Greetings! - Welcome to the Economic Club’s newsletter – your source for upcoming events and program updates. Let’s start with 3 Big Things: | |
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Four Upcoming Events: Learn more about these events below
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2026 David M. Rubenstein/Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Scholarship Ceremony Recap Video. Watch here.
- 13 New Members: Welcome to the Club!
| | Recent Event: Joaquin Duato, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson | |
June 16, 2026 - Joaquin Duato, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, joined Chairman David M. Rubenstein for a conversation on the future of medical innovation, the economics of the pharmaceutical industry, and what it takes to lead the world's largest health care company by revenue through a period of rapid reinvention.
Duato traced Johnson & Johnson's deliberate decision to spin off its consumer division and concentrate on medical innovation — a shift that helped deliver one of the strongest years of shareholder return in the company's history. He outlined the company's ambition to become the number-one oncology company by 2030, identified neurodegeneration and dementia as the defining challenge facing the industry, and described artificial intelligence as a "force multiplier" accelerating drug discovery and enabling smarter medical devices. On global competition, Duato made the case that sustained U.S. leadership in life sciences depends on continued investment in research, protection of intellectual property, and the ability to attract the best talent.
"I think the biggest challenge for the health-care industry, and for the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, is to address the issue of neurodegeneration and dementia... So I think this is the most important problem, in my view, that the industry can address. And we are working on that at Johnson & Johnson in trying to identify that." – Joaquin Duato, Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson
Event Video | Event Podcast | Event Transcript
| | Join us in welcoming 13 new Economic Club members. Connect with new members on LinkedIn using the links below! | |
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Matthew Chiller, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Jacobs Solutions, Inc.
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Donald Davidson, Director, Industry-Government Relations and Head of the Washington Office, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
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Chris Ellis, Senior Commercial Executive – Virginia, Huntington National Bank
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Holly Fulp, Deputy CFO & Chief Strategy Officer, Paylocity
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Michael Harlow, Office Managing Partner, DC Metro, CohnReznick LLP
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Rob Hornbuckle, Chief Information Officer & Chief Operations Officer, Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT)
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Elizabeth King, Global Head of Clearing and Chief Regulatory Officer, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
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Ted Lehman, Senior Vice President, Head, US Public Policy & Government Affairs, Paramount
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Colleen Litkenhaus, Vice President, Government Affairs, North America, Dow
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Jen Mason, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Marriott International, Inc.
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Damon Porter, Global Head, Corporate Government Affairs, Veralto, Inc.
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Leo Tucker, Managing Partner, Washington, D.C., Northwestern Mutual
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John Warren, Managing Director, Mid-Atlantic Growth Leader and Client Engagement, Aon
| 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. | | Executive Fellows Program | | |
On May 28, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. hosted the spring Executive Fellows Innovation Series in partnership with the George Washington Leadership Institute at Mount Vernon. Fellows spent the morning translating George Washington's leadership principles into modern practice, with a focus on communication, organizational strategy, and collaboration.
The program continued with lunch on the terrace of the David M. Rubenstein Leadership Hall at the George Washington Presidential Library, followed by a tour of the Mount Vernon mansion and a special wreath-laying ceremony at Washington's tomb.
Special thanks to Dr. Douglas Bradburn, Dr. Peter H. Cressy, and Heather Soubra, PCC, for an exceptional program.
| | Congratulations to the 2026 David M. Rubenstein/ Economic Club Scholarship Winners! | | |
On Monday, June 1, the 18th annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Our newest class of 50 David M. Rubenstein/Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Scholarship recipients was formally recognized and celebrated by their families, counselors, teachers, and Economic Club members.
In addition to meeting David Rubenstein, the scholars heard remarks from Economic Club Vice Chair Gina Adams, Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Nikole Killion of CBS News.
This year, the Economic Club proudly recognized Najya Williams, MD with the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award. A first-generation student, Najya received our scholarship in 2016 after graduating from School Without Walls High School, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with high honors from Harvard University. She is now a physician, award-winning poet, and community leader, having earned her Doctor of Medicine and a Graduate Certificate in Narrative Medicine from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University before beginning her Family Medicine residency at UPMC St. Margaret Hospital.
Special thanks to our ceremony sponsors Fort Lincoln New Town Corporation, Forvis Mazars, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
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Summer Internship Orientation
The Summer Internship Program orientation was held May 27—29 and included terrific member engagement with our intern cohort.
On day one, the interns participated in cohort community building, a personal finance session, and an etiquette lunch hosted at the National Restaurant Association with Club member Michelle Korsmo providing remarks.

Day two included the popular Go-See program which provided 20 meetings for our interns across downtown DC. Afterwards, the interns engaged with program alumni in roundtable mentoring conversations. Day three featured a time management workshop, a meet and greet with their managers, and a rooftop networking reception with members. See additional photos from meetings below!
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Mark Your Calendars: Summer Internship Capstone Presentations!
Join us on July 17 for the Summer Internship Capstone Presentation, where participating interns will share key takeaways from their experiences, highlighting new skills and insights gained.
Members are encouraged to serve as coaches - offering feedback and encouragement as we collectively invest in the next generation of leaders!
| | 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. | | | | |
