The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Scholars to Leaders Newsletter

The David M. Rubenstein/ Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Scholarship is the cornerstone of the Scholars to Leaders programming. We are grateful for Gina Adams' leadership of the Education Committee as chair for the last two terms. As Carol Melton shared when Gina was honored with the Arne M. Sorenson Leadership Award last month, she “has inspired and steadily created a pipeline of well-qualified and ambitious young scholars who will be our future innovators and leaders across industries for generations to come.” Gina, the Club’s Vice Chair, and Senior Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs for FedEx Corporation, will continue to serve and provide guidance as a member of the Education Committee.  During our June Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors elected Lawrence Di Rita to succeed Gina. Larry has served on the Board of Directors since 2020 and co-chaired the Racial Equity Task Force. He is currently the Head of Global Public Policy & President, Greater Washington, D.C. at Bank of America and involved in a number of philanthropic activities including formerly serving as a director of the DC-College Access Program. The Committee includes 18 members of the Economic Club who provide outstanding guidance and oversight.

David M. Rubenstein/ Economic Club  Scholarship Recipients 2022

For the 14th year, the Economic Club is proud to welcome the newest David M. Rubenstein/Economic Club Scholars. These 54 scholars are graduates of both D.C. Public and D.C. Public Charter schools and will each receive $20,000 over the course of four years of study. Scholars will be attending 34 colleges and universities across 12 states.

The Economic Club celebrated the scholars via a virtual awards ceremony featuring David M. Rubenstein, Club Chairman, Gina Adams, Vice Chair and outgoing Chair of Education for the Economic Club, and Mary Brady, President & CEO of The Economic Club. For the fifth year in a row, a grant from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation extended scholarships to five additional scholars. Watch the Awards Ceremony Here >>

Since 2009, the program has provided $9.7 million to 656 D.C. graduates. Scholars participate in programming meant to support college transition, college completion, and entrance to meaningful careers. Programming begins during the summer after high school graduation and continues through graduation and beyond.

Professional Development Seminars 2022 Scholars

Each summer the Economic Club provides professional development seminars to prepare the newest class of recipients for their college transition.  On July 6th, our newest Economic Club scholars participated in a full day in-person seminar. Economic Club member, Lezlee Westine, President and CEO, Personal Care Products Council, provided a member welcome, congratulated scholars as they embark on their new collegiate journey, and generously sponsored lunch. Throughout the day, scholars learned from guests Judi Biggs Garbuio, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs, Catholic University (Academic Success), Alex Figueroa, Consumer Market Leader, Bank of America (Money Management), and Economic Club Staff (Time Management, Soft Skills, Adjusting to Campus Life). Thank you to Andrew Flagel, President and CEO, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, and Bank of America for their support.   On July 11th, Accenture hosted our second professional development seminar. Economic Club member, Marty Rodgers, Accenture's Market Unit Lead - South & Metro and Washington DC Office Managing Director, inspired scholars to embrace their journey. He encouraged scholars to consider how they will impact the world -- quoting Marian Wright Edelman, "service is the rent we pay". Participants had the opportunity to engage in several relationship-building games and a team-based case study exercise simulating challenges faced in the college application process. Additionally, Economic Club interns and alumni who work at Accenture shared personal experiences related to their college transition.

Economic Club Summer Internship Program

Since 2014, the Club’s scholars have greatly benefited from internship opportunities generously provided by Economic Club membership organizations. The valuable summer experience has helped scholars to develop skill sets, experience and networks critical to securing job offers upon graduation in their desired fields, as well as providing a diverse talent pipeline to the host organizations. The Club continues to partner with Urban Alliance to offer a robust summer training and internship experience. Through this program, 34 rising college juniors, seniors and recent graduates were offered the opportunity to gain work experience and earn money to help with their continuing education. The dynamic summer program involved pre-work training, weekly professional development seminars, and culminated with a Public Speaking Challenge. We are deeply grateful to Members who hosted interns - and to the 23 Members who joined the Public Speaking Challenge as judges, providing valuable feedback and good wishes to the interns.

Thank you to our 2022 summer internship hosts!

Accenture American Gas Association  Anderson Tax Blank Rome Brookfield Properties DC Volunteer Lawyers Project The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Executive Leadership Council Farmer Mac FedEx Corporation Focused Ultrasound Foundation The Glenmede Trust Company Greater Washington Urban League Legal Aid MedStar Center for Ethics National Park Foundation National Journal PenFed Credit Union Personal Care Products Council Running Start Serco The Phillips Collection Urban Alliance  Volkswagen Group of America  Washington Performing Arts

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Scholars to Leaders Fellowship

In 2021, The Economic Club launched the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Scholars to Leaders Fellowship, awarding six outstanding applicants $10,000 to support their graduate-level education. Two scholars have successfully completed their graduate level courses and shared their experience with us:

Queen Hudgins, 2013 Economic Club Scholar Queen Hudgins earned a B.A in Sociology from Winston-Salem State University in 2017 and Masters in Human Resources from Trinity Washington University in 2021. She is a first-generation college student and currently works at the Department of Behavioral Health as a Human Resource Manager.  “Grad school has shown me that I am stronger than I think! …I am bigger than my doubts! Impactful, resourceful, understanding, and thoughtful --words I would use to describe my experience as a fellowship winner.”

Sakina Musa, 2015 Economic Club Scholar Sakina Musa earned a B.A. in Public Health in 2020 and Masters of Public Health in 2022 from Simmons University. Sakina is passionate about ending food insecurities in her D.C. Community, more specifically in Wards 7 and 8. “The Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Fellowship provided me with an opportunity to help improve the conditions of vulnerable populations. Acquiring an MPH is a necessary credential to joining this fight, and higher education does not come cheap. This fellowship is greatly appreciated and has helped me significantly."

Scholars to Leaders Mentoring Program

The Scholars to Leaders Mentoring Program brings together scholarship recipients with Economic Club members and scholarship alumni to discuss a variety of topics and provide scholars an opportunity to network with peers, members, alumni, emerging leaders, and associate members. In 2020, the program pivoted to a virtual format for group mentoring. The sessions begin with a panel discussion with interactive Q&A, followed by breakout rooms for smaller networking conversations. Panel discussions were recorded and indexed for future dissemination. During FY22, Scholars to Leaders Mentoring Program hosted nine virtual sessions. We increased engagement amongst both Club panelists and scholars as we refined the virtual format this year. A total of 57 members, emerging leaders and guests, 38 alumni and 67 Economic Club Scholars participated during the year. Previous mentoring events can be found on YouTube.

A selection of Mentor Monday flyers

Thank you to Economic Club member Mentor Monday participants!

LuAnn Bennett, Bennett Group Richard Bynum, PNC Bank Philip de Picciotto, Octagon Dan Dooley, Tishman Speyer Margaret Dunning, Finn Partners Lynda Ellis, Captial Concierge Andrew Flagel, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area Michele Hagans, Fort Lincoln Newtown Corp. Chris Hartman, City National Bank Ximena Hartsock, BuildWithin, Inc. Michael Hickey, Glenmede Trust Company Ernie Jarvis, Jarvis Commercial Real Estate Beth Johnson, RP3 Agency Jeff Joseph, Software & Information Industry Association Lynnette Kelly, LK Consulting, Inc. David Kessler, CohnReznick LLP Gary Knell, Boston Consulting Group Edward Levin, retired Elizabeth Lewis, Cooley LLP Tamera Luzzatto, Pew Charitable Trusts Brittany Masalosalo, HP Robert Milkovich, rand* construction corporation Greg Meyer, Brookfield Properties Heather Nickerson, Artifcts, Inc. Raj Patil, American Consultant (AEEC) Tricia Primrose, Marriott International, Inc. Aparna Ramesh, Farmer Mac Pam Rothenberg, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP Kyle Shoppmann, CBRE Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association Steven Stanton, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory Susan Tynan, Framebridge Lezlee Westine, Personal Care Products Council Wendelin White, Goulston & Storrs Conrad Woody, Odgers Berndtson

Alumni Leadership Council

The Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) is composed of past scholarship recipients who have graduated from college and are now young professionals. The Alumni Leaders meet quarterly to provide input on education programming, steer our alumni engagement efforts and act as leaders within the alumni community.   Recently, ALC members participated in a bonding event by completing an Escape Room challenge. The Economic Club Sponsored this event to thank the alumni for their hard work throughout the year, and as a welcome to our new ALC Board Members: Nico Hinkle, Chair; Ian Terry Tcheliebou, Vice Chair; and Katie Rosales, Secretary. Learn more about ALC members and the Alumni Program here.

Scholar Spotlight

Harold Martin, 2018 Economic Club Scholar, H.D. Woodson High School Harold is a rising Senior at Radford University, studying social work. During a DCPS-sponsored trip to Senegal in high school, Harold developed a love of photography that has blossomed into a thriving side business. You can see his portfolio at his website, www.haroldmartinphotography.com where he currently specializes in graduation portraits. Harold is passionate about making a difference in the world on a macro level by influencing the younger generation. He hopes to take advantage of the Economic Club’s new fellowship grant program in the future to earn a master’s degree. He has a message to Economic Club members: “I can’t thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to pursue my goals.”

Montana Lee, 2018 Economic Club Scholar, School Without Walls High School Montana is a spring 2022 graduate of Duke University with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering. An avid world traveler, Montana has visited seven of the world’s top ten museums. As a summer intern, she was a team member designing and programming a “College Interview” skill for the Amazon product “Alexa”. She also co-authored a successful bill in the D.C. government to remove tax on feminine hygiene products which became law. After last summer’s successful remote internship with Morgan Stanley, Montana plans to join their Equity Sales and Trading division in New York after graduation.

Alumni Spotlight

Asia Leath, 2014 Economic Club Scholar, IDEA Public Charter School Asia is a 2018 graduate of University of North Carolina at Greensboro, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Communications and a minor in business. Asia is a self-starter who grasps every opportunity and excels at every challenge. During high school, she didn’t expect to attend college but went on to graduate summa cum laude, then obtained a master’s degree in Digital Strategy from University of Florida. As an Economic Club summer intern with Accenture, she was involved with a refugee crisis project which culminated in her giving a worldwide presentation discussing a website she helped launch. Following college graduation, Asia joined the Accenture Federal team and currently resides in Chicago, working remotely as a Digital Product Manager Specialist and promoting economic empowerment.

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Economic Club Education Committee

Gina Adams Vice Chair of the Board of the Economic Club, Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, FedEx Corporation

Welcome to our new Education Committee Chair: Lawrence Di Rita Head of Global Public Policy & President, Greater Washington, D.C., Bank of America

Committee Members:

Kendrick Ashton Co-Founder, Managing Partner, The St. James Group Jenny Bilfield President & CEO, Washington Performing Arts Mary Brady President & CEO, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Toni Cook Bush Richard Bynum Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, PNC Bank Margaret Dunning Managing Partner, Finn Partners Dr. Jeffrey Eisenach Managing Director, NERA Economic Consulting Terri Fariello Senior Vice President - Government Affairs & Global Public Policy, United Airlines, Inc Dr. Andrew Flagel President & CEO, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area

Bradley Flickinger Senior Managing Director, CBRE AJ Jones Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs, Starbucks Corporation Lynnette Kelly President & CEO, LK Consulting Inc. M. Charito Kruvant Chairperson, Creative Associates International Elizabeth Lewis Partner, Cooley LLP Daniel Murrin Harsha Murthy Managing Partner, Consummate Capital LLC Marty Rodgers Senior Managing Director US Southeast & Metro DC, Accenture Kevin Smithson Mid-Atlantic Managing Partner, PWC Robert Yerman Managing Director, AlixPartners LLP

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