Archives for February 2023

The White House Historical Association on Wednesday unveiled its official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament – a festive holiday wreath adorned with decorations inspired by the handcrafted Christmas ornaments used in the White House during the administration of President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.

“The ornaments serve as a wonderful teaching tool designed to tell the story of the White House during a specific presidency or anniversary,” said Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association. “Through these collectibles, we’ve been able to further our mission to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of America’s Executive Mansion.”

According to the White House Historical Association’s description of the ornament: “Small and delicate depictions of dolls, cherubs, doves, stars, flowers, gingerbread men, candles, and pentagon balls decorate the front of the ornament while the back features emblems related to the life and presidency of Gerald R. Ford. President Ford was an eagle scout and an athlete who played on the University of Michigan’s football team.”

The Association’s announcement continues: “While in office, he and Mrs. Ford celebrated the 200th anniversary of America’s founding. The Fords were gifted Liberty, a Golden Retriever puppy, who made the White House her home. Later the USS Gerald R. Ford, the first-in-class aircraft carrier, was commissioned to honor the thirty-eighth president as the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. These moments are the inspiration for the design of the Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament.”

The Official White House Christmas Ornament is available at shop.whitehousehistory.org. 

The Pallas Foundation announced Friday the launch of a new scholarship program named in honor of Admiral Mike Mullen (Ret.) to serve underrepresented students in the field of homeland security at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC).

The Adm. Mike Mullen Scholarship for National Security Leadership honors the 17th Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff for both President Bush and President Obama from 2007 to 2011, and also as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations from 2005 to 2007. A 1968 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Adm. Mullen was deeply involved in mentoring and promoting officers from diverse backgrounds to help them achieve the highest ranks in the military, the Foundation announced.

The Mullen Scholarship will directly support the development of emerging leaders in global and national security, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Under the program, each year two students will receive a scholarship to study at AACC from Pallas.

The Pallas Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pallas Advisors, the strategic advisory firm specializing in navigating complex national and international security dynamics, founded by Sally Donnelly, who was the special assistant to Admiral Mullen as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A fixture in defense and national security, Donnelly also served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as Director of the Washington Office for the Commander of U.S. Central Command, both under Gen. James Mattis.

“We are honored to partner with Admiral Mullen on this initiative. His career-long commitment to underrepresented communities perfectly matches the mission of the Pallas Foundation,” said Sally Donnelly, Co-Chair of the Pallas Foundation. “Anne Arundel is a proven leader in the nation’s community college system, and we are grateful for their support.”

Students pursuing degrees in Homeland Security Management, Transportation and Border Security, or Intelligence Analytics are eligible for the scholarship. In addition to the scholarship funds, recipients will also be invited to leadership development events coordinated by the Pallas Foundation.

“We are honored that the Pallas Foundation selected AACC as its first community college to launch the Adm. Mullen Initiative to help prepare more national security leaders for public service and career success,” said Dr. Dawn Lindsay, AACC’s president. “Both organizations are national leaders, so it is a natural fit that will create opportunities for more students.”

“At AACC, we serve an increasingly diverse range of students that this scholarship will help support,” said Darian Senn-Carter, Ed.D., interim director of AACC’s Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute. “Thanks to the Pallas Foundation, we will be able to prepare even more talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds for careers that safeguard our community and our nation.”

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Pallas Foundation aims to foster the education and professional development of emerging leaders from underrepresented groups in global and national security.

Students interested in applying for scholarships at AACC should visit www.aacc.edu/scholarships. 

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) on Thursday announced Roy Wood Jr. as the featured entertainer for the 2023 White House Correspondents’ dinner.

Wood, a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, is standup comedian and host of the “Roy’s Job Fair” podcast. The comedian’s latest hour-long standup special, Imperfect Messenger, is now streaming on Paramount+.”

According to the WHCA, “Wood was a broadcast journalism major at Florida A&M University in 1998, when he fell in love with comedy and launched his career in standup. He has been featured on just about every late-night comedy show on network TV, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, and was one of the top three finalists on Last Comic Standing on NBC. He also executive produced the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary The Neutral Ground.”

“It’s an honor to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media, who work so hard to uncover the truth, and hold our government accountable,” said Wood Jr. “It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in.”

This year’s annual WHCA dinner will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at its longtime home in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton.

About the WHCA

Founded in 1914, the White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. We support awards for some of the best political reporting of the past year, and scholarships for young reporters who carry our hopes for vibrant journalism in the years to come. Each day, we work to ensure that the men and women who cover the White House have the ability to seek answers from powerful officials, up to and including the President. Our association comprises hundreds of members from the worlds of print, television, radio and online journalism. Their work, for outlets based in the United States and overseas, reaches a global audience. The association has been holding an annual dinner since 1921.

For more information, visit http://www.whca.press.