The
Gatekeepers
Key contacts to help you open doors in Washington
It was a natural marriage that started
from the birth of our "City on the Hill."
Washington and Power. Jefferson
wanted to create a democracy, but the
capital was always set up to have a ruling
class, a small group that runs the economy
and therefore just about everything else.
Yes, power is in abundance in Washington:
executive power, judicial power, and legislative
power, and the bottom line is that
everyone wants their share of it.
But, who are the other gatekeepers,
those who are entrusted with care, feeding
and handling the long-term welfare of the
decision makers? How much power do
they really have? They are the maitre d's,
P.R. pros, and school admission officials
and they have access, in a personal way, to
the people everyone wants to know.
We all recognize Franco Nuschese at
Café Milano, but he is not standing at the
door doling out tables and telling you if it
will be two hours or two minutes. Laurent
Menoud is the man you need to make your
pal. Want a direct line to Mrs. Bush? Talk
with stylist extraordinaire Nur i Yurt at
Toka who coifs her hair almost every day.
Need an invite to the Bloomberg party
after the White House Cor respondent's
Association Dinner? Have a dr ink with
Judith Czelusniak, keeper of the list. If you
want access to D.C.'s power, it's all about
knowing who to call on in the chain of command, and sometimes that's not
always at the top. You need to know
the silent gatekeepers.
Power is everywhere even in some
unexpected places. Here's WL's take on
where you might find it.
Admissions Officers
If you have a child, these names should be as familiar to you as George Bush, because they hold the
keys to their future-whether he or she will be a golden NCS alumna or a Maret Frog. At cocktail
parties, people often act nonchalantly about the whole admissions game, but they are devastated
when St. Alban's doesn't send the fat envelope. It's a competitive world and being accepted into "the
right school" is vitally important. Here are some of the admissions officers you might want to know.
Lower, Middle and Secondary Schools
Beauvoir
Lower School (pre-k - Grade 3)• Margaret Hartigan
British School of Washington
Lower (Nursery - Year 2, Ages 3-5), middle (years 3 -7, Ages 6-10)
and Upper School (Years 7-13, ages 11-17) • Anne-Marie Masraff
Episcopal High School
Boarding School (Grades 9-12) • Douglas Price
Foxcroft • All Girls
Boarding School (Grades 9-12) • Becky Gilmore
Georgetown Day School
Lower, Middle and Upper School (Pre-k - Grades 12) • Vince Rowe
Georgetown Preparatory School • All Boys
Secondary School (Grades 9-12)
• Michael Horsey
Georgetown Visitation • All Girls
Secondary School (Grades 9-12)
• Janet Donnelly Keller
Holton Arms
• All Girls School
Lower grades 3-6), Upper School (Grades 7-8) and Upper School (Grades 9-12)
• Sharron K. Rodgers
Landon
• All Boys
Lower School (Grades 3-5)
• Carole Kerns
Middle School (grades 6-8)
• Russell L. Gagarin
Upper School (grades 9-12) • George Mulligan
Director of Admissions • Russell L. Gagarin
The Madeira School • All Girls
Boarding and Day School (Grades 9-12) • Ann Miller
Maret
Lower school (grades K-4) • Elila Levinson
Middle School(grades 5-8) • Morley Clearly
upper school (Grades 9-12) • Zaw Lyn
drector of Admissions • Annie Farquhar
National Cathedral School • All Girls
Lower School(Grades4-6) • Mary Hemphill
Middle School (Grades 7-8) • Erica Hill
Upper School (Grades 9-12) • Denise C. Buchanan,
Director of Admissions
The Potomac School
Lower School (Grades k-3) • Anna Ellenbogen
Middle School (Grades 4-8) • Ed Wokind
Upper School (Grades 9-12) • Charlotte Nelsen
Sidwell Friends
Lower (Grades Pre-k-3),
Middle (Grades 4-8)
and
Upper School (Grades9-12) • Joshua P. Wolman
St. Albans • All Boys
Lower School(grades 4-8)and
Upper School (Grades 9-12) • Mason Lecky
St. Patrick's Episcopal school
lower School (Grades Nursery-8) • Jennifer Danish
Stone Ridge • All Girls
lower School (Grades K-4) and
Middle School (Grades 4-8) • Sr. Karen Olson
Upper School (grades 9-12) • Michelle McPherson
Thomas Jefferson High school for Technology and Science
Upper School (Grades 9-12) • Christel Payne
Washington International School
Lower and Upper School (pre-K - Grade 12) • Dorrie Fuchs
Universities
American University • Sharon Alston
Georgetown University • Charles Deacon
George Washington University • Dr. Katherine Napper
Howard University • Linda Sanders-Hawkins
Restaurants
In his bestselling book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell popularized the phrase "the connectors." Washington's connectors can definitely include managers
and maitre d's at high-end restaurants. You don't just give them your name and wait for a response about your wait time. These are the people that are in
charge of entertaining Washington's elite and they are connected. Sen. Hillary Clinton boasts that Café Milano is a personal favorite and recently celebrated
a birthday dinner there. When the manager of The Palm, Tommy Jacomo, celebrated 30 years at the restaurant, a who's who of D.C. showed up, including Tim
Russert and several senators. If you want that table by the window or any table on a Saturday night, these are some of the people you should know.
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Café Milano •Laurent Menoud
Charlie Palmer Steak •Brian Voltaggio
Citronelle •Jean Jacques
Retourne
Cityzen • Mark Politzer
Clyde's • Kyle Gaffney
DC Coast • Jennifer Roe
Indebleu • Jay Coldren
Kinkead's • Mimi Schneider
Le Paradou • Aykan Demiroglu
Mate • Osmar Nunez
Mie N Yu • Ashley Williams and
Bezawait Mane
Oya • Marcus Brady
The Palm • Tommy Jacomo
Rosa Mexicano • Nikki Lewis
Seasons at the Four Seasons • Julie Saunders
1789 • William Watts
Teatro goldoni • Ingrid Aielli
Zola • Jennifer Burlew
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Private Clubs
Every city has its clubs, a place to separate the ins from the outs. In Washington, these rank among the most exclusive and hardest to get into in the world.
Not even the title of Supreme Court justice could get Sandra Day O'Connor a membership to the very elite Alibi club which limits its membership to 50. It's
rumored that Congressional Country Club snubbed former President Clinton after his presidency ended because they wanted to maintain a conservative
membership base. And it wasn't so far back that the Chevy Chase Club started accepting Jewish members. All the local clubs have their pecking orders,
waiting lists and their "rules and regulations." If you're thinking about joining anytime soon, these are the folks to know.
Alibi Club
The Honorable Roger Kirk,
Proctor
Army Navy Club
Gen. William Maloney,
President
City Tavern Club
Jeff Kimbell, President
Chevy chase Club
J. Edmund Willington, III,
President
Columbia Country Club
Martin R. West, III, President
Congressional
Country Club
John F. O'Neil, Jr., President
Cosmos Club
Joseph R. Gunn, President
Georgetown Club
John Guttenburg, President
of Board of Directors
Metropolitan Club
Robin Martin, President
Sulgrave Club
Catherine Eshelman, President
University Club
Richard J. McBride, Jr.,
President
Lobbyist
Lobbyists have access to the most powerful people in town. They can get a meeting with Sen. Ted Stevens just before appropriations time, or a
dinner with an undecided vote. While we like to think this is a country "by and of the people," the reality is that lobbyists have an insiders' view
on who and what wins or loses here.
Gary Andres, Dutko Worldwide
Thomas Boggs, Patton Boggs
Gerald Cassidy, Cassidy & Associates
Howard Cohen, HC Associates Inc.
Linda Daschle, Baker, Donelson, Bearman,
Caldwell & Berkowitz
Dennis DeConcini, Parry, Romani,
DeConcini & Symms
Kenneth Duberstein, Duberstein Group
Vic Fazio, Clark & Weinstock
Harold Ford Sr., Harold Ford & Co.
Ed Gillespie, Quinn Gillespie
G.O. Lanny Griffith. Barbour, Griffith and Rogers
Larry Harlow, Timmons & Co.
Mark Isakowitz, Fierce, Isakowitz and Blalock
Joel Jankowsky, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld
Joel Johnson, Glover Park Group
Bob Livingston, The Livingston Group
Bob
Michel, Hogan & Hartson
George Mitchell, Piper Rudnick Former
Bruce Mehlman,
Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Mehlman
Loren Monroe, Barbour Griffith & Rogers
Jim Pitts, D.C. Navigators
Anthony Podesta, PodestaMattoon
Jack Quinn, Quinn Gillespie
Thomas Quinn, Venable
Steve Ricchetti, Ricchetti Inc.
Aubrey Rothrock, Patton Boggs
Tim Rupli, Rupli and Associates
Vin Weber, Clark & Weinstock
Juleanna Glover Weiss, Ashcroft Group
Anne Wexler, Wexler and Walker Public
Policy Associates
Charities and organizations
Washington's many social institutions and charities provide access to the power players. Want to get to know Supreme Court justices?
They like to attend events at the National Gallery. Though rarely seen outside the Pentagon and White House, Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld and World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz are fans of the Washington National Opera and recently attended its Golden
Gala. Though many current Administration big-wigs are less social than their predecessors, they'll gladly lend support if the cause is
right. These charities are some of the best at bringing out the power.
Best Buddies
Best Friends Foundation
The Cathedral Choral Society
Charity Works
The Corcoran Gallery of Art
Fight for Childen, Inc.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Generation Engage
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Meridian International Center
The National Gallery of art
The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts
National
Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Symphony
The Phillips Collection
The Shakespeare Theatre
The Smithsonian Institution
Starlight Foundation
USO
The Washington Ballet
The Washington Nationals Foundation
The Washington National Opera
Vital Voices
Press and PR
If you're sipping your cocktail at a restaurant opening and wondering who half the people are, more likely than not they are the public relations
representatives and social reporters who have this town in their Blackberries. Their job is to know who's in and who's out and to help make the difference.
Here are just some of the folks you should know.
Press
Mary Ann Akers, Roll Call
Amy Argetsinger, The Washington Post
Kevin Chaffee, The Washington Times
Jeff Dufour, The Hill
Karen Feld, The Examiner
Harry Jaffe, The Washingtonian
Linda Kramer, People magazine
Bob Madigan, WTOP
John McCaslin, The Washington Times
Roxanne Roberts, The Washington Post
Susan Watters, WWD Daily, W
PR
Thea Bowers, Thea Bowers & Assoc.
Judith Czelusniak, Bloomberg Party PR
Susan davis, Susan Davis International
Janet Donovan, Creative Enterprises, Inc.
Heather Freeman, Heather Freeman
Media
Leslie Hayes, Hayes and Associates
Joan Hisaoka, Hisaoka Public Relations
Mary Jo Klein
Ann Walker Marchant, Walker Marchant Group
Carolyn Peachey, Cambpell/Peachey Associates
Ellen Proxmire
Linda Roth, Linda Roth & Assoc.
Jan Staihar
Concierges
These concierges keep their rolodexes fat and know all the best maitre' d's and travel agents in town. They can help find those last minute Wizards
tickets, or book you for a blow-dry appointment at Salon George.
Four Seasons
Javier Loureiro (202) 342-0444
The Jefferson
Gabi Steiner (202) 347-2200
The Madison
Tony Brown, BB Hallarez and Radmilla Jackovich (202) 862-3740
Mandarin Oriental
Samir Abdelgelil, Daniel Klibanoff,
Clyde Eads, Lynn Hight and Ryad Kouidri (202) 554-8588
Renaissance Mayflower
Ronny Monfort (202) 347-4430
Ritz Carlton, Downtown
(Sports Club LA)
Chiaki Adams, Michael High, Mardy Babineauand
and Robert Bornschein (202) 835-0550
Ritz Carlton, Georgetown
Charles Gilbert, Gary Chou, Emma Hutchinson, Mayumi Hu,
Jeremy Bartel and Joshua Cummings (202) 638-2626
Ritz Carlton,
Tysons Corner
Nick Carbonara, Rudi Gocer and Dwayne Coleman (703) 506-4300
St. Regis
James
Roberts (202) 638-2626
The Willard
Robert Watson (202) 628-9100
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