with the U.S. trade representative, the director of national intelligence, plus the heads of a number of consultative agencies. Potential foreign buyers submit their purchases to CFIUS for clearance on a voluntary basis if they — or their lawyers — believe their acquisition could be considered a “covered transaction,” which basically means that the American company in their sights belongs to an ever lengthening category of “sensitive” business sectors, especially since the 9/11 terrorist attack. The focus of attention includes companies with anything but the most innocuous government contracts, businesses with security connections or linked to critical infrastructure, research and development, high-tech, and even located near a U.S. government facility. All CFIUS dealings are confidential and

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committee decisions give nothing away. “There is an opaqueness in its decisions,” says Giovanna Cinelli, a lawyer at the Washington law firm Jones Day who has had frequent dealings with CFIUS. Because CFIUS does not divulge its reasons for rejecting or approving an application, “there are no case histories,” Cinelli says. At hearings, however, she finds the committee members “reasonable” and “their questions are pointed and relevant.” Scott Flicker, of the international law firm Paul Hastings, another lawyer who has dealt extensively with CFIUS, adds, “CFIUS is not intended to be a black box, but it’s designed to preserve the confidentiality of the transactions.” The committee’s mandatory, if cryptic annual report to Congress, which consists of little more than numbers, with no names mentioned, reflects the recent increase in CFIUS activity which happens to coincide with the step-up in Chinese investments: For the first time in 2012 (the latest report available, believe it or not) more investors from China (23 out of a total of 114) underwent a CFIUS review than investors from any other country. “The escalation rate for Chinese reviews is as rapid as those of us practicing in the field have guessed,” said a report by the Rhodium Group, a research group that closely follows Chinese investments. What this means is that Chinese investors are not just increasing in numbers but increasingly targeting what the United States government views as sensitive industries. But also in 2012, according to the CFIUS report, 22 foreign companies withdrew their submissions before completion of the screening process (which could take more than two months), usually because they see rejection looming on the horizon and want to avoid the embarrassment of being officially turned down — and there is a wide assumption in legal circles that several were Chinese. For example, China’s huge state-controlled corporations draw suspicion that their investments may have a political purpose. “Because the U.S. views China with caution, Chinese deals will draw scrutiny,” Flicker says. “So much attention is focused on Chinesebased deals that very few go through without comment in the U.S. Congress.” So much so that some investors have

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New York’s Waldorf Astoria, one of the nation’s most iconic hotels, was recently purchesed by Chinese interests for $1.95 billion. (Courtesy Wikimedia/James G. Howes)

taken to consulting members of Congress prior to embarking on the CFIUS process to keep lawmakers in the loop and hopefully cooperative, or at least not publicly in opposition. To some lawyers that seems outside the scope of the screening process, and they don’t do it. Cinelli doesn’t approach lawmakers in advance because she says, “it’s an executive process, not a political process.” But Fricker, who was the lawyer on the Shuanghui takeover of Smithfield, regrets not informing the Hill, which could have avoided a storm of congressional criticism. “There is a purpose behind getting to certain members before they take a public position,” Fricker explains. “If I had had a chance to say, ‘you might initially think the deal is a danger to the U.S. food supply because America would be importing pigs from China, but we have an oversupply in the U.S., and there’s a demand in China,’ I wouldn’t have had to do all that damage control after the announcement.” China complains that CFIUS, under political pressure, applies tougher standards against Chinese investors. Most experts say any foreign company with strong ties to that country’s government will receive extra scrutiny. For example, a House Intelligence Committee report called for a ban on investments by Huawei and ZTE, China’s main telecom network equipment manufacturers, as security risks because both were said to have ties to the Beijing government. “China has the means, opportunity and motive to use telecommunications companies for malicious purposes,” the report stated. (But in its 2013 annual report to Congress, CFIUS said

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the committee, quoting intelligence sources, had no reason to believe any of the foreign investors who had applied for clearance were spying.) Huawei’s “so-there” response was that the company was no longer interested in investing in the United States anyway. Application to CFIUS may be voluntary, but the case of the Chinese machinery company, the Ralls Corporation, was an object lesson in what can happen if a foreign exporter ignores the committee. Having acquired a wind farm in Oregon without consultation, Ralls was later forced to appear before CFIUS because the deal had security implications: The wind farm was located in close proximity of a U.S. Navy training facility that, among other functions, tested drones. On the advice of CFIUS, President Obama in 2013 ordered Ralls to divest itself of the wind farm. It was the first time in 22 years a president had exercised trhe authority CFIUS gives him to block a transaction on security grounds. Ralls appealed the decision: a Washington appeals court ruled that the company’s constitutional rights had not been respected, and ordered CFIUS to provide unclassified information to support its decision and give Ralls the opportunity to submit a defense. The president’s decision is not subject to review, and a reversal of the CFIUS decision appears to experts extremely unlikely. Moreover, to comply with the presidential order, Ralls is said to have sold the wind farm it had bought for $6 million for the knockdown price of $50,000. The new owner was a Chinese-American and therefore not subject to the CFIUS process.

Diane Rehm

POLLYWOOD

Knight Kiplinger and Austin Kiplinger WL EXCLUSIVE

Jim Lehrer and Judy Woodruff

DIANE REHM SHOW 35TH ANNIVERSARY

Ray and Nancy Schoenke with Roger Mudd

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium | PHOTOS BY NESHAN NALTCHAYAN LEGENDARY LADY: The accolades were many for talk radio veteran Diane Rehm at the celebration of her 35th anniversary: “extreme intelligence, sympathy and empathy” (Roger Mudd); “faithful, which means giving one’s heart to someone” (Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde); and “she brings the wri>en word to life” (writer Alice McDermo ). “The Diane Rehm Show,” a public broadcasting powerhouse with more than 2.6 million weekly listeners worldwide, remains a “crazy, wonderful live moment,” Rehm told the crowd, “because I love radio and you do, too.”

Carl Leubsdorf and Karen Tumulty VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Allison Wetterauw, Moira Sullivan and Maureen Hasson

Debbie Eng, Drew Walsh and Elizabeth Carter

Nilaree Manning, Jeff Manning and Christine Warnke Sean Martin, Patrick Martin and Allison Durham

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley WL EXCLUSIVE

AIF’S YOUNG LEADERS’ ‘HALFWAY TO ST. PATRICK’S DAY’ PARTY Josephine Butler Parks Center | PHOTOS BY JAY SNAP

Julia Shinberg and Demi Meeker

Tommy Quinn and Riley O’Connor

GREEN SCENE: Plenty of Irish eyes were smiling at the American Ireland Fund’s Young Leaders party, especially when Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley — the recipient of the “Spirit of Ireland” award — serenaded the appreciative audience on his guitar. The youthful crowd enjoyed oysters from Pearl Dive’s popup oyster bar and sipped suds from the Rí Rá popup pub while enjoying the sounds of the Danny Burns Band. Proceeds from the event support programs for peace and reconciliation, arts and culture and education and community development in Ireland as well as globally. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

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Sylvia Ripley, Ann Jordan and Christopher Addison

Lady Westmacott

Vernon Jordan and George Stevens Jr. WL EXCLUSIVE

SASHA BRUCE HOUSE 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Kathleen Biden

Residence of the British Ambassador | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL CELEBRATING 40: More than $300,000 was raised at Sasha Bruce House’s 40th anniversary, a celebration that featured the presentation of the inaugural Evangeline Bruce Award to former resident Jasmine Williams. As longtime trustee Liz Stevens pointed out, Williams, a formerly homeless high-school dropout now enrolled at Montgomery College, typiﬁes a “young person who has overcome barriers to achieve excellence in life.” Sasha Bruce House is the only shelter for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth in the nation’s capital.

Jasmine Williams (Photo by James Brantley)

Deborah Shore and Tommy Bruce VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

D.C. Council member David Catania

Jon Bouker and Sheldon Johnson

Kimberly Perry Rose Chen and Sally Prouty

WL SPONSORED

CHAMPIONS OF DEMOCRACY AWARDS

Marcela Brane, Clarence Page, Jill Stanley and Sarah Alex

Library of Congress | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL ACE ADVOCATES: More than 300 supporters raised a glass to the Herb Block Foundation, an organization created in memory of Pultizer Prize-winning Washington Post editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block. Herblock, as he was universally known, spent a lifetime fighting injustice, an effort that D.C. Vote and its founders Daniel Solomon and Joe Sternlieb also champion daily along with the cause of full voting representation for the District. WELL SAID: Chicago Tribune journalist Clarence Page was on hand to introduce the award along with D.C. Vote Executive Director Kimberly Perry, who said the annual ceremony is “a reunion for the D.C. voting rights community to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made on behalf of democracy, and then collectively re-energize to continue fighting for the democratic equality we so very much deserve.”

Washington, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton

Cathy Sulzberger, Joe Perpich, Trish Vradenburg and Judy Kovler

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INNOVATORS | SPECIAL REPORT

CAPITALDISRUPTED A city known for politics is getting hacked by millennials and startups

FRONT ROW (L to R), Julia Alexander, ExecOnline, Uyen Tang, Stylecable, Joseph Santoro, Waveborn, Dan Ye, CollegeNode, Jan Pablo Segura, 1EQ, , SECOND ROW (L to R), Hannah Rho, CollegeNode, Emmanuel Smadja, MPOWER Financing, Richard Graves, Ethical Electric, Ketan Patel, DailyHealth, Dave Haft, ImpactHub, Justin Searles, VentureBoard, John Fanguy, Engagiant, Dave Anderson, Hitch, Camp McCurry, Drizly, Mariama Kabia, Memunatu Magazine, Fatama Kabia, Memunatu Magazine, Gary Hensley, EdBacker, Josh Hurd, NonprofitIQ, Le-Marie Thompson, Nettadonna, Nicole Gallub, Pelonkey, Morgan Giddings, Piper, Ciera Gallub, Pelonkey, Michael Heller, Engagiant, Hunter Hayes, Zerocycle, , THIRD ROW (L to R), Shaofeng Yang, Locus Social, Charles McGuire-Wein, Good World, Michael Madon, RedOwl Analytics, Harun Kazaz, American Story Channel, Mrim Boutla, More Than Money Careers, Grant Elliott, Ostendio, Brian Christie, Fanaticall, Shana Lawlor, POHs, David Gomez, Hilltop Energy Partners, Charles De Vilmorin, Linked Senior, Starr Barbour, Get the Word Out, Michael Cassidy, NineQ, Natasha Iwegbu, InnoPDG, Scott Block, ventureboard, Martin Levine, Whyttle, Hilina Kebede, BlissInvite, Adam Connor, Brigade, Maksim Tsvetovat, Open Health Network, , FOURTH ROW (L to R), Chris LeSchack, iMougul, Matt Colbert, Spend Consciously, Matthew Kemph, Kickball365, D’An Hagan, SmartDetect, Joseph Keum, ClickOrder, Neel Patel, MGNFY.IT, Bilaal Ahmed, LinkTank, Don Frazer, collegesnapps, David Conley, SavingsSquirrel, Dave Cook, Narrative Sciences, Rick Gersten, Urban Igloo, Robert Betteman, Bun Out the Oven, Erik Skantze, Ivy Standard, Cheryl Montalvo, , Julie Gaskins, Geb Jobs Network, Masha Sharma, Totalpass, Robert Mander, Govlish, Gerald Meggett, MyQVO, , FIFTH ROW (L to R), Dan Birdwhistle, Studio Publishing, Kenny Day, BrightRoll, McEwen Hardy, VibeCheck, Thomas Lugbin, Grey Matter, Armin Kiany, EdClub, Jeremy Brosowsky, Agricity, David Fairbrothers, Dorsal, Paul Guthrie, Potomac Health Solutions, Dan Kuenzi, LocalRoots

uick, name the city that ID.me, Speek,Venga, TrendPo, SocialRadar, Contactually and Gryphn call home? What about Vox Media, Zip Car and Wedding Wire? Do BlackBoard, LivingSocial and MicroStrategy ring a geographic bell? How about AOL? Oh, AOL! Of course, it’s Washington, D.C. Innovation in the nation’s capital used to be the opening of a new steak restaurant. Things have changed. Although the city’s main thrust still comes from Capitol Hill,

its soul is being defined by startups and entrepreneurs. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this renaissance began, but its family tree has an AOL root. Washington does have a long history of innovation if one considers Duke Ellington, Henry Rollins or the painters of the Washington Color School. Include NASA, the NSA, CIA and Department of Defense, the capital’s innovation net grows exponentially. Still, for years we were left without a game-changing corporate entrant on the Apple/Google scale.

That changed in the late ’80s and early ’90s when AOL and a number of technology and media companies began popping up in the sprawling Virginia suburbs and the likes of Steve Case, Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson and Michael Saylor emerged. Flush with cash to invest from their mature companies, these seasoned entrepreneurs became investors, mentors and stakeholders in the early 2000s startup scene. That’s when some of the city’s most recognizable tech brands emerged, including BlackBoard and LivingSocial,

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P H OTO BY TO N Y P OW E L L W I T H S P EC I AL T H A NKS TO TO M T U RK FO R EQ U I P M E N T LOA N

INTRODUCTION BY MICHAEL M. CLEMENTS

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to name a few. By the 2009 presidential inauguration, the city was r ipe for a third wave of entrepreneurial disruption. Fueled by mobile and cloud adoption, crowdfunding, accelerators, incubators, coworking spaces and startup media, this new class of entrepreneurs has stuck a disruptive elbow into the side of the Mid-Atlantic. Expect notable contributions over the next few years in wearables, nano-tech, drones, energy, healthcare, transportation and more. Metropolitan Washington isn’t the only region being hacked by startups — from Miami to both Portland, Oregon and Maine, startups are helping to redefine urban centers, creating jobs and fueling millennial migration. In turn, cranes dot skylines. Better retail, fashion, dining and entertainment options emerge.The arts and creative economy flourish. There has been an explosion of successful art startups over the past five years here, including Art Whino, Art Soiree, No Kings Collective, Pink Line Project and my own company, ArtJamz. All have risen to disrupt the city’s established museums and galleries. Is it progress or gentrification? The debate rages on. Either way, the entrepreneurial genie is out of the bottle and disruptive business minds are becoming more prevalent than legislative aides. This year, Sweetgreen, a Distr ictbased fast-casual salad eatery founded by Georgetown graduates Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru and Jonathan Neman, received a $22 million investment from Revolution Growth — a local heavyweight VC firm headed by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis. SnobSwap, founded by Elise Wang and Emily Dang, is an online exchange where fashionistas sell, swap and shop for clothing. Before receiving close to $1 million in three rounds of funding this year, they accelerated with District-based Fortify Ventures and rented cowork space at 1776. Fortify.vc managing director, Jonathon Perrelli helped produce the documentary “Startupland,” which follows the trials and tribulations of three accelerated businesses in “The Fort,” including Snobswap, The Trip Tribe and Ride Post. “When I founded Fortify.vc in May of 2011 there were no accelerators in the region and there were not many angel investors

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either,” Perrelli says. “Fortify started the pitch event series called DistilledIntelligence. com, aka ‘D.I.’ Over 100 companies are listed as having competed in our pitch contest. Following D.I., ... we invested first in many of the companies from our Fort accelerator, including: Social Tables, Hinge, Synapsify, Venga, CoFoundersLab (acquired recently), SnobSwap, The Trip Tribe and several others.” Join a D.C.Tech Meetup and you’ll see how things have exploded. Between 500 to 1,000 attendees regularly attend to mix, mingle and get inspired. It’s co-organized by Shana Glenzer and Stephanie Nguyen, who also head a D.C. Fem Tech collaborative. Shana is vice president of social marketing at Social Radar — the city’s

‘When I founded Fortify.vc in May of 2011 there were no accelerators in the region and there were not many angel investors either’ — Jonathon Perrelli, managing director, Fortify.vc

latest billion-dollar startup hopeful founded by Michael Chasen, co-founder and former CEO of Blackboard Inc. Nguyen is a co-founder of Silica Labs, a company dedicated to helping innovators build revolutionary software for wearable technology. There is a non-stop circuit of startup and entrepreneurial-related groups, meetups, conferences, panels and seminars in the metro area incubating success stories like those above. Hard to believe? Subscribe to various media outlets covering the scene or follow TechCocktail — a media and event company founded by Jen Consalvo and Frank Gruber. It took a $2.5 million investment from Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project (Hsieh is also the CEO of Zappos. com) in 2013. Does your work e-mail end

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in “.gov”? Check out FedScoop, a tech news outlet and platform dedicated to improving government through technology. Its founder, Goldy Kamali, is quickly establishing herself as a next-gen Beltway power player. Speaking of media companies, millennial darling BYT has expanded to New York, ex-AOL executive Jim Bankoff’s startup, Vox Media, is out to disrupt how we digest information and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is poised to do the same with his $300 million purchase of the Post, which will certainly herald a new era at our city’s most recognizable media brand. Peter Corbett, whose digital agency iStrategy Labs recently out grew its Dupont office and moved into the old Wonderbread Factory in Shaw in the heart of the Digital DC Tech Opportunity Corridor, has seen the startup scene’s rapid growth first hand. He lists his iStrategyLabs cohort and CMO, DJ Saul; Contactually, CEO, Zvi Band; Shavanna Miller, CEO, Bloompop; Dan Burger, CEO, Social Tables; and Evan Burfield and Donna Harris, co-founders of 1776 as rising business leaders. Corbett was instrumental in connecting Mayor Vincent Gray with the tech community. The mayor made support for technology a linchpin of his economic agenda. His office even had a booth at the South by Southwest conference in Austin. It will be interesting to see if the city’s next mayor embraces technology as openly as Gray did. Have startups hacked Washington? Suffice it to say that hardly anyone notices when Congress goes in recess anymore. Residents used to set their timepieces to the Hill’s seasonal ebb and flow. Summer meant humidity, doldrums and manageable traffic. Not anymore. Some of the city’s hottest tickets are during the hottest months. What will define Washington’s startup scene as it moves forward? Who or what will emerge to carry the banner? The exciting part is that it could be anything — our area startups are as diverse as any in the world, ranging from biotech to ticketing apps. We know our roots, we’ve proven our ability to grow. We’re just waiting for some more Apples to grow ... >>

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INNOVATORS | STEVE CASE

WANT TO GO FAR? GO TOGETHER BY STEVE CASE

he central idea of Walter Isaacson’s new book, “The Innovators,” is this: Innovation is a team sport. Isaacson’s most recent book — the massive bestseller “Steve Jobs” — told the fascinating (and complex) tale of our generation’s most iconic entrepreneur. But the focus on Steve may have left a lot of budding entrepreneurs thinking the path to success was about what they might do. In fact, while passionate leadership is of course important — indeed, essential — ultimately, it is the work of teams that moves things forward. I’m reminded of the African proverb: “If you want to go quickly, go alone — but if you want to go far, you must go together.” As Isaacson notes when he explains “how the technology revolution was fashioned,” the real progress came from “collaborative creativity” — people working together, building on each other’s ideas, and pushing innovation forward. Isaacson devotes a chapter to the “Online” revolution, including the story of the evolution of AOL. He correctly notes that the central idea that animated AOL was community — people interacting with each other. These early adopters weren’t just consumers, they were contributors — and were the pioneers who helped pave the path forward. When we started the company in 1985, only three percent of people were online, and they were only online an hour a week. When we said we wanted to get America online, we were dead serious. It took more than a decade before we got traction. Early on, it became clear that we couldn’t go it alone. We needed to assemble a tapestry of alliances to build the Internet and make it part of everyday life. We needed

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the PC manufacturers to develop consumerfriendly and affordable PCs. We needed them to build modems into PCs, so they would go from being a “peripheral” device to a central, compelling element that helped usher in a new era of connecting to the world. We needed communications networks to create new low-cost ways to connect, so user fees would drop from $10 per hour to less than 10 cents an hour. We needed software designers to create compelling graphical interfaces, to make the Internet accessible to the masses. We needed content companies to offer compelling services. (Ironically, I first met Isaacson more than 20 years ago, when he headed the new media efforts for Time

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Inc., and we struck a deal to bring Time Magazine onto AOL.) The bottom line is that we all needed to do our part to usher in the Internet age. But “The Innovators” is not just a tale of the past, it’s a road map for the future. This week, I’m taking a bus trip across middle America — starting in Madison, Wis., and ending in St. Louis, Mo., — to see how innovation is blossoming in places outside of Silicon Valley or New York. I call it the “Rise of the Rest Tour,” and it’s the second time I’ve made such a trip this year. (You can follow our tour at RiseOfTheRest.com). What I see in these places is something right out of Isaacson’s book: Innovation booming and communities blooming because of collaborative efforts between people with ideas, teams they assemble, local universities and colleges, budding accelerators and tech hubs, forwardthinking policy makers and more. Yes, every now and then we find a company that truly is a one-person show. But the ones I feel the most excited about, the ones that have the best shot of going far, are collaborative efforts that have a great team and a great community behind them. The lessons Isaacson conveys about the role of collaboration are not just important as history lessons, but as guideposts for today’s innovators — and an important guidebook for the next wave of entrepreneurs. Steve Case is chairman and CEO of Revolution, a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm, co-founder of AOL, chairman of Up Global, a member of the President’s Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship, and chairman of the Case Foundation. Reach him @SteveCase.

INNOVATORS | WALTER ISAACSON

HACKERS GENIUSES AND GEEKS In an excerpt from his latest book,“The Innovators,”Walter Isaacson tells how Jim Kimsey and Steve Case connected the world by turning America Online (AOL) into a computer services company with global reach. B Y WA LT E R I S A AC S O N excerpt

im Kimsey was not the obvious person to whip into shape an interactive digital service; he was far more familiar with guns and whiskey’ glasses than keyboards. But he had the mix of tenacity and rebelliousness that makes for a good entrepreneur. Born in 1939, he grew up in Washington, D.C., and in his senior year was kicked out of the town’s top Catholic school, Gonzaga High, for being disruptive. Nevertheless, he was eventually able to wrangle an appointment to West Point, where he was suited to an atmosphere that celebrated, channeled, and controlled aggression. Upon graduation, he was deployed to the Dominican Republic, then served two tours in Vietnam in the late 1960s. While there as a major with the Airborne Rangers, he took charge of building an orphanage for a hundred Vietnamese kids. Had it not been for his tendency to mouth off to those higher in the chain of command, he may have made the military a career.” Instead he went back to Washington in 1970, bought an office building downtown, rented out much of it to brokerage firms, and on the ground floor opened a bar called ‘The Exchange that had a working ticker-tape machine. He soon opened other popular singles bars, with names like Madharter and Bullfeathers, while embarking on additional real estate ventures. Part of his routine was going on adventure trips with his West Point pal Frank Caufield and their sons. It was on a 1983 rafting trip that Caufield recruited him to CVC as a minder for [William] von Meister [founder of The Source, an AOL predecessor] and, eventually, as CEO. Faced with sluggish sales, Kimsey fired most of the staff except for Steve Case, whom he promoted to vice president of marketing. Kimsey had a colorful saloonkeeper’s way with words, especially scatological ones. “My job is to make chicken salad out of chicken shit,” he declared. And he was fond of the old joke about

Walter Isaacson (photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster)

a young boy who merrily digs through a pile of horse manure and, when asked why, declares, “There must be a pony somewhere in this shit.” It was an odd triumvirate: the undisciplined idea generator William von Meister, the coolly strategic Case, and the rough-edged commando Kimsey. While von Meister played showman and Kimsey played backslapping barkeep, Case hovered in the corner observing and coming up with new ideas. Together they showed once again how a diverse team can promote innovation. Ken Novack, an outside counsel, later observed, “It was no accident that they created this business together.” Case and von Meister had long been interested in building computer networks that could connect ordinary users. When CBS, Sears, and IBM joined forces in 1984 to launch such a service that became known as Prodigy, other computer makers realized that there might be a real market. Commodore came to CVC and asked it to create an online service. So Kimsey reconfigured CVC into a company called Qpantum, which launched a service named Q-Link for Commodore users in

November 1985. For $10 a month, Q-Link had everything that von Meister — who was then being eased out of the company — and Case had envisioned: news, games, weather, horoscopes, reviews, stocks, soap opera updates, a shopping mall, and more, along with the regular crashes and downtime that became endemic in the online world. But most important, Q-Link had an area filled with active bulletin boards and live chat rooms, dubbed People Connection, which enabled members to form communities. Within two months, by the beginning of 1986, Q-Link had ten thousand members. But growth began to taper off, largely because Commodore’s computer sales were slumping in the face of new competition from Apple and others.“We have to take control of our destiny,” Kimsey told Case.” It was clear that for Quantum to succeed, it had to create its Link online services for other computer makers, most notably Apple. With the tenacity that came with his patient personality, Case targeted the executives at Apple. Even after its brilliantly controlling co-founder Steve Jobs had been forced out of the company, at least for the time being, Apple was difficult to partner with. So Case moved across the country to Cupertino and took an apartment near Apple’s headquarters. From there he waged his siege. There were many possible units within Apple he could try to conquer, and he was eventually able to get a little desk inside the company. Despite his reputation for being aloof, he had a whimsical sense of humor; on his desk, he put up a sign that said “Steve Held Hostage” (a reference to the phrase used during the 1980 drama in which Americans were held hostage in Iran) along with the number of days he had been there. In 1987, after three months of daily campaigning, he was successful: Apple’s customer service department agreed to strike a deal with Quantum for a service called AppleLink. When it launched a year later,

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play on page 48!!

Jim Kimsey had the mix of tenacity and rebelliousness that made him the perfect entrepreneur to build AOL into a worldwide colossus.(Photo by Tony Powell)

Steve Case (courtesy photo)

the first live chat forum featured Apple’s lovable cofounder Steve Wozniak. Case went on to make a similar deal with Tandy to launch PC- Link. But he soon realized that his strategy of creating separate private-label services for different computer makers needed to be revised. Users of one service could not connect with those on another. In addition, the computer makers were controlling Quantum’s products, marketing, and future. “Look, we can no longer rely on these partnerships,” Case told his team. “We really need to stand on our own two feet and kind of have our own brand.” This became a more urgent problem — but also an opportunity —when relations with Apple frayed. “The powers that be at Apple decided they were uncomfortable with a third-party company using the Apple brand name,” Case said. “Apple’s decision to pull the rug out on us led to the need to re-brand.” Case and Kimsey decided to combine the users of all three of their services into one integrated online service with a brand name all its own.The software approach pioneered by Bill Gates would apply to the online realm as well: on-line services would be unbundled from the hardware and would work on all computer platforms. Now they needed to come up with a name. There were many suggestions, such as Crossroads and Quantum 2000, but they all sounded like religious retreats or mutual funds. Case came up

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with America Online, which caused many of his colleagues to gag. It was hokey and awkwardly patriotic. But Case liked it. He knew, just as Jobs had when he named his company Apple, that it was important to be, as he later said, “simple, unintimidating, and even a bit sappy.” With no marketing dollars, Case needed a name that clearly described what the service did. And the name America Online accomplished that. AOL, as it became known, was like going online with training wheels. It was unintimidating and easy to use. Case applied the two lessons he had learned at Proctor & Gamble: make a product simple and launch it with free samples. America was carpet-bombed with software disks offering two months of free service. A voice-over actor named Elwood Edwards, who was the husband of an early employee of AOL, recorded perky greetings — “Welcome!” and “You’ve got mail!” that made the service seem friendly. So America went online. As Case understood, the secret sauce as not games or published content; it was a yearning for connection.“Our big bet, even back in 1985, was what we called community,” he recounted.“Now [people refer to it as social media.We thought the killer app of the Internet was going to be people. People interacting with people they already knew in new ways that were more convenient, but also people interacting with people they didn’t yet know but should know because they had some kind of shared interest.” Among AOL’s primary

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offerings were chat rooms, instant messaging, buddy lists and text messaging. As on The Source, there was news, sports, weather, and horoscopes. But social networking was the focus.“Everything else — commerce and entertainment and financial services — was secondary,” Case said. “We thought community trumped content.” Particularly popular were the chat rooms, where people with similar interests — computers, sex, soap operas — could gather.They could even go off into “private rooms” to talk by mutual consent or; at the other extreme, visit one of the “auditoriums” that might feature a session with a celebrity. AOL’s users were not called customers or subscribers; they were members. AOL thrived because it helped to create a social network. CompuServe and Prodigy, which began primarily as information and shopping services, did the same with tools such as CompuServe’s CB Simulator, which replicated in text the wacky pleasure of talking on a citizens-band radio. Kimsey the bar owner could never quite get why healthy people would spend their Saturday nights in chat rooms and on bulletin boards. “Admit it, don’t you think it’s all horseshit?” he would ask Case half jokingly. Case would shake his head. He knew that there was a pony in it. Excerpted from Walter Isaacson’s “The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution” (Simon & Schuster)

INNOVATORS | AOL

AOL FAMILY TREE THEN AND NOW

ON MAY 25, 1985, three men founded an online services company called Quantum Computer Services from the remnants of Control Video Corporation. Co-founder Jim Kimsey became involved after taking a fortuitous rafting trip with his fellow West Point grad Frank Caufield, co-founder of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, who encouraged Kimsey to get involved with a struggling company he was serving on the board of, which turned out to be Control Video Corporation. Today, we refer to it as America Online, or AOL. “When we started the company only three percent of people were online, and they were only online an hour a week... it took more than a decade before we got traction,” says co-founder Steve Case. Now, on the other side of the digital revolution hill, AOL owns and operates some of the largest and most influential brands on the internet, including AOL.com, The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Adap.tv and Advertising.com. Washington Life tracked down the original key players to discover their last known title with AOL (before the merger with Time Warner in January 2001) and what they are doing now, as many of the people who came from AOL have been reshaping so many aspects of our world, from business to philanthropy, sports, the arts and education. the founders

JIM KIMSEY - Founder/CEO

MARC SERIFF - CTO

STEVE CASE* - CEO

Chairman, The Kimsey Foundation

Retired

Chairman/CEO Revolution Growth

The late 80s

JEAN CASE VP, Corporate Communications CEO, The Case Foundation

LEN LEADER* CFO Chairman, The Israel Project

KATHERINE BORSECNIK* SVP President, Ebb Point Foundation

KEN HUNTSMAN* - AOL Fellow Board Member, Wesley Theological Seminary/ Community Foundation of Northern Virginia/United Methodist Family Services SV M

The 90s: left pre-merger

MIKE CONNORS PRESIDENT AOL TECHNOLOGIES Director, Zhone

KATHY RYAN SVP Retired

DAVID COLE GROUP PRESIDENT OF NEW ENTERPRISES GROUP Strategic Advisor, Solazyme Inc.

MARK WALSH SVP Chairman/CEO, GeniusRocket

* Continued on at AOL after the merger with Time Warner

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O R W I K I M E D I A CO M MO N S

JACK DAVIES - PRESIDENT AOL INTERNATIONAL Board Member, Teach for America, Economic Club of Washington, Mobile Posse, Maya Angelou Public Charter School, Scholastic, VPP

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The 90s: stayed post-merger

ROBERT PITTMAN* PRESIDENT/COO Chairman/CEO, iHeartMedia Inc.

NEIL SMIT* PRESIDENT CEO/President, Comcast Cable Communications, LLC

KATHY BUSHKIN CALVIN* EVP AOL FOUNDATION President/COO, U.N. Foundation

DAVID COLBURN* PRESIDENT Co-Founder, Shaman Group

MILES GILBURNE* SVP CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT Managing Director, ZG Ventures

TED LEONSIS* PRESIDENT/VICE CHAIRMAN Founder/CEO, Mounmental Sports & Entertainment

JIM BANKOFF* EVP Chairman/CEO, Vox Media

MYER BERLOW* PRESIDENT AOL INTERACTIVE Co-Founder, Nano Terra Inc.

I M AGE S FR O M I N T E R N AL P H OTOS , COURTE SY OF INDIVIDUALS O R W I K I M E D I A CO M M O N S

AUDREY WEIL* PRESIDENT OF COMPUSERVE Retired

JAY RAPPAPORT* COO AOL NETWORKS Co-Founder/Managing Member, Centurion Investments LLC

LISA BARRY* VP Advisory Board Member, Argol America

TATIANA GAU PLATT* JAN BRANDT* VICE CHAIRMAN/CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER SVP Vice chairman Emeritus, AOL Internet/new media consultant

TOM HARDART VP INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Founder, Witnify; CEO, Adirondack Pictures

KEN NOVACK* - VICE CHAIRMAN Member Emeritus, Mintz Levin; Board Member, BBN Technologies

DONN DAVIS* PRESIDENT/COO Co-Founder/President, Revolution Growth

JIMMY LYNN* VP RANDALL BOE* EVP/ GENERAL COUNSEL Co-Founder/VP, Kiswe mobile; Adjunct EVP/General Counsel, Monumental Faculty , Georgetown University Sports & Entertainment

RICHARD HANLON* SVP Board Member, The Washington Ballet

KEVIN CONROY* - EVP President of Digital and Enterprise Development, Univision

MARK STAVISH* EVP President/GM, Evergreen Partners

GEORGE VRADENBURG* SVP Co-Founder USAgainstAlzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

SHEILA CLARK* SVP Retired

MATT KORN* EVP Independent Consultant

BARRY SCHULER* CHAIRMAN/CEO CEO, Raydiance

MAYO STUNTZ JR * COO Co-Founder/Principal, Pilot Group LLC

GERALDINE MACDONALD* EVP Founder, GMacDonald Consulting

NOT PICTURED@ John Buckley* -EVP of Communications; Managing Director, Harbour Group; David Gang*- EVP of Products; Co-Founder, Perfect Sense; J. Michael Kelly*- CFO; Office of the Chairman/International, ePals Corp; Michael J. Kelly*- President, Media Networks; Chairman of the Board, Unruly Media; Chairman of the Board, Colspace Corporation; Jonathan Miller, CEO; Board of Directors, Clickable/Idearc Media/Mahalo/Kosmix/YP Holdings LLC/Hanley Wood LLC; Ray Oglethorpe*- President; Retired; Tricia Primrose*- EVP of Communications; Partner, Rational 360. WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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INNOVATORS | PHILANTHROPY

ADVENTURES IN PHILANTHROPIC GIVING Leaders of Venture Philanthropy Partners discuss the successes of the past eight years. BY KIKI BURGER

Venture Philanthropy Partner Jack Davies with co-founders Mario Morino, Mark Warner and Raul Fernandez (Photo by Ben Droz)

ight years ago, Washington Life featured on its cover Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), a thenfive-year old group of well-known, wealthy individuals who were quietly working behind the scenes to help the region’s atrisk youth. Their concept: take the skills they learned as venture capitalists, financiers and tech entrepreneurs building some of the country’s most prominent companies (such as AOL) and apply the same model to philanthropy. They would partner with local charities to help provide that “necessary backbone” or “secret sauce,” as one partner called it, to help top executives of local nonprofits become better leaders. For them, it was all about being disruptive innovators

to change the status quo with regard to how the philanthropic sector operates. So, how have they done? The numbers speak for themselves. To date,VPP has raised more than $90 million to help more than 45,000 low-income children in the National Capital Region through supporting local programs that focus on education, health care, afterschool programs, job training and more. The group works under the model of being “place-based,” believing that they should give back to the region where they had their good fortune. They help their neighbors but also take care to assess effectiveness as well. This not only lends credibility, it keeps their endeavors accountable — which is important because they know they’ll likely hear when

things aren’t going right. Washington Life interviewed three of the members of the organization’s current leadership: Carol Thompson Cole, president and CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners; Jack Davies, founder and former president of AOL International; and Mario Morino, founding chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners and chairman of the Morino Institute.They told us that this sort of giving isn’t new.What makes it really stand out is that they’ve got their boots on the ground. “The seeds were planted in 1993, 1994 [and] I met with 700 people face-to-face,” Morino explained when describing how the idea of VPP first started. “What I came away with was the conclusion that for the purpose

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of nonprofits, it was a dysfunctional funding system.” As it turned out, the model for doing it better was staring him and his co-founders Raul Fernandez and Mark Warner right in the eye. “It’s the blending of this investment approach in the private sector with the culture and mores of government and nonprofits, in a respectful way,” he added. Next,VPP decided to focus on providing education and support services to at-risk youth in the National Capital Region. All the partners at that time agreed that this was the place they had to start. “There was a real belief if you were really a disruptor and you’re going to break the cycle of poverty and crime, you had to start with education,” Davies said. “Disruptor” is an apt word in describing their work in the community. Take for example, its partnership with the Maya Angelou Public Charter School. “When we met [with the school’s founders] they were serving 85 kids and were really trying to make sure these young people who had been in either juvenile or family court really had a chance to get an education,” Cole said. “So, they started a pizza delivery service that grew into a charter school. ... We immediately needed to help them build the curriculum and support for a school.” People at first questioned their choice of schools, given the relatively small number of students who were enrolled when VPP first came along. But VPP kept to its principle of supporting talented leaders. “We saw two great leaders,” Morino said. “When you looked at what they were doing, it was a different model. It was anything but a school,” yet it was helping juveniles break the cycle and held promise for much more. Another area VPP is shaking up is in the world of technology, which shows great promise for helping grow employment in our community. One example of this is VPP’s work in growing the Year Up program in the National Capital Region. “Most of the jobs in the region are with the federal government,” Morino pointed out while noting that they were “preparing these

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Carol Thompson Cole, president and CEO (File photo)

young people with a technology entry-level skill but they couldn’t get into federal jobs because you had to have a four-year degree.” VPP lobbied to get this changed, convincing the General Services Administration that the students were prepared and ready to start long-term careers in IT specialties. Since then, seven federal agencies have changed this requirement. “Here’s where tech has come full circle,” Davies said. “You have a bunch of mostly tech investors who started VPP 14 years ago … and one of [our] investments is with Year Up, which teaches them a tech skill.” In the end, VPP was instrumental in helping them prove their value. These examples illustrate how VPP pairs with local leaders to attack real problems, which would have been hard to tackle without Year Up and other existing programs that just need a boost. “It is true, if you want to raise a child you need a village,” Morino said. “You realize that if you really want to have an impactful result that makes a difference on people’s lives, an individual organization is still able to do this. But you’re also seeing that if you want to have a really lasting change you’re going to have to bring people together.” Their desire to bring together the greater Washington, D.C. “village” — not just throw their weight around — was something they

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had to prove right from the beginning. “There was a misconception when we started that we were the new sheriffs in town and we were going to show philanthropy what’s to be done. And that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Davies explained. “We work very closely with traditional foundations and traditional philanthropists. We’re all trying to achieve the same results.” The hands-on collaboration that is a signature of VPP not only benefits the organizations it assists — it also helps VPP appeal to donors. By helping the nonprofit fill in gaps it has in organizational capacity or executive skills while encouraging its leaders to build on their passion and creativity, Cole, Davies and Morino make sure their beneficiaries have a great story to tell donors, connecting on an emotional level. “You’ve got to be realistic about philanthropy and there are certain elements to it,” says Morino. “In reality it is part emotion, part passion and part of it is effectiveness.” While those things get balanced differently depending on who is investing, none of the partners of VPP deny the importance of donors wanting to feel a connection to the charities they support. “That’s part of the ‘secret sauce’ of VPP,” explains Cole. “We do investment and management assistance…and we also appeal to the passion of our investors.”

INNOVATORS | COVER STORY

@SILICON BELTWAY The Nation’s Capital is shaping up to be a serious contender to that other valley of innovation. BY TIMOTHY J. BURGER | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL

ou’ve got [a check in the] mail! More and m o r e, that’s the transformational news that Washington-region venture capitalists are giving a booming cadre of area start-up entrepreneurs. From enterprise and personal hightech to healthy living, the top guns behind yesterday’s game-changing local startups — think AOL’s Steve Case and Ted Leonsis, among many President Barack Obama speaks to workers at 1776 this summer. others — are now the graybeards and (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) financiers for today’s young guns: the new generation of innovators. says Harry Weller, a general partner running Sure, Silicon Valley in Northern California northeastern U.S. investments at New still throws lots more money around, inks the Enterprise Associates (NEA), based in Chevy biggest deals and gets way more recognition. Chase. And NEA believes in Washington. Maybe that’s partly because local VCs and “Otherwise I wouldn’t be on so many boards entrepreneurs could likely never — and don’t here. We have increased our rate of investment care to — rival the headline-obsessed media here markedly in the last five years relative hogs in our area’s traditional main industry: to other regions,” says Weller, a former Navy politics. But hundreds of VCs and startups, and fighter pilot, DJ and computational physics the vibrant incubators that often help bring major at Duke University. them together, are quietly churning around Nationwide, venture capital investments us. Washington innovators are increasingly for the first half of 2014 rose to $13 billion joining better-known peers on the coasts in in 1,114 deals, the highest since the first fueling today’s innovation explosion. half of 2001, according to a PWC study. Call it Silicon Beltway. And Washington-area companies got $1.54 None other than the U.S. Chamber billion in investments last year, according to a of Commerce named Washington “one National Venture Capital Association study. of Amer ica’s leading laborator ies of Comparing the nation’s capital with other innovation.” startup havens is not the goal and beside the What they’re talking about is a vibrant point, says Donna Harris, one of the area’s world of innovation that the world’s largest startup leaders. “We’re really focusing on venture capital firm, based right here, sees in how to scale our own unique ecosystem,” greater Washington. she says. Harris knows a bit about this. She’s “There is no question in my mind that both a startup and big business veteran, and right here in Silicon Beltway, you can feel the co-founder with Evan Burfield, of one of rise of a next larger generation of innovative the stars of that evolving Washington startup and, most interestingly, important companies ecosystem: 1776, the seed fund centered that can vie for being No. 1 in their markets,” around two beehive-busy, industrial-looking

floors of an otherwise nondescript office building on 15th Street NW. That 1776 is across the street from the Washington Post, also known as Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos’ newest project, is a fitting symbol of the potential of entrepreneurship to upend — er, disrupt — the old ways. Don’t be surprised if the next Amazon, Google or Facebook sprouts up here. It’s happened before. Washington is where Jim Kimsey, Steve Case, Ted Leonsis and others built AOL into what would become a father of the Internet — perhaps the earliest example of the worldwide web’s equalizing power and limitless business potential. The Washington area has also seen two other major disruptive waves, including SiriusXM Satellite Radio and the work of Craig Venter and William Haseltine in mapping the human genome. And it’s here that many of them are now helping the new generation, dispensing inspiration, advice and, yes, investment. Local entrepreneurs are also bringing ideas to life on their own. Louisa Imperiale has attracted 25,000 active users to an app called Photox (www.GetPhotox.com) that quickly retouches photos for use on social media. She’s bootstrapped the app and says “we’re currently in negotiations for outside investment.” “Let’s not forget that San Francisco still remains the most fertile environment in the world. Yet I have to generate out of our region the same returns as my hotshot West Coast partners in San Francisco, or else I don’t get to stay here,” Weller says with a smile. Her point is that NEA depends on scouting out game-changing companies around here. What makes the Washington area so fertile, he says, is that it includes a strong

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indigenous customer base (starting with the Federal government); a tolerant culture in which there are ample entrepreneurs willing to risk failure; significant investment capital; experienced executive talent (Weller says Washington far outstrips New York in startup-experienced management talent); and a history of successful startups winning big (AOL, UUNet, SirusXM, Advertising.com and Ciena Networks out of Baltimore). A key part is the expertise that resides here, as well as the passion for attacking problems. “If you look at what Washington, D.C., does really well, connections are the currency of the city. It’s all about who you know” — and who and what they know,” Harris says. “Between think tanks, government agencies, within 30 miles of downtown, every subject matter expert you could want is readily at hand.” We live in an all-you-can-eat buffet for information — and data-hungry entrepreneurs. In an era when a company comprised of a dozen computer whizzes and zero revenue can be founded and sold for many billions of dollars in a matter of a year or two — harder than it sounds, of course — Harris sees Washington as possessing unique advantages over Silicon Valley, which also has unique baggage that doesn’t besot Washington’s image. “We’re not super interested in sort of being a corollary to Silicon Valley because we’re taking a different approach. Silicon Valley has its own negatives,” Harris says. “You shouldn’t have to be a 20-something white male to participate, and this is not Instagram and Angry Birds. This is pretty substantive stuff in most cases.” Perhaps it’s because the Washington metro area is more diverse than pockets of Northern California or perhaps it’s the political tinge to so much that goes on here. But others agree with Harris that it seems more open to women entrepreneurs here. “I think D.C.’s more cognizant of the fact that we need to create more opportunities for women,” says Marissa Mitrovich, a founding board member of the Global Women’s Innovation Network. The group, whose honorary co-chairmen are Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), was created to

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Donna Harris and Evan Burfield of 1776

INNOVATORS | COVER STORY

Evan Morgan

boost womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roles in the tech startup and policy world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do believe Silicon Valley is aware of the issue and there are a lot of large tech and venture capital companies that are trying to do the right thing and bring more women in. But I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the nature of being in D.C. that that conversation is maybe a little more at the front and center.â&#x20AC;? Against this backdrop, a core group of VCs, incubators and other innovators are putting Washington on the map for more than just politics, gridlock and red tape. They span various categories and some defy categorization. All helping Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovation boom. Here are a few:

Partner, Revolution Growth

Photo by Cecilie Olaussen

t just 29 years of age, Washington, D.C. native Evan Morgan has already shot up the ladder of the finance world, rising to the top of investment powerhouse Revolution Growth, whose founders include Steve Case and Ted Leonsis. Previously with the Carlyle Group, he also serves as a founding member of Charter Border Partners, a nonprofit organization focused on board development for District charter schools. The St. Albans graduate is also the son of journalist and CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger and can often be seen riding his Sweetgreen bicycle to work every day from his home in Logan Circle. YOU IDENTIFY COMPANIES RIPE FOR DISRUPTION WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU CONSIDER INVESTING? At Revolution we commit to investing 90 percent of our capital outside of Silicon Valley and Boston in places often overlooked by traditional venture capitalists. I have met with hundreds of companies in many of these places and four key things resonate. First, that sometimes â&#x20AC;&#x153;disruptionâ&#x20AC;? can be a different spin on an old trait. Second, you must identify the characteristics of great leadership in an organization (and there is no one better to learn from than Ted Leonsis). Third, an entrepreneur or a CEO with a great idea or vision, but the inherent talent to hire around that vision, is what makes a big win. Oftentimes the team-building can be harder than the idea itself. Lastly, I have found that all of the great disruptive companies are led by people who can acquire and motivate talent to attack incumbents. YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE WORKED FOR SOME ICONIC FIGURES IN THE TECH AND FINANCE WORLD â&#x20AC;&#x201D; DAVID RUBENSTEIN TED LEONSIS STEVE CASE WHAT DID THEY TEACH YOU? Be relentless and power through. David, Steve and Ted are all very different people, but at the end of the day they work incredibly hard and can understand the big picture

quickly. I would also add Ed Mathias to that mix. He taught me the importance of deep and broad networks and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;power of getting a phone call returned.â&#x20AC;? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE BEEN INVOLVED IN? I have been very involved with Sweetgreen. I brought that investment to Steve and Ted and they liked it a lot. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put $21 million into it and have been putting the moving parts together ever since. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great is that I get to do it with three of my best friends. â&#x20AC;Ś We went to school with this one, Optoro, and came back with a software solution for the logistics space, [for] all the stuff people return to Radio Shack and other places that can be re-sold. [Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] a really interesting efficiency business. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put $20 million into that. â&#x20AC;Ś Revolution Foods is an exciting one founded by two moms out of Oakland. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now a leading provider of lunches to school cafeterias. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riding a similar wave of â&#x20AC;&#x153;better for youâ&#x20AC;? foods. We now serve close to one million meals a week, mostly in charter schools. Forget chicken fingers and fries; this company is making food with all-natural organic ingredients. WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN THE WASHINGTON METRO AREAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BURGEONING TECH SCENE THAT EXCITE YOU? Over the last decade I have witnessed several impressive companies that have been built here locally. I recognize now that as some of those companies exit, people are moving onto their second acts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is opportune timing for Revolution. I think the city is doing an exceptional job of attracting smart high-energy folks and companies and that momentum will be a self-fulfilling prophecy for some time to come. We have had the pleasure of investing in several â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sweetgreen, Echo360, Homesnap and Optoro â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that are impacting millions of consumers across the globe throughout multiple sectors.

The seed fund and international startup coach, 1776 was founded less than two years ago by Donna Harris and Evan Burfield, who also co-founded K Street Capital. The fund is in its second year running the Challenge Cup, an international startup competition that has put Washington on the world map for startups. Burfield underscores the goal to nurture ideas that enhance some public good. Harris says sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yearning to see revolutionary advances in the education field and several of the rising startups they cite among those at 1776 are in that field, such as EdBacker, a teacher crowd-funding platform, and Always Prepped, which analyzes student performance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;1776 maybe couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come out of any city but it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. It came out of D.C. and it came out of D.C. for a reason: So many people came here in the first place because they wanted to make the world a better place,â&#x20AC;? Burfield says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing is helping redirect that brain power so that the idealistic young folks who are interested in politics are not just interning on Capitol Hill, not just writing for Politico, but building a company and bringing it to scale.â&#x20AC;? Washington, he notes, is full of â&#x20AC;&#x153;people you bump into on the street who think about these problems, who know about these problems and are passionate about doing something about them.â&#x20AC;? While there is no requirement that a

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1776 Transitscreen (Matt Caywood) TransitScreen is privately held transportation software and digital signage company providing real-time transit information displays of all transportation options at a specific location (including subway, bus, train, bikeshare and carshare).

agricultural, manufacturing, and clean-energy ventures. Ethical Electric (Richard Graves) Ethical Electric is powering as many American homes and businesses as possible with 100 percent clean energy from renewable sources like wind and solar, using profits to fund causes that benefit our planet.

ExecOnline (Julia Alexander) ExecOnline provides executives at the world’s great companies with access to outstanding professional development. The team of business, education, and technology veterans and innovators partners with elite business schools to deliver executive development programs empowerring executives to implement critical business knowledge and skills.

1EQ (Juan Pablo Segura) 1EQ’s flagship product, Babyscripts, is the first mobile prescription for a better pregnancy, leveraging smartphone-era technology to improve pregnancy outcomes, patient satisfaction, and provider ROI.

Dorsata (David Fairbrothers) Dorsata is aiming to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of delivering care by providing a centralized platform for clinical pathway development and ultimately EHR implementation

Piper (Morgan Giddings) Piper is a cloud-based provider of receipting and personalized offer solutions for both retailers and consumers. It’s Piper Receipting Platform (PRP) automatically captures detailed transaction receipt data anywhere credit or debit cards are used, without requiring email addresses to be entered at the time of purchase.

Good World (Charles McGuire-Wien) GoodWorld empowers non-profits to raise money on social media, making giving as simple as writing a comment or tweet. Agricity (Jeremy Brosowsky) This Washington, D.C.-based company is committed to building healthier, more sustainable, more productive cities through innovative

EdBacker (Gary Hensley) Edbacker is an online funding platform for educators. By combining the principles and technology of crowdfunding with a traditional event sponsorship model, Edbacker allows educators to raise all the money they need for important education related projects, programs and events.

Back Row from left: Matt Caywood, Julia Alexander, David Fairbrothers, Charles McGuire-Wien, Jeremy Brosowsky. Front row from left: Richard Graves, Juan Pablo Segura, Morgan Giddings and Gary Hensley.

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INNOVATORS | COVER STORY

HALCYON INCUBATOR, A PROGRAM OF S & R FOUNDATION PureJoy, purejoyfood.com (Ari Raz and Kevin Friend) Raz and Friend believe that high-quality nutritious food should be a right, not a privilege, for all children and are working not only to produce premium fresh-made baby food and snacks but also deliver them to families no matter their economic situation. Be Girl, begirl.org (Diana Sierra) Sierra’s project provides young women in developing nations with high performance, aspirational and affordable sanitary napkins for girls to manage their menstruation safely and with dignity so they stay in school and complete their educations, something many girls are unable to do when they enter puberty. Control A+, controlaplus.com (Matt Fischer) Fischer is developing an early warning system for children who have asthma through data from physiological and environmental monitors. One in 10 children are afflicted with the respiratory disease with over $56 billion spent on treatment in the United States. Ideal Impact, idealimpact.org (Olivier Kamanda) Princeton and University of Pennsylvania Law School alumnus Kamanda’s project answers the plaguing question “what can I do to help?” Consumers affected by news stories they read are connected to service organizations that need assistance. Datasembly, datasembly.com (Dan Gallagher and Ben Reich) Gallagher and Reich are turning vast amounts of disaggregated open government data into useful information that can lead to groundbreaking change affecting people’s lives. NewsEase, newsease.co (Heather Sewell) Activist wunderkind Sewell is creating a portal for educators to teach children creative writing by tapping into fan culture. Popular books like the Harry Potter series and even video games are used as a launching pad for children to create newspapers based on their favorite stories. Clockwise from bottom left: Dan Gallagher, Ben Reich, Sarah Greenburg, Diana Sierra, Heather Sewell ,Ari Raz, Matt Fischer, Olivier Kamanda and Kevin Friend

company starting at 1776 be a software or app maker, Burfield says they seek to help companies scale quickly and “pretty hard to build a highly scalable business today without software being part of it.” About 240 companies are getting their start there and Burfield notes they help entrepreneurs “build companies that are going to engage in world domination and become really big businesses, or fail. “We help them figure out really fast if their business has potential or if they need to pivot to another idea,” he says. Kenny Day, a veteran of Washington publishing spanning from the end of the print era to today’s digital scene, snagged a founding member slot at 1776 when he signed on to build out Brightroll’s Washington book. “This is the best environment in which I’ve worked. Everyone’s creating, grinding, lost in their own thoughts, ensconced in their armchair raising millions in funding or writing code in a malt shop booth,” Day says. “You get to work surrounded by all these amazing, competitive, hungry innovators, young and old.” He says it’s a bonus that “none of them are your colleagues and people pay no more or less attention to the kid in the hoodie passed out on a couch at noon than they do the huddle of suits around an old picnic table at 10 p.m.” The beehive shares a large, modular, industrial space with a basic cafeteria and a constant supply of coffee, tea and communal PB&J ingredients, plus Nutella. People from an array of companies “bounce ideas off each other, help each other execute on amazing concepts. We also share leftovers and war stories in the kitchen,” Day says. “In one day you’ll run an informal focus group of millennials around your desk, pop over to hear a Cabinet secretary speak and attend a lunch about UX best practices ... all before noon. This is how Congress should work. This is how the U.N. should work.” REVOLUTION AOL alums Case and Leonsis, two of the most visible VCs in town, founded Revolution (along with AOL colleagues Donn Davis

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and Tige Savage) with their twist on a goal characteristic of many VC firms — thinking big. Really big. “Revolution invests in people and ideas that can change the world,” proclaims its website. “We aim to transform markets by shifting power to consumers, and in the process create massive value in our companies.” No big deal. Maybe with a startup like AOL behind you, changing the world while achieving massive value really is no big deal. And maybe it says something that the Revolution website names its 20 employees and posts their photos alphabetically, founders Case and Leonsis included. Overtly or not, the message is: It’s a team, and no one knows who’ll come up with the next Big Idea. It’s time to pass the torch. Indeed, Case and Leonsis are so good at spotting talent that President Obama just raided theirs. In October, Obama stole Ron Klain, general counsel of Revolution and president of Case Holdings, appointing him the White House Ebola czar. And that’s exactly what Revolution and their VC colleagues across Washington are doing. Revolution has given growth funding to some of the area’s most visible startups, among them Sweetgreen, the District’s favorite salad shop (and SweetLife music and food festival producers), who are bringing farm-to-table to the mass market (yes, the Sweetgreen founders are friends of the author). They’ve also funded Flexcar, which became Zipcar, an early harbinger of the “sharing economy,” enabling thousands of Washington area residents to have the convenience of a car on the few occasions when they need it without the expense and strain on common resources like roads and parking that come with owning a car. NEA Founded in 1977 by Richard Kramlich, Chuck Newhall and Frank Bonsal, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is perhaps the granddaddy of Washington venture capital and one of the country’s leading firms. Bicoastal from inception, it started with a $16 million fund and now has 14 funds totaling some

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FORTIFY Feastie, feastie.com (Valerie Coffman) Coffman’s Feastie is a recipe search engine that delivers the best recipes fitting a cook’s search criteria. It also imports ingredient lists and sorts items by grocery store aisle to make shopping easier. Aquicore, aquicore.com (Logan Soya) Soya has developed a real-time energy management software solution that allows clients like commercial real estate and industrial facilities to analyze energy data on one centralized platform, helping companies to control energy costs. Synapsify, gosynapsify.com (Stephen Candelmo and Lawrence Au) Candelmo and Au’s Bethesda-based company builds applications that can read and learn from written content similar to humans for accelerated discovery, insight and recommendations. Starshooter Entertainment, starshooter.co (Jeff Sickles) Sickles’ describes his company as a next-generation entertainment company that combines animation, story telling, interactivity and unique consumer experiences to build relationships between audiences and StarShooter characters. TalkLocal, talklocal.com (Gurpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh and Amandeep Bakshi) This local trio have developed a system that matches consumers with various service providers like plumbers, contractors, handymen and more. Consumers submit their job requests and wait for the best offers to contact them. Onevest, onevest.com (Shahab Kaviani) Shahab was co-founder of CoFoundersLab, which recently merged to form Onevest, a startup investment platform which connects talent and capital to deserving startups. Back row from left: Logan Soya, Gurpreet Singh, Shahab Kaviani, Jonathon Perelli, Valerie Coffman, Stephen Candelmo, Amandeep Bakshi, Lawrence Au. Front row, seated: Manpreet Singh and Jeff Sickles.

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INNOVATORS | COVER STORY

GREATEST HITS TOP COMPANIES LAUNCHED FROM WASHINGTON INCUBATORS AND VCS NEW ATLANTIC VENTURES

Invincea, invincea.com Based in Fairfax, Virginia, this cybersecurity company provides malware threat detection, end-user threat protection and pre-breach forensic analysis and came out of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Moda Operandi, modaoperandi.com Based in NYC, Moda Operandi lets you pre-order designer collections straight off the runway and shop at its curated in-season boutique. Co-founded by Vogue contributing editor Lauren Santo Domingo with premiere designers like Oscar de la Renta as affiliates and Conde Nast and LVMH as investors.

GlobalLogic, globallogic.com Based in McLean, VA, GlobalLogic has design and engineering centers all over the world. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re behind some of the magic of LinkedIn, Google, Medtronic, Oracle and hundreds of other brands. Last year around this time, it was acquired, generating a 15X return.

DivXNetworks DivX essentially brought movies to the Web. It was created to make it more efficient to store and distribute video through the Internet.

Mobile365 Chantilly, Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mobile365 helped bring text messaging solving compatibility issues between carriers that prevented text messages from going through in the early 2000s. Bay Area Sybase acquired it for $425M in 2006.

through mathematically driven data analyses to target precise consumer segments. Earned $200M. FORTIFY VENTURES

Talk Local, talklocal.com Formerly named SevaCall, Talk Local connects businesses directly to consumers through a survey asking for the required service, desired appointment time and location. Talk Local then broadcasts the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service request for free. Fortify was one of the first investors and a $2.6M round recently closed led by Disruption Corp.

Social Tables, socialtables.com Social Tables is a web-based event planning and community building platform with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first social seating chart, allowing guests to interact before and after an event. Bessemer Ventures recently led an $8M round.

SnobSwap, snobswap.com Snobawap is an online exchange where fashionistas can sell, swap and shop designer clothing and accessories. They recently closed $500K+ round.

The Trip Tribe, triptribe.com The Trip Tribe is a newtwork for bucket list adventurers to find world-class experiences with folks who travel the same way. They recently closed a $500K+ round

IntroHive, introhive.com IntroHive allows organizations to analyze enterprise data to create a firehose of personal introductions to the right prospects. Fortify was one of the first investors and Salesforce.com invested in IntroHive last year

NEA

Appian, appian.com

Reston, Virginia-based Appianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s platform allows enterprises and governments to build custom software to automate processes via the cloud. Rated number one in the business process management space by Gartner and Ovum, the company earned $100M this year.

Water Lens, waterlensusa.com As fracking remains a controversial source of energy production, Water Lens set out to develop technology that can immediately analyze the chemical and molecular components of water at a well site, allowing people to quickly and safely determine whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in their drinking water.

Sourcefire, sourcefire.com

OPower, opower.com

(cyber intrusion detection software) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sold for $2.5B (to Cisco), top 10 deal of last 20 years around here.

CVENT, cvent.com Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest software-as-a-service provider of online event management, venue selection and web survey solutions launched by Reggie Agarwal. Went public 18 months ago and is worth $1B.

Opower, opower.com Energy efficiency software-as-a-service company offering an analytics platform that enables utilities to communicate with residential customers about energy usage and how to cut consumption. Went public and is currently worth $1B.

Videology, videologygroup.com Screen-agnostic video advertising technology platform founded by the same group who also founded Advertising.com, which was bought by AOL. The platform works to connect brands with consumers

This sophisticated software engine collects data from utilities companies, then analyzes that data and provides recommendations to utility customers that reduce energy consumption, reducing our carbon footprint and saving money.

HandUp, handup.us As government and social services are increasingly subject to budget cuts, HandUp leverages the power of the Internet to match specific online donors to homeless in need and ensure that usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; direct donations go to their intended purpose, such as rent assistance and medical care.

RideScout, ridescoutapp.com This mobile app pulls together a host of transportation sources and allows users to quickly plan trips. Daimler recently acquired RideScout after 1776 fueled its early growth into a startup capable of innovating rideshare technology within Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly regulated transportation sector.

ID.me After years of bureaucratic mismanagement, the Veterans Affairs administration began using ID.me, a digital authentication program and 1776-fueled startup, to help identify and track veterans who are eligible for benefits.

CRYSTAL TECH FUND DISRUPTION CORPORATION

Aquicore, aquicore.com Aquicore puts sensors in buildings to monitor energy consumption, allowing building managers to analyze all energy data real-time in one centralized platform. Most importantly, it helps to identify opportunities to reduce consumption and save money.

nvite, nvite.com Nvite is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first attendee-focused event ticketing and registration platform, using social data to expand and structure guest lists and reordering them for each attendee based on his or her connections.

Contactually, contactually.com This web-based CRM tool that helps maximize network ROI, get more referrals, gain more repeat business and build stronger relationships with the people who matter most to a profession or career.

Bloompop, bloompop.com Bloompop is an nline marketplace for the unique floral design collections of individual florists, presenting floral designs that are rustic, modern, and everything in-between.

Power Supply, dc.mypowersupply.com Power Supply is a subscription service for great tasting food, made from the good stuff, by admired local chefs and artisans, with lots of variety and choice, in a super simple experience.

REVOLUTION

Zipcar, zipcar.com Zipcar quickly became the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading car-sharing service with more than 730,000 members. The company was acquired by Avis in 2013.

Sweetgreen, sweetgreen.com This fast-growing organic, farm-to-table salad shop was founded in Washington, D.C. by three Georgetown graduates in 2007, and has expanded to nearly 30 stores nationwide.

CustomInk, customink.com CustomInk is a web-based custom shirts company for groups and occasions delivering more than 20 million t-shirts per year.

Optoro Inc, optoro.com This Washington, D.C. based technology company enables Fortune 500 companies, retailers and manufacturers to increase revenue from returned and excess inventory.

Homesnap, homesnap.com Homesnap is an app instantly providing consumers with detailed information about a home simply by snapping a photo.

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play on page 48!!

VENTUREHOUSE StockUp, stockup.co (Vinay Bhargava) Bhargava’s app (available for both iPhone and Android) helps consumers save on grocery items by listing prices from nearby stores. Consumers can comparison shop from the convenience of their home or office, or scan products in stores. The company is also working on a new smart grocery list, which automatically crunches numbers to help shoppers save. SocialRadar, socialradar.com (Michael Chasin and Kevin Alansky) Chasen (former co-founder and CEO of Blackboard) and partner Alansky’s social media app provides users with real-time information about people around them, whether they are in a restaurant, a conference or a concert. The app tells you who is nearby, how they are connected to you and what they’ve been up to while also allowing you to set privacy levels. Kastle Systems, itsanewkastle.kastle.com (Piyush Sodha) Sodha’s company

provides a complete integrated security system for properties, including installation, monitoring, intrusion detection and video surveillance. The offsite, around-the-clock service reduces security gaps and reduces costs. NGP Technology Partners, ngpetp.com (Phil Deutch) Founded in 2005, Deuth’s NGP Technology Partners is a private equity firm that invests in companies that provide products and services to the oil and gas, power, environmental energy efficiency and alternative energy sectors. It manages about $500 million in committed capital and have invested in companies including GroSolar, Lehigh Technologies and others. Venga, getvenga.com (Winston Lord) With investors like ThinkFoodGroup, Gus DeMillo and Jonathan Segal among others, Venga helps restaurants gather point-of-sale data and guest information to enhance the dining experience and create more effective, targeted marketing.

Clockwise from bottom left: Mark Ein, Piyush Sodha, Vinay Bhargava, Phil Deutch, Kevin Alansky and Winston Lord.

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INNOVATORS | COVER STORY

$13 billion in “committed capital.” They’ve invested in everything from clean energy to tech to lingerie and even a DJ booking and training company. Among the area startups they’ve backed: Everfi, an education technology company that helps schools with off-curricular issues like bullying and financial understanding for kids; Sonatype, which is headed by serial entrepreneur Wayne Jackson and helps developers reduce risk in the use of open-source software building blocks; and Science Logic, a cloud systems management company; among others. GROTECH Since Frank Adams founded it in 1984, GroTech has put more than $1 billion into 100-plus ventures, typically investing in tranches of $500,000 to $5 million. Local investments include SocialRadar, a cross between Tinder and Facebook, or as SocialRadar chief marketing officer Kevin Alansky puts it, “Waze for people.” VENTUREHOUSE Mark Ein is a homegrown Washington, D.C., success story. Even at the relatively young age of 49, he’s no newcomer to the business startup and turnaround space. He spent seven years at the Carlyle Group, starting there when Washington’s other homegrown financial powerhouse was just five years old. Before that, he honed his skills at Goldman Sachs. He’s proud to suggest he was the first to set up an urban business incubator. In 1999, long before Washington’s Penn Quarter became the hot spot it is today, Ein set up Venturehouse in a loft-like space on 7th Street NW, a couple of blocks down from the Verizon Center, which had only opened two years earlier. Numerous startups have begun there, whether they received investment and leadership from Ein or simply took space under his umbrella. “Most of the venture capital and technology community was located in Northern Virginia, but I always thought the creative class and younger entrepreneurs would prefer an urban environment,” he says. “I also believed it was important to support and encourage the growth of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem

in the District. Fifteen years later, the world has come our way and this is now where all of the interesting activity is occurring.” And Venturehouse has seen a lot of action. “I’ve been an early investor or a founder of six companies that ended up being worth over $1 billion, either upon exit or they hit a billion dollar valuation.We’ve been involved in some extraordinary things,” Ein says, chatting in his high-windowed conference room over an Evian and a Diet Coke. He may be best known for buying Kastle Systems, a local office building security company that he turned into a national company offering an expanded suite of

‘There is no question in my mind that right here in Silicon Beltway, you can feel the rise of a next larger generation of innovative and, most interestingly, important companies that can vie for being No. 1 in their markets.’ — Harry Weller, NEA services. Its success inspired the name of Ein’s five-time champion World Team Tennis team, the Washington Kastles. But there are many others. Ein’s biggest successes also include Sirius XM satellite radio company; Matrics, an early RFID company; Aether Systems, one of the first to add data to the voice traffic that cellular networks were transmitting; and Cibernet, a back-end clearing house for cell phone network companies to pay each other for roaming charges. Ein bought Cibernet for $35 million and sold it four years later for $210 million. So, how does Ein spot opportunities? “You need to be able to put seemingly disparate

bits of information or trends together to see things that will happen several years out that aren’t obvious if you haven’t put those pieces together,” he says. “And then you have to take that idea and pair it with the right people and they have to execute really, really well to make the dream become a reality.” There are surely infinite people who would like to pitch Ein, but he stays focused. “I don’t do a ton of things, I don’t make a ton of bets. I try to pick the ones I think are the best opportunities and put more time and capital into a fewer number of things … And once we’re in I really try to make sure they work at some level, I hate failing … What we’ve done a lot in recent years is buy existing businesses and change them to attack bigger opportunities.” In addition to great ideas and execution, Ein says timing is crucial. In 2006, he started a mobile payments business within Cibernet. It didn’t take off. “That was an example of a really good idea and good strategy with bad execution and timing,” he says. Today, of course, mobile payments is coming of age and between Square, Google Wallet and now Apple’s smartphone payment system, a huge business. A similar example is Aether Systems, one of the first to add data to cellular networks. “It was a very successful company for awhile,” Ein says. “and then it didn’t adapt to the times.” “I’m not a gadget guy. I’m more a ‘where’s the world going?’ guy — what’s going to happen in the future as opposed to today. It’s often not that hard because oftentimes what happens in the future is not about inventing things, it’s about putting things together that already exist to solve a big problem.” Ein’s record is such that a certain folklore surrounds him. One Washington denizen active in the startup and VC space said they heard that a friend of Ein was once at a loss on what to do with a certain flailing dog of a company, offering it to Ein for nothing. He bought it for $1, the story goes, and turned it around into a $100 million sale in short order. Asked about this, Ein is modest: “I think that is a bit of hyperbole and urban mythology, but I’ll take it.”

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INNOVATORS | SHARED WORKSPACES

ALL TOGETHER NOW Gone are the days of toiling on the Next Big Thing in the solitude of your parents’ garage. Slick, hip shared workspaces offer all the features of a traditional office plus collaboration, educational events and cost-savers designed to boost entrepreneurial potential. The free beer isn’t bad either.

WEWORK WONDERBREAD Founded: 2010 by Adam Neumann and Miguel Mckelvey in New York City Locations: 3 in the District with a new Dupont Circle spot opening Nov. 2014. 25 locations in 11 cities worldwide. Membership: 550+, every industry imaginable Vibe: A “village” of entrepreneurs who view work as lifestyle Décor: Stylish industrial Benefits: Discounts at Zipcar, Moo business cards, UPS, Amazon and others Perks: Free beer and coffee, rooftop terraces Cost: $325 for drop-in desk to offices for 21 people, ranging from $500/desk to $675/desk

AFFINITY LAB Founded: 2001 by Philippe Chetrit, Berit Oskey and Charles Plank in Washington, D.C., making it the oldest in the world, according to founders Locations: 6,000 square feet on U Street NW Membership: 60, ranging from service-oriented freelancers to growing startups Vibe: Collaborative community Décor: Millennial modern Benefits: The lack of walls encourages members to work with tablemates, which can lead to better ideas and greater opportunities Perks: Locally sourced coffee, fulltime support staff, 24/7 access Cost: $325/month to $895/month

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INNOVATORS | SHARED WORKSPACES

CANVAS.CO Founded: By designers Martin Ringlein and Alex Giren in the District Locations: 1 6,000-square-foot space in Dupont Circle Membership: 50-60 creative professionals and tech startups Vibe: Communal creatives — no separate offices here. Members share large tables. Décor: Industrial loft art studio Benefits: Membership includes being able to organize events; an open floor plan allows for networking Perks: Double Stuff Oreos, themed lunches and monthly happy hours Cost: $30 for a day pass on the low end to $600/month for a dedicated desk and 10 hours of conference room time.

COVE Founded: 2013 by Adam Segal in Washington, D.C. while getting his master’s in business Locations: four throughout the District, the latest in Old Town Membership: Roughly 60 Vibe: Casual community Benefits: Come-andgo setup has members paying for only the time they spend in the office; paid via app Perks: Each location offers discounts or freebies from neighborhood spots: baked goods from Bakehouse, coffee from Peregrine Espresso plus team yoga classes. Cost: $24/month for eight hours to $124/ month for 50 hours

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WASHINGTON S O C I A L D I A R Y around town﹐ Night Nouveau﹐ nora pouillon roast﹐ Over the Moon and more!

Zizi, Kate Damon and Dana Rooney at the 2014 Night Nouveau (Photo by Tony Powell)

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around town

Fall Fêtes

Mary’s Center’s Latin-themed gala, Food and Friends’ theater party and a clubby dinner hosted by Syrian patriots By DONNA SHOR

FOUR SEASONS FIESTA: Mary’s Center 26th annual gala, “A Stroll Through Latin America,” brought Latino food, drinks and music to the posh Four Seasons ballroom far different from when this column covered an earlier Center benefit, a fun but a rather simple event in an inauspicious place. Four hundred supporters paying $300 apiece applauded the Adams-Morgan care group’s activities, comprising health and nutrition, maternity services, home visiting, an 11-school mental health therapy outreach (essential with today’s teenage shootings) and special needs children’s programs. What changed? Awareness of life-altering results that the struggling Mary’s Center achieved with limited funds brought new grants and corporate donors but also new patients, exponentially increasing the need for more fund-raising. Last year the Center served 35,211 individuals. Laudably, all 26 members of the Center’s After School Teen Program were accepted into college this year, including gala keynote speaker Mamush Mesfin, 17, who spoke movingly of his experiences. He will attend Pennsylvania State University in 2015. NBC meteorologist Doug Kammerer emceed, introducing the empathetic and caring founder-president Maria Gomez along with board chairman Andrea Lindermann Gilliam and the gala co-chairmen, Navigant’s Casey Nolan and Dewey Square Group’s Maria Cardona. Honorees were Providence Hospital’s Amy Freeman; Pepco’s Debbi Jarvis and Maria Tildon of Care First Blue Cross Blue Shield. Didier Prossaird‘s fearless Sin Miedo band kept guests on the dance f loor; two f leetfooted women from the ZeZe Brasil Samba Troupe also entertained.

Al-Khayyat was punished by having his Syrian assets seized when he supported the anti-Assad movement. (Not to worry, with 17 construction and development companies employing 16,000 specialists and 500 engineers. he is doing just fine.) These Syrian patriots are fully committed to championing their people’s cause by keeping awareness of their plight on the world stage. After the dinner, Washingtonian guests exchanged cards and travel plans to attend Jandali’s concert in the new year.

SOUNDS FOR SYRIA: The trick answer to

PARTY AT WOOLLY MAMMOTH: Food and Friend’s benefit sponsors Sylvia Greenberg and her son Kenneth Greenberg presented “Marie Antoinette,” David Adjmi’s jazzy

the question “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” (“Practice, practice, practice”) includes, in the case of Malek Jandali, gaining international acclaim for his unique orchestral works. At Jandali’s upcoming Jan. 31 Carnegie Hall debut, the pianist-composer will also release his “Syrian Symphony” album ( including “Phoenix in Exile”) recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which has performed his works as has the Russian Symphony Orchestra and the Stockholm Solister. His debut was celebrated at Washington’s clubby Capital Grille at a dinner attended by a diverse group of government officials, diplomats, businessmen and Washingtonbased Syrian personalities led by his friend, global tycoon Moutaz Al-Khayyat, who headed a delegation of Syrian businessmen currently planning ways to rebuild their country and return refugees back to the motherland once stability is achieved.

play updating the doomed French queen as a ditsy teenager with coke-sniffing royal pals, who realizes too late what that commotion in the streets was all about. Woolly Mammoth Theatre is famed for its striking, off-beat productions, adding to the 200 plays per year that has made the nation’s capital a theater town that is now considered to be be second only to New York. Sylvia Greenberg has contributed greatly (American University’s Greenberg Theatre is one example) as has another benefactor, the redoubtable Victor Shargai, who received the 2014 Helen Hayes Tribute award for his years of support and hard work. Also spotted: Betty Glassman, Kathy Coville, and Caleen Jennings, heada of Greenberg Theatre’s drama department. Food and Friends cares for those facing HIV/AID, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by delivering specialized meals and groceries six days per week.

Maria Gomez poses with emcee Doug Kammerer at the Mary’s Center party. (Photo by Matt Sprague)

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| no v e m b e r

2014

| washingtonlife.com

Angela Welle, Sandro Kereselidze and Nicole Kidston

Sachiko Kuno, Suzuko Knapper and Sumiko Mori WL SPONSORED

Kate Goodall and Omar Popal

NIGHT NOUVEAU Halcyon House | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL

Kevin Friend, Elsa Medhin and Kuti Mack

OUT OF THIS WORLD: Rapidly making a name for itself as the “must-a>end” event for young professionals, the second annual Night Nouveau returned for a surreal smash of an evening. Historic Halcyon House played host to 200 guests dressed in individual interpretations of surrealist wear, which included everything from flash ta>oos to full-on masks, face paint and leafy-clad performers on stilts. Each room was designed to fit a different surreal landscape; the foyer was filled with melting clocks, the rear driveway was made to look like a fishbowl with bubbles above and fish projected on the wall and the outside-brought-in studio/dance floor was complete with trees, grass, clouds, sun, moon and stars. The evening’s highlight was undeniably the maze, where guests could explore, get lost or be followed by the performers who roamed inside before finding their way back to the party.

Josephine Gilmore and Alice Haase

Liz Christmas VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Dana and Tim Rooney with Clara Chopivsky

George Chopivsky and Mary Katherine Stinson Maximilian Merrill Kate Damon and Tom White

Shuhei Yamaguchi and Andrew Schecker The maze

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Paul McDonald Julia Cohen and Erin Brockovich

Justin and Jocelyn Babuscio

Ann Luskey, Sarah Ingersoll and Asher Jay WL SPONSORED

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP DINNER Longview Gallery | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL JOURNEY THROUGH FOOD: The décor and atmosphere at this dinner is always top notch, and this year’s gathering did not disappoint, as guests were treated to a tasting extravaganza of food and drink pairings inspired by celebrity chefs. Eco-warrior Erin Brockovich, CNN Hero Robin Emmons and nutrition expert Ashley Koﬀ participated in a panel moderated by the EWG’s Heather White before a special musical performance from Paul McDonald.

Callie Bonine and David Stoup

Valerie Craig, Ashley Koff and James Henry

Robin Emmons and Conrad Cafritz

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Andre Wells, Julieanna Richardson and Zhu Sun

Leslie Norman, Kim Cattrall and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

‘THE BOOMER LIST’ OPENING

Tina Neville, Erin Brockovich and Alia Khayrullina

Newseum | PHOTOS BY ALFREDO FLORES GENERATION BOOM: Guests of various ages descended on the Newseum to preview Grammy-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ latest work — “powerful snapshots” depicting 19 influentials from the 1946-64 “baby boomer” generation (now numbering 76 million nationwide) who’ve made notable contributions to the environment, public health and welfare. Organized in conjunction with AARP, the exhibit comes about just as the last boomer reaches the half-century mark at year’s end. “When you turn 50 you wonder if you are still going to do things you’ve dreamed of,” actress Kim Ca rall (born in 1956) noted. “We’re all going to rock 50 and beyond,” environmentalist Erin Brockovich added.

Olga Mongelos, Sol Olivia Magaña and Mark Magaña

Shelby Coffey III and Annette Heuser

Zeke Maxwell, Lauren Fabia and Michael Kobold

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Nadia Damato, Ken Cook and Rahel Damato

Nora Pouillon and Patrick O’Connell

Danny Boome and Michael Nischan

INAUGURAL CHEFS ROAST OF NORA POUILLON Union Market | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL ALL IN GOOD FUN: What happens when the subject of an intended “roast” turns out to be just too darn nice to properly insult? In the case of chef Nora Pouillon, the pioneer of the farm-to-table food movement, it turned into an opportunity to sing her praises with one 1980s-era naked photo of the chef, featuring a strategically placed blender. The festive, light-hearted evening raised funds for Chefs Action Network and brought together many of the men and women of Washington’s top kitchens, including a roast by “The Pope” and contributions from The Source’s Sco Drewno and Estadio’s Haidar Karoum, who chose to create dishes in Pouillon’s honor rather than tease a woman many consider a mentor. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Scott Drewno and Mike Isabella

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Elizabeth and Dennis Kucinich

Neil Barrett, Liz Norton, Julia Cohen and Lyle Babuscio

Andy Shallal, Jim Epstein and Scott Nash

Lee-Ann Brown, Adam Howard and Brigitte Anders-Kraus

Philippe Lanier and Justin Dangel

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Todd Flournoy with Kiki and Tim Burger and Lawrence Williams

Richard Brandenberg

Noemie Bessette, Kyla Hochfilzer and Colleen Gerg

Lizette Corro and Liliana Madrigal 71

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

25 Years of Service

A Milestone for ‘Carolyn’s House’ as INOVA’s Life with Cancer marks 25 years BY LAUREN PETERSON

ancer does not discriminate. It does not care how young or old you are, your socioeconomic status, or whether you have friends or family who can care for you. It shows up and changes you and all those who care for you. “… I knew my life was going to change. I found a community of support at Life with Cancer that helped me.” — A young women with stage IV breast cancer. My family is blessed and we deeply believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work. Life with Cancer has always been our largest commitment in time and funds donated. It is a not-for-profit, Inova Health System support and education program in NorthernVirginia. It is offered to anyone touched by a cancer diagnosis, regardless of where treatment is received – free of charge. Life with Cancer was the philanthropic brainchild of Northern Virginia resident, Nando DiFilipo.After the death of his wife he felt a sense of urgency to do something about the lack of support services available to him and his children. Through his generous $1 million gift the Life with Cancer program was established in 1987. Life with Cancer is responsible for raising 75 percent of what is now a $2.1 million dollar budget. Our board knows that the program’s success relies primarily on community support. As a two-time survivor, my mother Carolyn has served on the board, originally as its chairman, since 1987. I joined in 1998 and now serve as vice chairman. Together as a family we have hosted the annual Lobster Extravaganza for 16 years at my parents’ home. This event has raised approximately $13 million, of which the net profit goes directly to our operating budget. This program has grown from a staff of three in 1987 to more than 30. Consisting of oncology counselors and nurse navigators, art therapists,

Standing in front of “Carolyn’s House” near the INOVA Health System’s campus in Fairfax are former Inova Foundation Board Chair Bob Hisaoka, Life with Cancer’s Vice Chair Lauren Peterson, Executive Director Sage Bolte and Chair Mark Lowham, (Photo by Cecilie Olaussen)

a Hispanic program and administrative support, it now serves all five northern Virginia hospital locations. Our growth inspired the need to create a free standing support and education facility for Life with Cancer. After three years of fundraising, our impassioned board members, community champions and our parent organization, Inova Health System, were able to open the doors of the Dewberry Life with Cancer Family Center in 2009. Affectionately called “Carolyn’s House”, our mission was to create a safe environment — a place where those touched by cancer could walk through the doors and take a deep breath. Our intent was to make this a place of respite, away from hospital rooms, medical suites and office buildings. The freestanding 16,900-square-foot home has three stories with rooms for counseling (adults and children), support group meetings, art therapy, meditation, exercise, massage, nutrition education, a library, resource room

and community meeting spaces in a natural setting enhanced by landscaped gardens. “Thank you for helping my sister and me through these hard times. It really helps us to know that there is someone there we can say anything to.” — a 14 year old who lost a parent to cancer. Cancer now touches almost everyone in some way. It is our wish that all impacted by cancer be cared for by a program like Life with Cancer. Through our strong and loyal donors, we are working as a community to help all families affected by this ever growing disease. Life with Cancer is a hidden gem in Northern Virginia and we want more people to know about it. To learn more or to contribute to Life with Cancer, visit www.lifewithcancer.org or call 703-206LIFE(5433). Lauren Peterson is the Director of the Peterson Family Foundation

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Justice Stephen Breyer

Stacy Keach, Michael Kahn and John Hurt

Evan Morgan, Mary Ann Huntsman and Mary Kaye Huntsman

Barbara Harman and Jane Harman

HARMAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS GALA

David and Lisa O’Brien

Sidney Harman Hall and National Building Museum | PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL

Abby Foster and Jason Rinn

MUCH ADO: This annual event allows guests to occupy what would otherwise be a sleepy Sunday night with beautiful performances from rising stars of the performing arts as already-risen stars are honored for their lifetime contributions to classical theater. This year, the William Shakespeare Award was bestowed upon John Hurt, Stacy Keach and Dame Diana Rigg (who was unable to attend in person) while the Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts was given to the Beech Street Foundation. Guests enjoyed a violin suite from “Much Ado About Nothing” by Sean Carpenter; a dance performance from Cori Marquis, Kyle Marshall and Donnell Oakley; a rousing rap from “The Q Brothers” Ericka Ratcliﬀ and Clayton Stamper; and a vocal performance from Margo Seibert, Jackson de Vallance, Camilla Johnson and Kelai’ah Wheelan. VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Stuart Bernstein, JoAnn Mason, Karim Wissa and Samia Farouki

Marie Arana, Carol Schwartz and Marta Istomin

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA OPENING NIGHT The Kennedy Center | PHOTOS BY JAY SNAP

Washington National Opera Director Francesca Zambello, Faith Gay and Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter Aniko Gaal Schott and Susan Pillsbury

MAGICAL NIGHT: The opening of the opera’s 2014-2015 season broke with tradition in a number of ways, the foremost being a production of “Florencia in the Amazon,” a contemporary work written in Spanish and containing elements of the magical realism style of Gabriel García Márquez. As gala chairman Selwa (“Lucky”) Roosevelt noted, it was, of course, also “sung in the second most important language in our country.” BLACK-TIE BASH: Patrons and VIP guests also queued to chat with newly installed Kennedy Center president Deborah Ru er, most for the first time, before tucking in to a buffet-style supper featuring seafood stew in coconut milk, beef tenderloin, white rice, chayote and re-fried beans.

Jacqueline Mars and Isabel Ernst

Lucky Roosevelt VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Kat Zhong, Cecilia Arradaza and Lynn Harwell Rep. Jackie Speier, Phil Barkett and Amy Lester

Jill Lesser, Jill Granader and Betty Ann Tanner

Jeannine, Trish, George and Alissa Vradenburg

WL EXCLUSIVE

WOMEN AGAINST ALZHEIMER’S ‘OUT OF THE SHADOWS’ DINNER

Nancy Lynn, Krissi Fauser, Stacy Haller and Maddie Dychtwald

National Museum of Women in the Arts | PHOTOS BY ALFREDO FLORES WOMEN ON THE MOVE: The inaugural dinner of the WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Summit honored Sen. Susan Collins for her efforts in Congress to bring the disease into the national health care discussion. Collins noted the heavy burden the illness places on women as she explained that “of the 5.2 million Americans with Alzheimer’s, 3.4 million are women.” The crowd was especially moved when the family of country music legend Glen Campbell took the stage for a special musical performance before previewing the film about his battle with Alzheimer’s, “I’ll Be Me.”

Mario Acosta-Velez and Lawrence Graham

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Peter Fine, Rebecca Ailes-Fine, Cheryl Anderson and Justin Ailes

Erin Blakely and Dr. Ron Perlman

Shamin Jawad and Erika Gutierrez Bill Buckingham, Deborah Sigmund, Christina Carter and David Hardee WL SPONSORED

Carlos Guiterrez Jr and Debbie Koenisberger

INNOCENTS AT RISK RECEPTION Café Milano | PHOTOS BY BEN DROZ GIVE TO STOP: Innocents at Risk partnered with Everyone’s Kids, Everyone Gives on National Awareness Day to Stop Child Traﬃcking- a national 24-hour period of giving to aid the 2.2 million children who are sold into the sex trade each year, and furthermore to help end the cycle for good. Generous Washingtonians gathered at Georgetown’s storied Café Milano to nibble and sip and raised more than $2,000 in a ma>er of hours, all in the name of ending human traﬃcking

Sovana Tornillo and Rosemary Tornillo 74

Alicia Foio and Victoria Michael

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Washington state Rep. Cyrus Habib with Babette and Afshin Taghechian

Jerry White, Karen White, Houri Khalilian and Serge Sera

Dionne and Francis Najafi

Taher Behbehani, Hamid Biglari and Shamil Idriss

PUBLIC AFFAIRS ALLIANCE OF IRANIAN AMERICANS (PAAIA) ANNUAL RETREAT DINNER Private Residence | PHOTOS BY BEN DROZ

Fariba and Reza Jahanbani

CIVIC PARTICIPATION: To kick oﬀ its annual retreat and conference, PAAIA hosted an intimate dinner for distinguished guests who came from all corners of the country. PAAIA is a bipartisan, non-sectarian organization encouraging Americans of Iranian descent to participate in civic and political life and seeks to foster greater understanding between the people of Iran and the U.S. The dinner, catered by Design Cuisine and Shiraz Catering, included an energizing musical performance by the poetic singer songwriter Ziba Shirazi. Conference participants were treated to informative presentations by Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Thomas Friedman, David Ignatius, Dr. Vali Nasr, Azar Naﬁsi, Kamran Elahian, Afshin Molavi, Karim Sadjadpour, Steve Krubiner and Rep. Cyrus Habib as well as a private tour of the PAAIA sponsored Library of Congress exhibit, “1000 Years of the Persian Book.”

Mahnaz Kamel and Dr. Ahmad Esfandiary

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Kamiar Alaei and Nilcotar Khameesi

Ziba Shirazi, Sogol Shirazi and Kathy Jalali Mori Hosseini and Jawad Kamel

Dadi and Farinaz Akhavan

Fred and Stephanie Pezeshkan Afshin and Sheila Molavi

Korim Sadjadpoor with Hastie and Amir Afkhami WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Zohreh, Lily and Amir Kazeminia

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Roshanak Ameli-Tehrani and Sara Haghdoosti

Samira Jali and Morad Ghorban 75

OVER THE MOON

Notable Beasts

Hunter championships and hurdle races compete for attention with ‘mama llamas’ in hunt country this fall BY VICKY MOON

ust as the pumpkins were ready of fiber and fabric,” she says. “The U.K. for harvest, the fall season burst Campaign for Wool has been influential into action. Out in the Virginia in honing my desire to make homehunt country, there were dew-kissed grown, hand-made luxury products in morning jaunts on horseback for the the United States. Theodora A. Randolph Field Hunter “Knowing where our clothes come Championships and cocktail outings in from, the people and process that create the evenings. what we wear is personal and inspiring. For four straight days, equestrian Our wool connects us to this earth,” enthusiasts from Georgia, the Carolinas, she adds. Maryland, Delaware and Virginia rode From birth to hanger? with the Orange County Hounds, “Yes, from ewe to you.” Blue Ridge Hunt, Loudoun Fairfax On the Hunt Country real estate The Noble Stables syndicate, from le : Ham Clark, Helen Steele (husband Hunt and Piedmont Fox Hounds.The front, we note David B. Ford’s purchase Charlie Steele behind her), trainer Neil Morris, Gail Clark, Brad Ryder and Pamela Ryder, owners of Kingofalldiamonds, winner of the Virginia Fall Racing competition concluded as part of the of “North Wales,” a 1,471-acre estate Members Cup at Glenwood Park. (Photo by Vicky Moon) Virginia Fall Steeplechase Races at in Warrenton once owned by Walter Glenwood Park. products made by the well-known New York P. Chrysler Jr. The $21 million price The $20,000 Virginia Fall Racing Members tailor Martin Greenfield. She studied where, includes a massive 38,500-square-foot stone Cup hurdle race that same day was a splendid within the U.S., to send the wool to be washed, mansion, which dates to 1776. Ford, a board victory for the Noble Stables’ Kingofalldiamonds. combed and spun. She also learned how to member of the National Audubon Society, is The dark brown colt is owned by a syndicate protect her flock from the coyote predators, and currently in the private investment sector and whose participants include Gail and Ham Clark thus became a shepherd. married to Pamela Fielder. and Helen and Charlie Steele. Weekenders “I got a llama,” Franny explains.“Summer,” the For horse lovers, Mary Ann McGowan at Pamela and Brad Ryder are also part owners. mama llama, can see in the distance. She shrieks Thomas and Talbot is offering “Bolinvar Farm” (She’s an interior designer in Washington whose a warning and the sheep huddle safely behind. just out the Foxcroft Road on 327 exquisite clients include journalists Elsa Walsh and Bob “The beauty of a small flock is that each sheep acres with stables, two staff apartments and a Woodward.) and finished product has individual attention.” riding ring. The circa 1925 renovated 22-room Not all the animal action is about horses out She regularly invites school children and friends Georgian stone manor house has nine fireplaces, here. Just ask Franny and Walter Kansteiner, during lambing season and spring shearing. And, six bedrooms, six baths and two half baths. The who started out with three sheep 20 years ago at she’s a wizard with those shears. $15.5 million price also includes a perennial their 100-acre “Gum Tree Farm.”They now have The sheep, she says, inspire her with their garden, pool and a greenhouse. a flock of 70 Merino sheep, recently officially peacefulness, courage, beauty and silliness. rated with the coveted designation of “fine.” Meanwhile, Walter, a former master of the As their two children grew up, the Kansteiners Piedmont Fox Hounds in Upperville, later became wanted to take advantage of country life. Walter a founding principle of the Scowcroft Group and is was working in Washington as assistant foreign currently a consultant in the private sector in Africa. press secretary at the National Security Council They now live part of the year in the Cotswolds under Bush 41 and later as assistant secretary of of England on the estate of the Duke of Beaufort, state for Africa Affairs with Bush 43. a good friend.They keep their horses nearby and So, Franny began to learn to spin and knit. are regulars in the hunting field. “I started with fingerless mittens, socks, While traveling, and especially while in Franny and Walter Kansteiner out with the Beaufort blankets and capes,” she recalls. She added a crew London, she got new ideas. Hunt in England. (Courtesy photo) of knitters and weavers and then a line of sewn “There are many fantastic interpretations

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WEDNESDAY

National Public Radio

December 3rd

1111 N. CAPITOL STREET, NE

at 7:00 p.m.

Washington, DC

The Funniest Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest THE 20TH ANNUAL

FUNNIEST CELEBRITY in Washington Contest The winners, 2nd place, 3rd place and honorable mention winners from the 19 years will compete for the title celebrities to date include:

CELEBRITY CONTESTANTS Matt Cooper, Newsweek Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

Walter Shapiro, USA Today Jamie McIntyre, National Public Radio Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune Jamie Weinstein, The Daily Caller Heather Higgins, President, Independent Woman’s Voice

Dan Glickman, Aspen Institute Jonathan Edwards, Singer/Songwriter James Kotecki, formerly of Politico, Automated insights (currently)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE by American Idol Winner Ayla Brown SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY JOSH ROGIN Recipient of the punch heard ‘round the world, giving new meaning to the word “punch line.”

Tickets: $35, $50, $100, $200 Sponsorships $1,000 SPONSORED BY

National Journal Washington Life Magazine | WTOP

CONTACT: Richard Siegel (202)-250-9193 TICKETS: www.funniestcelebrity.org

Reid Snyder and Galen Moore

DIGITAL D.C. TECH FUND (DDCTF) AWARDS

Mayor Vincent Gray and Justin Harrison

Stephanie Nguyen and Shana Glenzer

Logan Soya, Lenea D. Hegarty, Harry Wingo and R. Van Standifer

MLK Library, 901 G St. NW | PHOTOS BY BEN DROZ SILICON VALLEY OF THE EAST: The DDCTF awarded its ﬁrst D.C. Innovation grants to local tech startups, with eight entrepreneurs chosen from a pool of 140 startups. The event, coordinated by DC Tech Meetup and Digital D.C., was kicked oﬀ with Mayor Vincent Gray announcing the grant recipients, followed by remarks from Rey Ramsey and a reception allowing recipients of the grants to make lightning pitches to the audience. Riide took home top prize with a $172,500 award, followed by Silica Labs ($147,500), Aquicore and Azert ($122,500), EventKloud and Vino Lovers ($97,500), Flexspot ($47,500) and MyMuzik ($30,000).

Staci Coble, Tiffany Thacker and Morgan Greenhouse

Lance Schine, Jill Melnicki and Michael Glenzer

VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Craig Hollinger, Toni Ghazi and Nelson Marban

David Kanstoroom and Marty Stanton

Jim Bell and John Downs Heidi Jerakis, Chelle Gassan and Candace Moe

BEASLEY ALEXANDRIA OFFICE OPENING Beasley, Old Town Alexandria | PHOTOS BY JAY SNAP

Clarke Munford and Susan Hensley 78

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: The Beasley boutique property brokerage firm hung its trademark forest green sign outside 130 S. Union Street, in Old Town, officially opening its doors to the Alexandria market as well-wishers stopped by to admire the office’s modern appointments and discuss the latest real estate news. “There is so much history here and everyone from city officials to the small businesses that surround us have been extremely welcoming,” company founder Jim Bell said. BREAKING NEWS: Beasley also celebrated another milestone — a meeting with top 10 real estate firms in Tokyo to discuss the company’s model. “This is an incredible relationship to have within Asia, especially for our International program,” Bell noted. WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Trent Heminger and Ruth Gorland

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Anna Sabloff and Regina Behar

Jeni and Dennis Holland

Steven, Ike and Lawrence Behar WL SPONSORED

IKE BEHAR GEORGETOWN OPENING

Robert Ransom, Lee Moore and Win Huffman

2900 M Street NW | PHOTOS BY VITHAYA PHONGSAVAN THE FASHION-FORWARD MALE: Local men with a ﬂair for style rejoice! The storied tailor-turned-clothing-designer Ike Behar recently opened a new shop on M Street in Georgetown and hosted a party to both introduce and celebrate his classic style to Washington. Still family-owned, the entire clan, including Ike, his wife and sons, were all on hand to welcome their guests, many of whom will surely become new customers.

Tina and Jason Flippo VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

Jose Garces and Lacey Faeh Tim Zerhusen and Rachel Chism

Jonathan Tisch and Paul Puzzanghero (Photo by Marcus Bennett)

Gregg Ciprioni and Louis Goral

RURAL SOCIETY OPENING Rural Society, The Loews Madison Hotel | PHOTOS BY JAY SNAP ARGENTINA ON MY MIND: Guests got red carpet treatment at Rural Society’s opening party, which was oﬃcially delayed until a er the restaurant opened to the public this summer. Chairman of Loews Hotels Jonathan Tisch and “Iron Chef” Jose Garces greeted VIPs and favored customers at the door with a hearty “mi casa es su casa” as menu samplings straight oﬀ the most expensive grill in town ($20,000) were paired with South American wines and handcra ed cocktails HIGHLIGHT: Private tours of the renovated kitchen.

Christina Noe and Chris Talbot

Katie Whalen and Babou Saine VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM

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| PERFECT PITCH

FOR THE RECORD BY PAT R I C K D. M C C OY

s he prepares to lead the Grammy Award-winning Washington Chorus in its new season, Washington Life caught up with American conductor Julian Wachner, 45, to chat about recent recording projects, his meteoric rise on the opera scene and a chance performance with a rock superstar.

WASHINGTON LIFE: Innovative concert programming has been the hallmark of your leadership with the Washington Chorus. What can we look forward to in the future? JULIAN WACHNER The continued diversity of supporting living composers, along with the performance of choral masterworks is a part of that. This year is different for us because we are doing works that are more standard fare such as Handel, but then we are performing the music of Ginastera and Ives at Carnegie Hall. So, we are keeping things varied as well as contemporary. WL: The music of Beethoven sets the stage for the Washington Chorus’ new season. What makes him a great composer? JW Beethoven is the great revolutionary. When you think about the “Napoleon of the musical world” after hearing his works you can’t believe their proximity to Mozart and even Haydn. There are so many incredible orchestral moments, so much energy and continuous development. It almost like what James Joyce does with words. WL: How important are the interests of the audience when you are planning music for a new concert season? JW At the end of the day we can talk about how music is educating, uplifting and all of that, but it is also an entertainment choice in the 21st century. Therefore, people have to feel like they have been entertained and that something transformative has happened to them. WL: You have a pretty hectic schedule between your music program in New York and guest conducting. How do you effectively manage these different aspects of your career? JW The logistics of it is that I keep a careful

schedule and have a huge staff in New York along with great colleagues in Washington. My engagement to conduct at San Francisco Opera for their performances of Handel’s “Partenope” came up suddenly and I was able to manage that because both “ships” are sailing very well because of their being well organized. WL: How has a specific location affected your artistic creativity? JW I was affiliated with almost every organization in Boston as a singer, composer, conductor or pianist. Brown University was an incredibly varied experience in which I learned my craft. During the five-year period after earning my doctorate there, I composed so much music and it was the center of my activities. Then, it was off to Montreal for a full decade, where I conducted the Montreal Symphony and got to collaborate with major groups in that fantastic city.

Julian Wachner (Photo by Megan Greenlee Photography)

WL: You were nominated for a Grammy for several recordings. Tell us a bit about those projects and your new release. JW At Trinity [Wall Street] we recorded Handel’s “Israel in Egypt,” which was nominated. That was a magical time and captured a great interpretation of that piece. Another recording was the Bach motets. This has definitely been a composition reawakening year. My “Chamber Symphony” was premiered just recently and a three-disc set was released of my works, which has gotten several good reviews. WL: Of all of your musical triumphs, what was it like preparing singers for performances with The Rolling Stones?

JW The first time getting on stage for the rehearsal and having Mick Jagger shake my hand was pretty cool. What was so impressive is how brilliant Jagger is as a CEO. He really knows everything that is going on in that organization. It is like a mini corporation. I was basically negotiating one step away from him. It’s an impressive model of leadership. WL: A group of friends are coming over to dinner. Are you more likely to order take-out or cook? JW That has always been a part of my tradition, to have a lot of people over and to cook interesting food. In Boston we used to have these big feasts after all of our concerts and it was expected that anybody involved would come over and have this “Henry VIII” spread laid out before them. Julian Wachner conducts the Washington Chorus in Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” with guest soloists and orchestra Nov. 16 at the Kennedy Center.

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PARTIES PARTIES PARTIES

Trash Cleanups, Sailors, Heroic Conservators, Fall Dinners and Hotel Milestones VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS AT WWW WASHINGTONLIFE COM!

OCEAN CONSERVANCY’S COASTAL CLEANUP

FALL HARVEST DINNER

ANACOSTIA NATIONAL PARK

CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK

(Photos by Nick Ghobashi) In addition to the thousands of events held worldwide, a trash cleanup was hosted in our own backyard at Anacostia National Park for Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day. More than 100 volunteers donated their Saturdays to the worthy cause and contributed to the riverbank being 743 pounds of trash cleaner.

1. Emily Parker, Edward Witcher and Sarah Kollar 2. Darlene Roulhac and Amber Roulhac

3. Molly Bergen and Lauren Mansur

U.S. NAVY MEMORIAL’S LONE SAILOR AWARDS DINNER NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

(Photos by Jay Snap)

The ﬁrst local chef to win the Food Network’s “Chopped” competition, Grace Lichaa, returned to Washington to prepare a fall harvest dinner in honor of Hunger Action Month. The event not only supported several great causes (Capital Area Food Bank, Bookalokal and From the Farmer) it allowed guests to see their food prepared as they feasted family style in the training kitchen at the Capital Area Food Bank. We hear the soup was to die for. 8. Grace Lichaa and Jackie Woodbury serve dinner

9. D’Angela Moore, Zaria Sto and Sonia Koshy

(Photos by Nick Ghobashi) This annual black-tie dinner honors naval veterans who have served with distinction in their respective civilian careers, which this year included Navy veteran and former McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner; Marine Corps veteran and former chairman/ president/CEO of Lockheed Martin Bob Stevens; and Coast Guard veteran and former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn. 4. Miguel Sanchez, Zelaya Blanco and Andrew Te eh

5. Vice Adm. Jay Donnelly and Rear Adm. John Butler

11 10

FIELD AND STREAMS HEROES OF CONSERVATION AWARDS

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL (Photos by Tony Brown)

RONALD REAGAN BUILDING (Photos by Jay Snap)

In September 1979, Isadore Sharp and William Louis-Dreyfus opened the ﬁrst Four Seasons branded property in the U.S. To celebrate the last 35 years of its success, Sharp and 26 other Four Seasons executives invited loyal patrons and friends to toast their dynamic past, including nine employees who have been there since the doors opened on the very ﬁrst day.

Field & Stream once again fêted the eﬀorts of those involved in grassroots projects protecting and maintaining ﬁsh and wildlife habitats across the country. This year’s winner, Ryan Krapp, was chosen for his success in enrolling 27,000 acres in North Dakota’s “Private Land Open to Sportsmen” program. 6. Ryan and Laura Krapp 7. Lori Kackenneister and Kendall Shearer WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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CELEBRATING 35 YEARS AT THE FOUR SEASONS

10. Jeﬀrey Sussman and Isadore Sharp

11. Hunter and Kathleen Biden 12. Erin Perkins and Courtney Armour

SELLING THE AREA’S FINEST PROPERTIES VISIT US AT V ISIT US ONLI NE AT: WWW.EVERSCO.COM

WWW.EVERSCO.COM

HOME LIFE Real Estate News and Open House | To come Real Estate News and Open House I Inside Homes and My Washington

;

Tracey Thomm and Timothy Chi in the family living room with daughters Felicity, Mara and Riley.

% &EPERGIH %TTVSEGL Serial startup entrepreneur Timothy Chi and his wife Tracey Thomm seamlessly blend work and family life in their gracious Bethesda residence. BY ANNE KIM-DANNIBALE PHOTOS BY JOSEPH ALLEN

HOME LIFE | INSIDE HOMES

ntering Timothy Chi and Tracey Thomm’s residence, a visitor quickly learns to step out of the way of the sound of tiny feet rumbling down the hallway like a tornado toward a family photo. Riley, age 6, and Mara, 3, lead the charge toward the well-appointed family room with 11-month-old Felicity gaining fast on tiny hands and knees, a Usain Bolt for the diaper set. Add a nanny, assistants and a photographer to the mix and you’ve got quite a crowd. A full house is nothing new for the couple. Timothy started the tech company Wedding Wire — a kind of Yelp or TripAdvisor for the multibillion-dollar wedding industry — out of their first house, a Chevy Chase domicile exploding in pink that accommodated first a handful of workers but soon expanded to include more than a dozen coders, salesmen and interns going in and out at all hours of the day. “It must have been weird particularly in the beginning,” Timothy recalls. “My wife would leave in the morning and then a couple of cars would pull up. They’d leave and then my wife would come home. At one point we had like 10 people.” “We had 13 when we lost it,” Tracey interjects goodnaturedly. “I’d go grocery shopping three times a week for our family and the food would be gone in two days. I couldn’t say anything because it was the spirit of the startup. It was very communal. It’s a family.” A former investment banker who met Timothy while the two worked on his first company, Blackboard, Tracey knew what she was getting into. But with a fast-growing business

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PREVIOUS PAGE (clockwise from top left): In its previous incarnation, the gourmet kitchen extended across the hall into what is now the dining room. Its new configuration provides ample space for family dinners while leaving room for a formal dining room; the master suite is a roomy retreat with Tracey Thomm’s office in an adjoing sitting room; a Kelyne painting from Allouche Gallery in New York is highlighted in the dining room; one of the only rooms where Timothy was allowed to weigh in, his office features custom-wrapped quartersawn unstained white oak, showcasing a Marcel Mouly painting from Allouche Gallery. Mouly died in 2008 but was the last living artist to paint with Picasso. The model depicted in the painting is a Picasso model; a reproduction Terra Cotta Warrior forged from the very same clay in which its original counterparts stand watch over the tomb of Chinese Emperor Qin. The weighty soldier was sent by shipping container and loaded up with the help of many friends. The Chi girls delight in dressing him up for various holidays. THIS PAGE (clockwise from top left): The Colonial-style house sits on a treelined street in Bethesda; the dining room exemplifies Tracey’s creativity, employing Raoul Textiles fabric as wallpaper and Rose Tarlow linen curtains; the cheerful first-floor powder room sparkles with a Howard Elliot Lancelot mirror against a Pierre Frey pattern.

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pushing the limits of their personal lives, they moved the company to an office space and in 2010 purchased their current residence, a 4,700-square-foot Creamsicle-colored nest on a tree-lined Bethesda street.With their first daughter born and a second on the way, they decided to take things slowly leaving everything in the six-bed, six-bath Colonial as it was, preventing a repeat of the design mistakes they felt they made with their first house. “We stuck to our guns and lived for two years with just primer on the walls,” Tracey recalls. At issue was finding a cohesive style and figuring out what worked for their growing family. “We really considered the fact that 50 percent of the people who lived here were under the age of 3,” Tracey, a real estate agent, adds. “The house had to be useful. Every square inch.” The ground floor was reconfigured to reflect Tracey’s traditional tastes with separate rooms for cooking, dining and spending time with the family — no open plans here. Designers Andrew Law and Gore Dean were brought on to help execute her vision, which she calls “traditional transitional” in a pleasing palette of soft blues, creams and earth tones. Accustomed to leading the charge in the office, her husband took a back seat during this stage of the family’s evolution. “The good thing about us is that Tim doesn’t want to be involved, he doesn’t care. So, we had very few fights about it,”Tracey says. “I’ll offer my opinion but I’ll always caveat it with you should pretty much ignore whatever comes out of my mouth,” Timothy jokes. The result is a gracious house dressed up enough for dinner parties yet comfortable for sticky fingers and a sprouting trio of energetic girls (one of whom, Timothy hopes, will make use of the basketball court out back). It’s a residence that suits a modern family, with Timothy retreating to his home office after the girls’ bedtime and waking up at dawn to shepherd his brood toward a new day. After a hectic schedule at a bustling startup for Tim and an equally full schedule for Tracey, the family reconvenes for one constant since Wedding Wire was founded

| N O V E M B E R | washingtonlife.com

— family dinners. “It’s a real foundational piece because even though we both work a lot of hours there’s always something very routine and familiar for our kids,”Timothy says. That philosophy is rooted in the founding of the company and still extends today. Though the nuptials marketplace has more than 400 employees, the company maintains its personal connection with an annual holiday “white elephant” gift exchange party and a potluck Thanksgiving. It helps, too, that the CEO, whose family immigrated from Taiwan in the ’70s, makes it a point to know every single employee by first name. “It’s not about work versus life, it’s work and life,” he notes. “You have to work really hard at it because it’s important,” he adds. “That’s what people want — to work at a company where it doesn’t have to feel like work. That’s the foundation for a healthy corporate culture.” Not to mention a healthy family life.

HOME LIFE | H STREET

GO NORTHEAST

In the 1950s, H Street NE was a downtown city center filled with bustling businesses, popular restaurants and great properties — and now they are all coming back. B Y N I K K I S C H WA B

Jim Abdo’s Senate Square Apartments were the first of several luxury buildings to populate the NE corridor (Courtesy Senate Square Apartments)

t’s been almost 10 years since developer Jim Abdo started looking for the “next 14th Street” and decided he had found it on H Street NE. His Senate Square condos, which eventually became rentals, provided the “initial housing spark,” according to the Washington Post, for the neighborhood to grow and provided the impetus along with Joe Englert’s cool bars located farther down the street. Today, the formerly burned-out business district, which had only stretched a few blocks, is bustling and getting bigger, now stretching from the H Street bridge behind Union Station all the way to Bladensburg Road. Streetcars are starting to clink down those tracks. Next door, NoMa is becoming a real neighborhood, not just a SoHo-esque nickname for “North of Massachusetts Ave.” Above NoMa there’s enthusiasm for Eckington and Edgewood, which hug North

It’s been nearly 50 years since streetcars last operated in the District, but as of December 2013, the first phase of their reimplementation was rolled out along H Street NE. (Courtesy Wikimedia/DearEdward)

Capitol Street, and development stretching east to Brentwood and Brookland. Prices keep climbing for classic rowhouses and cool new condos “A house goes for sale around here and it’s gone within minutes,” says Heather Humphrey, who lives with her boyfriend Tim Gilbert at 7th and K streets NE. Gilbert was one of the first to stake out the neighborhood, buying a small house on 3rd Street NE, closer to Abdo’s Senate Square than H Street’s early bars and restaurants. The year was 2008. “It was pretty sleepy.” she says, “and I don’t think a lot of people knew about this western end of H Street.” Gilbert also remembers abandoned lots surrounded by razor wire that made parts of the neighborhood look “desolate.” This didn’t prevent Humphrey, who had been living across the Potomac River in Arlington, from moving in. “I was really tired of the

Courthouse, Clarendon area,” she explains. “I wanted a neighborhood feel and it was sort of cement-y over there.” A neighborhood, with neighbor being the key part of the word, was what she found. Six years later, the couple is living on a muchimproved H Street that they’re happy to call home. One of the best developments in the past year was the opening of Indigo, a mom-and-pop Indian restaurant just down the street. They drop by weekly; their entire crew of neighbors heads to the spot for happy hour on a monthly basis. This vibe is what brought Colter Carambio, 36, and his wife, Brittany, 28, into the fold. “We actually loved the house, but what sealed the deal was the kind of sense of community and close-knit neighborhood we found when we went over there,” Colter Carambio says. One of those formerly vacant lots was turned into a brand new duplex. “We saw

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the top unit and were blown away,” Colter Caramibo says. “It has everything we were looking for.” Price was also key. “Compared to what we could get in Northwest, this is like a million times bigger and nicer and we’re still really close to everything, which is pretty cool,” Brittany Carambio adds. Price and a pretty house is what brought Phoebe Sweet, a 33-year-old married speechwriter, a few neighborhoods up from H Street to Edgewood. “I saw pictures of our house and that’s what made us start looking,” explained Sweet, who almost lost the property to another prospective buyer. Luckily, she and her husband swooped in three Christmases ago. Since then, she’s seen the neighborhood change for the good. “We’ve seen a lot more young families move in, we’ve seen the hipsters on bikes — [that’s] a new demographic since we got here,” Sweet says, also mentioning the local brewery, Chocolate City, that’s become a draw. “I’m happy to see the houses being rehabbed over here.” She returns to the subject of price, but makes a different point — it’s only going up. “It’s extra fun to then look at the listing and go, ‘Oh my God, this is out of control.’”

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H STREET’S STOCK IS GOING UP T

here are condo projects galore being built on and just off H Street NE. Here we chose six that we’re particularly excited about. Meanwhile, renters will have plenty of opportunities to score new construction in the nearby NoMa neighborhood. Buyers looking for older homes can score in the surrounding neighborhoods like Eckington, where home values have increased by 7 percent in the last year. WHERE 301 H Street NE WHAT Capital City Real Estate will be selling 25 boutique luxury condos with one or two bedrooms situated across from the new Giant at the site of an old abandoned liquor store. Prices are expected to start in the $300,000s. WHEN Summer 2015 capcityre.com/301-h-street-ne/ WHERE 646 H Street NE WHAT Pilgrim Baptist Church sold several buildings off in May to clear the way for Rock Creek Property Group and Cornerstone Development Group’s mixed use project, which will include 26 condos with 6,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The new Whole Foods will be located just two doors away. WHEN 2017

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WHERE 1115 H Street NE WHAT This mixeduse building by Wall Development is boasting a LEED Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council. There will be 16 one-bedroom condos heading on the market, starting in the $300,000s.WHEN Fall 2014 www.1115h.com/ WHERE 2724 12th Street NE WHAT Lock7 Development is also touting this Brookland project for being green. Once finished, it will include 22 1,300-square-foot condos. WHEN Initial planning WHERE 1350 Maryland Ave. NE WHAT The Maryland, located just off H Street NE, is being described as where “hip meets history.” Its 84 one- and two-bedroom condos are on the market now. WHEN Selling now, 1350maryland.com/ WHERE 1401 Florida Ave. NE WHAT This building is going through initial permitting, but stands out for its “flatiron” look. Once done, it will deliver the greater H Street neighborhood 34 more condos. WHEN Initial planning

HOME LIFE | OPEN HOUSE

Fall Finds The local real estate market has luxury offerings aplenty

KALORAMA KALORAMA SQUARE NW { WASHINGTON DC Exquisitely renovated in 2006, this five-bedroom, four-and-one-half bath residence features over 4,500-square-feet of living space with designer finishes throughout, soaring ceilings, elevator access to all levels, underground garage and sweeping city views. Located in Kalorama Square, an exclusive 25-townhome enclave in Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renowned Kalorama neighborhood. The community features a carriage house with 24-hour reception and security, a central walkway lined with gas lampposts and manicured gardens.

FOREST HILLS ELLICOTT STREET NW WASHINGTON DC

ASKING PRICE $2,895,000

Built in 1918, this enchanting residence has lovely gardens, a pool and a sport court.The luminous living room, salon, dining room, first floor family room, study and spacious kitchen feature high ceilings, beautiful windows and fine architectural detail. Multiple sets of French doors open to an expansive deck overlooking the pool. The second floor has a large, private master-suite with sitting room, three additional bedrooms. The third floor boasts a large carpeted playroom, bedroom and bath. The lower level has a media room, wet bar and gym.

LISTING AGENTS: Anne HatďŹ eld Weir and Heidi HatďŹ eld, 202-243-1635; Washington Fine Properties

OAKTON RIDGE Located in the sought-after Oakton Ridge community, this large Colonial -style residence is dressed in Tennessee stacked stone and enhanced by double-hung windows. The stately faĂ§ade conceals the enormous size of the house whose wings connect with angles, turrets and bows. Huge rooms surround in every direction with elegant trim-work and masterpiece craftsmanship.

R STREET NW WASHINGTON DC Originally built in 1944 as a naval officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; club, this residence was renovated by modern architect Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, into a contemporary urban oasis. The three-level, three-bed, three-bath home features a Bulthaup kitchen with Miele and Sub-Zero appliances, a bar and wine cellar, an expansive den with built-in media cabinetry and floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking a large private terrace.

LISTING AGENT: Nelson Marban, 202-870-6899; Beasley Real Estate

ASKING PRICE $3,749,000

VALE RIDGE COURT OAKTON VA

DUPONT

ASKING PRICE $2,895,000

LISTING AGENT: Lilian Jorgenson, 703-407-0766; Long & Foster Real Estate

ASKING PRICE Upon request LISTING AGENT The Alex Vendi>i Group, 202-550-8872; TTR Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Realty

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HOME LIFE | REAL ESTATE NEWS

Fieldstone Fantasy U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Dwight Bush buys an elegant stone manor in Forest Hills from former FCC chair William Kennard BY STAC E Y G R A Z I E R P FA R R

THE DISTRICT Clare Kristin Miller, an attorney in family law, sold N STREET NW for $2,436,150. The four-bedroom, 4,500-square-foot Georgetown townhouse was renovated from top to bottom in 2006 by Christian Zapatka. The stately Victorian features an open floor plan, spacious gourmet kitchen with floating fireplace, in-law suite and manicured garden. TTR Sotheby’s International Real Estate’s Greg Gaddy and Carroll Dey represented the buyer in this for-sale-by-owner transaction. Alan Jacobs sold Q STREET NW to Don Stroberg for $2.2 million. Stroberg is a senior executive at Clearwire Corp. The beautifully renovated three-bedroom Kalorama townhouse includes a gourmet kitchen, double living room, second-level family room and top-floor master suite with private deck and luxury bath. Long & Foster’s Marc Fleisher was the listing agent while TTR Sotheby’s International Realty’s Michael Brennan was the buyer’s agent. Judson Starr and Deesha Patel sold BANCROFT PLACE NW. Starr, an attorney with Venable, and Patel, an epidemiologic research analyst at the National Cancer Institute, parted with the magnificent 1908 Federal townhouse for $3,377,000. Located on one of Kalorama’s most desirable streets, the property includes well-proportioned rooms and grand entertaining spaces, an elevator, two-car garage and roof deck. Washington Fine Properties’ Margot Wilson was the listing agent. Eric Murtagh of Evers & Company Real Estate was the buyer’s agent.

Dwight L. Bush Sr. and Antoinette Cook Bush bought ELLICOTT STREET NW for $3.6 million from William Earl Kennard and his wife Deborah Kennedy. Mr. Bush, a former banker, is U.S. ambassador to Morocco and his wife is a senior executive at News Corp. Kennard was the first African American to serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.The 5,000square-foot fieldstone manor in Forest Hills was built in 1923 and sits on three-quarters of an acre with a pool, mature plants and children’s play area.The five-bedroom property includes a banquetsized dining room with fireplace, a gourmet kitchen and library all overlooking cottonwood, dogwood and holly trees.Washington Fine Properties’ Marilyn Charity was the listing agent. Anne Hatfield Weir, also of Washington Fine Properties, was the buyer’s agent.

for $2,695,00 from Lindsey Van Vliet Gerber. Perry is the principal banking specialist at International Finance Corporation. The expanded and renovated Nantucket-style house was built in 1910 and combines old world charm with numerous modern amenities. In addition to a swank kitchen and two-car garage, the property’s light living spaces for formal and informal MARYLAND entertaining ensure a perfect flow. Long & Debra Lynn Perry and Mahomud Foster’s Marc Fleisher was the listing agent. Abdulrasul Pradhan purchased Washington Fine Properties Marylyn Paige CUMBERLAND AVENUE in Chevy Chase was the buyers’ agent.

VIRGINIA Robert

Whiting

Wilson ’s for mer Arlington residence at LEXINGTON STREET NORTH sold for $3.8 million to

North Lexington LLC. The Williamsburg neighborhood house was built in 1890 and sits on 1.27 acres but is most likely slated for demolition as the parcel is made up of six buildable lots. Coldwell Banker’s Claude Hanfling represented the seller. Keller Williams’ Michael Albrittain was the buyer’s agent. Yong Zhang purchased PORTLAND PLACE in McLean for $3.4 million from

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HOME LIFE | REAL ESTATE NEWS

360 Homes LLC . The palatial five-

bedroom, seven-bath property built earlier this year sits on a lot that is nearly one acre in size and features a gourmet kitchen, butlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pantry, posh master suite and pool. Casey Margenau of Casey Margenau Fine Homes and Estates Inc. represented the seller. The buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agent was Grace Realty Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Queenie Ma. Mehdi Tehranchi bought ORLO DRIVE in McLean for $2.7 million from Richard W. Elder . Tehranchi is co-founder of the Rockville-based technology consulting firm, Notable Solutions. The 1999 Woodlea Mill stone and stucco five-bedroom Colonial boasts an attractive paneled library, two-story family room, gourmet eat-in kitchen and wine room with bar. Washington Fine Propertiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mark McFadden was the listing agent. MCM Realty Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mahbod Hashemzadeh represented the buyer.

EAST VILLAGE VICTORIAN: DUMBARTON STREET NW is on the market for $3,295,000. Mike and Heidi Slocumb are parting with the mansion they purchased from the estate of Frank

Lorson, who served as chief deputy clerk for the Supreme Court before his death. Mr. Slocumb is the founder of the Mike Slocumb law firm, a personal injury firm with offices in several states. The five-bedroom Victorian in Georgetownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s East Village was built in 1875. The property, which the Slocumbs are renovating from top to bottom, features 12-foot ceilings, bedrooms with a private second level sleeping porch and an intimate rear garden. Washington Fine Propertiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nancy Taylor Bubes is the listing agent.

PROPERTY LINES POLITICAL DEN: Former politician and more recently Arent Fox attorney John Culver and his wife Mary Jane Checchi are selling SPANGLER AVENUE in Bethesda for $1,499,000 with the help of Washington Fine Propertiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Eileen McGrath. Culver, a Democrat who served as a U.S. senator from Iowa from 1975 to 1981 was a longtime friend of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Checchi is a self-described â&#x20AC;&#x153;lapsed lawyerâ&#x20AC;? and currently pens books about pet ownership. The extraordinary 7,000-square-foot custom home sits in a private neighborhood enclave with 20foot ceilings, an open floor plan and embassysized rooms. The stylish 1984 house sits adjacent to acres of National Parkland and the Capital Crescent Trail. HISTORIC PLANTATION: George and Cindy Harrison are selling THE FLOWERDEW HUNDRED PLANTATION outside of Richmond with Platinum Luxury Auctions. The property dates back to 1618 and Sir George Yeardley, governor and captaingeneral of Virginia. With nearly 100 acres

5409 Spangler Avenue and more than 1,000 feet of James River frontage, the estate offers an abundance of open space complete with landscaped grounds, formal gardens and a lengthy tree-lined driveway. Designed by Daniel Ensminger and based on the classic New England shingle style of Robert A.M. Stern, the property boasts an 11,000-square-foot

main residence built in 2007 and features nine bedrooms, an oversize four-car garage with guest apartment, pool with adjacent pool house, separate caretakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence and a boat dock with dual lifts. Send real estate news to Stacey Grazier Pfarr at editorial@washingtonlife.com.

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MY WASHINGTON Raul Fernandez, Vice Chairman, Monumental Sports and Entertainment

WHAT HAPPENED TO PROXICOM, THE E-BUSINESS YOU FOUNDED WITH 40,000 IN 1991, TOOK PUBLIC IN 199 AND LATER SOLD? We took the company from four engineers in the early ’90s to over 2,000 employees in the U.S. and Europe, grew quickly while being profitable along the way and sold in 2001 for $450 million in what became a bidding war between two public companies, Compaq and Dimension Data.

YOU ARE A PART OWNER OF THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS, MYSTICS AND WIZARDS. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE? I love competition so I enjoy all the teams. I try to get to as many home games as possible and share the experience with my kids. While we are in the business of building championship-worthy teams we also create memories for our fans. Last year the Wizards progressed through the season and matured in front of your eyes, game after game. We have an opportunity to create a new generation of Wizards fans. WHAT ARE THE PHILANTHROPIC GOALS YOU AND YOUR WIFE JEAN-MARIE PURSUE WITH THE FERNANDEZ FOUNDATION? My parents understood that education was the key to success in any field so they gave me a great opportunity to go to some great schools (St. Johns College High School and the University of Maryland) and also learn from extensive travel abroad. Many kids in our region do not have that option and that’s unacceptable. That’s why we have been very focused on education reform

locally and philanthropic giving that provides underprivileged kids options and the opportunity to participate in a better learning environment in D.C. public schools. YOU CO-FOUNDED VENTURE PHILANTHROPY PARTNERS TO HELP LOCAL YOUTH. HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO HELP? I encourage anyone who has been fortunate to figure out how they can give back. We live in a great nation that allows us to have a real shot at a dream every day; it’s our duty to make sure that shot is available to everyone who has drive and passion.

MY TOP SPOTS 1. Rasika (633 D St. NW) near the Verizon Center for super hot Indian dishes that make me cry. Drinks on the patio of (2) Marcel’s (2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) and any meal at (3) Café Milano (3251 Prospect St. NW) is always an adventure. 2. Biking on the C&O Canal north of Blockhouse Point Park feels like you are in the wilderness and not 35 miles from the capital. 3. Picking apples or pumpkins with family at Butlers Orchard. (22200 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, Md.) Hay rides, farm animals and lots of fun with the kids. 4. The Smithsonian Carousel on the National Mall. Kids love it! 5. Fireworks on the Mall. Pyrotechnics against the backdrop of our monuments. There is nothing like it anywhere else. 6. Wizard and Caps playoff games at the Verizon Center: are loud and intense. 7. Watching the Inauguration Day parade from the Newseum; regardless of party, we all celebrate as one nation that day. 8. The evening parade at the Marine Barracks (8th and I Sts. SE). The ceremony, precision and music are truly inspiring.

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RAU L F E R N A N D E Z P H OTO CO U RT E SY; RA S I K A P H OTO BY M I C H A E L J. CO L E L L A ; B U T L E R’S O R C H A R D P H OTO CO U RT E SY W I K I M E D I A CO M M O N S /A LYS O N H U RT; F I R E WO R K S P H OTO CO U RT E SY N P S ; M A R I N E B A R R AC K S P H OTO CO U RT E SY W I K I M E D I A CO M M O N S/ M CC S S P I K E CA L L .

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM WORKING FOR YOUR FIRST BOSS, JACK KEMP? To always be worthy of winning. That meant not winning at any cost or by any means but to truly earn the victory in politics, business and sports. Unfortunately, that spirit is missing today in so many parts of our society. Kemp’s DNA was made up of enthusiasm, passion and being grateful for the opportunities that we are given every day and it was very contagious.