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renovations underway, Kaiser remains the
backbone of Washington’s preeminent
performing arts center. His experience
arranging contracts with the Kirov Opera
and Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company,
New York City Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet
as well as his famed festivals keep seats soldout
and patrons contributing regularly.
MASON LECKY AND
MAUREEN V. MILLER
DIRECTORS OF ADMISSIONS,ST.
ALBANS SCHOOL AND NATIONAL
CATHEDRAL SCHOOL (RESPECTIVELY)
Like a Bravo channel reality competition,
these ladies – heads of two of the most
competitive schools in the area – decide
whose child is in and whose is out.
As spots in top-notch private schools
(including Sidwell Friends, Landon, Maret,
Georgetown Prep, and The Potomac
School) become increasingly competitive,
parents will go to any lengths to enroll
their kids in these schools. Getting in pays
off – the alumni rosters from these A+
academic institutions are as impressive as a
list of attendees of a Gridiron Club dinner
party. Bush brothers Neil and Marvin,
J.W. Marriott Jr., and Former Rep. Jesse
Jackson all took Geometry in the shadow
of the National Cathedral.
GEORGE VRADENBURG
PRESIDENT,THE PHILLIPS
COLLECTION
He’s the president of the Phillips Collection
and the Vradenburg Foundation, making
him one of the most prominent members
of Washington’s art community. This former
AOL-Time Warner strategic advisor’s
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commitment to the city’s cultural life has
made Washington a better place to live.
SOCIAL POWER
BEN BRADLEE AND
SALLY QUINN
FORMER WASHINGTON POST
EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND AUTHOR
(RESPECTIVELY)
It’s somewhat ironic that Sally Quinn
once said, “I don’t invite people because
of who they are in the administration or
their positions of power. The few who
do come, are there because I like them.”
When this hostess and her husband Ben
Bradlee open the doors to their N Street
mansion, it is the titans of media who
enter. These days, their affairs tend to be
more intimate dinners and cocktail parties,
which makes their invitation one that’s
rarely turned down.
AMBASSADOR OF KUWAIT
SALEM AL-SABAH AND
RIMA AL-SABAH
AMBASSADOR AND HOSTESS
(RESPECTIVELY)
With guest lists that include President
George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
Cabinet secretaries and members of
Congress, as well as visiting stars like
Angelina Jolie, Michael Douglas, and
Randy Travis, the Al-Sabahs’ gatherings
are one of the hardest invites to score.
The couple have single-handedly raised
millions of dollars for causes ranging from
eradicating malaria in Africa to building
schools for girls in Afghanistan. |
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ROGER KIRK
PRESIDENT,ALIBI CLUB
If you thought getting into the Chevy
Chase Club was difficult, try gaining
membership to the Alibi Club. Founded in
1884, it remains one of the most exclusive
social networks in the country, with
Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members,
CIA directors and other high-ranking
officials. Kirk exerts considerable influence
on Washington’s elite networking scene.
RELIGION
REV.H.BEECHER HICKS, JR.
PASTOR,METROPOLITAN BAPTIST
CHURCH
For over 30 years, Hicks has packed 6,000
souls into his church every week. His library
of recordings and books have reached
countless people, and he’s one of the most
influential voices in the capital’s African
American community. Hicks is best known
for his dedication to local learning and
community initiatives: to name a few, the
Metropolitan/Delta Adult Literacy Council,
the Metropolitan Day School, and the
Metropolitan Community Development
Program are dear to his heart.
RABBI DAVID SAPERSTEIN CO-CHAIR,THE COALITION TO
PRESERVE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Saperstein succeeded Richard Hirsch to
become Director of the Religious Action
Center – the Washington-based political
lobbying arm of the Reform movement
– where he works to preserve church-state
separation and maintain a liberal outlook
in the Supreme Court. Also the co-chair of |
the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty,
Saperstein was ranked the number fi ve most
infl uential rabbi in the country according
to Newsweek. J.J. Goldberg’s book, Jewish
Power, calls the Religious Action Center
“one of the most powerful Jewish bodies in
Washington, second only to AIPAC.”
REV. LON SOLOMON
SENIOR PASTOR OF MCLEAN BIBLE
CHURCH
At the pulpit of one of the fastest growing
churches in the country, this McLean
based minister has the eyes and ears of his
10,000 member congregation each Sunday
morning, and delivers his sermons in a $90
million complex that seems more like a
campus than a cloister. When he’s not at the
pulpit, Solomon’s church ministry carries
out a wide variety of outreach programs and
services, and employs more than 300 fulltime
staff members. Seated in the pews on
Sunday you can be sure to find top politicos
including Senator James Inhofe, Pentagon
officials and foreign policy honchos.
THE MOST REV.DONALD W.
WUERL,S.T.D.
ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
OF WASHINGTON
Donald W. Wuerl was appointed the sixth
archbishop of Washington on May 16,
2006. As the spiritual leader of the more
than 580,000 Catholics in 140 parishes
throughout the district and five Maryland
counties, he’s got plenty of clout, especially
depending on what happens in the next
life. After the successful visit of Pope
Benedict XVI, a cardinal’s hat may be in
the offing for Wuerl.
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