By Class of 2007 members: Chris Douglas & Alicia Graves
Edited by Holly Davis
We arrived on the morning of Tuesday, May 15 in Washington, DC and proceeded to a delightful lunch at Portofino’s, an Italian eatery. Executive Director Holly Davis went over the trip agenda and introduced our special guests, including ILF Board of Directors members Tom John (2003), Carrie Wagner Bootcheck (2005), and John McGoff (1995). Lunch was sponsored by members of the Class of 2006.
After lunch, we were dropped off at the Pentagon, where we began with a tour. We had a tremendous sense of pride and respect for the people there. The place that many class members found hit home the most was the 9/11-memorial room. We looked at the pictures on display and signed the visitors’ book. On the outer ring of the pentagon, there is a small piece of black limestone from when the plane hit it on 9/11. The tour guide said it was blackened from the jet fuel. It will forever scar the building as a never-ending reminder of the horrible events of that day.
After the tour, we settled into a briefing session with Major General Michael Sumrall, assistant to the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Alas, the most interesting things were said for non-attribution, although he gave a presentation on the numbers of troops currently active in the United States and around the world. Major Rob Palmer (ILF 1997) of the Guard and Reserve spoke to some of the difficulties in the divided command between federal and state (continued on page 4)armed forces. Good to know for any classmate who might, as a civilian leader, find him or herself requesting disaster relief.
We checked in at the Hotel Washington and then quickly boarded our shuttle bus for a relaxing ride to Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington.
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We were treated to a private, after-hours tour of the home and grounds, including areas not commonly open to the public. The tour was followed by dinner at the nearby Mt. Vernon Inn in the Betsy Ross room. Dinner was sponsored by State Senator Brent Waltz, Susan Mustard, Donald Wright, Rex Early, Thomas, Cadick, Dr. Rob Thoman, Al Barker, Bill Kirchoff, Brad Whicker, KDM Enterprises, and Phill Miller (ILF 2005). The beverages were sponsored by John McGoff (1995).
The next day was spent on Capitol Hill, beginning with breakfast in the House Member’s Dining Hall, where they serve, arguably, the best French toast in the world. Breakfast was sponsored by the Hendricks and Hamilton Counties GOP. We met up with George Rogers (1996) who introduced our first speaker of the day, John Sullivan, the House Parliamentarian. Sullivan, who met with us on the floor of the House of Representatives, revealed the delicacies of sitting on the fence between two warring factions, balancing the ire of one against the other, and surviving, hopefully, for a long time to come. His service seemed credit-worthy.
We headed over to Dirkson Senate Office Building where we were joined by some of our friends from B&D Consulting for a briefing by Senator Richard Lugar,
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who discussed the intricacies of the Mideast Imbroglio. He revealed a depth of understanding and a realism about what the future might hold once all the domestic politics are stripped from the picture. He did not oversimplify, nor play for political effect.
We returned to the Capitol to meet with members of the Indiana Congressional delegation. Representatives Dan Burton, Mark Souder, and Steve Buyer shared their take on the war in Iraq, health care, and homeland security.
Our lunch with Brian Lamb, Chairman & CEO of C-SPAN, was a privilege brought to us by Executive Director Holly Davis’ parents, Bob & Suzan Felten Jones. Mr. Jones started in the cable industry over 35 years ago when Mr. Lamb was first shopping the idea of a commercial free, public information focused cable channel.
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The opportunity to hear from Mr. Lamb, a soft-spoken, no nonsense personality who had achieved a great deal in building a public service enterprise at no public expense was incredible. He visited us for over an hour, allowing us to ask as many questions about his opinions of the news industry, experiences interviewing many of today’s greatest authors, and the state of journalism. The talk with Mr. Lamb was followed by a tour of the studio facilities.
We had a short break before heading over to the offices at the Republican National Committee. RNC staff members and officers (including our own State Chairman Murray Clark) were at the National Chairman’s meeting in South Carolina that week, so we had the place to ourselves. We were joined by our good friend, David McIntosh, who shared his experiences serving in Congress as well as the successes and challenges of now serving as a lobbyist to that body. It was a great opportunity to pepper him with questions on just about everything and he answered with thoughtful candor.
From the RNC, we headed next door to the Capitol Hill Club, where Representative Mike Pence held forth. Congressman Pence is an effective and engaging public speaker, even to those who disagree with his politics. Before leaving us, he introduced Heim Regev, Counselor of Congressional Affairs for the Embassy of Israel. Regev spoke compellingly of affairs in the Mideast and with appreciation for the support for Israel of those, such as Congressman Pence way off in Indiana, which he deemed somewhat inexplicable. He did not, however, fully disagree with the explanation that it might have something to do with conservative domestic politics. Class member Erin Houchin summed it up like this, “It was a very enlightening discussion that brought to light issues I was not previously aware of.”
The next day, we enjoyed breakfast at the Old Ebbitt Grill, sponsored by B&D Consulting, with a presentation by Jonathan Dilley, of B&D Consulting, who spoke about the role of a federal lobbyist. We next heard from Nancy Bocskor, a national fundraising specialist, who spoke about how to fundraise. Says class member, Anne Steward, “I was inspired to do more as a result of (hearing from Nancy).”
That morning also offered a presentation by one of the most impressive speakers of all in candor, depth, and insight; Bernadette Budde, Senior Vice-President of BIPAC (Business Industry Political Action Committee), and non-partisan business group. Ms. Budde talked in-depth about the 2008 congressional elections and the presidential field, then handed the reigns over to Heather Alfano, Vice President of Business Development, who led a demonstration on a new business tool, Prosperity Project. Prosperity Project allows employers to communicate with employees on issues concerning the business community. Michael Davis, Vice President of Political Affairs for the Indiana Chamber, was on hand to share how the process works specifically in Indiana.
As the day progressed we had lunch with Chuck Connor, deputy secretary of agriculture, who revealed the significant portfolio for which the Department is responsible, stretching from the administration of food stamps to the subsidy of progress in biofuels. Lunch was sponsored by Rural Electric Co-op and the Hendricks County Co-op.
We finished our trip at the White House, where due to a significant announcement on immigration made just that afternoon, staff buzzed with excitement. Our briefings were hosted by Matt Shilling, Associate Director of the Office of Public Liaison, who introduced us to Keith Hennessey,
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Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Deputy Director, National Economic Council; Jay Hein, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; and Brian McCormack, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director, Office of Public Liaison.
Class member Todd Young summed up the trip by saying “I liked the variety. It was really a great opportunity to get to know my fellow classmates and others who attended; ask some focused questions of some real experts; and see some world-class sights. The length and pace were about right, too. We’re busy people – so who has time to linger?” We departed Washington and returned to Indianapolis, many with renewed support for the critical mission of Indiana Leadership Forum in finding qualified people to run for office.