The Congressional Award Podcast: Elevating DC Youth

In the final episode of Season 5 of Elevating DC Youth , student hosts from the Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program sit down with Juan Baños , an international business executive and entrepreneur who has built and scaled companies across construction, development, energy, and real estate. Juan shares his journey as the son of immigrant parents pursuing the American Dream, from workin...

In this episode of Elevating DC Youth , student hosts from the Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program sit down with Jehan Carter , a Washington, D.C.–based attorney, media personality, and entrepreneur whose career spans law, journalism, and advocacy. Jehan reflects on her journey as a proud Washingtonian, a former Miss D.C., and a Congressional Award Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalist....

In this episode of Elevating DC Youth , student hosts from the Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program sit down with Izzy Klein , co-founder of a bipartisan public affairs firm and a nationally recognized expert in government relations and communications. Izzy breaks down what it really means to be a lobbyist, reframing the role as one of education, translation, and advocacy. He shares h...

In this episode of Elevating DC Youth , student hosts from the Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program sit down with Donald Remy , a nationally respected leader whose career spans public service, higher education, law, and athletics. Donald reflects on his unconventional, mission-driven career path, from coaching youth basketball in the DMV to shaping policy at the NCAA, serving veterans...

In this episode of Elevating DC Youth , student hosts from the Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program sit down with Brittany Masalosalo , Chief Public Policy Officer at HP Inc., to discuss leadership, learning, and finding your voice across public service, technology, and global policy. Brittany reflects on her career journey through the U.S. Army, the Pentagon, the White House, and the...

In the Season 5 premiere of Elevating DC Youth , student hosts from the Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program sit down with Allison Quintanilla Plattsmier , a nonprofit executive and community leader with over a decade of experience in urban planning, equity, and public service. Allison reflects on how early opportunities helped her find her voice, why community buy-in and representati...

Joshua Peters Senior Manager, Social and Community Impact - Chicago and North Central Americas, NIKE, Inc. Joshua D. Peters is a former American politician from the Democratic Party. He served as the Missouri State Representative of Missouri’s 76th District from 2013 to 2019, attaining the esteemed position of Chief Deputy Whip. Throughout his tenure, Peters showcased exceptional leadership skills...

Natalie Madeira Cofield is a former presidentially appointed expert for small business and has been named one of the most powerful women in business by Entrepreneur Magazine… An award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, political appointee, and economic activist, Natalie has provided some of the nation's most prominent CEOs of billion-dollar organizations, executives of global brands, senior adv...

Dr. Jonathan P. Binstock, Vradenburg Director and CEO Jonathan joined The Phillips Collection in March 2023. Dr. Binstock comes to the Phillips following eight years as the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director of the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) of the University of Rochester in New York. During his tenure in Rochester, Jonathan led an expansion and diversification of the museum’s permanent collecti...

Candice joined the Public Welfare Foundation in Washington, DC as its President and CEO in 2017. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor at Chicago CRED, an organization that focuses on gun violence in Chicago. In that role, she worked on securing greater investments for violence intervention programs as an alternative to the criminal justice system. Prior to her work with Chicago CRED, she serve...

Emily is a member of the U.S. Corporate Affairs team at Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where she is responsible for Corporate Relations, including Embassies, International Affairs organizations, and key Washington, D.C., stakeholder groups. She is also responsible for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in the U.S. Ferring is a privately-owned, biopharma company that focuses on developing...

Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & Chief Executive Officer, Entertainment Software Association Stanley Pierre-Louis is the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the voice and advocate for the U.S. video game industry. With more than two decades of entertainment and media experience, Stan leads ESA’s efforts to showcase the dynamic impact...

Captain Lena Kaman is the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Commanding Officer in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the first woman to command this base. As a trailblazer, Kaman offers her insights to young people through her experiences and journey as Commanding Officer. Kaman is from Shawnee, Wisconsin, and hails from a military family. During Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, she flew over...

Deborah Rutter is the President of the historic Kennedy Center. The center was established as a "living memorial" by Congress in 1964, honoring the legacy of President John F. Kennedy and his belief in diversity within the arts. Deborah Rutter assumed the role of president on September 1, 2014. Before her time at The Kennedy Center, Rutter was President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Associatio...

Jason Levien is the managing general partner of the Major League Soccer team based in Washington, D.C. As Co-Chairman and CEO of D.C. United , he has been instrumental in constructing Audi Field, a new 20,000-seat stadium. Audi was the host of the 2023 MLS All-Star Game. Levien is working to build soccer infrastructure around the D.C. metropolitan area. He created the USL Championship Club , Loudo...

Christopher Dunlavey co-founded Brailsford & Dunlavey and currently serves as president. He is also the co-founder of CENTERS. Dunlavey's roots are in his experiences as an architect and earning an advanced real estate development and finance degree. Dunlavey is known for managing the development of sports venues and "quality of life" projects in higher education. Notable clients are Howard Un...

Dr. Jean Accius's accomplishments are filtered through his work around building health systems that are sustainable and equitable. Accius has served on the policy team for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and as the Senior Vice President of International Affairs and Global Thought Leadership at AARP. He is widely published in outlets such as TIME Magazine and The New York Times. Dr...

Barbara Humpton is the President and CEO of Siemens Corporation, where she can operationalize her love of diversity and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. Before Siemens, Humpton contributed to new business development for technology consulting in the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. She oversaw Biometrics Programs, Border and Transportati...

Nikhil is an amazing example of an individual who has taken the time to choose the right path for themselves. He began his career path in engineering like his father but quickly switched his path to the medical field when he discovered his love of biology and anatomy. In his senior year of undergrad at Clarke University he was accepted to four medical school programs but decided instead to take th...

Currently in her senior year of High School, Medhnaa was inspired at the age of seven to begin raising funds for the Bal Ashram orphanage in India after a visit with her family. During her first fundraiser she raised $4K for the orphanage and began hosting more bake sales and reaching out to donors. She started her own Foundation called Touch of Life which has helped pass bills, work towards advoc...

Alexis began her award journey when a mentor at Beaches Habitat told her about the program and signed her up. Through this mentor she was able to work with multiple students at all levels of the Award and grow as an individual as well as network with her peers. During her Award journey she was able to work with the nonprofit Junior Achievement, where she was able to reach her personal development...

Before obtaining his LLM in Trial Advocacy, Christopher attended the University of Delaware for political science and Villanova for law school. His past experiences include interning for Vice President Joe Biden, working as a judicial clerk, and being an adjunct professor of law at the Delaware Law School. His award journey began in the eighth grade when he took on the self-motivated initiative to...

During her time as a participant of the Award, Bailey lived in Kansas City before completing her BFA in Recorded Music at NYU. The Award motivated her to continue into adulthood her work on Award program pillars such as physical fitness through tennis, personal development through music, and volunteerism through her local junior league. Her love for music has led her to become the Music Licensing...

Originally for Los Angeles, Bonnie now lives in Seattle where she has held multiple positions within Microsoft. In her current role she works on the environmental sustainability team where she focuses on corporate environmental strategy. This career path stems from her love for biology and her want to make an impact through conservation. Before Microsoft, she trained as a conservation biologist, i...

Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, Congressional Award Communications Intern, and 2015 Silver Medalist Zenani Johnson speaks on her career in advocacy and lifelong dedication to community service.