White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Barbara and Laura Bush, Global Health Corps DC Reception

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The work of Global Health Corps was honored at a reception with GHC CEO and Co-Founder Barbara Bush, Thursday evening at the historic Jefferson Hotel.

GHC believes that a global movement of individuals and organizations fighting for improved health outcomes and access to healthcare for the poor is necessary in order to change the unacceptable status quo of extreme inequity. GHC works to strengthen this movement by recruiting, training, and supporting future leaders, providing opportunities for young professionals from diverse backgrounds to work on the frontlines of the fight for global health equity in year-long fellowships.

The exclusive reception in D.C. included remarks by former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as Barbara Bush, co-host Ambassador Mark Dybul, Ambassador Melanne Verveer and GHC fellow Lilly Bertz.
Guests included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Ambassador Eric Goosby, Jen Kaplan, Susan McCue, Jim Jones, Ana Morse, Bob Barnett, Betsy Fischer, Ed and Shirley Henry, and Robert Higdon and David Deckelbaum.

The Exxon Mobil Foundation announced today a $250,000 grant to GHC launch the ExxonMobil Fellowships in Global Health. Eight young professionals are to be chosen for skills-based, year-long fellowships grant to GHC to work on the frontlines of pressing global health issues.

HONORARY EVENT CHAIRS were The Honorable Joshua Bolten, The Honorable Stephen Hadley, Constance Milstein de La Haye St. Hilaire, and The Honorable Condoleezza Rice and a hist of Congressional biggies. The co-hosts were Dr. Mark Dybul, Anita McBride, David Vennett, Gordon Johnroe and Tammy Haddad.

Celebrating the First Ladies

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Forty-six women have served as First Lady, standing alongside our US Presidents throughout history. To kick off Women’s History Month, the American University’s School of Public Affairs is holding an afternoon conference, The Legacies of America’s First Ladies, to celebrate and examine the role of the nation’s first ladies.

The conference was organized by Anita McBride, former chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush and now an executive in residence at American University.

“A first lady’s role may be a mysterious to many, but these leaders behind the leaders help effect change and advance our society in valuable ways,” says McBride.

Susan Sher, former chief of staff to Michelle Obama, will be making her first appearance since leaving the White House. She will be participating in a panel discussion with McBride and Melanne Verveer, former chief of staff to Hillary Rodham Clinton, on how these modern women have redefined what it means to be First Lady.

There will be other panel discussions throughout the afternoon with premier historians, authors, White House correspondents and journalists, who have studied, written, covered and traveled with the first ladies. Representatives from the Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush administrations will also be participating including Gahl Hodges Burt, former special assistant to President Reagan and social secretary.

Events will be held at AU’s Katzen Arts Center and the White House Historical Association, the National Archives’ Presidential Libraries, and American University’s Library are conference partners. For a full list of speakers and conference agenda, click here.

In addition to the conference, McBride is also spearheading the creation of the First Ladies Foundation to cultivate the first non-partisan history on the impact these women have made. For more information go to FirstLadiesFoundation.org.

Memorable Moments of Dinners Past

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If there’s a single instance in the recent history that encapsulates what the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has become in staid, old Washington, it would have to be the “Ozzy moment.” The year was 2002 and the unified spirit that enveloped Washington in the wake of the 9/11 attacks still lingered as the elite masses gathered at the Washington Hilton hotel for the annual dinner. President Bush was on hand, riding a wave of political popularity. Cabinet members like Colin Powell were also present, as well as the upper echelons of official Washington.

Comedian Drew Carey was the featured entertainment (after the president, of course), and the requisite celebrities were on hand as well – Harrison Ford, Christie Brinkley, etc. But it was heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne (invited by Fox News host Greta Van Susteren) everyone was clamoring to see. His MTV reality show “The Osbournes” had become a cultural phenomenon and the muttering poster boy of rock ‘n roll excess was more famous than he had ever been in his head-banging heyday. Even the president couldn’t resist the pull of America’s sudden and most unlikely celebrity. “The thing about Ozzy is he’s made a lot of big hit recordings,” Bush said as he gave the singer a shout-out during his remarks. “’Party With Animals,’ ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,’ ‘Face in Hell,’ ‘Black Skies’ and ‘Bloodbath in Paradise’ … Ozzy, mom loves your stuff.” Osbourne responded by standing on his chair, arms raised and shouting as the audience howled and applauded.

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