Archives for January 2022

After a pandemic delay, the Portrait of a Nation Gala is back on in 2022 to honor Dr. Fauci, José Andrés, Serena and Venus Williams, and others. This year’s chosen honorees will be celebrated on November 12th, with their portraits added to the Smithsonian museum’s collection. 

The most anticipated honoree is Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, who told The Washington Post that he was highly honored to be receiving the recognition. 

“It is one of the most humbling of all of the recognition that I’ve gotten,” he said. “I’ve lived in Washington the last 50 years and the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery is an iconic place in my mind. It makes me feel humbled and almost embarrassed to be in the same building with the people whose portraits are there.”

Other 2022 award winners are tennis champions and activists Serena and Venus Williams, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, DC chef and humanitarian José Andrés, Grammy-winning music producer Clive Davis, and Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman.

The award was created in 2015 and is given to those who “made transformative contributions to the United States and its people across numerous fields of endeavor, ranging from the arts and sciences to sports and humanitarianism,” according to the Smithsonian. The gallery will display a portrait of each honoree, with the pieces permanently joining the Smithsonian collection. The portraits will be displayed starting November 10th, 2022.

Kim Sajet, the Director of the National Portrait Gallery, told The Post that “It’s a moment to pay gratitude to people who have made the world a better place. It’s about recognizing them in their lifetime, knowing that their portraits will be there for future generations.” 

Unfortunately, the 2021 gala was postponed for twelve months due to the pandemic, however this year it’s back on and set. Previous honorees have included Aretha Franklin, Bill T. Jones, Anna Wintour, Maya Lin, and Madeleine Albright, among others. 

The 2022 honorees have worked to address social justice, health and wellness, economic inequality, and equity and inclusion, and each has had a major impact on the world, especially during the pandemic, Sajet said.

“I’m grateful we have these people in the world right now,” she said. “They have all helped us, in their own way, to cope.

A unique aspect of the gala is that each honoree is at liberty to choose who will present their award. In past years, Patrick Ewing honored Spike Lee, Michelle Obama presented Lin-Manuel Miranda his award, and Robert Redford was chosen to celebrate Madeleine Albright. 

The gala will be held in the museum’s courtyard, with dinner, a private viewing of the portraits, and a performance. However, you don’t have to wait till November to visit the National Portrait Gallery! Click here to see the latest exhibitions and get tickets. 

Costa is among one of the most prominent political journalists right now, marking a significant move for CBS. Costa and veteran journalist Bob Woodward co-authored Peril, the New York Times best-selling book covering the final year of Trump’s presidency and the initial days of Biden’s presidency.  

Washington Post National Political Reporter Robert Costa and author of the bestselling book,  “Peril” with Bob Woodward is joining CBS News as chief election and campaign correspondent. 

“My reporting will focus on the 2022 midterms, the 2024 election, and American democracy. Stay tuned for in-depth stories, scoops, investigations, and on-the-road reports,” Costa said in a tweet announcing the news.

He will join the CBS News Washington Bureau on February 13th to report for broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms. 

Costa has been a national political reporter at the Post since January, 2014, and while he is leaving his longtime position there, he told The New York Times that he plans to continue to collaborate with the Post. 

“I am lucky to call Sally Buzbee and Fred Ryan friends,” Mr. Costa said to The New York Times.  “These are people I’ve worked closely with, and I appreciate their support for this decision.”

During his tenure at the Post, Costa was also moderator and managing editor of PBS Washington Week from 2017-2020, and was a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC from 2015-2020. 

Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, called Costa “one of the best political reporters of his generation.”

Best of luck to Bob Costa and we wish him all the best! 

Erin Reif and Punya Krishnappa, both veteran strategists from Capitol Hill, will be joining Uber’s US Federal Affairs team in DC.

Reif will join the team as Senior Manager for Federal Affairs and Krishnappa joins as Manager for Federal Campaigns. Both women have a plethora of experience leading federal campaigns and developing high-impact public affairs strategies to shape public policy and maximize success. 

Prior to joining Uber, Reif spent 27 years working in Congress, initially in the House of Representatives for former Reps. Bob Michel and Ray LaHood. Most recently, Reif served in Sen. Lamar Alexander’s office as a Senior Policy Advisor.

“I’m looking forward to joining Uber’s Federal Affairs team and leveraging my experience on Capitol Hill to achieve policy outcomes that drive growth for the business and advance the interests of riders and drivers across the country,” said Reif to Uber. 

Krishnappa was most recently a Senior Strategist for a Maryland gubernatorial primary candidate. Prior to that, she was a Deputy National Field Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, where she oversaw more than 80 congressional races across the country. She has worked on numerous national and statewide campaigns, most notably serving as the Director of States for Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” initiative, where she was responsible for managing community partnerships and engagement.

“I’m excited to bring my campaign experiences to this new role and help drive awareness around the key issues and policies that impact riders and drivers across the country,” said Krishnappa.

“We are thrilled to welcome Erin and Punya to our team. They each bring a tremendous range of experience and perspective, deep knowledge of our policy issues, and years of leadership experience both on and off Capitol Hill. They will be an invaluable asset to our team’s work educating policymakers and stakeholders about Uber,” said CR Wooters, Head of Federal Affairs at Uber.

David Mercer was a nationally recognized democratic strategist, government relations advisor and media commentator.  He developed and maintained strong lasting relationships with significant Washington political operatives and leaders, as well as national business leaders, regardless of their political affiliation. This was a testament to his open-minded, positive views about people and his placing personal relationships ahead of partisanship.  Anyone who met him was touched by his kindness, optimism, clarity of thought, and infectious smile.

Bishop Leah Daughtry officiated and speakers included Marie-Claire Brown, Gordon Hensley, Jamal Simmons, Michelle Bernard, Lauren Hobby, Tali Raebeck, Adam Schubert, Minyon Moore, Heather Johnston, and Scott Mercer. Flutist Kevin Willois concluded by playing “Amazing Grace.”

Following the service, a reception was held at Café Milano, where guests enjoyed some of David’s favorite foods, as well as his signature drink – the newly-named Mercer Martini. On-site Covid testing was mandatory for all guests and KN95 masks were distributed.

Additional guests not pictured included Donna Brazile, Tina Flournoy, Rob Liberatore, Jeffrey Hirschberg, Kiki and Joe McLean, Mark Irion, Jill Alper, Kelly Courtney, Diana Rogalle, Kim Kauffman, Erica Payne, Ilyse Hogue, Liz Sizer, Holly Kinnamon, Jackson Dunn, Michael Simpson, Mary Ann Akers and Michael Isikoff, Katie and David Leavy, Tom Lindenfeld, Tamera Luzzatto, Melissa Moss, Christina Sevilla, Kevin Varney, Alix DeJean, Lyndon Boozer, and Eric Schwarz.

A scholarship fund to attend David’s high school alma mater, Milton Academy,  has been created and was announced at the service. The David Mercer Memorial Fund will be used to help students with demonstrated financial need attend Milton. Donations can be made here https://www.milton.edu/graduates/give/

The White House Correspondents Association (WCHA) announced it would reduce capacity for journalists attending press briefings due to spikes in omicron variant COVID-19 cases. The WHCA Board voted unanimously to return to a previously set reduced seating arrangement from earlier in the pandemic. 

In an email from the association president, CBS News radio correspondent Steve Portnoy, to the organization’s members, it was announced that 14 seats out of the 49 in the room would be used. 

“Given the virulence of the spread, medical experts have once again advised that it would be prudent to substantially reduce the number of people working in the cramped, poorly ventilated workspace that we share,” Portnoy said as reported by The Hill. 

The change in capacity would be temporary, and the WHCA intends to revisit the seating arrangement later in the month, depending on current climate and case rates. 

“A primary objective is ensuring we are able to hold the administration accountable to the public, while preventing an outbreak that might limit our ability to cover the president in close quarters,” Portnoy said in the original statement.

The WHCA has continued to urge reporters in contact with The White House to stay vigilant by wearing high quality masks and rapid testing frequently.