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.

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.

Melissa Fildes

Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Melissa graduated from Duke University with bachelor degrees in English and Art History. It was at Duke that Melissa gained an interest and enthusiasm for both events and public relations, serving as the Co-Social Chair, Public Relations Chair and Risk Manager for Alpha Delta Pi sorority over the course of her undergraduate experience.

Melissa has used her knowledge of the industry to plan events for a wide range of clients, including the 2009 Florida Inaugural Ball at the National Museum of the American Indian. Other past clients included Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, planning events at both the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado and the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Melissa has experience executing logistics for a spectrum of events, ranging from black tie dinners and intimate luncheons to golf and poker tournaments. Most recently, she completed work on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Gala in June. She has put her experience and enthusiasm to work for clients such as Paralyzed Veterans of America, KCET Public Broadcasting, the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, Lockheed Martin, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation, the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, the National Council on Independent Living, Reading is Fundamental, ThanksUSA, the Smithsonian Latino Center and the March of Dimes.

Prior to joining The J Street Group, Melissa was an Account Executive for another event firm in the DC metro area.

Melissa lives in Washington, DC, and enjoys reading, traveling, Duke basketball, dining out with friends and experiencing all of the historical and cultural aspects of our nation’s capitol.

Lacey O’Donnell

Lacey O'Donnell is an Event Planner with the J Street Group, LLC. She has worked in events for over nine years and has extensive meeting and event planning experience. Lacey is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and has been responsible for association annual meetings, corporate events, board of directors meetings, committee meetings, and numerous special events. She has planned and managed both program and logistical requirements for events ranging in size from 20 to 35,000 participants.

Lacey graduated with a degree in Journalism and Public Relations from Utah State University, and remains involved with Utah State as the president of the Washington DC Area Alumni Chapter. In addition, Lacey has used her communications degree in handling all aspects of event and association marketing including planning, design, art direction and implementation. Her responsibilities have focused on site selection, contract negotiations, hotel arrangements, food and beverage, audio-visual, program planning, and special event management.

Some of Lacey's former employers/clients include: American College of Preventive Medicine, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), American College of Nurse Practitioners, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Air Force.