Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito proudly serves the people of West Virginia's Second Congressional District in the 113h Congress, where she represents a diverse constituency stretching from the Ohio River Valley through the state's eastern panhandle. Capito is a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and a committed public servant who prides herself on being approachable and accessible to her constituents. She is currently the only woman in West Virginia's congressional delegation. Capito serves on the House Financial Services Committee as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. She also sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure - the panel which will direct important highway legislation during the 113th Congress.

With her record of bipartisan cooperation, she strongly believes that the challenges of our day demand bipartisan solutions. With that spirit in mind, she has been an advocate for a range of policies that directly impact her constituents, including energy independence, quality healthcare and the safety and security of our service men and women.

In her push for energy independence she has argued that West Virginia's coal reserves must play a part in an all-of-the-above solution to our nation's energy needs. She's introduced legislation to jump-start investment in clean coal technology and joined with a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats to introduce a comprehensive energy plan to expand domestic energy exploration and invest billions in alternative energy resources, clean coal technology, and environmental restoration.

Capito has also been a strong voice for healthcare accessibility and affordability, particularly in rural areas. Throughout her career she has been a strong supporter of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and played an integral role in creating the Medicare prescription drug program which benefits thousands of West Virginians. She has previously served as the Vice Co-Chairwoman of the House Prescription Drug Taskforce and of the Long-Term Care Caucus where she continues her work to support healthcare issues important to West Virginia seniors.

With such a large population of veterans in West Virginia, Capito is committed to improving the support structure for our service men and women. She strongly supported the new GI Bill that will provide enhanced educational benefits to our nation's younger veterans, and she has been a consistent voice in the push for improved healthcare accessibility for veterans in rural states.

When not in Washington, Rep. Capito regularly travels her 17-county district to meet with her constituents and local leaders.

Capito lives in Charleston with her husband Charles L. Capito. They have three children: sons Charles (and his wife Laura) and Moore (and his wife Katie), and one daughter, Shelley. The family recently grew with the birth of Capito's first grandchild, Celia Vivienne Capito, who was born to Charles and Laura on April 15, 2010.

Capito graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Zoology and she holds a M.Ed. from the University of Virginia.

Senator Bob Corker  Last November, Tennesseans overwhelmingly re‐elected Bob Corker to his second term in the U.S. Senate, where he is ranking member of the foreign relations committee. An active member of the banking committee, Senator Corker has gained a reputation as a pragmatic thought leader in the Senate, particularly on fiscal and financial issues.   Earlier this year, Senator Corker, Senator Mark Warner, D‐Va., and a bipartisan coalition of banking committee members introduced the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act, S. 1217, to strengthen America’s housing finance system by replacing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a privately capitalized system that preserves market liquidity and protects taxpayers from future economic downturns.    Corker was a successful businessman before serving as Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and as mayor of Chattanooga. He and his wife of 26 years, Elizabeth, live in Chattanooga.   

Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY)

A native of Woodside, Queens and lifelong New Yorker, Joe has served the people of the Bronx and Queens in Congress since 1998. Before being elected to Congress, Joe received a bachelor’s degree from Queens College, ran a successful small business for nearly a decade and represented the 30th Assembly District in the New York State legislature. Throughout his career in public service, Joe has been driven by a desire to protect New York’s middle class. As Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, the fifth-highest ranking position in House Democratic Leadership, Joe’s efforts in Congress are focused on building strong communities, creating jobs, increasing access to health care and housing, protecting seniors’ hard-earned benefits, and opening up educational opportunities for working families. His seat on the prestigious Committee on Ways and Means allows Joe to work directly on issues of importance to the residents of the 14th District – keeping Medicare and Social Security strong, improving health care for all Americans and creating a fair and equitable tax code for American families and small businesses. Joe is dedicated to making the Bronx-Queens community more prosperous and secure. He established the Crime Stoppers program in 2002 to support local organizations that are working to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and it has delivered more than $1 million in federal funding to the Bronx-Queens community for graffiti clean-up, after-school programming, and civic patrol efforts. He is focused on further strengthening and expanding urban hospitals and specialty health centers, such as the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Westchester Square. These are not only world-class medical facilities, but large and reputable employers in the area. Joe is also firmly committed to preparing all young Americans for work in the 21st century by advocating for public education, championing increased federal support for Head Start and other pre-kindergarten programs and fighting to maintain critical financial aid, such as Pell Grants, so more students can afford a college education. The 14th Congressional District is one of the most diverse areas in the country. Through his work with a range of local organizations, Joe has enriched his understanding of international affairs and become a leading voice in efforts to promote democracy and human rights around the world. He successfully introduced and passed legislation to honor Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi with the Congressional Gold Medal for her tireless efforts to bring peace and democracy to Burma. He has also fought for women’s rights both in the U.S. and overseas by introducing and spearheading the passage of the Girls Protection Act, legislation that prohibits the transport of minors abroad for the purpose of female genital mutilation. Like most New Yorkers, Joe’s life was profoundly changed on September 11, 2001. Tragically, his cousin, Fire Department Battalion Chief John Moran, was among the brave first responders who died that day in World Trade Center Tower 2. To make sure we never forget the sacrifices made that day, Joe spearheaded an initiative to honor the first responders who lost their lives trying to help their fellow New Yorkers with a Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. And, to ensure that New York and the nation are better prepared for future threats, Joe led efforts to create the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) which targets homeland security funding to at-risk urban centers, such as New York City. To date, New York City has received over $950 million in funding to make our airports, train stations and ports safer and more secure. Joe was also instrumental in passing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to provide 9/11 first responders and workers with health monitoring and care. Both local and national media have recognized Joe for his effective and impressive record of leadership in Congress. In 2010, National Journal magazine named Joe “a rising star” in the Democratic Caucus and The New York Times has noted that his peers consider him to be a “hard working representative” who is “an impassioned advocate for his district.” Joe has been married to his wife, Kasey Crowley, for over a decade and they have three young children.  

Carol Galante Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Housing

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The United States Senate confirmed Carol J. Galante to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner on December 30, 2012. Prior to her confirmation, Ms. Galante served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Housing/FHA Commissioner, having first joined HUD in May 2009 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing programs.

As FHA Commissioner, Ms. Galante has direct responsibility for oversight and administration of the FHA’s trillion dollar insurance portfolio, which includes single family and multifamily housing as well as insured health care facilities. She is also responsible for several of HUD’s rental assistance programs, including 1.2 million units of Project Based Rental Assistance, and over 400,000 apartments for elderly and the disabled under the Section 202 and 811 programs.

Under her leadership, the Office of Housing has developed a comprehensive risk management infrastructure through the Office of Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs and organized the formation of a new Office of Housing Counseling. Ms. Galante has also played an important role in key Administration initiatives, including Choice Neighborhoods, the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and other interagency alignment efforts.

Prior to her appointment at HUD, Ms. Galante was President and Chief Executive of BRIDGE Housing Corporation, the largest non-profit developer of affordable, mixed-income and mixed-use developments in California. BRIDGE is a hybrid organization blending the best of business practices and entrepreneurial ideas with a mission to create affordable homes and apartments. Prior to BRIDGE she was the Executive Director of Eden Housing, Inc.

In addition to her work in real estate development, ownership and management, Ms. Galante has also worked for the cities of Santa Barbara, Philadelphia and Richmond, CA, in city planning and community economic development. She has held numerous volunteer leadership positions in organizations such as the Housing Partnership Network, OneCalifornia Bank Foundation, California Housing Consortium, Center for Creative Land Recycling, Center for Housing Policy, and Urban Land Institute. She has been the recipient of many notable honors, including: Housing Wire Magazine’s Influential Woman in Housing 2012, Multifamily/Developer Magazine-Executive of the Year in 2008, Builder Magazine-Top Most Influential People in Homebuilding in 2006, and the California Homebuilder Hall of Fame.

Ms. Galante is a licensed real estate broker (currently inactive) and holds a Master of City Planning from U.C. Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan.

 

Bio of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson

Johnny Isakson is a businessman, a public servant and family man whose conservative, thoughtful and independent approach have made him a leader in Georgia for over 30 years. Johnny began his business career in 1967 when he opened the first Cobb County office of a small, family-owned real estate business, Northside Realty. Johnny later served as president of Northside for 20 years, presiding over the company’s growth into the largest independent residential real estate brokerage company in the Southeast and one of the largest in America. Johnny entered politics in 1974 and served 17 years in the Georgia Legislature and two years as Chairman of the Georgia Board of Education. In 1999, Johnny was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first of three terms before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. He was re-elected to the Senate in 2010.

In Washington, Johnny has proven to be a leader who gets results. When the mortgage and financial crisis hit in 2008, Johnny drew on his decades of experience in real estate in offering solutions to reduce the inventory of foreclosed homes and to restore the nation’s housing market. The Senate overwhelmingly passed his legislation to create the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, styled after the 9-11Commission, to investigate the near collapse of the banking system and loss of tens of trillions of dollars. Johnny continues to lead in Congress through his successful bipartisan efforts to address federal spending, reduce the debt and change the way Washington does business. He introduced the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act to end reckless spending and reform the federal budget process by converting it from an annual spending process to a two-year cycle, with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted to much-needed oversight of federal programs. Johnny follows his own advice and has returned more than $3 million of his own office budget to the Treasury over the years as a former member of the House and current member of the Senate. In January 2013, Johnny was named to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over taxes, trade, Medicare and Social Security and which plays a critical role in the debate over cutting spending and reducing our nation’s debt. Johnny has worked to strengthen our Armed Forces, and he continues to show unwavering commitment to the men and women who have served our country. On energy, Johnny is committed to lessening America’s dependence on foreign oil as well as pushing for alternative energy sources and conservation. Johnny was an original author of the No Child Left Behind Act, the most significant improvement to our education system in a generation. He continues to push for immigration reform that is built on a foundation of securing our borders first. Johnny is a 1966 graduate of the University of Georgia and he served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972. Johnny and his wife, Dianne, have been married since 1968 and have three grown children and nine grandchildren. They live in Marietta, Georgia, and attend Mount Zion United Methodist Church, where Johnny taught sixth-grade Sunday school for 30 years.

James B. Lockhart III 

James B. Lockhart III is Vice Chairman of WL Ross & Co. LLC and a member of the Office of the 

Chairman and Investment Committees for the WLR Recovery Funds and Invesco Mortgage Recovery 

Fund.  Prior to joining in September 2009 he was the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency 

(FHFA), regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks, and its 

predecessor agency, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.  He served as the Chairman of 

the Federal Housing Finance Oversight Board and a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Board.  

Mr. Lockhart has also served as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the Social 

Security Administration and as Secretary to the Social Security Board of Trustees.  He was a member of 

President Bush’s Management Council.  Mr. Lockhart co‐founded and served as managing director of 

NetRisk, Inc., a risk management software and consulting firm serving major financial institutions, banks, 

insurance companies and investment management firms worldwide.  He has also held senior positions 

at National Reinsurance, Smith Barney, Alexander & Alexander and Gulf Oil, in Europe and the U.S.  He is 

a director of Virgin Money in the U.K., Bank of the Cascades, Berkeley Point Capital, Capital Markets 

Cooperative, and Situs Holdings. 

Congressman Kevin McCarthy

Congressman Kevin McCarthy represents the 23rd District of California, which spans Kern, Tulare, and Los Angeles counties. First elected in 2006, Kevin is a native of Bakersfield and a fourth-generation Kern County resident. He is committed to policies that give small businesses and entrepreneurs the confidence they need to hire, expand, invest and innovate. After the 2010 midterm elections, Kevin was elected by his colleagues to serve as Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives.

Kevin started his own small business before the age of 21. He built Kevin O's Deli from the ground up, even enlisting his father's help in building the deli's counter in their garage. He worked hard, hired employees and enjoyed success in his community. That's also where he first encountered government overregulation. The countless frivolous and redundant rules, as well as the taxes small businesses like his were burdened with, spurred Kevin's interest in public service. When Kevin sold his business, he used the profits to put himself through college and graduate school. He received both his undergraduate degree and his Masters in Business Administration from California State University, Bakersfield.

During college, Kevin accepted an internship with then-Congressman Bill Thomas, and soon became a member of Congressman Thomas's staff. Kevin won his first election in 2000 as Trustee to the Kern Community College District. In 2002, McCarthy was elected to represent the 32nd Assembly District in the California State Assembly. As a freshman legislator, he was selected unanimously by his Republican colleagues to serve as the Assembly Republican Leader, becoming the first freshman legislator and the first legislator from Kern County to assume the top Republican post in the California State Assembly. Kevin worked with his colleagues in the Assembly and Senate and with the Governor to reduce California's budget deficit, overhaul the state worker's compensation system and enhance California's business climate to create more opportunities for California workers and businesses until he ran for Congress in 2006.

Kevin brings his personal experience as a small business owner and as an effective leader in the statehouse to Washington D.C. In his role as Majority Whip, Kevin leads the effort in Congress to advance common sense policies that will put America back on the path to prosperity. Since gaining control of the House in November 2010, Kevin and his Republican colleagues have blocked the largest tax increase in American history, cut out-of-control government spending by historic levels and passed numerous pieces of legislation that will help create jobs in America. These bills reduce the burden on small businesses, increase our nation's energy security by promoting domestic energy production, knock down barriers for small business owners to access capital and help increase certainty for the private sector.

Kevin will continue to fight to get Washington's fiscal house in order while promoting policies that empower the private sector to invest and create jobs.

When Kevin is not in Washington fighting for the constituents of California's 23rd District and for the future of America, he is home in Bakersfield with his wife Judy and two children Connor and Meghan. 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20220

MICHAEL A. STEGMAN

Dr. Michael A. Stegman is Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury for Housing Finance

Policy. He is responsible for coordinating the Department of the Treasury’s activities relating to

the development of housing finance policy, and for assisting in the implementation of Treasury’s

housing programs. He chairs a steering committee composed of the senior Treasury participants

in these areas, and coordinates Treasury’s work in these areas with other agencies and offices

within the Executive Branch, in particular with the Department of Housing and Urban

Development, the National Economic Council, and the Domestic Policy Council. He is also

responsible for coordinating the Department of the Treasury’s internal and external

communications on housing finance reform.

Prior to joining Treasury, Dr. Stegman served as Director of Policy and Housing for the Program

on Human and Community Development at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

where he served as the Foundation’s lead observer of domestic policy issues, working to

translate policy trends and position program strategies in affordable housing, community change,

mental health, juvenile justice, education, and urban and regional policy within the larger context

of local, state and national policy developments. Dr. Stegman is also on leave from his position

as Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

He has served as a member of the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank Community Development

Advisory Council, is Fellow of the Urban Land Institute, and has served on several national

boards, including the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and One Economy Corporation.

Prior to joining the Foundation he was the MacRae Professor of Public Policy, Planning, and

Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chairman of the Department of

Public Policy and founding director of the Center for Community Capitalism. He has been a

consultant to the Treasury Department, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

(CDFI), and the U.S. General Accounting Office. During his tenure as Assistant Secretary for

Policy Development and Research at HUD from 1993-1997, Dr. Stegman was named one of

Washington’s 100 most influential decision makers by the National Journal. He has also written

extensively on housing and urban policy, community development, financial services for the

poor, and asset development policies.

Dr. Stegman received his BA from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and his

Masters and Ph.D. in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

JIM VANDEHEI Co-Founder and Executive Editor of POLITICO

Jim VandeHei is co-founder and executive editor of POLITICO, the highly influential political web site and newspaper that Washingtonian magazine hailed as a “media phenomenon.” VandeHei, along with co-founder John Harris, left the Washington Post in 2006 to create the all-politics-all-the-time site, and the company has been a smashing success ever since. More than three million unique readers visit the site each month, and more than 30,000 of the nation’s political leaders read its Washington-based newspaper. Drawing on 15 years of experience in Washington journalism, VandeHei directs POLITICO’s editorial content and oversees its business strategy – amalgamating old media values of fairness and accuracy with the speed and immediacy of new technologies. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Jim VandeHei combines his career as an on-the-beat political reporter with his experience creating an innovative media outlet that is helping define political discourse in America. With a close-up view of what really happens in Washington, VandeHei brings a frontline journalist’s insight and insider knowledge to every speech. VandeHei is better positioned than virtually anyone else to pull back the curtain on Washington and address what is really happening inside the White House and on Capitol Hill. He addresses politics, Congress, the White House, political campaigns, the future of journalism, and new media. Accolades. Vanity Fair recently named VandeHei among the 100 most powerful “Information Age” thinkers for helping create “the model for the new media success story.” Washingtonian magazine named him one of the 100 people to watch in the new millennium, and VandeHei and John Harris were named the fifth most influential U.S. pundits by the London Telegraph. In 2009, VandeHei was also selected as the first representative of a primarily online news organization to serve on the Pulitzer Board. The Real News in Real Time. VandeHei directs the editorial coverage of the largest White House and Congressional teams in the country, and he co-moderated two presidential debates in 2008, including the first debate to incorporate questions voted on by a live online audience. He is also a regular commentator on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, CBS’s Face the Nation, and myriad other cable and network shows. Before founding POLITICO, VandeHei spent more than a decade covering the power politics of Washington. He cut his teeth at Roll Call, where he routinely broke exclusive national stories. He moved to the Wall Street Journal in the late 1990s to cover Congress and the early years of the Bush presidency, and then the Washington Post lured him away in 2002 to cover all things political. He was the lead writer on the big Congressional debates, the 2004 presidential election, and the second term of the Bush presidency. His expertise in a variety of areas – Congress, the White House, campaigns, lobbying, policy, and media – allows VandeHei to tailor his speeches to the specific needs and interests of his audience. Updated WMS 7/12

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Congresswoman Maxine Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women in American politics today. She has gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color and the poor. Elected in November 2012 to her twelfth term in the House of Representatives with more than 70 percent of the vote in the 43rd Congressional District of California, Congresswoman Waters represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles including the communities of Westchester, Playa Del Rey, and Watts and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County comprised of Lennox, West Athens, West Carson, Harbor Gateway and El Camino Village. The 43rd District also includes the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita and Torrance. Congresswoman Waters serves as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services. An integral member of Congressional Democratic Leadership, Congresswoman Waters serves as a member of the Steering & Policy Committee. She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and member and past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Legislative Leadership Throughout her 37 years of public service, Maxine Waters has been on the cutting edge, tackling difficult and often controversial issues. She has combined her strong legislative and public policy acumen and high visibility in Democratic Party activities with an unusual ability to do grassroots organizing.  Prior to her election to the House of Representatives in 1990, Congresswoman Waters had already attracted national attention for her no-nonsense, no-holds-barred style of politics. During 14 years in the California State Assembly, she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair. She was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen: the largest divestment of state pension funds from South Africa; landmark affirmative action legislation; the nation’s first statewide Child Abuse Prevention Training Program; the prohibition of police strip searches for nonviolent misdemeanors; and the introduction of the nation’s first plant closure law.  As a national Democratic Party leader, Congresswoman Waters has long been highly visible in Democratic Party politics and has served on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) since 1980. She was a key leader in five presidential campaigns: Sen. Edward Kennedy (1980), Rev. Jesse Jackson (1984 & 1988), and President Bill Clinton (1992 & 1996). In 2001, she was instrumental in the DNC’s creation of the National Development and Voting Rights Institute and the appointment of Mayor Maynard Jackson as its chair.  Following the Los Angeles civil unrest in 1992, Congresswoman Waters faced the nation’s media and public to interpret the hopelessness and despair in cities across America. Over the years, she has brought many government officials and policy makers to her South Central L.A. district to appeal for more resources. They included President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Secretaries of Housing & Urban Development Henry Cisneros and Andrew Cuomo, and Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve System. Following the unrest, she founded Community Build, the city’s grassroots rebuilding project. She has used her skill to shape public policy and deliver the goods: $10 billion in Section 108 loan guarantees to cities for economic and infrastructure development, housing and small business expansion; $50 million appropriation for “Youth Fair Chance” program which established an intensive job and life skills training program for unskilled, unemployed youth; expanded U.S. debt relief for Africa and other developing nations; creating a “Center for Women Veterans,” among others.  Rep. Waters continues to be an active leader in a broad coalition of residential communities, environmental activists and elected officials that aggressively advocate for the mitigation of harmful impacts of the expansion plan for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Furthermore, she continues initiatives to preserve the unique environmental qualities of the Ballona wetlands and bluffs, treasures of her district.  She is a co-founder of Black Women’s Forum, a nonprofit organization of over 1,200 African American women in the Los Angeles area. In the mid-80s, she also founded Project Build, working with young people in Los Angeles housing

developments on job training and placement.  As she confronts the issues such as poverty, economic development, equal justice under the law and other issues of concern to people of color, women, children, and poor people, Rep. Waters enjoys a broad cross section of support from diverse communities across the nation.  Throughout her career, Congresswoman Waters has been an advocate for international peace, justice, and human rights. Before her election to Congress, she was a leader in the movement to end Apartheid and establish democracy in South Africa. She opposed the 2004 Haitian coup d’etat, which overthrew the democratically-elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti, and defends the rights of political prisoners in Haiti’s prisons. She leads congressional efforts to cancel the debts that poor countries in Africa and Latin America owe to wealthy institutions like the World Bank and free poor countries from the burden of international debts.  Congresswoman Waters is the founding member and former Chair of the ‘Out of Iraq’ Congressional Caucus. Formed in June 2005, the ‘Out of Iraq’ Congressional Caucus was established to bring to the Congress an on-going debate about the war in Iraq and the Administration’s justifications for the decision to go to war, to urge the return of US service members to their families as soon as possible.  Expanding access to health care services is another of Congresswoman Waters’ priorities. She spearheaded the development of the Minority AIDS Initiative in 1998 to address the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities. Under her continuing leadership, funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative has increased from the initial appropriation of $156 million in fiscal year 1999 to approximately $400 million per year today. She is also the author of legislation to expand health services for patients with diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Congresswoman Waters has led congressional efforts to mitigate foreclosures and keep American families in their homes during the housing and economic crises, notably through her role as Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity in the previous two Congresses. She authored the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which provides grants to states, local governments and nonprofits to fight foreclosures, home abandonment and blight and to restore neighborhoods. Through two infusions of funds, the Congresswoman was able to secure $6 billion for the program.  She is lauded by African American entrepreneurs for her work to expand contracting and procurement opportunities and to strengthen businesses. Long active in the women’s movement, Rep. Waters has given encouragement and financial support to women seeking public office. Many young people, including those in the hip-hop music community, praise her for her support and understanding of young people and their efforts at self-expression. One testament to her work is the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a multimillion dollar campus providing education and employment opportunities to residents of the Watts area.  Personal Background Maxine Waters was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the fifth of 13 children reared by a single mother. She attended California State University at Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She is married to Sidney Williams, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. She is the mother of two adult children, Edward and Karen, and has two grandchildren.  

  

Bob Woodward

Since 1971, Bob Woodward has worked for The Washington Post where he is currently an associate editor. He and Carl Bernstein were the main reporters on the Watergate scandal for which The Post won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Woodward was the lead reporter for The Post's articles on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks that won the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize in 2002. In 2004, Bob Schieffer of CBS News said, "Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time." Woodward has authored or co-authored 17 books, all of which have been national non-fiction best sellers. His most recent book, The Price of Politics (September, 2012), is based on 18 months of reporting and is an intimate, documented examination of how President Obama and the highest profile Republican and Democratic leaders in the United States Congress attempted to restore the American economy and improve the federal government’s fiscal condition. Drawn from memos, contemporaneous meeting notes, emails and in-depth interviews with the central players, the book addresses the key issue of the presidential and congressional campaigns, the condition of the American economy and how and why we got here. Providing verbatim, day-by-day, even hour-by-hour accounts, the book shows what really happened, what drove the debates, negotiations and struggles that define and will continue to define the American future. Woodward’s other books include: All the President’s Men (1974) and The Final Days (1976), both Watergate books, coauthored with

Bernstein The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court (1979), co-authored with Scott Armstrong Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi (1984) Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987 (1987) The Commanders (1991) on the first Bush administration and the Gulf War The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House (1994) Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate (1999) Bush at War (2002) Plan of Attack (2004) State of Denial: Bush at War Part III (2006) Obama’s Wars (2010) Woodward was born March 26, 1943, in Illinois. He graduated from Yale University in 1965 and served five years as a communications officer in the United States Navy before beginning his journalism career at the Montgomery County (Maryland) Sentinel, where he was a reporter for one year before joining The Post.