The Power 100

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THE 10TH ANNUAL

POWER

WASHINGTON’S MOST INFLUENTIAL

MY WASHINGTON: THIEVERY CORPORATION’S ERIC HILTON | SPORTS: D.C. UNITED’S CHRIS PONTIUS AND STEVE BIRNBAUM FASHION: PLAYFUL GINGHAM AND GROOVY ’70s PRINTS | HOME LIFE: QUARRY SPRINGS AND SOTHEBY’S REAL ESTATE

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POWER DINING SPOTS: RUTH’S CHRIS TURNS 50

10th annual

Hillary Clinton

Matthew Brooks

Bret Baier

power100

Gwen Ifill

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

- Abraham Lincoln

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Howard Fineman

s our nation passes the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and ponders what could have been had the leader who saw our country through the Civil War not been shot at Ford’s Theater in 1865, it seemed fitting to begin our 10th annual compilation of Washington’s most powerful citizens with a quote from a president who showed us his character through his influence and who used his power to unite our country.

As Frank Keating, president of the American Banking Association said to us of Lincoln, “Only he had the fierce focus and kind heart to save the Union and to free the slaves.”

Although “heart” and character were not among our criteria, as their definitions are subjective, we would argue that no matter where you stand on the political spectrum, you’ll agree the individuals listed here, in their positions of power, have remained true to themselves and the value of the roles they play.

The rules we follow when determining who appears in the Power 100 remain: 1) knowledge is power, 2) influence is power, 3) access is power, 4) the perception of power is power and 5) money can translate into power if used effectively.

The list does not include anyone who draws a government salary as there are plenty of directories that hold that information, and the hierarchy for members of Congress is based on rank and seniority. Still, the individuals you’ll see on the following pages exert an enormous amount of power in the nation’s capital. Many have served Presidents and could one day be back at the White House. They are innovators

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Christine Lagarde

Karl Rove

who’ve helped make our city a technology hub, lobbyists for banks and corporations that control much of America’s wealth, advocates for the arts, education and the environment and journalists whose stories sway votes and impact elections.

Because the tectonic plates of power are continuously shifting in Washington, we’ve added 45 new names for 2015 – some making their debut on the list, such as Instagram Chief Operating Officer Marne Levine, who is representing the company as it continues to grow and attract millions of users worldwide. Others are returning, like John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton who is now chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Just over half are lobbyists, political consultants and think tank associates. Five are involved in Israel-related groups and four are labor leaders.

Approximately 20 are business leaders, with roughly half in tech and the rest in finance, defense, real estate and health care. About 14 are in media.

Approximately 30 of the 100 lean right, 34 lean left and 36 are either in the center or equal-opportunity operators.This year’s list also highlights 23 remarkable women who have cracked the glass ceiling.

Our Power 100 reflects the intersection of money and power and some of those in the Fourth Estate who check it. But they and others have much work to do. As President Obama said to the Washington press corps during his remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner last month,“investigative journalism, explanatory journalism, journalism that exposes corruption and injustice and gives voice to the ... marginalized and the voiceless — that’s power.” >>

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h ea dshots : f i le p hotos, cou rte sy p hotos a nd w iki m ed ia com mo ns

Jose Andres

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Robert Allbritton & Kim Kingsley Chairman and CEO, Allbritton Communications; COO, Politico His family spent four decades in the broadcasting business, but last August Robert Allbritton sold his television properties, including WJLA, to Sinclair Broadcast Group for $985 million. He remains publisher of POLITICO and Capital New York and is now focused on expanding the influence of his new media empire. In April, Allbritton went international with POLITICO Europe after acquiring the Brussels-based European Voice, and announced plans to triple the size of POLITICO in the next four years. The company is also launching several state-based publications just in time for the 2016 election. Cofounder Jim VandeHei says they’ll go live “in a cascading series of states, starting this year with New Jersey and Florida.” Allbritton is also executive chairman of Perpetual Capital Partners, a private middlemarket investment firm based in Washington, D.C. Kim Kingsley — one of POLITICO’s first hires — will continue to play a significant role in the newer, larger POLITICO. She is tasked with helping scale the company and recruit the talent needed to maintain quality as it grows.

Jose Andres Chef and Founder,ThinkFoodGroup He’s frequently dubbed the most important Spanish chef in America, and was recently tapped by Donald Trump to open a flagship restaurant in the Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C. The hotel and Andres’ eatery will open in 2016 in the Old Post Office building after a $200 million renovation. In a town now filled with celebrity chefs, Andres is always in the top tier, and the influx of other wellknown names opening spots in town isn’t slowing him down. He opened China Chilcano in January and vegetable-centric Beefsteak in March, adding to the growing restaurant empire under his ThinkFoodGroup, which grossed $100 million last year. Andres is also the founder of the World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization he founded after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 that focuses on creating global solutions for hunger and poverty, including training on clean cook stoves. It’s work that earned him the White House’s “Outstanding American

by Choice” award in 2014.

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Haley Barbour Founding Partner, BGR Group Usually a politician becomes a lobbyist as an afterthought, but not Haley Barbour, who founded what is now the BGR Group long before he became the 62nd governor of Mississippi. “I’m a lobbyist,” he proudly proclaimed in 2011 when he was mulling a presidential run. Now, with feet in both worlds, the former Republican National Committee chairman’s firm represents big name clients like Chevron, Toyota and Caterpillar. Barbour continues to be active in politics appearing on “Meet the Press” and other Sunday shows. As one of the respected wise men of the G.O.P., Barbour’s endorsement will be highly sought out by those competing in the crowded 2016 Republican field.

Jeremy Ben-Ami Founder and President, J Street Ben-Ami is the founder and executive director of J Street, a Washingtonbased, pro-Israel, pro-peace advocacy organization that seeks to provide a political home for Americans who believe that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential to Israel’s survival as both a democracy and a Jewish state. His group has been a powerful voice in support of President Obama’s attempts to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the nuclear impasse with Iran, arguing affectively that the deal is in the best interests of both Israeli and American security. Ben-Ami’s grandparents were among the founders of Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem Post has included him in its list of the “50 Most Influential Jews” in the world. The former policy advisor to President Bill Clinton now oversees an $8 million-a-year organization with 180,000 supporters, 50 chapters and advocacy networks and the largest pro-Israel PAC in the country – which raised nearly $2.5 million in the last election last cycle for 95 endorsed candidates for House and Senate races. “In seven years, we’ve grown in size and influence precisely because the core positions of our advocacy are in line with the views of large numbers of Americans who didn’t have a voice in the political debate before,” Ben-Ami said at J Street’s national conference in March.

Wayne Berman Senior Advisor for Global Government Affairs,The Blackstone Group He’s no stranger to political campaigns and suffers no lack of proximity to those in power. The Blackstone Group calls Berman “a highly regarded

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advisor on the management of political and legislative risk” whose ideas have made an imprint on Republican politics for the last 35 years. Berman has worked for the campaigns, transition teams and administrations of Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. As a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, he continues to use his influence to get Republicans elected and is already planning to hold a fundraiser in his home for Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been surging in recent polls.

Robert Allbritton

wolf blitzer & jake tapper Host, CNN’s “Situation Room”; CNN Chief Washington Correspondent and Host, “The Lead with Jake Tapper” Wolf Blitzer is a 25-year veteran of CNN and arguably the network’s most recognized journalist. The Emmy-award winner has been a war reporter, White House correspondent and political anchor for the oncedominant cable channel, which has regained some momentum after falling way behind Fox. Chief Washington Correspondent Tapper came to the network from ABC, where as White House correspondent he made a name for himself covering such stories as presidential nominees not fully complying with tax disclosure laws and breaking the news that Standard and Poor’s was expected to downgrade the United States’AAA rating. At CNN, the chief Washington correspondent’s daily show, “ The Lead with Jake Tapper,” has been hailed for not being overly ideological and has won awards for breaking news coverage, including for the Boston Marathon bombing.

Haley Barbour

Jeremy Ben-Ami

David Bradley Chairman, Atlantic Media Company In a town of revolving media owners and publishers, David Bradley continues to flourish. As the longtime chairman and owner of the Atlantic Media Company, he publishes several influential magazines, including The National Journal and The Atlantic, and operates other news services that reach over 30 million people worldwide. Bradley has a shown an eye for identifying talent such as Bob Cohn, who has revolutionized Atlantic Media’s digital operations and Steve Clemons, who provides astute analysis on foreign policy. Previously he was the founder of the Advisory Board and the Corporate Executive Board research companies, which he reportedly sold for over $300 million.

The life-long Washingtonian and Sidwell Friends graduate holds an M.B.A. from Harvard, a law degree

Wayne Berman

Wolf Blitzer

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power100 from Georgetown. He was also a Fulbright scholar in the Philippines.

Donna Brazile

Frank Keating What is your advice to people who would like to follow in your footsteps and one day hold a position of power?

A first principle for a new employee is to enjoy what you do. If you don’t, leave. Talent and time-in-grade will promote you, but if you dislike your job, you will become glum, grim and just going through the motions. No fun. You are not a service to yourself or your employer. Move on. Do something else. When you find the right fit, you will rise with responsibility and authority and you will be happy. Your leadership will stimulate and empower. Your resulting success will be your employer’s success and your subordinates’ success. Everyone will live happily ever after! p h o t o b y t o ny p o w e l l

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David Bradley

Arthur Brooks

Evan Burfield

Wes Bush

Vice Chairwoman, Democratic National Committee Political strategist, Democratic National Committee vice chairwoman, author, academic and syndicated newspaper columnist Donna Brazile’s reach is wide and continues to expand. In her role at the DNC she is tasked with helping Democrats recoup the losses they suffered during last year’s mid-term elections. “This too shall pass,” she tweeted at the time. “Let’s learn from our mistakes, let the dust settle and get ready to kick their asses out of office in two years!” The long-time Democratic operative has worked on the presidential runs of Jesse Jackson, Walter Mondale, Richard Gephardt, Michael Dukakis and most notably, served as campaign chairman for Al Gore in 2000. Brazile is the first African American to lead a major presidential campaign. In between frequent guest slots on CNN and ABC, she has made cameo appearances on CBS’s “The Good Wife” and Netflix’s “House of Cards.”

Matthew Brooks Executive Director, Republican Jewish Coalition Political finance experts estimate that nearly a third of the Republican party’s most important “bundlers” are active in the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), which Matthew Brooks has directed since 1990.

The group’s Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund is sure to be influential in the 2016 elections.

Republican mega-donor and “nuke Iran” Coalition supporter Sheldon Adelson reportedly gave $2 million to the RJC during the 2012 presidential race, on top of the $100+ million he spent on super PACs in the 2012 election, and the estimated $50 million in additional undisclosed dark money contributions. As most of the Republican presidential aspirants prepare to genuflect to Adelson, they are likely aware that the casino magnate reportedly gave another $100 million in contributions to dark money nonprofits in 2014.

With Adelson’s financial backing, the RJC is actively trying to undermine any negotiated peaceful resolution of the nuclear dispute with Iran, siding with the prime minister of Israel over the president of the United States.

Arthur Brooks President, American Enterprise Institute Under Brooks’ leadership, AEI is in the top tier of Republican-oriented think tanks in town, and he and his team provide neo-conservative analysis and firepower for GOP lawmakers as they work on their legislative agenda. Brooks and AEI have influenced presidential aspirant Sen. Marco Rubio’s hard-line foreign policy positions and Brooks’ name has been mentioned as an advisor to Rubio.

Evan Burfield & Donna Harris Co-Founders, 1776 President Obama kicked off his Fourth of July holiday last year by popping into 1776, the beautifully designed startup incubator just north of the White House on 15th Street N.W. The duo behind it, entrepreneurs Burfield and Harris, worked with former Washington Mayor Vincent Gray to secure real estate and funding and the campus opened in the spring of 2013. In just two years, 1776 has hosted the president and become the heart and soul of the tech community in Washington. It has received national attention for its mission — incubating ideas that can help the world. In April, 1776 expanded its reach by acquiring Crystal City’s Disruption Corp and it now has homes on both sides of the Potomac. According to Business Insider, Burfield and Harris now have 2,000 lobbyists, public affairs gurus and specialists at their disposal to guide their entrepreneurs through bureaucratic red tape.

Wes Bush Chairman, CEO and President, Northrop Grumman Corporation Wes Bush’s rise to the top of Northrop Grumman has been described as “nothing short of meteoric.” The company’s once-youngest senior executive started his career at TRW Inc. as a systems engineer in 1987 and got his executive gig after Northrop bought TRW in 2002. He became president of Northrop Grumman in 2006 and added the title of chairman in 2011. His first order of business?

Moving the headquarters from Los Angeles to Falls Church,Va. “The earthquake in our first week of operation made us feel right at home,” he joked to Reuters at the time. Four years in, Northrop Grumman is now performing at the top of its industry although Bush, setting an example, still won’t take home a paycheck as big as many of his peers.

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Jay Carney & Teresa Carlson Senior Vice President, Worldwide Public Affairs, Amazon; Vice President,Worldwide Public Sector, Amazon Web Services Jay Carney knows all about reporting to powerful leaders. After serving as communications director to Vice President Biden and then White House press secretary, he was recently tapped by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos to be his senior vice president for worldwide corporate affairs. Carney’s new position has him overseeing both the public relations and the public policy of the e-commerce giant. Carlson serves as Amazon Web Services’ vice president of Worldwide Public Sector and oversees the company’s operations, strategy and development. She has won Amazon computing contracts at NASA, the defense department and the CIA.

Steve & Jean Case Founders, Case Foundation The mission is “investing in people and ideas that can change the world” and since founding their foundation in 1997, Steve and Jean Case have been doing just that. Taking the experience, capital and connections they acquired — Steve as co-founder of AOL and Jean as a pioneer in interactive technologies — the couple invests in those approaching entrepreneurship, civic engagement and philanthropy through innovative approaches. Those locally benefiting from their generosity — an act that has landed them on numerous lists of top philanthropists — include the Georgetown Global Social Enterprise Initiatives. Steve Case is also chairman and CEO of Revolution LLC, a Washingtonbased investment firm he co-founded in 2005 to build significant “built to last” businesses. He launched the Startup America Partnership with the White House in 2013 to accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the U.S. and serves as a presidential ambassador on global entrepreneurship and a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Rather than just cashing in and cashing out as others who made it big in the tech boom have done, the Cases have proven staying power, having reinvented themselves with Revolution and their work in health care and bringing political insiders, such as Ron Klain, on board to make sure they maximize their impact.

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Cheryl Mills How would you define power?

The ability to risk your privilege for good purpose or potentially transformational outcomes for others, and to do that with less fear than you otherwise might

Anita Dunn You are in a position of power. Are there unique responsibilities that come with that?

I would put it this way: I am fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the discussion and resolution of issues I care about, sometimes ones I choose that are important to me personally and sometimes on behalf of clients, and to act or advise with a view toward getting something done that is useful. In that sense, like other professionals, I have responsibility. And that responsibility entails getting to know an issue well, listening all sides, thinking of ways to get to a resolution—being constructive and a constructive part of the process here in Washington.

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power100 Bill Clinton

Steve and Jean Csee

Bill Clinton

Chairman,The Clinton Foundation The 42nd president of the United States could return to the White House as the first “first gentleman” in 2017 if his wife Hillary is successful in her presidential bid. In March, an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll named him as the most popular person in American politics, with 56 percent of respondents expressing a positive view. The former president established the Clinton Foundation after leaving office to help improve global health and wellness, increase opportunities for girls and women and help create economic opportunity worldwide. In 2005, he founded the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which brings world leaders together to find solutions for some of the most pressing issues of our time. While the Clinton Foundation says CGI has helped improve the lives of more than 430 million people in more than 180 countries, its work has come under some partisan scrutiny because of the vast sums the foundation has raised from various donors, including foreign governments, while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state. The Clinton camp dismisses the allegations as mere innuendo from Republican operatives.

Hillary Rodham Clinton

David Cohen

William Cohen

Democratic Presidential Candidate Odds are Hillary Clinton could well become the first female president of the United States. The former first lady, senator from New York, secretary of state and contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, officially entered the 2016 race in April, announcing her candidacy via video and then immediately heading to Iowa to begin campaigning. She now has advisors in place to rework her establishment image. Recently, she came out in strong support of a constitutional amendment to get money out of politics. With a dedicated Super PAC, Ready for Hillary, raising money for her presidential run for two years prior to the announcement – $9 million in 2014 alone – and top-notch strategy and communications teams in place, the nomination and perhaps the presidency seem to be hers to lose. It is expected that she will have to raise $1 billion to win.

David Cohen

David Corn

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Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation The Philadelphia political veteran — he was a close advisor to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell —is now Comcast’s man in Washington and a known

Democratic Party bundler who raised over $1 million for President Obama.

But fundraising is nothing compared to the lobbying efforts needed to complete a $30 billion merger, as he successfully did when Comcast acquired NBC Universal. Cohen was aggressive enough to pull off the NBC merger yet smart enough to pull the plug on his recent attempt to merge with Time Warner in the face of overwhelming government opposition.

William Cohen Chairman and CEO,The Cohen Group He’s had a career that any aspiring politician would envy. William Cohen was elected as a Republican to both the House and Senate and then served in the Clinton administration as secretary of defense. Topping off those years of public service, Cohen now runs the Cohen Group, a successful international consulting firm, where he continues to use his impressive global connections, knowledge, skills and experience to work on projects throughout the world, especially in China. Recently, the Cohen Group was charged with independently investigating the Environmental Protection Agency’s conduct over an Alaskan mining deal. Cohen is also the author of 11 books of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, and together with his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, promotes open and civil dialogue regarding racial issues of the day.

Art Collins Founder and Managing Partner, The Group As a former lobbyist and Obama adviser, Collins has been on both sides of the political world. Though he flies very much under the radar, he uses his access and expertise to aid his clients, including FedEx, Lockheed Martin, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Diageo, Dell and sectors of Wall Street and the banking industry, as they navigate today’s complex administrative, legislative and regulatory environments. He also keeps a hand in the public policy and global advocacy cookie jars as a trustee of the Brookings Institution and Meridian International Center.

David Corn Washington Bureau Chief, Mother Jones Fresh off revelations of NBC anchorman Brian Williams embellishing facts, there was David Corn ready with his own wartime reporting questions — this time revealing that Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly fabricated his coverage of the Falklands

War. Mother Jones’ Washington bureau chief is still waiting for clarification from the right-wing news host who denied the charges, but given his strong track record of investigative stories — including many around the Valerie Plame scandal — it’s hard not to pay attention. In 2012, Corn won the George Polk Award for political reporting, which some say cost Mitt Romney the election, for his coverage (after obtaining a video) of the private $50,000-a-plate Florida fundraiser where Romney infamously quipped that most Obama voters were among the 47 percent of Americans who were “dependent on government” and “paid no income tax.” His colleagues say this puts him in the “hall of fame of political campaign reporting.”

John “Jack” DeGioia President, Georgetown University Washington is, in certain ways, a Catholic town on a grassroots level, and Georgetown University remains a power center and serves as a networking nexus for that community.

Last year, DeGioia, became the school’s longest-serving president, having held the job since 2001. He’s also the first non-cleric to run the university since it was founded in 1789. He is a prodigious fundraiser, endowment builder and networker, and still makes time to grapple with the great philosophical issues as a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy.

Jim DeMint President, Heritage Foundation A prominent figure in the Tea Party movement and a mentor to GOP presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz, DeMint left Congress in 2012 to head the right-wing Heritage Foundation.

During his tenure there, the former senator from South Carolina has increased the think tank’s political profile, wielding considerable influence during the 2014 mid-term election as he targeted Republican candidates whom he considered insufficiently hard-line. In January, DeMint scuffled with House Republicans who didn’t like the scorecards Heritage was keeping on GOP lawmakers’ voting records because the scoring methods were hurting their electoral prospects.

Thomas Donohue & Scott Reed President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Senior Political Strategist, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Donohue, who has been president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce since 1997, has, in

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the view of his critics, aggressively advanced the interest of large, multinational corporations over those of small businesses, which are the key to job growth in America. During his tenure, he has reshaped the Chamber into a lobbying and political powerhouse. Having spent more than $100 million on political ads in the last three years, the Chamber is one of the perennial leaders in lobbying and spent more than $200 million on lobbying, including its advertising campaigns during the last Congress. Under Donohue’s direction the Chamber has been a huge player in the trade battles currently being waged in Washington.

Helping accomplish this is Scott Reed, its senior political strategist, who oversees the “federal voter education program” and helps elect “probusiness” candidates. Reed implements the strategic blueprint to recruit amenable candidates and support them with money and advertising while identifying third party messengers who advocate for increased oil and gas production and trade agreements, which critics say supercede domestic regulations and protections.

Lisa Donner Executive Director, Americans for Financial Reform Donner leads a non-partisan coalition of more than 200 business, labor, consumer, investor, civil rights, faith-based, civic and community groups that formed just after the 2008 financial crisis. She is coming off of two big wins. Her Americans for Financial Reform helped push Congress to pass Dodd Frank, a serious piece of Wall Street regulation.

Additionally, her group can be credited for helping to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Donner, a longtime community activist and organizer, has been highly effective in building public support for substantial reform and transparency on Wall Street.

Anita Dunn Managing Director, SKDKnickerbocker Dunn was a senior advisor to thenSen. Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign and later served as White House communications director. Now, as managing director of the communication strategy firm SKDKnickerbocker, she works for large corporations, advocacy and nonprofit groups, and on behalf of Canada’s Keystone XL pipeline – work that has left some critics questioning whether she is capitalizing too much on her longtime ties to the White House. Knowledgeable and sharp-witted, she remains a soughtafter, influential strategist. The firm’s

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Chris Matthews Which powerful person, living or dead, would you most like to have dinner with and what would you ask them?

John F. Kennedy. Tell us about the night your PT boat was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer and how you kept your crew together after swimming through four miles of enemy-held waters.

Kathleen Matthews What is your advice to people who would like to follow in your footsteps and one day hold a position of power?

Define your purpose. Do your homework. Be courageous.

Practice humility.

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power100 work helped lead to the recent failure of the Comcast-Time Warner merger.

SKDKnickerbocker was retained by the group Public Knowledge, financed

by Google and other Comcast competitors, to convince lawmakers to oppose the merger.

Steve Elmendorf

Jack DeGioia

Jim DeMint

Principal, Elmendorf-Ryan Communications An adviser to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 campaign, Elmendorf spent the previous 12 years as a senior advisor to House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt. He’s recognized as one of Washington’s top lobbyists and strategists and his firm, Elmendorf-Ryan Communications, launched in 2006 with partner Jimmy Ryan, boasts bigname clients like Time Warner,Verizon, Citigroup, Union Pacific and the NFL. Elmendorf is also a former chairman of the board of the Gay and Lesbian Victory fund and is said to have handpicked his successors. According to Politico, Elmendorf-Ryan’s lobbying revenues in the first quarter of this year tallied up to more than $2.5 million.

Cathy Englebert

Steve Elmendorf

Cathy Englebert

CEO, Deloitte Cathy Engelbert made history in March when she became Deloitte’s CEO and the first female CEO of any of the country’s major professional services firms. When she began her career at Deloitte 30 years ago, only 7 percent of the firm’s partners and top executives were women. Now women make up approximately 25 percent of partners, and within the last year 66 percent of hires were women and minorities. Deloitte employs 70,000 professionals in nearly 90 U.S. cities, including the Washington, D.C. area.

She’s become a role model for women inside and outside the business with a can-do attitude about breaking the glass ceiling, often noting how she was pregnant with her first child the same year she was up for partner. “I didn’t aspire to be the CEO of Deloitte,” she once told the Washington Post. “But I aspired to be a leader.”

John Engler

John Engler

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President, Business Roundtable The Republican takeover of the Senate in January was an especially joyous occasion for the former threeterm Michigan governor John Engler, whose Business Roundtable — which represents 200 of the world’s largest corporations — has been lobbying against corporate taxes and corporate subsidies for years. With the GOP in the driver’s seat, he expects his tax

agenda to be embraced, if not enacted.

The group is also pushing for the opaque and secretive fast-track trade bill, where they’ve seemingly found an ally in President Obama. Both the president and his wife Michelle have acknowledged the power of this constituency by speaking before the Business Roundtable in recent years.

Richard Fairbank Founder and CEO, Capital One If there’s one person you would want to work for in Washington, it would be Fairbank. Capital One’s number one has been included on just as many top CEO and leadership lists for his personality as he has for his business acumen. Part of that can be due to the fact he hasn’t received a salary since 1998, an arrangement that he recently announced will continue in 2015. The leader of the McLean-based company does receive millions in benefits from the company’s increasing stock value, due in part to his vision of staying revolutionary. However, Fairbank has averaged $15.49 million per year in stock compensation over the past six years, according to Forbes, due to gains in Capital One shares. Earlier this year Capital One acquired the money management app Level Money Inc. to create innovative mobile banking technology that is sure to see this financial titan’s reach grow.

Howard Fineman & Ryan Grim Global Editorial Director, Huffington Post;Washington Bureau Chief, Huffington Post Huffington Post has 13 international editions and Fineman is helping to keep them all together. Earlier this year, he was promoted to global editorial director, where he influences the news content for each of the sites to ensure integration. The former Newsweek political correspondent and current MSNBC analyst joined Arianna Huffington’s outlet in 2010 with over two decades experience as a journalist.

Fineman now writes about American politics for a worldwide audience, translated into local languages. Working closely beside him is Grim, 36, the online publication’s Washington bureau chief, who has broken countless stories and written his fair share of in-depth investigative pieces, including one cowritten with Paul Blumenthal and published this year, about government corruption and how corporate money has impacted the law - “The Inside Story of how Citizens United Has Changed Washington Lawmaking.”

Jeff Forbes & Dan Tate Founders, Forbes Tate This Democratic duo began their careers in politics and now run one of Washington’s top lobbying firms.

Forbes worked for Bill Clinton’s 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns and was an aide to former Sen. Max Baucus, currently serving as U.S. ambassador to China. Tate, the son of a lobbyist, moved to Washington at age three and started working on campaigns in high school. These deep roots have allowed them to be successful on K Street and keep going from there. In April, they recruited Jeff Sadosky, the former communications director to Sen. Rob Portman, to run their expanding PR shop. He’s one of several Republican hires the firm has snapped up in the last few years.

Jack Gerard President, American Petroleum Institute Last year America became the world’s largest producer of oil, and Gerard is not going to be slowing down anytime soon. Since the start of the year, API’s president is focused on overturning the country’s decades-old ban on exporting oil. He’s hoping to dramatically scale back even relatively modest environmental protections and ram through fossil fuel projects like the Keystone pipeline.Year in and year out, he has managed to block every attempt to eliminate billions in corporate subsidies handed out to oil and gas interests. No doubt he will use all of his power to ensure that reforms such as HR 1930, the End Polluter Welfare Act of 2015 (which is estimated to potentially generate $135 billion in revenue over 10 years), do not see the light of day.

chad griffin President, Human Rights campaign Chad Griffin has much to celebrate.

Last year some 15 states issued marriage license to same-sex couples.

Today, it’s 37 — a nearly 150 percent increase. As a proponent of one of the fastest moving civil rights issues in U.S. history, Griffin not only focuses on marriage equality but fights to end workplace discrimination as well. In March, he was part of an historic panel in Washington that recognized the six openly gay U.S. ambassadors.

Nicole Gustafson Vice President for Public Policy and Government Affairs, NFL After a tumultuous year, the NFL has again turned to Washington for help through the hiring of Gustafson to head its public policy and government

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affairs shop. Formerly a senior aide to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Gustafson is now focusing on such in-the-news issues as domestic violence, head injuries and the use of performance enhancing drugs. With the release of the Hollywood film “Concussion” starring Will Smith at the end of 2015, there will be tremendous focus on head injuries, such as the one leading to the death of Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster, and Gustafson will be gearing up to lead up one of the largest PR lobbying operations the NFL has ever assembled.

Nate Gatten Managing Director, Global Government Relations, JP Morgan Chase Nate Gatten, a former Fannie Mae lobbyist who joined JPMorgan in 2009, was called back from JPMorgan’s London office to Washington in 2012 to “help with Republicans,” as Bloomberg news put it. Gatten and his cohorts had to figure out a damage control strategy after the firm’s $2 billion trading loss in May 2012, something that irritated even Wall Street-happy Republicans.

Gatten’s moves were successful and by the beginning of 2013, he had been promoted to the head of the bank’s federal government relations team.

Since then, he has also been named a top lobbyist in Washington by The Hill newspaper.

Mary Kay Henry International President, Service Employees International UNION (SEIU) The 2014 elections marked a victory for Henry. After working tirelessly to increase the minimum wage, much of the public showed it was in agreement, with many states passing legislation to raise wages for those who exist at or near the poverty level. But there’s still work to be done and Henry is continuing to promote the Fight for $15 movement, a grassroots campaign against poverty-level wages and passing the Employee Free Choice Act.

Marillyn Hewson Chairman, CEO and President, Lockheed Martin The head of the world’s largest defense contracting firm landed herself at number four on Fortune Magazine’s “Most Power Women in Business” list in 2014, and no wonder. She’s now reaching for the stars — literally. In March, the Bethesda-based company announced plans to bid on over $1 billion worth of NASA contracts to deliver supplies and experiments to the

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International Space Station. She’s also overseeing the company as it builds more energy-efficient jet fighters and create products to fight cyber-attacks.

Edwin D. Hill President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers It’s no wonder the Electrical Workers have had Ed Hill as their leader since 2001. He worked his way up from the bottom. From humble roots in Western Pennsylvania, Hill began his career as an electrical worker and soon became more and more involved in his union. So involved that he eventually made his way to Washington and now represents 750,000 Americans working in utilities, construction, railroads, manufacturing, broadcasting, telecommunications and government.

Hill speaks out strongly against income inequality, which will likely become a major issue in the 2016 campaign.

Eric Hilton Co-Founder,Thievery Corporation Hilton’s name is known far beyond Thievery Corporation, the Grammynominated recording artist and DJ collective he started with business partner, Rob Garza and a group of supporting artists. Along with his brother Ian, Hilton has also been at the forefront of a local, trend-setting lounge and restaurant empire. He owns more than a half a dozen bars and restaurants, including Chez Billy which is lauded to have put the Petworth neighborhood on the map, and was the locale for this year’s pre-White House Correspondents “Funny or Die” latenight party where guests included the likes of Valerie Jarrett, Karen Finney, Tony Romo and “Selma” director Ava DuVernay. The latest addition to the restaurant list: Chez Billy Sud, a hot new French dining spot in Georgetown.

Donna Brazile How would you define power?

The ability to get things done. And the responsibility to inspire others to do the same Real power increases the goodness and kindness in the world. it enables people to be productive and provides safety nets. Let’s empower everyday citizens to know they can make a difference in the world.

(Photo courtesy Donna Brazile)

Josh Holmes President and Founding Partner, Cavalry LLC Issue management firm Cavalry describes itself as “combing the experience of serving at the highest levels of the U.S. federal government with proven, presidential-level campaign capabilities.” How fitting that Holmes serves as president and founding partner, given that he has been touted as the “mastermind of team Mitch” for his management of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s re-election campaign, hailed by pundits as one of the most effective congressional campaigns of 2014. He also served the NRSC in an

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power100 advisory role during their successful 2014 efforts to take the Senate. Given that McConnell is one of the most powerful leaders of the Republican party, Holmes’ connection to him will provide the power of enduring access. .

Jon Huntsman & Capricia marshall

Marillyn Hewson

Edwin Hill

Chairman,The Atlantic Council; Ambassador-in Residence, The Atlantic Council To the extent that there is any gracious middle ground in Washington, the Atlantic Council embodies it and has managed to tap major names with international clout to join its mission to shape debate on issues of global importance. Huntsman, who became chairman a little over a year ago, brought years of Asian policy experience as the former U.S. ambassador to China and Singapore.

A few months later, Marshall, a former chief of protocol and White House social secretary, joined as the head of its new Arsht Latin American Center.

South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin, who has stayed busy providing astute analysis on Iran and Israel, helps complete a team that has expertise in every part of the globe.

Gwen Ifill

Eric Hilton

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Moderator/Managing Editor, “Washington Week”; Co-Anchor/CoManaging Editor, “PBS NewsHour” In the dog-eat-dog world of political talk shows, a newscaster’s worth ebbs and flows with ratings, and for Gwen Ifill, things are looking up.

After a notable slump in 2013, PBS’ “NewsHour,” co-anchored by Ifill and Judy Woodruff, increased its broadcast audience by 12 percent in total viewers in December 2014. January 2015 marked the station’s highest online monthly audience in history with 9.5 million page views and 4.1 million users. Ifill, who was awarded the Urbino Press Award from the Italian Embassy last month, reports on a wide range of issues, most recently the debacle over Rolling Stone’s reporting of a bogus sexual assault at the University of Virginia, a tweak in the human trafficking bill that was holding up confirmation proceedings for attorney general-nominee Loretta Lynch and the European Union’s crisis over migrant deaths at sea.

“Ignanicare” because it shovels trillions of tax dollars to health insurance companies to subsidize private health insurance. During her 22 years at the company, she has agreed and disagreed with presidents, fought for affordable health care and has remained a strong supporter of Democratic candidates despite being head of a largely Republican-supported organization.

Walter Isaacson President and CEO,The Aspen Institute He’s lived a life that could have its own book written, one that other baby boomer journalists would certainly describe as “ambitious excellence.”

The former chairman of CNN and managing editor of Time Magazine now serves as president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, which he has modernized for the new marketplace of ideas while making it central to the debate. What he’s most well-known for are his authorized biographies on some of the world’s most powerful men, including his 2011 book on Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, whom Isaacson was criticized for being too tough on (to his credit.) The book broke all records for sales of a biography and is reportedly the fastest-selling biography ever written. His most recent work, “The Innovators,” continues on the concepts that Jobs developed by covering the history of the digital revolution.

Jo Ann Jenkins CEO, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Last May, it was announced that Jo Ann Jenkins would be replacing Barry Rand as CEO of AARP, the 37 million-member group representing Americans who are 50 and older.

Jenkins, its first woman CEO, had long been associated with the organization, having served as chief operating officer and president of its foundation before ascending to her current leadership role. She likes to point out that she was born in 1958, the year Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded the AARP, and talks passionately about modern aging including making its members more digitally savvy. “I like to think that 50 is the new 30 — and I like what it looks like,” she wrote in the Huffington Post. “We’re redefining what it means to be our age.”

Karen Ignagni

Joe Jordan

President and CEO, America’s Health Insurance Plans Ignani is the leader who in significant measure helped engineer Obamacare, which some say could indeed be called

CEO, FedBid FedBid, the smart online marketplace where the government can buy products, often at a savings, has had a rocky time recently. In January, the

U.S. Air Force suspended its contracts with the company after an inspector general report found fraud and discovered that intimidation tactics had been used. Enter Joe Jordan, who joined the Vienna-based company in December 2013 and became its CEO in January. He was able to swiftly fix the mess and the suspension was lifted a month later. It’s no surprise that he’s so effective, having last served as the White House administrator for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Jordan loves his line of work.

“Helping governments be more fiscally responsible to taxpayers while helping small, minority, veteran and disadvantaged businesses grow,” he said, “is something that I am passionate about.”

Frank Keating CEO, American Bankers Association This former Republican governor of Oklahoma who handled the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing has plenty of experience with largescale management and he has used it well with regard to his current job representing the $15 trillion banking industry. As the president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, his job is to avoid another mortgage meltdown and secure Wall Street’s power and protect small banks. With his folksy, Okie twang, he has tried to put a friendly Main Street voice on the global financial institutions our government and tax payer dollars have had to save from their own greed.

Jim Yong Kim President,The World Bank In 2012 he was President Obama’s surprise pick to run the World Bank. A former president of Dartmouth College, this physician and anthropologist was the first bank president with no political or financial background. But that may just be why he has been able to bring something different and unique to the institution.

For example, he recently formed the World Banks’ Open Learning Campus, an e-institute where people can access real-time relevant learning in a variety of public policy areas.

He landed at number 45 on Forbes’ Most Powerful People list, citing that he gives $35 billion a year to run developmental programs in more than 188 countries. With the Washington consensus being challenged by China’s new development bank, it will be interesting to see how he responds, not only to another global slowdown but to a major financial leadership challenge.

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Steven Knapp

William Kristol

President, George Washington University Under Knapp’s leadership last summer, George Washington University added the Corcoran College of Art and Design to its ever-expanding real estate portfolio and plans to spend $80 million renovating the school’s building (also housing the former Corcoran Gallery of Art) on 17th Street NW. Knapp, who is GW’s 16th president and has held the job since 2007, has “prioritized enhancing the university’s partnerships with neighboring institutions.” He also serves on several high-profile boards, including the Economic Club of Washington, the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Greater Washington Urban League. In 2012, an entrepreneurial service and learning fellowship, which grants awards ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, was established by the university in the names of Knapp and his wife. The Steven and Diane Robinson Knapp Fellowship recognizes, rewards and facilitates “creative public service and academic engagement.”

Founder and Editor, The Weekly Standard One would think that some of the people on the “Power 100” would have been run out of town long ago for bad advice, chief among them Bill Kristol, according to critics who say he has no concept of the possibility that he might be wrong about anything.

But it’s been 25 years since he was dubbed “Dan Quayle’s Brain” by The New Republic, and his ideas are still influential with a significant portion of the Republican Party. Whether Kristol is playing the role of talking head on Sunday morning shows or penning his column for The Weekly Standard, much of what he says ends up becoming headline-worthy fodder. His neo-conservative positions have riled the realist foreign policy establishment and Democrats over the years, especially when he supported the second Iraq War and helped kill Bill Clinton’s chance of tackling health care in 1993. Most recently, under his Emergency Committee for Israel letterhead, he funneled more than $1 million into Arkansas senator Tom Cotton’s campaign, which was rumored to have come from Sheldon Adelson’s coffers. Kristol’s Weekly Standard also has the backing of right wing billionaire Phil Anschutz and will surely be turning Hillary Clinton into a punching bag on its pages throughout the 2016 election.

Howard Kohr Executive Director, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Although AIPAC still exerts considerable influence, it used to be more careful about maintaining a sense of non-partisanship, smart enough to not pick fights it couldn’t win and reluctant to let any other socalled “pro-Israel” organizations gain traction in Washington, D.C., as it has with J Street. Led by Howard Kohr since 1997, critics are saying AIPAC has let things get out of hand and a number of its supporters are worried about how it has adopted a hard-line neo-conservative agenda, which risks eroding the bipartisan nature of its prior efforts. They cite the following three mistakes: 1) AIPAC’s opposition to Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, which they had to pull back; 2) AIPAC’s attempt to blow up Obama’s interim deal with Iran by pushing for greater sanctions, on which again they had to pull back; and 3) Their recent support of the Republican invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress, which came off as unprecedented partisanship in support of a foreign leader over the president of the United States. Now, AIPAC is getting worried that the organization is increasingly viewed as a partisan appendage of neo-conservative Republicans in Congress. It still aspires to be nonpartisan but will have a hard time putting the “toothpaste back in the tube.”

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Christine Lagarde Managing Director, International Monetary Fund When Lagarde became the first female managing director of the International Monetary Fund, it was another of her own “firsts.” She was the first female chairman of her global law firm and the first female French finance minister. She told CNN earlier this year that the primary reason she wanted to do a good job was “because I don’t want to let my female colleagues around the globe down.” Though it’s laudable that she has cracked the glass ceiling and since 2011 has been guiding the slow but steady economic recovery that has seen low oil prices and interest rates, it remains to be seen whether she will be able to keep the post World War II global financial structure stable and in place.

Neera Tanden Is power seen or defined differently in Washington than in other parts of the country? If yes, how so?

It seems that in too many parts of the country, power is defined by possessions. And some in Washington believe power is the ability to influence. But I think we admire power when it is used to help make things better for people. Sometimes many of us in Washington lose sight of that for the game or process of politics, but I know many more still are shaped by a more hopeful view of power. p h o t o b y t o ny p o w e l l

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Gara Lamarche President, Democracy Alliance For more than two decades, Lamarche has managed the donations of George Soros and other billionaires to

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power100 progressive organizations. A former ACLU, Human Rights Watch and ““Open Society Institute employee, he was the perfect fit to lead the Democracy Alliance when he took over in October 2013. According to Inside Philanthropy, Lamarche “has the gravitas to really manage and lead a large collection of wealthy donors.”

DeDe Lea

Mark Leibovich

Wayne LaPierre & Chris Cox CEO and Executive Vice President, National Rifle Association (NRA); Chris Cox, Executive Director, NRA-ILA As CEO of the nation’s most powerful gun lobbying group, LaPierre has been wildly successful in opposing even the most limited gun safety restrictions. A testament to the power of the NRA is that GOP candidates are stumbling over themselves to see who can shoot the most guns and even take on U.S. Army generals by advocating for concealed weapons on military bases.

Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, joined the group as its federal liaison in 1995 and oversees political campaigns and legislative initiatives with the help of a $20 million budget.

He also serves as chairman of the NRA’s political action committee, the “Political Victory Fund.”

DeDe Lea Ted Leonsis

Steve Lombardo

Executive Vice President for Government Affairs,Viacom As Viacom’s top lobbyist for the past 10 years, Lea has been a big voice in the behind-the-scenes intellectual property debate while representing A-list media brands that include MTV, BET and VH1. Following the 2012 defeat of PIPA and SOPA, she used her strong Washington connections to persuade Congress to pass legislation favorable to content creators struggling to combat foreign piracy. Lea’s roots have always been in media. Before her current stint at Viacom, she had briefly left the company to work for Belo Corp., which owns a number of Texas-based television stations. Her resume also includes the National Association of Broadcasters and a handful of Washington television and radio stations.

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Chief National Correspondent, The New York Times Magazine These days, it’s hard to use Washington’s nickname “This Town” without using air quotes and immediately thinking about Mark Leibovich. His “This Town: Two

Parties and a Funeral — Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking! — In America’s Gilded Capital” was an instant best seller, much to the chagrin of the high-profile Washingtonians ridiculed within its pages. Leibovich chronicled movers and shakers networking at Tim Russert’s funeral and senators sniping at each other behind the scenes. While deftly skewering his vulnerable victims, he seems to show up at some of the parties himself.

Perhaps this is just research? Either way, his stories remain must-reads inside the Beltway and beyond.

Ted Leonsis Majority owner and CEO,Washington Capitals,Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics Leonsis owns the teams as well as the Verizon Center where they, and some of the world’s top music acts, play — so he certainly gives the nation’s capital it’s fair share of ways to be entertained.

He gives back to the community in other ways as well. As an early investor in Venture Philanthropy Partners, he’s helped support local nonprofits dedicated to improving opportunities for low-income children. In addition, he’s a venture capital investor, a filmmaker and digital entrepreneur.

Marne Levine Chief Operating Officer, Instagram Instagram, which is now owned

by Facebook, made a big hire last October when it promoted Marne Levine from within. She had been Facebook’s vice president of global public policy, but Instagram wanted her for an even bigger job as their first female COO. Levine’s posting was a big win for women in tech, but also Washington women, as she had also done a stint in the government. Like Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, she is a protégé of Larry Summers, working witj him at both Harvard University and the treasury department. After the 2008 election, Summers recruited Levine again, this time at the White House. Now that she’s a top woman in tech, Levine wants to see other female professionals rise and helps accomplish this through serving on the board of Sandberg’s Lean In organization.

She is also passionate about alleviating poverty, global democray and creating opportunities for women in war-torn countries.

Drew Maloney Vice President of Government and External Affairs, Hess Corporation Maloney is the lobbyist in charge of government relations for a major

global energy company, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for a guy who had been considered a shooin for a top White House job had Republican Mitt Romney prevailed in 2012. Maloney left a high-powered job running Ogilvy Government Relations to join the Republican National Committee and the Romney Readiness Project, the former Massachusetts governor’s would-be transition team. He had also helped with Romney’s first presidential foray in 2008. With Romney nixing the idea of a third presidential run, Maloney’s strategic moves will be interesting to watch in 2016

J.W. “Bill” Marriott & Arne Sorenson Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, Marriott International; President and CEO, Marriott International Marriott made headlines earlier this year when the longtime Marylandbased company announced plans to move its world headquarters — perhaps to another state. Sorensen told the Washington Post that Maryland “has not been great for business” but nonetheless considers the Washington area to be the nation’s hospitality capital, so it might not be moving far. How could they, after opening the shiny, new $520 million Marriott Marquis Washington, the city’s largest hotel, last May? In April, they told us they absolutely plan to stay in the D.C. area. Wherever they end up, Bill Marriott — whose father J. Willard Marriott founded the hotel chain — certainly trusts Sorensen’s judgment.

He passed along the CEO title him to him in 2012 after Sorensen had been at the company for almost 20 years. Under Sorenson’s leadership, the company has grown to 4100 hotels in 80 countries, with 19 brands and has acquired two hotel companies in the past year: Delta in Canada and Protea in Africa. Marrriott is considered a top employer, featured again in this year’s Fortune’s Best Places to Work issue and Forbes’ Most Innovative Companies.

Chris & Kathleen matthews Host, MSNBC’s “Hardball”; Executive Vice President & Chief Global Communications & Public Affairs Officer, Marriott International This long-standing power couple continues to make headlines. Chris Matthews has quizzed thousands of politicians during his nearly 20-year run as host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” but very soon there’s a possibility

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his wife could be part of that world.

That’s because Kathleen Matthews, an executive for Marriott International and a former longtime WJLA news anchor, is planning to run for the Maryland 8th Congressional District seat currently occupied by Rep. Chris Van Hollen. While criticizing some Democrats as well as Republicans, her husband seemingly takes great joy in exposing the shenanigans of GOP neo-conservatives and evangelical Bible thumpers, while appearing intrigued by Rand Paul’s prudence on foreign policy. Thanks to a longterm, highly remunerative contract he signed with MSNBC in 2013, viewers can expect more of his insightful commentary for years to come.

Kathleen, who has now clocked eight years at Marriott, has brought higher visibility to the company’s brands and innovation, advocated for LGBT equality and women’s empowerment initiatives, launched Marriott’s sustainability strategy to address climate change, promoted smart travel policies through President Obama’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, worked with the Clinton Foundation to develop a Marriott Hotel in Haiti and been a close advisor to both Bill Marriott and Arne Sorenson.

Cheryl Mills Founder and CEO, BlackIvy Group LLC Having worked for the Clintons in some capacity for over 20 years, serving as a defense lawyer for Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial and as chief of staff to Hillary Clinton at the state department, among other roles, Mills was thought to be a shoein as a member of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign team. But in March, the New York Times reported that she would not be playing a formal role. Some speculate that after years of intense politics, she now plans to keep her focus on being CEO of BlackIvy Group, a hedge fund she co-founded with a mission to grow businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though she may not officially have a title within the campaign, she will undoubtedly be sought out for her legal advice together with David Kendall of Williams and Connelly.

Lawrence Mishel President, Economic Policy Institute Economist Lawrence Mishel, who knows all about income inequality in the U.S., has been with the liberal think tank, the Economic Policy Institute, for more than two decades, first joining in 1987 as research director and has served as president since 2002. Nationally recognized

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for his work on wage and job quality trends, Mishel co-authored 11 editions of “The State of Working America,” a text that Robert Reich called “the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today’s economy.” In June of 2014, EPI launched the Raising America’s Pay initiative, a multi-year research and public education plan to make wage growth an urgent national policy priority. Mishel has been outspoken about his and EPI’s views on economic inequality and has the data to back it.

Susan Molinari Vice President of Public Policy, Google Molinari, a former Republican congresswoman from New York, was tapped in 2012 just as the tech giant was seeking new strategic relationships on both sides of the political aisle, and her access has been invaluable. With Molinari’s aid, Silicon Valley has exerted its power by beating the telephone and cable companies in the net neutrality debate, not to mention the recent defeat of the Comcast/Time Warner merger. It helps that Google spent a record-breaking $18.2 million on lobbying in 2012.

Robert Moser, Jr. CEO and President, Clark Construction Group LLC With the passing of longtime chairman and reclusive billionaire A. James Clark in March, Robert Moser has taken the reigns as the official face of the Bethesda-based construction company.

The firm, valued at $4.4 billion, has long been the “semi-official” construction company in Washington. In the last two years Moser has overseen some of the city’s flashiest revitalization projects, from the opening of CityCenterDC’s luxury retail and condo enclave to the current construction on the Mall of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Clark Construction started 2015 off strong with the February launch of new business division CSM Power Systems LLC to diversify its portfolio with transportation projects across the country, including locally with the WMATA Orange and Blue Line rehabilitation projects, and broke ground in April on a new mixed-use project near the Nationals Stadium containing a 13-story, 325-unit apartment building and 12-story, 126,000-square-foot extended-stay hotel with 25,000-squarefeet of retail space on the ground level.

And with the winning of big contracts such as The Wharf, a mega mixed-use project on the waterfront, and phase

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Marne Levine You are in a position of power. Are there unique responsibilities that come with that? What are yours?

As I’ve taken on more responsibility in my career, I have felt a greater responsibility to empower others – using my position to help the people around me take risks, find growth opportunities, and ultimately advance their own careers. This means everything from putting people in new situations that will help them grow to noticing when someone isn’t speaking up in a meeting and asking for their opinion. p h o t o b y t o ny p o w e l l

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power100 two of Metro’s Silver Line extending rail transit to Dulles International Airport, Clark Construction will continue to exert its power to refashion the city’s landscape.

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President, National Council of La Raza As the head of one of the country’s largest Latino civil rights organization, Murguia continues to pressure both Democrats and Republicans on immigration She famously referred to President Obama as the “Deporter-In-Chief ” last year. This year, at La Raza’s annual awards gala, she slammed the GOP ‘s “growing malignancy” on immigration and called out Speaker Boehner asking “where is your solution? Where is your bill?” In March she did have some good news to report in the Huffington Post with an op-ed announcing that the “unemployment rate for Latinos has finally returned to its pre-recession average and job growth for Hispanics is outpacing other groups.” Last month, Murguia and hundreds of volunteers from NCLR joined Comcast NBCUniversal on “Comcast Cares Day” to take on more than 750 projects ranging from painting classrooms to planting community gardens.

Christopher Nassetta Jon Peterson

Erich Pica

President and CEO, Hilton Worldwide When Nassetta was approached in 2007 to take over the lagging Hilton Worldwide, he already had a long history as being the man who could fix broken companies.

And he’s done just that. In 2009, the Washington native moved the company’s headquarters to McLean and overhauled its culture, requiring management to spend three days a year cooking, housekeeping and manning the front desk to instill cooperation and cohesion among its brands and locations. He’s opened over 1,200 hotels since becoming CEO (making Hilton the largest hotelier in the world), took the company public with a strong initial offering and has increased its value to over $34 billion. In December 2013, Hilton surpassed Twitter’s IPO, marking the second largest IPO of the year and the largest ever for a hotel company.

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Founder and President, Americans for Tax Reform Norquist has been the leader of Americans for Tax Reform since its

founding in 1985 at the request of President Reagan.Working to limit the size of government, he’s been a hero for the libertarian movement for declaring he would not stop until he had reduced government “to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” With the release of his book “End the IRS Before It Ends Us” last month, we can clearly see where he appears to be focusing his drowning energies.

ATR is well-known for a Taxpayer Protection Pledge that asks members of Congress to vow to oppose all tax increases and 268 members pledged to do just that this year. Recently, Norquist was elected to the board of directors of the National Rifle Association despite a campaign by Glenn Beck and others suggesting that he was a clandestine member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Phebe Novakovic Chairman and CEO, General Dynamics In January of this year, Novakovic, the former intelligence officer who is chairman and CEO of General Dynamics was able to share some good news: the company’s latest quarter results proved to be the “strongest revenue performance in the past 12 quarters, the highest operating earnings ever and the highest earnings from continuing operations.” Those 12 quarters just happen to correspond to when she became head of one of the world’s top defense contractors in 2013. Novakovic has also made good on promises uttered when she came aboard, such as investigating the company’s past mergers and acquisitions missteps and rectifying them when necessary. In April, for example, GD shed one such cyber security company that it had acquired less than three years ago in order to reshape its core portfolio. Prior to joining the Falls Church-based company, Novakovic gained vital experience working for the CIA and the Department of Defense.

Tom Nides Vice Chairman, Morgan Stanley From Capitol Hill to the State Department to the private sector, Tom Nides has been through the revolving door of power in Washington.

For three years of the Obama Administration, he served as the number two to Hillary Clinton at the state department in the role of deputy secretary of state for management and resources. Before that, Nides was three times a chief of staff and worked for companies including Fannie Mae,

Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, where he was chief operating officer.

Morgan Stanley happily snatched him back in February 2013 to look after its global clients and government affairs. For now, Nides is expected to stay put and not join Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be helping. Expect him to play a major fundraising role for her in 2016, as he eyes the chief of staff position in a Clinton White House.

Bill Paxon Senior Advisor, Akin Gump Washington still talks about the 1994 Republican Revolution when the National Republican Campaign Committee head was none other than Bill Paxon. Twenty years later, he’s still carrying the influence card with Akin Gump, whose client roster includes Cox Enterprises, Amazon and Philip Morris. These days the former fiveterm Republican congressman from New York also seems to be throwing his lobbying (and financial) weight behind candidate Marco Rubio.

Milt & Jon Peterson Chairman, Peterson Companies; Chairman, Executive Committee, Peterson Companies This dynamic father-son duo has been behind the ongoing development of the National Harbor and its recent $100 million addition of Tanger Outlets. But they aren’t done expanding just yet on the jewel property they bought almost 20 years ago. In 2016, they will be adding an MGM Resort at National Harbor, which will have a 135,000-square-foot casino and theater. Most recently, they announced their plan to bring a Local Motors 3-D printer car micro-factory and retail store there.

Erich Pica President, Friends of the Earth From mobilizing tens of thousands of people to force Lowes and Home Depot to remove bee killing pesticides and products from their shelves to shutting down the first nuclear power plant (San Onofre) last year, Pica and his organization is part of Friends of the Earth International, a global network representing more than two million activists in 75 different countries. Pica was just tapped to head the Green Group, a coalition of the major American environmental organizations. Pica is unafraid to take on President Obama or Secretary Clinton, nor is he afraid to team up with true conservative conservationists. He has led some

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of the early efforts to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline calling it “the most destructive [pipeline] on the planet,’ in USA Today, launched a campaign to make California nuclearfree by shutting down the dangerous Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant built on 3 earthquake fault lines and is expanding what it means to be an environmentalist with statements supporting #blacklivesmatter and addressing the larger economic equality issues. Pica, a nationally recognized energy subsidies expert also pushes U.S. tax and budget policy reforms to end billions of dollars in corporate subsidies doled out to oil, gas, coal and nuclear interests.

David Plouffe Senior Vice President for Policy and Strategy, Uber Whatever Plouffe did to help elect President Obama when he was his campaign manager, Uber wants.

In August 2014, the mobile-appbased transportation company that’s transforming the industry also hired Plouffe to be its “campaign manager” in an effort to “win the hearts and minds” of the public by overseeing branding, communications and policy. His hire was touted across the political and business worlds as the “perfect marriage” and a “game changer for Uber.” He’ll be busy, no doubt, as the company expands to cities across the country, where regulatory roadblocks are often keeping their cars off the road. So far, he has partnered with altruistic organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving to share findings from a recent MADD survey of 807 adults in 19 cities finding that four out of five respondents were less likely to drive drunk due to ride-sharing apps like Uber.

In an email to customers, Plouffe stated “since UberX launched in California, drunk-driving crashes decreased by 60 per month for drivers under 30.That’s 1,800 crashes likely prevented over the past 2.5 years.”There’s doubt that Uber will continue to benefit from Plouffe’s communications savvy.

John Podesta Chairman, Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign John Podesta is going to be very busy this year as Hillary Clinton’s right-hand man. The former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and counselor to President Barack Obama is now chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Clinton’s announcement was first made via an email from Podesta alerting donors and Clinton associates to her candidacy. Podesta also wields power in the democratic think tank

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arena and has for years, as former president, chairman and partner of the Center for American Progress. He also influences the next generation of policymakers as visiting professor of law at Georgetown University.

tony podesta Founder and Chairman, The Podesta Group Podesta was not dubbed “one of Washington’s biggest players” by the New York Times just for his powerhouse lobbying firm, The Podesta Group, which boasts a roster of clients that includes Google, Diageo, Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo. His client strategy has been described as an “inthe-trenches” mentality meaning he prefers action to talk, and gets results. A go-to guy for Democratic fundraising, Podesta has successfully raised millions thanks to his longtime relationships on Capitol Hill. It doesn’t hurt that his brother, John, is a former Obama advisor and chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Rusty Powell Director, National Gallery of Art The former Los Angeles County Museum of Arts director and current director of the National Gallery of Art added another museum to his list this year: the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Last summer, Powell oversaw the takeover of the city’s oldest private gallery with the National Gallery and George Washington University. He did so while effectively preventing the Corcoran’s educational programs from closing, and more recently, has ensured that the art stays in Washington. In February, some 6,430 works found a new home at the National Gallery.

Art Collins What is your advice to people who would like to follow in your footsteps and one day hold a position of power?

As your presumed level of power increases, let your level of humility proportionately increase. Power is a double edge sword, which when exercised without careful thought and patience often harms those who carry that sword. Be thoughtful and creative in achieving your goals, while wisely utilizing your power. It is not an exhaustive resource within one’s possession. p h o t o b y t o ny p o w e l l

Michael Powell President and CEO, National Cable and Telecommunications Association The FCC may have voted in favor of net neutrality but Michael Powell and his group at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association could still stand in the way. Powell’s organization joined the CTIA in bringing lawsuits to derail the FCC’s plans. He also has his hands full with the Department of Justice’s nixing of the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two of his biggest constituents. Powell has plenty of experience on his side. He was first appointed an FCC commissioner under Bill Clinton and then became chairman of the agency under George W. Bush. Of course, he’s uber connected in Washington too, as the son of former Secretary of State and

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John and Tony Podesta

Rusty Powell

Reince Priebus

Jack Quinn

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power100 Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell.

Reince Priebus

John F.W. Rogers

David Rubenstein

Chairman, Republican National Committee ` The 2014 midterm election proved to be a huge success for the top man at the Republican National Committee.

The GOP took control of the Senate and expanded its majority in the House, giving Republicans control of both houses for the first time in eight years.

And it wasn’t just the pick-up in seats that had the committee’s chairman and finance chairman smiling: polls after the election showed a shift in the American public’s political alliances to the right.

And with a wide-open presidential election in 2016, the party has its eyes on the White House. Priebus has already come out swinging against Hillary, talking to “Face the Nation” on the day she declared her candidacy to allege that she had taken money from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Oman and Yemen – all countries that abuse the rights of women – and publishing an op-ed in USA Today declaring that “for more than a decade, she has been running from scandal.”

Jack Quinn

Deborah Rutter

Fred Ryan

Co-Founder and President, QGA Public Affairs Jack Quinn has enjoyed an exceptional career in Democratic politics — including serving as White House counsel to President Clinton — before he got into lobbying.

Quinn was a young political prodigy, directing Mo Udall’s presidential campaign at just 26. He went on to work for Al Gore and then for Bill Clinton. Afterward, he met Republican Ed Gillespie, who most recently ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Virginia and the two decided to go into business together.

Quinn Gillespie and Associates, now QGA Public Affairs, was ahead of its time as a “one stop shop” for lobbying. The hiring of prominent Republican strategist John Feehery in 2010 to run the communications part of the business proved that QGA continues to value bipartisan talent. QGA is ranked among the top lobbying firms (in terms of lobbying income) and in 2014 boasted a client roster that included 21st Century Fox, AARP, AT&T, Sony Corp, State Farm Insurance and U.S. Steel.

John F.W. Rogers

Mitchell Schear

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Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Board, Goldman Sachs Even Lloyd C. Blankfein, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, finds

John F.W. Rogers to be a curiosity.

“Why does he have that extra initial that everybody else doesn’t have?”

Blankfein mused in a 2011 Bloomberg BusinessWeek profile. Rogers came to Goldman in 1994 knowing nothing about Wall Street and everything about Washington, and for 20 years he’s been the behind-the-scenes power player who connects the two at his firm.

He’s been called one of the “scariest, most important people at Goldman Sachs and his power reveals itself in subtle ways,” Dealbreaker once wrote.

During his Washington days, Rogers worked for the Reagan and Ford administrations before taking a job at the treasury department. He also serves as trustee of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, helps the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and serves as vice chairman of the White House Historical Association.

the “Patriotic Philanthropist” donated $10 million to help restore “Montepelier,” President James Madison’s Virginia home.

Karl Rove

Publisher,The Washington Post The Washington Post ended eight decades of ownership by the Graham family in September when its new owner, Jeff Bezos, let it be known that ex-Politico CEO Fred Ryan would be succeeding Katharine Weymouth as publisher, an occurrence that points to a new focus for the Post on digital journalism. Ryan made news last March when he laid off and hired new staff with an eye to expanding the Post’s digital presence. He launched Politico when he was president and chief operating officer of Allbritton Communications. Previously, he worked as a top aide in the Reagan administration and then ran the Reagan presidential library. Under Ryan’s and executive editor Marty Baron’s direction, the Washington Post recently won another Pulitzer Prize for exposing the chaos in the Secret Service.

Founder, Conservative Victory Project Rove was nicknamed “The Architect”

by President George W. Bush for his campaign and fundraising skills and his name has become synonymous with Republican political power.

An oft-quoted talking head, he is the “great whisperer” of Republican politics, giving a tremendous boost to whomever he picks in a primary.

Endorsements and money are sure to follow the Rove stamp of approval.

He’s the player behind a trio of political group—the super PAC American Crossroads and its related nonprofit Crossroads GPS, which together raised $325 million during the 2012 election cycle. However, there may be defections of well-heeled givers in 2016, who have been rallying for greater accountability from Rove and his team.

David Rubenstein Co-Founder and Co-CEO, The Carlyle Group You’d be hard-pressed to find a mention of the co-founder of the Carlyle Group without talk of his philanthropic side in the same breath. Washingtonians (and, really, all Americans) have Rubenstein to thank for the preservation of the Magna Carta, keeping the giant panda from going extinct and repairing one of the world’s most famous landmarks, the Washington Monument. Worth $2.9 billion, Rubenstein has also made large gifts to several top learning institutions, including his alma mater Duke University, and sits on numerous boards, including serving as chairman of the. Kennedy Center, which received his donation of $50 million for a major expansion. Last November,

Deborah Rutter President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The Kennedy Center has had its share of firsts, and now Deborah Rutter brings a much overdue one to the famed arts institution as its first female president. Rutter previously served as the head of several orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber and the Seattle Symphony. She is overseeing a $100 million expansion of the Kennedy Center that will create new performance spaces and rehearsal halls amd perhaps even a floating pavilion on the Potomac River.

Fred Ryan

Mitchell Schear President,Vornado/Charles E. Smith How much real estate is Mitchell Schear in charge of? At last count, it was more than 20 million square feet, as Vornado is the largest owner and manager of commercial properties in Washington, D.C. Schear came to Vornado in 2003 and directs the performance and growth of the company’s portfolio in the region. Besides leading this successful company, he is known as a leader in charitable giving. He was honored by Higher Achievement Metro Washington with the Gannon Achievement Award for his commitment to helping at-risk youth and getting the entire real estate

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Tom Donohue You are in a position of power. Are there unique responsibilities that come with that?

When it’s used to improve peoples’ lives or advance a good cause, influence can be a very positive force. Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of any leader to not only be effective but also ethical, wise, and driven by a positive purpose.

How would you define power?

Power is the ability to achieve objectives you deem important--and get things done. Power is often in the eyes of the beholder.

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community to pitch in, pledging to raise $1 million for the nonprofit organization

Bob Schieffer Host, CBS’s “Face the Nation” In April, CBS News made an announcement that marks the end of an era: legendary journalist Bob Schieffer will retire this summer after 50 years with company. One of the most notable stories in his early career was when he answered the phone in a Dallas newsroom that was empty due to the assassination of President Kennedy, and on the phone was the mother of Lee Harvey Oswald asking for a ride to Dallas while admitting that she believed her son was responsible. The rest is history. Since then, the “Face the Nation” host has covered every news beat and interviewed every president.

His name will live on not only with the CBS family and his fans, but also in the school of journalism named after him at his alma mater Texas Christian University. We’re hoping

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Scott Reed

that he isn’t quite ready to retire from performing with his band Honky Tonk Confidential. Despite Schieffer’s departure, the CBS Washington team remains notably strong, especially since respected journalist John Dickerson will replace Schieffer on the Sunday show. Chris Isham, the network’s softspoken, low-key D.C. bureau chief has helped CBS maintain its “Tiffany” network image.

Marc Short & Steve Lombardo President, Freedom Partners; Chief Communications and marketing officer, Koch Companies Public Sector LLP The Koch brothers’ political network spent more than $400 million in the 2012 election and plans to spend $889 million on politics, issue advocacy, lobbying and other “educational efforts” in 20152016. Its main political vehicles are the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity. Mark Short is president

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Bob Schieffer

Knox Singleton

David Skorton

Arne Sorenson

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The Power of Transparency in a City of Secrets The discussion of power is often centered on what it is, who has it and how to get it. But what about the people monitoring the usage of power, and ensuring it isn’t abused? Here, we salute some of the recent accomplishments of a few of Washington’s stalwart watchdogs and whistleblowers.

Project on Government Oversight (POGO) The Project On Government Oversight, or POGO, is a nonpartisan government watchdog founded in 1981. The nonprofit organization advocates for reforms for more open, effective and ethical federal government. Over its history it has worked closely with whistleblowers to expose government corruption.

The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition In April alone FACT partners such as the Center for Effective Government and the Institute for Policy Studies co-published Burning Our Bridges, a report which found that 26 corporations had $1.3 trillion of untaxed profits stashed offshore, representing 62 percent of total untaxed profits held offshore by U.S. corporations. On average, a small business owner in the US would need to pay an additional $3,244 to make up for offshore tax dodging by large multinational corporations. Eliminating these loopholes in our tax system is one of the policy changes for which FACT most aggressively fights.

Taxpayers for Common Sense Founded in 1995, Taxpayers for Common Sense is a nonpartisan budget watchdog seeking to serve as an independent voice for the American taxpayer. For example, in September 2014, the Pentagon/Air Force told Congress that it wanted to buy new F-35s out of the war fighting Overseas Contingency Account. TCS wrote about this request in their September 12th “Weekly Wastebasket,” explaining that the F-35 is not operational or being employed overseas. The House Appropriations Committee rejected the request on September 18th. A few months later, TCS uncovered that the oil and gas industry was not paying for oil and gas used in their onsite operations leading to millions in lost royalties. The corrupt practice stems from a more than half-century-old statute that the industry wrote themselves.

Lawmakers have since expressed interest in eliminating this giveaway. These are only two examples of how TCS is working to ensure that the government spends taxpayer dollars responsibly.

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of the trade association Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and has been called a “Koch Brothers operative.” He previously served as chief of staff for the House Republican Conference and was director of the Reagan Ranch.

Freedom Partners distributed nearly $300 million to other groups in the Koch network from November 2011 to December 2013, according to its most recent federal tax returns.

Lombardo has his work cut out for him as chief communications and marketing officer at Koch Industries, but the former tobacco operative can handle the challenge.

He worked on George H.W. Bush’s 1992 presidential campaign and was an advisor to Mitt Romney in 2012.

Under Lombardo’s lead, Koch’s first national television ad campaign aired last summer, promoting a positive image of the company to improve public perception. The Koch brothers’ net worth is estimated at more than $40 billion each, and all Republican candidates will audition for them in hopes of receiving their support -a process informally known as “the first primary” - before Iowa.

Knox Singleton CEO, Inova In his 30 years at the helm, Singleton has led Inova to become the area’s largest hospital system, and it’s getting even bigger. Inova recently announced plans to build a 117-acre national cancer and personalized health center, the Inova Translational Medicine Institute, in Falls Church. The new facility will provide even more care services in keeping with the nonprofit’s mission to give world-class care to anyone, regardless of his or her ability to pay. Singleton is known for his involvement in the community and has been recognized for it-he is one of 16 members appointed to George Mason University’s Board of Visitors by the governor of Virginia, and has received numerous other awards and honorary degrees.

David J. Skorton Secretary,The Smithsonian Institution Cornell University’s class of 2015 won’t be the only people leaving the upstate New York campus this June. The school’s president, David J. Skorton, will also be relocating to Washington to serve as the new secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the largest museum and research complex in the world.

The first physician to lead the organization, he is widely recognized for academic distinction as well as

public service. Cornell honored Skorton with the selective Tanner Prize this year for his contributions to the Jewish community on campus.

He is past chairman of the BusinessHigher Education Forum, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former member of the board of directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Joseph Stiglitz Economist This Nobel Prize-winning economist who has been sounding the alarm about growing income inequality recently published a new book, “The Great Divide,” and makes the argument that it doesn’t cost jobs when the minimum wage is raised, as people need money to purchase goods and services. Stiglitz advised Hillary Clinton on this and has reached out to other candidates as well. Insiders say the fact that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have been speaking about income inequality of late is a testament to Stiglitz, whom they call a “more readable, not to mention American, Thomas Piketty.”

Jon Talisman Founding Partner, Capitol Tax Partners, LLP Jon Talisman is a true Washington tax expert. Having served as the assistant secretary for tax policy at the treasury during the Clinton administration, chief minority tax counsel of the Senate Finance Committee and as legislative counsel to the Joint Committee on Taxation, Talisman is steeped in tax knowledge. He’s been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” Also, Talisman’s Capitol Tax Partners has worked to help some of the country’s biggest companies navigate tax legislation and regulatory matters, with recent clients including Apple, General Electric and FedEx.

Neera Tanden President, Center for American Progress She hasn’t been officially named as a member of Hillary Clinton’s team, but many knowledgeable sources are speculating that Tanden will be on that roster soon. The current president of the Center for American Progress has been a longtime Clinton advisor and there’s little chance of that changing now. For now, she’s focused on running the progressive think tank armed with the expertise in health care and domestic policy she’s gained serving in both the Obama and Clinton administrations.

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chuck todd Moderator, NBC’s “Meet the Press” He’s the 12th moderator of “Meet the Press,” replacing David Gregory – the heir to beloved host Tim Russert – who was unceremoniously ousted in 2014 after years of tanking ratings. Todd’s ratings haven’t been stellar either, but his understanding of the players and the political process are highly respected, and some say unparalleled. He remains NBC’s political director, and because of his knowledge, garners respect when questioning politicos on both sides of the aisle. In April, amid controversy that the Clinton Foundation had taken donations from foreign governments during Hillary’s tenure as Secretary of State, Todd called the situation “politically…just dumb and inept.”

Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO The longtime leader of the 12.5 million-strong union isn’t afraid to take a stand against President

Obama. “Both parties side with the wealthy over working people,” Trumka said recently. “Both parties are too close to big corporations.

Neither party cares deeply enough about creating jobs. Neither party cares enough about raising wages or protecting Social Security or Medicare.” With one of the biggest trade deals in history being worked on by top lawmakers in the House and Senate, Trumka is making sure the president hears how this will effect his constituents. In April, he explained how these sorts of “fasttracked trade deals [have] devastated our communities through lost jobs and eroded public services.”

Environmentalists and some Democrats are echoing his desire to “fight and…ultimately prevail.”

Helgi Walker Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Last year Walker scored a major coup for Verizon by winning the “net neutrality” appeal, allowing it to raise rates for companies that use more bandwidth. This year she celebrated a Sixth Circuit win for Ford Motor Co. that ruled it did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. She is a partner in Washington’s Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher firm where she is a member of its appellate and constitutional law group. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, she was an associate counsel to President George W. Bush and was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Chris Wallace & Bret Baier Host, “Fox News Sunday” ; Host, “Special Report with Bret Baier” Wallace, a three-time Emmy Award winner, is the host of “Fox News Sunday” and the only person ever to have served as host/moderator of more than one Sunday political talk show. He was previously moderator of “Meet the Press” and celebrated 50 years in the broadcasting industry in 2014, having started his career as an assistant to Walter Cronkite at the 1964 Republican Convention.

With over three million viewers, Fox News is the number one cable network and “Fox News Sunday” is Washington’s number one Sunday program in cable news’s 25-54 demographic. Senior political anchor Bret Baier hosts “Special Report with Bret Baier,” another of the network’s successful shows, and remains a strong yet measured voice who will lead the network’s 2016 election coverage.

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Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers As head of an organization with 1.6 million members, Weingarten is committed to improving schools and making things better for students, educators, nurses, health care workers and public employees in solidarity with workers across America. A former United Federation of Teachers president, arbitration attorney and Brooklyn, N.Y. school teacher, she recently joined the conversation about sexual assault on college campuses by writing a first-person account of her own experiences for the culture website Jezebel. The outspoken union leader also recently spoke out about Pearson’s standardized testing methods, calling for more transparency and the full release of test questions.

Jake Tapper

Candida Wolff Executive Vice President & Head of Global Government Affairs, Citigroup Wolff served as President George W. Bush’s top lobbyist on Capitol Hill during her three years in his administration, so it’s no surprise that she landed the top lobbying job at Citigroup after leaving the White House. In her current position, American Banker applauded Wolff for her “deep Rolodex of government contacts” and praised her ability to “put out political fires that flare up and threaten to harm Citigroup’s interests.” Wolff has prodded members of Congress on such issues as cyber security, mobile payments regulation and corporate tax reform, while dutifully representing the banking and financial services corporation in the post too-big-to-fail era.

Chuck Todd

Richard Trumpka

Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl Roman Catholic Archibishop of Washington It’s going to be a year Cardinal Wuerl will never forget. In September, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2010 and in September will be welcoming Pope Francis to Washington for a meeting with the president and the first lady and an historic address before a joint session of Congress.

Having a popular pope who may be able to get lapsed Catholics to return to the fold is a great opportunity that Wuerl is not likely to miss. On Easter Sunday this year, the cardinal said that one of the reason’s the pope is so appealing is the “way he lives, treats people, responds to people, to many people…he sounds…a lot like what Jesus would have sounded like.”

Helgi Walker

Cardinal Donald Wuerl

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