Greetings! - Welcome to the Economic Club’s newsletter – your source for upcoming events and program updates. Let’s start with 4 Big Things:

1. Six Upcoming Events: Learn more about these events below
2. Economic Club Day at Washington Nationals Park - Purchase Your Tickets
3. Kicking off the New Season: Welcome our 21 New Members
4. Thank you to the members who coached at our 2026 Summer Capstone Event

Upcoming Events

Recent Event: David Joyner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health

July 9, 2026 -  David Joyner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CVS Health, joined Chairman David M. Rubenstein for a conversation on how the company's integrated model of pharmacy, insurance, and community-based care is reshaping the way Americans access and afford health care.

Joyner discussed how CVS Health's four connected businesses, its 9,000 pharmacies across all 50 states, the Caremark pharmacy benefit manager, Aetna, and a growing network of clinics, fit together to serve roughly 185 million people and take cost and friction out of a fragmented system. He addressed the trajectory of national health-care spending, projected to rise from $6 trillion in 2026 to $9 trillion by 2034, the expanding clinical role of the nation's 30,000 pharmacists, and the company's turnaround, with its stock up approximately 65 percent since he became CEO.

"It's amazing how technology is so advanced in other industries, and in health care today there's still pockets of data that's not shared … I think technology is going to have a meaningful change in how health care is accessed. And I think it's going to be better for the consumer." – David Joyner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health

Event Video | Event Podcast | Event Transcript

Recent Event: Jill Tiefenthaler, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the National Geographic Society

July 15, 2026 -  Jill Tiefenthaler, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the National Geographic Society, joined Board Officer Lawrence Di Rita, President of Greater Washington, D.C. at Bank of America, for a conversation on the Society's evolution from a 138-year-old Washington institution into a global engine for science, exploration, and storytelling.

Tiefenthaler traced the Society's arc from its 1888 founding at the Cosmos Club to the present day, marking more than 120 years in the District and the recent opening of its new Museum of Exploration, part of a campus that now holds over 100,000 square feet of public space. As the first woman to lead the Society, she walked through its approach to finding and backing explorers around the world and its recent fundraising, which reached roughly $100 million a year for four years and $200 million last year. She also made the case for storytelling as the Society's most durable tool for reaching the next generation.

Recent Event: Alan M. Garber, MD, PhD, President, Harvard University

July 23, 2026 - Alan M. Garber, President of Harvard University, joined Chairman David M. Rubenstein for a conversation on the role of America's research universities in driving scientific discovery, economic competitiveness, and the next generation of talent.

Garber described a period of extraordinary scientific momentum, pointing to unprecedented breakthroughs in medicine and the fields being transformed by artificial intelligence. He argued that the United States has long led the world in science because it draws talent from everywhere. Against that backdrop, he addressed the pressures facing U.S. research universities, including the federal research partnership, the new endowment tax projected to cost Harvard roughly $300 million a year, and a national decline in international students and postdoctoral scholars. He also discussed how universities are adapting to AI in teaching and research, from the return of in-person exams to new approaches to personalized learning.

"I want to again get to uncertainty - when people are deciding to start careers or go and create companies in these areas that draw on science and technology. They think about the prospect of success, of being successful long term, and we send a signal when funding for these kinds of activities are threatened." – Alan M. Garber, MD, PhD, President, Harvard University

Event Video | Event Podcast | Event Transcript

Welcome New Members

Join us in welcoming 23 new Economic Club members. Connect with new members on LinkedIn using the links below!

• Laura Adams, Partner, Accounting Advisory & Government Contracting Industry Leader, CrossCountry Consulting
• The Honorable Alex M. Azar II, Chairman, Seraphim Strategies, LLC
• Key Compton, President & CEO, FiscalNote
• Caroline Decker, Chief Government Affairs Officer, GFT Infrastructure Inc.
• David Doherty, Co-Founder & President, D|Watts Construction
• Caroline Eliassen, Vice President, Government Affairs, Phillips 66
• Eric Feldman, Co-Lead, U.S. Federal Affairs, General Motors
• Sarah Heintzman, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, PenFed Credit Union
• Lawrence Kast, Senior Vice President, Global Government Relations, Solstice Advanced Materials
• Timothy Lowery, Managing Director, Retail and Mixed-Use Americas, U.S. East and U.S. Sunbelt, Hines
• Giuseppe Mastroeli, Executive Vice President, Beltway Market Leader – Wealth Management, Wilmington Trust Company
• Nicky McHugh, Global Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Xylem Inc.
• Tiffany Moore, Head of Federal Policy & Government Affairs, Waymo LLC
• Mara Motherway, Senior Vice President and Head of Government Relations, USAA
• Scott Mulhauser, Partner & Public Affairs Lead, Bully Pulpit International
• Stéphanie Oueda Cruz     
• Eduardo Peñalver, President, Georgetown University                      
• The Honorable Mark Pryor, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
• Chad Ramey, Head of U.S. Government and Regulatory Affairs, BNP Paribas
• Tanisha Sanders, Senior Vice President, Corporate & Legislative Affairs, ITG Brands, LLC
• Tilcia Toledo, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting Inc.
• Alexandra Veitch, Senior Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Americas, YouTube
• Pam Yee, Managing Partner, Washington, D.C., Bain & Company

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.



2026 Summer Internship Capstone Presentation

The Economic Club’s 2026 Summer Internship Program concluded last week with a Capstone Presentation featuring 33 outstanding scholars. They were chosen for internships at our member organizations through a competitive application and interview process.

The Capstone Presentation marked the culmination of the David M. Rubenstein/Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Scholar’s summer internship experience.

During the event, participating interns presented key takeaways from their internships, highlighting new skills and insights gained. Members served as coaches, offering feedback and encouragement—further demonstrating our Club's commitment to developing the next generation of leaders.

We acknowledge the engagement and mentorship provided by Economic Club members who served as coaches at the event.

Economic Club Officer Lawrence Di Rita, Chair of the Education Committee providing closing remarks.

The Economic Club thanks our annual sponsors for their continued support. Proceeds of sponsorships benefit Club programming and community engagement.