Debra Schiff

Debra Schiff, is founder and president of the J Street Group, LLC,  a full-service event design and production firm that specializes in delivering exceptionally unique and creative, high-impact events.  Debra has more than 25 years of event management and protocol experience.   

Before starting J Street Group, LLC, Debra served as President of her own event consulting firm, Debra Schiff & Company where she provided clients with a complete range of event management services. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of Development for Ovations, an event production and destination management company.

Debra served as Assistant Chief of Protocol at the U.S. Department of State where she coordinated high profile functions on behalf of the President, Vice President and Secretary of State.  She was also instrumental in the planning and overseeing highly sensitive and visible events surrounding the Mid-East peace talks that included Wye River, Shepherdstown and Camp David.

Prior to her presidential appointment at the Department of State, she worked in the Executive Office of the President of the United States as a member of the Oval Office Operations staff.  In this capacity, she assisted the President in maintaining his schedule among other executive management responsibilities. As a liaison with the travel industry and the White House Travel Office, Ms. Schiff also traveled with the President and the White House Press Corps.

Debra hails from the Lone Star state where she has held various management positions in the airline industry and owned a successful advertising business.  She also serves on the board of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and has been actively involved with the Lombardi Cancer Center, Child Rite, American Heart Association and many other charitable organizations.

Bonny Wong

Bonny C. Wong serves as the Assistant to Debra Schiff, the founder and president of the J Street Group, LLC and IESC. Prior to accepting her position as Assistant, Bonny was an attorney for Legal Source LLC a division of AdamsGrayson Corporation in Washington, D.C.

Bonny studied philosophy and received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and Juris Doctor from American University’s Washington College of Law. While obtaining her law degree, Bonny earned a graduate certificate from WCL’s Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Bonny is admitted to the Maryland State Bar and District of Columbia Bar. She also is an active member of the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association’s International Law and Young Lawyers Section.

In her spare time, Bonny enjoys reading, running, and spending time with friends and family. She is a regular volunteer at several charitable organizations, and lives in Washington, D.C.
 

Susan Ralston

Susan B. Ralston is a consultant helping companies with strategic partnership development, public affairs and public relations activities with a strong background in project management, outreach, coalition building and event management. With eight years of government affairs experience and six years of high-level executive branch experience, Ms. Ralston is uniquely qualified to provide strategic consulting services and develop partnerships for clients to achieve their goals. Most recently, Ms. Ralston was the Special Assistant to the President and a deputy to Karl Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at The White House. She was responsible for managing the activities that comprised the Office of the Senior Advisor, including the development of policy, strategic planning, political affairs, public liaison, and intergovernmental affairs efforts of the White House. She was also responsible for managing the domestic issue campaigns, including Education, Healthcare, Social Security, Immigration, Energy, Budget and Economy, Environment, National Security, Iraq, Global Diplomacy and the Gulf Coast, as well as the development and production of presidential and major surrogate events.

As a Filipino-American, Ms. Ralston was actively involved in the strategic planning and Asian Pacific American outreach efforts of the White House, including the creation of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She was a member of the Presidential Delegation to attend the Inauguration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of the Republic of the Philippines, in June 2004. During the 2004 re-election campaign, Ms. Ralston was the White House Liaison to Bush-Cheney ’04, coordinating the activities between the two entities. She also served on the Advisory Committee for “W Stands for Women,” the campaign’s outreach effort to women. Prior to her public service, Ms. Ralston was the Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs at Greenberg Traurig and has also worked for the lobbying firm of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, LLP.

Suzanne Morrell

Suzanne Morrell has been producing events for over two decades for chiefs of state, government officials, non-profit organizations, associations, corporations and individuals. From organizations across the globe to our own backyard, Suzanne focuses on offers outstanding service and high-impact project management while employing positive environmental stewardship practices.

Suzanne has created events for numerous associations, corporations and non-profits as well as managed sponsorships for fundraising galas, conferences and inaugural balls. She produced numerous advocacy programs and policy events while she was Director of Government Relations for Seeds of Peace.

Morrell, a former political appointee in the Department of State's Office of Protocol, managed numerous visits of chiefs of state and heads of government to the U.S. and coordinated high profile functions for the President, Vice President and Secretary of State. Her many unique assignments included time in Kosovo as a Diplomatic Observer on the KDOM Mission working with international observers and military forces, and advising the United States Pavilion on protocol matters at the World Expo in Lisbon. Suzanne received numerous awards for her work at the Department of State including Franklin Awards for outstanding duty and Secretary’s Certificate of Recognition for service in the aftermath of the Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Morrell is a founding Board Member of the International Center for Contemporary Education. She spent time in London working with the European Parliament's U.K. Press and Information office. She studied International Affairs, Spanish and Art at Emory University, and received her M.B.A. from The George Washington University. She also teaches at the Washington International School in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Vince

Ms. Vince, a native Washingtonian, attended the Bullis High School in Potomac, MD, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. She holds a B.S. in Psychology, and minored in Italian Studies after spending a semester abroad in Rome, Italy.

Ms. Vince has extensive experience with managing large corporate events and conferences, and fundraising in the D.C. area. Prior to her joining J Street Group, Ms. Vince served as an event coordinator for a leading special events company in the Washington area where she was involved in the strategic planning and execution for the 2010 Children Uniting Nations Annual Conference and Gala hosted in the Capitol Visitor Center and JW Marriot Hotel. Ms. Vince also served as the Assistant Project Manager for the Defiant Requiem Foundation and was instrumental in coordinating all event logistics for the live performance of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin at the Kennedy Center. Most recently, Ms. Vince was the Director of Events at a new venue downtown where she was responsible for the planning and coordination of all events and meetings, marketing, and outreach.

Rosie Haimm

Rosie Haimm received her bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from American University. She has performed in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, and Romania on choir tours and has sung at the White House for holiday concerts. Rosie’s repertoire ranges from early music (soloist in performances of Handel’s Dixit Dominus and J.S. Bach’s Magnificat) to a recent Cabaret show. She was also the alto soloist in the United States premiere of W. F. Bach’s Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet in Fall 2009.

Prior to joining J Street Group, LLC, Rosie worked with the Washington National Opera education department. She helped plan WNO education events ranging from concerts to dinners to summer institutes for young singers. She is also a published writer of a set of poems regarding music within prisons.