Board of Directors

As Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Gina Adams is responsible for directing the international and domestic legal, security, and government affairs for FedEx Corporation and its subsidiaries, which includes ensuring that global business activities are conducted in compliance with international, federal, state, and local government regulations. She is also a member of the Executive Committee, a group responsible for planning and executing the company’s strategic initiatives.

Before assuming her current role in 2024, Adams served as Corporate Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, where she was instrumental in shaping and promoting the policy interests of FedEx while working closely with government officials, policymakers, and industry associations on issues related to domestic and international commerce, infrastructure, and transportation.

She joined FedEx in 1992 as a Managing Attorney for International Regulatory Affairs and is a four-time recipient of the FedEx Five Star Award, the company’s highest employee achievement award.

Adams received her Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs from American University, a JD from Howard University School of Law, and an LL.M in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University Law Center. She also holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Trinity Washington University. She began her professional career in the Attorney Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Adams is an active member of the community and serves on numerous nonprofit and business sector boards, including:

• Chair, American University Board of Governors
• Vice Chair, Board of the Economic Club of Washington
• Board Member, Howard University School of Law Board of Visitors
• Board Member, National Air and Space Museum Board

In 2018, Adams was inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame and honored by the American Association of Airport Executives Foundation with a permanently endowed scholarship awarded yearly to female students enrolled in accredited aviation programs.

She was recognized in 2022 by the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. with the inaugural Arne M. Sorenson Excellence in Leadership Award for her efforts in strengthening ties between the local business, civic, diplomatic, and philanthropic communities.

Mr. Ahmed is the Head of Global Public Affairs and Strategic Research at PayPal Inc. His work covers a variety of global issues including financial services regulation, innovation, international trade, and entrepreneurship. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law School where he teaches a course on Fintech Law and Policy. Prior to PayPal, Mr. Ahmed worked at a number of policy think tanks in the Washington DC area focusing on good governance issues.

Mr. Ashton, Jr. is the Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of The St. James, a leading developer and operator of performance, wellness and lifestyle brands, experiences, technologies and destinations. Prior to founding The St. James, Mr. Ashton was a founding member and Managing Director of Perella Weinberg Partners, a global boutique financial services firm. Mr. Ashton is a member of the Board of Directors of The Cronos Group (NASDAQ: CRON), an innovative global cannabinoid company, the Board of Trustees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the National Urban League. He is also an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors and Foundation Board of the College of William & Mary.

Jeremy Blank serves as the US Tax Chief Strategy Officer and DTTL Global Tax Advisory Offerings Leader. Jeremy has thirty years of experience assisting clients in the technology, government contractor and financial services industries in a variety of US and global tax areas, including tax research and analysis, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions (including structuring and due diligence), accounting for income taxes, tax technology and compliance. Previously as part of Deloitte’s Washington National Tax Practice, Jeremy specialized in corporate income tax and consolidated income tax return matters, including mergers and acquisitions, technical opinions/memorandums and ruling requests. Jeremy also serves as lead client service partner and advisory partner, focusing on bringing each of Deloitte’s businesses to market, driving member firm engagement, and establishing go-to-market strategies and global business alliances. 

Anthony Capuano is the President and CEO of Marriott International. With a career spanning over two decades at Marriott, he played a pivotal role in the company's growth and the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Under his leadership, Marriott now boasts nearly 8,300 properties across 138 countries. Before becoming CEO, Capuano held various key positions, including Group President of Global Development and Operations Services. He holds a bachelor's degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and is actively involved in industry organizations and nonprofit boards.

Tim manages business development activities and is a member of Edgemoor’s Investment Selection Committee. He develops and manages client relationships and provides portfolio management, asset allocation advice and financial planning services. Before joining Edgemoor in 2004, for twenty years he was President of Riggs Bank and CEO of Riggs Investment Advisors, Inc. which managed assets of over $1 billion. Tim is Chairman of WETA Public Television and Radio, a member of the Dean’s Council for Washington National Cathedral, a Director of the Economic Club of Washington and a Trustee Emeritus of the Federal City Council. He was formerly Treasurer of the Kennedy Center, Chairman of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, and Governing Board member of St. Albans School. He holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from the New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and he served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

Under de Picciotto’s leadership, Octagon is regarded as a leader in talent representation, property ownership, event management and corporate marketing. He may be best known for building the brands and overseeing the careers of many of the world’s most recognizable athletes and celebrities, ranging from Super Bowl champions to Olympic gold medalists to royalty to network broadcasters.

Dante leads global growth and regulatory strategy, public policy, market expansion, international operations and communications. He is a key strategic leader building our business, forging government relations and taking us into new markets. He brings decades of experience working in complex global financial and risk issues and most recently served as a founder of the Diem Association.

Terri Fariello is the executive vice president of government affairs and global public policy at United. In this role, Terri leads the company’s federal, state and international government engagement, including environmental affairs. She is based in Washington, D.C.

Before joining United, Terri served as vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation’s Washington, D.C. office and led the company’s federal and state government affairs operation. In her 16-year tenure at Exxon Mobil, Terri advised the company’s senior leadership on key issues before Congress, the executive branch and state governments.

Prior to joining Exxon Mobil, Terri served as deputy assistant secretary for International Energy Policy in the Office of International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy and held senior leadership positions at Occidental Petroleum Corporation. She also served as a Congressional aide to two members of Congress. Throughout her career, Terri has been recognized for leadership in government relations, including being named to the Washingtonian Magazine’s list of “Most Powerful Women” and The Hill’s “Top Lobbyists.”

Terri holds an LLM in International and Comparative Law from the Georgetown University Law Center and a juris doctorate from George Mason University School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree in political science from George Washington University.

Terri serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Humane Rescue Alliance. She contributes to her community by serving on the boards of a number of groups including the National Archives Foundation, Public Affairs Council, Business Council for International Understanding, the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., the Carlton Club and Ford’s Theatre.
 

Amy Gilliland is president of General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics Corporation. GDIT is a $8.5B global technology enterprise with operations in 30 countries worldwide and 30,000 technologists and services professionals delivering critical mission capabilities across defense, civilian and intelligence agencies. Gilliland has more than 25 years of public sector experience including service in the U.S. Navy and nearly two decades in leadership positions at General Dynamics.



Prior to her current role as president, GDIT, Gilliland held a variety of leadership roles at General Dynamics including senior vice president of human resources and administration, chief of staff for the chief executive officer and staff vice president of strategic planning, and staff vice president of investor relations.



Before joining General Dynamics, Gilliland served in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer, Congressional Affairs Liaison Officer and Public Affairs Officer.



She earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s degree from Cambridge University and a master’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University.  Gilliland is a Board of Director of BNY Mellon and for the Northern Virginia Technology Council. She is also involved in raising Rett Syndrome awareness through the Rett Syndrome Research Trust.

Leslie Hale is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Lodging Trust, a leading hotel real estate investment trust. Since joining RLJ in 2005, Ms. Hale has played a pivotal role in setting and executing the strategic vision at RLJ. Ms. Hale has held progressively senior roles at RLJ – she was appointed to Chief Financial Officer in 2007, Chief Operating Officer in 2016 and Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Hale helped successfully lead the execution of the initial public offering (IPO) of RLJ in 2011 and is on RLJ’s Board of Directors.

In addition to her work at RLJ, Ms. Hale currently serves on the Delta Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) Board of Directors, is Chair of the Howard University Board of Trustees, a Board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore Branch, and Former Chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Other organizations in which she is a member are the MINA Advisory Board, NAREIT Advisory Board of Governors, IREFAC, and The Real Estate Roundtable.

Before joining RLJ, Hale held senior positions at GE – working in GE’s Commercial Finance Mergers & Acquisitions Group and GE’s Real Estate Strategic Capital Group. Ms. Hale was also an investment banker with Goldman Sachs, advising on mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance. Hale earned a BBA from Howard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Goldman Sachs and Toigo Fellow.  

Jeanelle Johnson is the Managing Partner for PwC’s Washington D.C. office where she supports a team of over 2,200 dedicated PwC professionals who are committed to delivering top-tier advisory, assurance and tax services to a diverse array of clients.

With 25 years of experience at leading investment banking and consulting firms in the US and the UK, Jeanelle’s passion is to help clients with strategic planning around their growth and investment agendas and advise on business-wide risks and value drivers in their business transformations. On returning to the US after five years in London, Jeanelle joined PwC’s Deals practice in 2015. As a Deals partner, Jeanelle has worked with corporate and private equity sponsors on complex acquisitions, divestitures and restructuring transactions. 

Jeanelle also serves as a Lead Client Partner focused on client service, industry perspective and research for the firm’s leading clients. She is a published thought leader in consumer facing industries – notably hospitality and travel - and has been quoted on CNN, Bloomberg and other media outlets. She is also a sought-after panelist and moderator. 

Jeanelle is a Trustee and Education Committee member of the PwC Foundation, which supports the people of PwC in times of need and invests in emerging solutions to society’s greatest challenges in education and humanitarianism. She is also an active member of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., having served in the inaugural class of Executive Fellows. Jeanelle was also named one of Washingtonian Magazine’s 2023 Most Powerful Women.

With a strong passion for the community, Jeanelle’s dedication to making a difference extends beyond her current role on the PwC Foundation. Locally, she serves on the Governance Committee as a Board member for Higher Achievement and is a member of the Ambassador's Council for N Street Village. In the past, she has served on the boards of Creative Minds International Public Charter School in D.C. and Kate Greenaway Nursery School in London, UK.

Jeanelle holds a B.B.A. from the George Washington University and an M.B.A. from the Smith School at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Matt Kelly is the CEO of JBG SMITH and a member of the Board of Trustees. Prior to the formation of JBG SMITH, Mr. Kelly served as a Managing Partner of the JBG Companies and was co-head of JBG’s Investments Group and primarily responsible for investment strategy and the investment and acquisition activity of the JBG Investment Funds. Prior to joining the JBG Companies in 2004, he was a co-founder of ODAC Inc., a media software company, and worked in private equity and investment banking with Thomas H. Lee Partners in Boston and Goldman Sachs, & Co in New York.  

Mr. Kelly currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He is a member of the Board of MedStar Health and the Urban Institute. He is also past Chairman of Nareit and past Chairman of the Board of the Medstar Washington Hospital Center, the largest hospital in Washington, DC. He is a member of the Faculty at the Harvard Business School and serves as an Executive in Residence of the Steers Center at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

He holds an AB with honors from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Dan is the Greater Washington Managing Partner for Ernst & Young, LLP, prior to his appointment he served as an Assurance Partner. He has over 25 years of experience working private, public, large multi-national public companies, including successful initial public offerings, multiple secondary offerings, acquisitions, spin-offs, and divestitures. In addition to client serving responsibilities where he coordinates the full breadth of services delivered to some of our largest global clients, he is responsible for managing the Greater Washington offices. His clients have included core, focus core and G360 accounts across multiple sectors. Dan currently serves on the Global Client Service Partner for Marriott International.

Dave Levy is the Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector and Healthcare and Life Sciences North America at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this role, Dave leads government, education, aerospace and satellite, and nonprofit businesses globally. He also leads healthcare and life sciences in North America. He and his teams help customers realize the potential of technology to transform their organizations and fulfill their missions. Previously, Dave served for six years as the Vice President of AWS’s U.S. Government, Nonprofit and Global Healthcare businesses. 

Dave’s team is focused on helping customers harness data in more sophisticated ways. Public sector organizations continue to look for ways to leverage the cloud for machine learning and artificial intelligence insights that can drive innovation — especially regarding their critical missions.

Before joining AWS, Dave worked for Apple Inc. for 12 years and led the teams that helped the government adopt innovative mobile technologies. Under his leadership, Apple’s public sector business grew rapidly. As head of the U.S. public sector, he played a key role in introducing and adopting mobile devices and mobile apps in federal, state, and local governments. In addition to his executive career, Dave co-founded Sulla Technology Group. As co-founder and COO at Sulla, he built a successful data center services company focused on higher education clients and state and local governments.

Dave serves on the M Health Fairview Health System board in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Innovation and Research Board for Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Timothy McBride oversees the operations of ST Engineering North America through the company’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.  McBride most recently lead Global Government Relations for Raytheon Technologies, responsible for working with governments at the international, federal and state levels, and for communicating the company’s business interests to policymakers and other organizations. He is a member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council and is a co-founder of Ayenda Foundation, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of Afghan children.

As CEO of Adeft, Melton leads this venture capital firm in advising and investing in new innovative companies in various sectors.  Carol previously served as a senior executive officer in top level management for two global media and entertainment companies — first at Time Warner Inc. as Executive Vice President for Global Public Policy, and before that, in a similar role for the earlier-combined Viacom and CBS.  In addition to the Economic Club board, she is a member of the boards of The RealReal (NASDAQ: REAL) and JBG Smith (NYSE: JBGS).  She also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a partner in the Geneva-based Monthly Barometer, parent of the Summit of Minds conferences in Chamonix, France and other international locales.

Linda Rabbitt founded rand* construction corporation in 1989. As Founder and Executive Chairman, she is responsible for setting the strategic vision for the entire organization. She provides executive direction and oversees all aspects of corporate and financial operations.

Under Linda’s leadership, rand* has become one of the top commercial general contractors in the DC metro area and is now the largest woman-founded, woman-owned commercial general contractor in the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, rand* also has offices in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Denver, and Salt Lake City, and licensure to perform construction services in 38 states. Linda’s leadership has enabled rand* to deliver award-winning work for a vast client base and be named a “Top Workplaces” by The Washington Post and “Best Places to Work” by Washington Business Journal.

Currently, Linda serves on the following boards:

• Children’s National Hospital

• The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.

• The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans

• HEROES Inc.

• The Federal City Council

Linda was Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank (5th District) and has served as an independent corporate board member of Watson Wyatt, Towers Watson (Lead Director), Willis Towers Watson, and Brookfield Properties.

She has served as Chairman or President of five associations:

• Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)

• Washington Building Congress (WBC)

• Washington Chapter of the International Women’s Forum

• The Greater Washington Board of Trade

• The Federal City Council
  She remains an active member of each.

Linda is a Trustee Emerita of The George Washington University, where she founded a program called “On the Board”, teaching C-suite women the roles and responsibilities of corporate board directorship. She later founded a similar program at the Harvard Business School called “Women on Boards”.

The business media recognizes Linda as an exceptional leader. Below are some of her many accolades:

• Horatio Alger Award of Distinguished Americans

• “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Outstanding Director”, “Power 100”, and “Most Admired CEO in Construction” – Washington Business Journal

• “100 Most Powerful Women in DC” – Washingtonian Magazine

• “National Director of the Year” – National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD)

• “Women in Leadership Award” and “50 Most Influential Virginians” – Virginia Business Magazine

Linda holds a Master of Arts degree from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

            David M. Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Established in 1987, Carlyle now manages $426 billion from 28 offices around the world. Mr. Rubenstein is a Baltimore native and is the control person of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles.

Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington, and the University of Chicago; a Trustee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Constitution Center, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum; and a Director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among other board seats.

Mr. Rubenstein is a leader in the area of Patriotic Philanthropy, having made transformative gifts for the restoration or repair of the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon, Arlington House, Iwo Jima Memorial, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, the National Archives, the National Zoo, the Library of Congress, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Mr. Rubenstein has also provided to the U.S. government long-term loans of his rare copies of the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, the first map of the U.S. (Abel Buell map), and the first book printed in the U.S. (Bay Psalm Book). 

Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of The Giving Pledge; the host of The David Rubenstein Show, Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein, and Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein; and the author of The American Story, How to Lead, The American Experiment, and How to Invest.

Ben is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President and has been a director of the Company since January 2021.

Ben was previously AvalonBay's President, joining the Company in January 2021, and prior to that the Chief Executive Officer and President and a trustee of Seritage Growth Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust principally engaged in owning, developing, and managing a diversified portfolio of retail and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. Prior to becoming CEO and President of Seritage in May 2015, Ben served as Chief Operating Officer of Rouse Properties, Inc. from 2012 to 2015; Rouse was a publicly-traded REIT (since acquired) that owned and managed regional malls and retail centers in 21 states. Prior to that, Ben was Senior Vice President with Vornado Realty Trust, a publicly traded REIT that owns, manages, and develops office and retail assets concentrated in New York City with additional assets in Chicago and San Francisco.

Ben received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2003 and earned his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.

Mary Streett is the Senior Vice President of Americas Communications & External Affairs at bp. Leading a team across multiple countries, she is responsible for public policy, government relations, and communications in the Americas region. With a background in law and government affairs, Mary joined bp in 2014 and previously held leadership roles at Exelon and law firm Mayer Brown LLP. She has also worked on presidential campaigns and served in the Clinton Administration. Currently, Mary serves as the Board Chairman and President of the bp foundation and is a board member of bp America and the Middleburg Film Festival. She holds a J.D. from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Tulsa.

As chief executive officer of the National Geographic Society, Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler has set a bold vision for one of the world’s most iconic organizations. She leads the Society’s mission-driven work, guiding a global community of National Geographic Explorers — scientists, innovators, educators and storytellers — dedicated to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world. She also serves on the Society’s board of trustees.

In 2020, Tiefenthaler made history as the first woman to serve as the Society’s CEO. She launched the Society’s strategic plan, NG Next, ushering in a new era of growth and global impact. She is spearheading the transformation of National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., with the opening of the National Geographic Museum of Exploration — the most significant expansion of the Society’s public space in its 137-year history. Opening in 2026, the museum will connect millions with the organization’s mission and the groundbreaking work of its Explorers.

Under Tiefenthaler’s leadership, the Society has achieved its most ambitious fundraising results, raising over $100 million each of the past three years. She also strengthened the organization’s partnership with The Walt Disney Company and serves on the board of National Geographic Partners, the joint venture between the Society and Disney.

A visionary leader in driving institutional transformation, Tiefenthaler previously spent more than 30 years in higher education. She served as president of Colorado College for nine years, where she led the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the college’s history, created new opportunities for student engagement and led the effort to become a net-zero campus. Earlier in her career, Tiefenthaler was provost at Wake Forest University, and professor of economics and associate dean at Colgate University.

Originally from Iowa, Jill grew up on a farm and worked for her family’s popcorn business before earning her B.A. in economics from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Duke University.

Mr. Vargas is the Vice President, Head of Global Public Policy at General Motors (GM). Prior to joining GM in August of 2021, Vargas held senior government relations roles with 3M, Praxair and PepsiCo. Earlier in his career, Vargas worked in Government Service as an appointee of President George W. Bush to the U.S. Department of Justice, where he served in a variety of capacities.  He currently serves as co-chair of the Meridian Center’s Executive Committee and as a board member for Fiscal Note, Executive Institute Advisory Board.

Heather K. Wingate serves as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs for Delta Air Lines. Her responsibilities include managing Delta’s Federal and International government relations teams. She is responsible for developing and advocating Delta’s public policy positions with the White House, the Administration, and Congress. She also oversees Delta’s political engagement and relationships with think tanks, industry coalitions, and other public policy organizations.

Prior to joining Delta in October 2017, Heather spent five years as the Head of Global Government Relations for MetLife. Her responsibilities included managing MetLife’s State, Federal, and International government relations teams, as well as its Regulatory Policy Group, responsible for MetLife’s engagement on public policy and regulatory issues at all levels of government. From May 2010 to October 2012, she was Managing Director of Public Affairs for Nomura Holding America, Inc., where she established and ran the company’s Washington office. From 2003 to April 2010, she served as Managing Director and Head of Federal Government Affairs at Citi in Washington.

Heather has served in several public sector positions, including as Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and subsequently as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs from 2001 to 2003, where she promoted the President’s legislative agenda before the U.S. Senate. In addition to her executive branch experience, Heather worked in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2001, serving as Chief of Staff to then-Senator Sam Brownback. She practiced law in Washington from 1993–1995 and began her Washington career as an intern to then-Senator Bob Dole in 1989.

Heather received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Kansas in 1989 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1993. She is a member of the Kansas Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar. She currently serves on the board of the Economic Club of Washington, DC, and the Washington International Horse Show. She previously served on the National Presbyterian School Board of Trustees; the board of Women’s Policy, Inc., a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on women’s issues; and the board of the Business-Government Relations Council, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting best practices in the government relations profession. She also formerly served as the President of the Kansas Society of Washington, DC, a nonprofit member of the National Conference of State Societies.

She lives in Leesburg, Virginia, with her husband, son and daughter.

Ms. Wolff is responsible for the company’s government affairs globally, including U.S. Federal, U.S. State, and International Government Relations.  She has over 20 years of government relations experience. She served six years in the White House, including three years as the Assistant to President George W. Bush for Legislative Affairs.

Brady’s affiliation with The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. began when the Club was founded in 1986. From its earliest days, she has served as the hands-on manager, coordinating all Club activities as well as managing its growth. She became the Executive Director in 2007 and President & CEO in 2021.