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.

The (Un)Sanctioned Party brought together a dynamic crowd to support BlueCheck Ukraine at the residence of the French Ambassador Philippe Etienne. Co-hosts Dmitri Alperovitch and Maureen Hinman, Tammy Haddad, Kevin Sheekey, John Katko, Mike Rogers, Edward Luce, Ryan Evans, Dan Jablonsky, Adam Ghetti and Kara Swisher highlighted the work of BlueCheck Ukraine founded by the great actor and activist Liev Schreiber.

Special guest Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova thanked Schreiber and all the guests who have supported Ukraine’s efforts. Actor and Blue Check Ukraine co-founder Liev Schreiber describing the work their partner NGOS are doing on the ground in Ukraine. 

Liev Schreiber described how BlueCheck Ukraine fund local NGOs on the ground in Ukraine and their pro-bono partners, Ropes & Gray and Integrity Risk International, vet each of the NGOs.)

Please contribute here and be sure to type “UnSanctioned” in the comment section to help us track donations.

Ambassador Markarova inspired the crowd her remarks, highlighting the bravery and resiliency of the Ukrainian people and why they need our support now more than ever.

Guests who were sanctioned by Russia included Jon Finer, Lisa Monaco, Ned Price, Rep. Brendan Boyle, Rep. Rick Larsen, Rep. Doug Lamborn, Rep. Susan Wild, Susan Glasser, Chris Krebs, Bianna Golodryga, Craig Kennedy.

Other guests included Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Ambassadors Karen Pierce (UK), Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland), Stavros Lambrinidis (EU), Santiago Cabanas Ansorena (Spain), Miloslav Stašek (Czechia), Christina Markus Lassen (Denmark), Nicole Bintner (Luxembourg), Niamh King, Peter Baker, Jonathan Karl, John McCarthy, Elizabeth Falcone,  David Butler, T.W. Arrighi, Abby Phillip, Kaitlan Collins, Josh Dawsey, Alex Marquardt, Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Williams.

 Please contribute to BlueCheck Ukraine to fund local NGOs on the ground in Ukraine. Donations should include the #UnSanctioned, press HERE!

Emmy® and Grammy® Award-winning Mezzo-soprano star Denyce Graves this month launched important works through the Denyce Graves Foundation with a glitzy string of events in Washington to roll out the foundation’s initiatives honoring the legacy of minority performers in America and celebrating the diversity and talent of the next generation.

The weekend kicked off with Denyce performaning the starring role in The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson at the Kennedy Center, which portrays the life and legacy of Mary Cardwell Dawson, acclaimed performer and founder of the National Negro Opera Company. Presented by the Washington National Opera, The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, which played in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater from January 20–22, features music by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon and text by playwright Sandra Seaton.

Following the Sunday evening performance, philanthropists Wayne and Catherine Reynolds hosted a dinner at the Kennedy Center sponsored by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation. Guests included British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Sir Charles Roxburgh, Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, Bret and Amy Baier, Billy Martin, Abby Phillip and Marcus Richardson, Dede and Dr. Dallas Lea, Teresa Carlson and Andre Pienaar, Isabelle Johnson, Lee Satterfield and Patrick Steel, Kim Sajet, Anita and Tim McBride, and Jonathan Capehart and Nick Schmit.

Denyce’s husband, NYU Langone transplant surgeon Dr. Robert Montgomery, who has visited and supported Ukraine’s largest functioning transplant center, was joined at the dinner by fellow doctors from Ukraine.

Isabelle Johnson of the S&R Evermay Foundation is a partner of the Denyce Graves Foundation and its new exhibition at the Kennedy Center, highlighting the untold stories and achievements of America’s hidden musical figures. The exhibit features photographs and artifacts from Mary Cardwell Dawson and the National Negro Opera Company, on loan from the Heinz History Center, and runs Jan. 18–Feb. 1, 2023.

On January 22, the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously presented to Mary Cardwell Dawson for providing opportunities for gifted African-American performers and challenging systemic racism. Established in 2003 by executive order by President George W. Bush, the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have volunteered more than 4,000 hours of service and is the highest honor in the President’s Volunteer Service Award system. Presented by Dr. Beverly Kee, Certifying Agent, Premiere Coalition Partners Association, the award was accepted on the late Dawson’s behalf by her grandniece, Debra Evans.

Prior to the performances, the Library of Congress hosted a lecture on January 19 by Dr. Karen Bryan entitled, “Self-Determination on the Operatic Stage: Mary Cardwell Dawson and African American performance in Washington, DC and New York City.” The lecture was presented by the American Musicological Society and the Music Division of the Library of Congress.

The Denyce Graves Foundation is committed to highlighting the rich musical heritage of early African-American performers and preparing the diverse pool of tomorrow’s vocal stars by encouraging inclusive opportunity, access, and advocacy for the next generation.

Brava, Denyce!

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has launched a new Iran Media Help Desk to support at-risk journalists covering the increasing protests across the country. 

According to RSF:  “In response to the rapid deterioration of press freedom since the start of the nationwide protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September,  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has launched a new Iran Media Help Desk, in collaboration with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dr Shirin Ebadi. Immediate emphasis will be placed on providing digital security support to journalists and media facing risks for reporting on events in the country.”

RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire added: “Iranian journalists are courageously reporting on developments in an increasingly hostile and complex environment, despite the great risks to themselves. RSF is seeking to help circumvent those risks by providing journalists and media with the tools and support needed to do their jobs as safely as possible. Their ability to continue reporting is crucial to informing the Iranian and international public, and we hope this support helps offer them some protection and minimises disruption to their work.”

Iran is ranked 178th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2022 World Press Freedom Index.

RSF has partnered with GoFundMe to create a fundraiser to support these efforts with a goal of raising $200,000.