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 working in the trenches of his family’s construction business to rebuilding that business from bankruptcy with just $700 and a vision for impact. He reflects on loss, failure, and resilience, emphasizing that setbacks are not problems but opportunities to learn and grow.Throughout the conversation, Juan challenges common misconceptions about the construction industry, highlights the importance of respect and kindness for all work, and explains why leadership is about responsibility, humility, and lifting up the people around you. He encourages young people to find purpose in what they do, stay resilient through challenges, and recognize that finding your voice often means leading with integrity and service.

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. She offers an honest look at the realities of law school, entrepreneurship, and social media, emphasizing that success does not happen overnight and that credentials alone do not guarantee opportunity. Throughout the conversation, Jehan stresses the importance of being proactive, seeking mentors, and understanding how passion, patience, and persistence shape long-term success.She also shares practical advice for young people interested in law or entrepreneurship, encouraging them to stay informed, leverage counselors and mentors, and recognize that finding your voice often means carving your own path across multiple industries.

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 how growing up working in his father’s hardware store shaped his people-first approach to leadership, why bipartisan collaboration matters, and how removing jargon and communicating clearly can make complex policy accessible to everyone.Throughout the conversation, Izzy encourages young people to do their homework, stay curious, build trust, and use their voice responsibly to connect people across differences.

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, and investing in women’s professional sports. He shares why mentorship, authenticity, and treating people with respect have been central to his leadership, and why young people should lean into their talents even when the path forward is unclear.Throughout the conversation, Donald offers honest advice to DC youth about staying true to who you are, taking risks, and finding your voice through service, sport, and community.

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 private sector, sharing why curiosity, preparation, and the ability to think critically matter more than having all the answers. She also speaks candidly about authenticity in the workplace and how young people can build confidence by learning how to communicate, adapt, and grow.

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 representation matter, and how young people can get involved in shaping policy and change in their own neighborhoods. From advocating for equity to showing up as your full self at work, this episode explores what it means to lead with purpose and use your voice to create inclusive communities.

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, successfully navigating a supermajority Republican-led legislature to pass ten bills while prioritizing outstanding constituent services. Notable accomplishments include securing $7 million for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Natural Bridge Safety Initiative and effectively advocating for state funding for Lincoln University’s 1890 Land-grant. Peters also distinguished himself as a pivotal member of Congressman Lacy Clay, Jr’s, staff. Additionally, he contributed to the advancement of education as the Confidential Assistant to the Under Secretary of Education during President Barack Obama’s administration. Currently, Peters leverages his expertise and commitment to social impact as a valued contributor to Nike, Inc.’s esteemed North American Social and Community Impact team.

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 advisors to the White House, mayors of leading national cities, and community activists and leaders with inspiration, insight, and advisement. She currently serves as Executive-in-Residence at Mastercard where she advises in strategies to deepen engagement with small businesses and go-to-market strategies on products and solutions to best this fast growing national segment.As a presidentially-appointed Assistant Administrator of the Small Business Administration, she advised on the deployment of $1.2 trillion in funding, was directly responsible for supporting the deployment of more than $200 million in funding to ecosystems and entrepreneurs throughout the country during the greatest economic crisis in modern history, and served as the head of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration where she was responsible for managing a grant-making budget of $70 million and funding the largest expansion of the Women’s Business Center network in the history of SBA at 146 Centers in expanding the network to every state in the US.She is co-founder of the $14M Coalition to Back Black Business which was responsible for funding nearly 1,000 Black-owned businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.She was named a Champion of Small Business by the Association of Enterprising Opportunity and was selected among 137 cover-story business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the nation for her response to COVID-19 where she graced Entrepreneur Magazine’s July/August 2020 edition cover. She has also been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Washingtonians by the Washington Business Journal.From Google to the National League of Cities, Natalie's speeches, courses, and advisory services have helped to shape programs and efforts of some of the most regarded global brands, and educational and government institutions.A sought-after expert, Natalie's work has been featured on and by Inc, Time, CNN, NYTimes, Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Black Enterprise, Essence, and EBONY, among others.Once inspired by reading the business plans of her mother when she was 11, Natalie is the founder and former CEO of Walker's Legacy, a digital platform to empower women through entrepreneurship, and its adjoined nonprofit arm, the Walker's Legacy Foundation, which was established to empower income limited women through financial literacy and economic security. In this role, Cofield established a $25,000 funded scholarship for enterprising women at her alma mater, Howard University.In 2019, Cofield was named the inaugural Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the District of Columbia leading Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 202Creates Program providing entrepreneurship advice to creative economy businesses within the District of Columbia.An honors tech graduate from Howard University (where she was mentored by CIOs of two of America's leading Fortune 500 companies) Natalie leveraged her coding experience to build a career centered on empowering businesses, entrepreneurs, women, and underrepresented communities.In 2023, Cofield received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Board of Trustees of Shaw University and served as the 2023 commencement speaker for the institution.An avid traveler, Cofield has visited more than 47 countries and counting.

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 collection, special exhibition program, public engagement and outreach efforts, and audience, as well as a significant increase in the museum’s annual budget. Jonathan has also held positions at the Art Advisory & Finance group of Citi Private Bank, Corcoran Gallery of Art in DC, and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

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 served as Director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, a cabinet level state agency where she supervised operations, programming, budget matters, and communications. During her tenure, she pushed significant reforms that reduced the number of youth in state custody. She also served as a White House Fellow, managing a portfolio within the U.S. Department of Education that included developing education strategies for correctional institutions and shepherding a plan to reinstate federal Pell grants for youth and adults in custody. Earlier in her career, Candice served as a program officer with the MacArthur Foundation, where she managed a grant portfolio focused on decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and on improving the quality of defense for indigent youth. Candice received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

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 life-changing innovations that help people live better lives. In her role, Emily serves as a liaison between the U.S. Corporate Affairs team and Ferring Global colleagues across functions, manages the Corporate Affairs team staff, and supports Jade Shields, Vice President, Corporate Affairs. Emily joined Ferring from the public sector. In her previous position, she served as the Public Information Officer for the Office of the Secretary of State of Washington, D.C., and the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of State of Washington, D.C. Emily has worked closely with the international community, U.S. State Department, and the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), as well as managed relationships with various stakeholder groups and organizations throughout Washington, D.C. Emily holds a B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University and certifications in Leadership Development and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) from the Wharton Avery Institute of Executive Education.

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 the video game industry has on business, entertainment, and culture. Prior to being named CEO in May 2019, Stan served as the ESA’s General Counsel, leading the legal, policy, and regulatory affairs function for the organization. His responsibilities included advocacy on First Amendment, technology and intellectual property issues as well as supervising the global content protection program. Mr. Pierre-Louis also oversaw all governance, compliance, and contractual matters and served as the Corporate Secretary to ESA’s Board of Directors. Before joining the ESA in May 2015, Mr. Pierre-Louis was Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property at Viacom Inc. There, he was responsible for developing strategies to protect digital content, managing major intellectual property litigation, and revamping the cybersecurity governance program. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pierre-Louis worked at law firms as outside counsel to several leading companies, then served as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs at the Recording Industry Association of America. There, he led several strategic copyright litigations, including the entertainment industry’s litigations against MP3.com, Napster, and Aimster as well as the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case MGM Studios v. Grokster, which resulted in a unanimous decision in favor of the film and music industries. Mr. Pierre-Louis is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Clark University. He earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served on the University of Chicago Law Review Board of Editors. Following law school, he clerked for Judge David A. Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mr. Pierre-Louis has served on several nonprofit boards focused on the arts and education and also served as chair of the board of directors for GetSwift Limited, a publicly-traded technology company focused on delivery management software. He currently serves on the board of the National Symphony Orchestra and on the board of Games for Change, a nonprofit that empowers video game creators and social innovators to drive real-world impact through immersive media.

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 100 combat hours. For this effort, she was awarded the Air Medal. She has experience working with the Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C., as well as Executive Officer and later Commanding Officer of the HT-8 Eightballer team. She has also assumed the role of Legislative Fellow in the House of Representatives and worked with the Chief of the Navy Reserve. All in all, she has flown over 4,200 hours in naval aircraft.

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 Association, leading young professional musicians. As president of the Kennedy Center, Rutter has been integral in establishing REACH, which is designed to facilitate artistic development through innovative indoor and outdoor space. She has developed DIRECT CURRENT, a series that spotlights new art from multiple disciplines and forms. Rutter discusses the value of art in the human experience and her journey working with gifted individuals.

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, Loudon United, and the United Performance Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Another one of his projects was constructing Segra Field. Before his achievements in the D.C. area, Levien was the CEO and managing partner of the Memphis Grizzlies. In this conversation, Levien speaks about his experience playing sports, being passionate about life, traveling the world, and his journey to the highest echelons of sports management.

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 University, Johns Hopkins University, the Catholic University of America, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Marshall University, Jackson State University, and the University of Pittsburgh. Another notable client is his alma mater, George Washington University, where he earned his Master of Business Administration. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. He earned his bachelor's degree from Columbia College of Columbia University. Dunlavey discusses the business of sports, building his own business, and sports team ownership.

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. Accis received bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida State University and a Ph.D from American University School of Public Affairs. He is also a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health program on Health Reform graduate and a fellow with the Executive Leadership Council. Accius offers insights into the value of tenacity, hard work, and giving back to our communities.

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 Transportation Security, and Critical Infrastructure Protection at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Humpton earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics at Wake Forest University. Her story and experiences have much to offer young people seeking a STEM career and learning from an innovative thinker.

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 the LSAT so he could explore the Law of Science. He believes this will allow him to combine his passion for biology and the medical field, with his passion for advocacy. He will be attending Northwestern Law School in the Fall. As a side hobby he is a fashion designer with his own Instagram and blog where he promotes fashion, diversity, and inclusivity.

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 advocacy outreach, and has raised over $300,000 for the orphanage. She has a passion for STEM and has volunteered hours towards helping students in India learn robotics, math, and coding. She sees her accomplishments as an extension of her ADHD diagnosis and believes that it is a large motivator in the work she has done. She hopes that more people see it as a positive rather than a negative.