Greetings! - Welcome to the Economic Club’s newsletter – your source for upcoming events and program updates. Let’s start with 4 Big Things: | | President and CEO's Message | |
Washingtonian's Most Powerful Women and Washington Business Journal's Power 250 List
In the Economic Club’s 40th year, 146 of our members were named on two of the region’s 2026 leadership lists: Washingtonian’s Most Powerful Women in Washington and the Washington Business Journal’s Power 250.
Many of whom serve on our board and serve as annual sponsors, signifying the depth of expertise of our organization. Congratulations to every honoree on both lists!
Sincerely,
| | 2026 Midterm Election Ballot | |
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. invites members to submit their projections for the 2026 Midterm Elections, including the outcomes of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and gubernatorial races and the resulting balance of power in both chambers.
All Members are eligible to complete a ballot. Guests of Members who attended the October 21 event are also eligible. The deadline for the ballot is November 2 at 10:00 pm. The winner will be announced at an upcoming Club event.
| | Recent Event: INSIDE THE OWNER'S BOX: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports | | |
October 15, 2026 - A discussion of Chairman David Rubenstein’s new book, Inside the Owner’s Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports, included four sports owners featured in the book.
Josh Harris of the Washington Commanders and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Michele Kang of Kynisca Sports International and the Washington Spirit, Ted Leonsis of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and chairman of the NHL Board of Governors, and David Rubenstein of the Baltimore Orioles discussed their journeys into sports ownership and multi-club ownership models. They also covered the current state of the sports industry and growing global interest in U.S. sports.
This conversation was moderated by Economic Club Member Mark Ein, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Venturehouse Group, Owner of The Mubadala DC Open, and a partner in the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Orioles and Leeds United.
Event Video | Event Podcast | Event Transcript
| | Recent Event: 2026 Election Panel | |
October 21, 2026 - Less than two weeks before Election Day, Economic Club Chairman David Rubenstein interviewed a panel of the nation’s leading political journalists: Kasie Hunt, Anchor and Chief National Affairs Analyst of CNN; Nikole Killion, Congressional Correspondent of CBS News; Ben Smith, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Semafor; and Jonathan Swan, White House Reporter of The New York Times.
The panelists shared insights on the upcoming U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and gubernatorial races, including recent poll results, key voter issues, expected turnout and mail-in ballots. They also discussed how the outcomes and the resulting balance of power in Congress could affect the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term and the 2028 presidential election.
Event Video | Event Podcast | Event Transcript
| | Join us in welcoming 11 new Economic Club members. Connect with new members on LinkedIn using the links below! |
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Cristina Antelo, Founding Principal & CEO, Ferox Strategies
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Sean Barnes, Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Investment Officer, United Educators
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Gregory Bowman, Chief Global Policy Officer and Head of External Affairs, USA Rare Earth, Inc.
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Yasmine Gahed, Market President & Publisher, Washington Business Journal
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Mark Jacobsen, Co-Founder & CEO, IntraFi, LLC
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Philippe Lanier, CEO, EastBanc Inc.
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John Lepore, Head of Public Policy, US, Moderna, Inc.
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Richard G. Mills, Jr., President & CEO, United Educators
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Ron Morgan, Founder & Managing Member, Morgan Excelerant Advisors
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John Pitts, Vice President for Government Relations, Public Policy, and Social Impact, Affirm Holdings, Inc.
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Ryan Riel, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Real Estate Lending Officer, EagleBank
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Help Membership Committee co-chairs Dan Kotter and Omar Vargas reach our goals for membership for 2026. Nominate a new member or contact staff with questions.

| | Upcoming Member-Led Forums | |
The Economic Club invites you to participate in our upcoming Fall Member-Led Forums. These forums cover diverse topics, including leadership, arts, the economy, deepfakes, artificial intelligence, and more.
These forums provide additional opportunities for members to connect with one another in a small, virtual setting to discuss important issues of the day. They are topic-driven, member-only, and off-the-record.
Hosts and topics include:
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Kirsten Wegner, CEO, Index Industry Association - AI and the Future of Financial Indexes: Key industry trends.
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Courtney Spaeth, CEO, growth[period] - Digital Attacks, Real-World Danger: Deepfakes, data, and the growing threats to you as leaders and your families. With special guest Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti.
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Chris Ellis, Senior Commercial Executive – Virginia, Huntington National Bank - What Do Band of Brothers, Ted Lasso and The Great British Baking Show Have in Common? Three very different lessons in leadership, culture and building teams that thrive.
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Sandra Swirski, Founder, Integer - A Legacy Conversation for Wealth Creators, Stewards and Heirs. With special guest Renee Byng Yancey, President & CEO of Community Foundation of Northern Virginia.
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Markus Weiss, President & CFO, Miltenyi Biotec North America - How Enterprises Shift Their Strategic Priorities in an Ever Changing World?
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Jan Bayer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Axel Springer SE - The Future of the Transatlantic Economy: An exploration of the political, economic and cultural forces shaping transatlantic ties, how different approaches to innovation, speed and risk influence growth, and what Europe and the U.S. can learn from each other.
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Tami Conetta, President, Greater Washington, D.C., Northern Trust - Assessing the Impact of the Arts: Why arts and culture matters to communities and corporations.
| | Recap of Fall Member-Hosted Dinners | |
The Economic Club has completed our Fall Member-Hosted Dinners.
These gatherings provide an informal opportunity to participate in peer-to-peer discussion and networking with fellow Economic Club members on the most important topics, trends, and challenges facing business today, while enjoying a nice meal in a more intimate setting.
Special thanks to this season's hosts:
- David DeSantis, CEO, TTR Sotheby's International Realty
- Stephen K. Orr, Managing Partner, Orr Group
- Jeanelle Johnson, East Region Leader and D.C. Managing Partner, PwC
- Monica Schmude, President, Virginia, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Julie Goon, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Elevance Health
- Ian Jefferson, Regional Managing Partner, Atlantic Region, McKinsey & Company and Nora Gardner, Senior Partner, Washington, D.C., Office, McKinsey & Company
- Monica Dalwadi, Eastern Region Managing Principal, Baker Tilly
- Dr. Ellen Granberg, President, The George Washington University
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Anthony Shop, Co-Founder of Social Driver and Host of the Chief Influencer Podcast - Co-Hosted with H.E. Georg Sparber, Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the United States.
- Tim McBride, President, STE North America, Inc.
| | Left Image: Member Dinner hosted by Jeanelle Johnson of PwC | | Right Image: Member Dinner hosted by Monica Dalwadi of Baker Tilly | | Left Image: Member Dinner hosted by Tim McBride of STE North America, Inc. | | Right Image: Member Dinner hosted by Anthony Shop of Social Driver | | A message from our Title Partner | | The Economic Club thanks our annual sponsors for their continued support. Proceeds of sponsorships benefit Club programming and community engagement. | | | | |
