Dee Dee Myers

Expert Washington-Watcher “Never take it personally, never lose your sense of humor,” was the motto by which Dee Dee Myers, the first woman and one of the youngest people to be White House Press Secretary, lived during her two years on the job. Working for President Bill Clinton at the start of his term, Ms. Myers had a front-row seat at some of the biggest events of the era, from the signing of the Mideast peace accords in 1993 to the passage of the president’s economic plan,international summit conferences and the controversies over healthcare and gays in the military. After leaving the White House, Ms. Myers was an original consultant to the NBC series, The West Wing, and contributed story lines and technical advice throughout its prizewinning long run. Armed with sharp political insights and a refreshingly irreverent sense of humor, Dee Dee Myers charms and enlightens audiences of every political persuasion with her insightful behind-the-scenes look at Washington, national politics and the major players in both. She is currently a Contributing Editor of Vanity Fair, and a frequent political commentator on NBC and MSNBC.

Karen Hughes

A longtime advisor to President Bush, Ambassador Karen Hughes traveled at his side during both his presidential campaigns and served as Counselor to the President for his first 18 months in the White House. As Counselor, she worked on major domestic and foreign policy issues, led the international communications effort in the first year of the war against terror, and managed the White House offices of Communications, Media Affairs, Speechwriting and Press Secretary. Described as the "most powerful public diplomacy czar in decades" by The Boston Globe, her work as a global leader was clearly represented in her accomplishments as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy from August 2005 to December 2007. As one of the highest ranking officials at the U.S. State Department, Karen Hughes led America’s efforts to communicate with foreign publics, confronted ideological support for terrorism and participated in foreign policy development.

Media Professionals, Political