Last updated February 2010
Our Staff
| Lynda Webster Chairman and CEO |
Wendy Drake President |
Jeffrey Jones Vice President, Marketing |
| Lesley Meredith Director of Communications and Business Development |
Deborah Gitelson Vice President of Production |
Stephanie Donohue Director of Event Marketing |
| Elise Ravenscroft Director of Development |
Wendy Solhan Director |
Joyce Knoer Associate Director |
| Ginger Lackey Associate Director |
Pasan Sumathipala Associate Director of Accounting |
Amy Dickstein Associate |
| Emma Lowenstein Associate |
Mae Pugeda Associate |
|
| Stacey Manning Associate |
Lynda C. Webster, Chairman and CEO
Lynda C. Webster founded The Webster Group out of a passion to help nonprofits design, build and produce financially-successful fundraising events. Ten years later, the business has expanded to include corporate and government event planning, foundation management, fundraising and more.
Drawing from over fifteen years in the field of hotel management, Ms. Webster has worked with a wide range of organizations, a large number of which are nonprofits. Drawing from her luxury hotel experience, The Webster Group is especially well-qualified to handle high-end and VIP events.
Ms. Webster holds Master degrees in Business from Southern Methodist University and International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). She graduated with honors from Stephens College with a BA in history and foreign languages while earning Certificates of Study in Spain from the Universities of Salamanca, Granada and Madrid.
As a volunteer, Ms. Webster has been involved with over twenty five local charitable and professional organizations, serving in leadership roles with the National Symphony Orchestra, Friends of the National Arboretum, National Center for Leadership, Potomac Meeting Planners International, Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, American Forests and the Shenandoah National Park Trust. Ms. Webster resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Judge William H. Webster, former director of both the FBI and CIA, and now a practicing attorney. They enjoy most weekends and an occasional holiday with a golden retriever and border collie at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains near Washington, VA. There they fish, hike and play an occasional game of tennis.
As president of The Webster Group, Ms. Drake holds management responsibilities for the company's overall performance.
In addition to her duties as president Ms. Drake leads the government contracts division of The Webster Group. She with works with The Webster Group’s talented teams to create, implement and sustain strategies that produce greater ROI with measurable results for their clients.
Ms. Drake’s credentials include a long and successful association with The Webster Group, starting with the firm in 2001. Since then, she’s been an integral reason for The Webster Group’s extraordinary successes, working in various capacities including marketing director, event director, vice president and chief operating officer.
Of the many high profile projects Ms. Drake has undertaken at The Webster Group, none was more challenging or rewarding than her role as project manager of the Air Force Memorial dedication events. Our efforts with the Air Force Memorial Dedication weekend have earned The Webster Group 2007 Special Events Magazine Gala Award for "Best Event Produced for a Nonprofit Organization or Association" and an international nomination for best nonprofit event for 2006 by the International Special Events Society (ISES).
Ms. Drake brings to her role as president over 15 years of experience with emphasis on fundraising, event management, strategic planning, marketing, production and foundation management. Earlier in her career, she gained extensive experience with Orr Associates Inc. and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
She is currently a co-chairing the 2010 ISES DC Capital Awards Gala and is a member of the Capital Speakers, Society of Government Meeting Professionals, The Linden Circle (Meridian International) and Washington Women in Wine.
Ms. Drake received a Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University and holds a Bachelor of Science from Drury University. She lives with her husband, daughter and son in Falls Church, VA.
Jeffrey Jones, Vice President, Marketing
As vice president of marketing for The Webster Group, Mr. Jones is responsible for new business development.
Mr. Jones has worked in sales and marketing roles both in the United States and abroad. Early in his career, he was a member (with Lynda Clugston, later Webster!) of the opening team of the historic Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C., later he accepted a position in Yokohama, Japan to establish the opening sales and marketing team of the Yokohama Grand InterContinental Hotel. Following that Mr. Jones held positions with both InterContinental and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel companies in Korea, Malaysia, London, Dubai and Bahrain.
From 1968 to 1972 Jeff served in the U.S. Navy as a member of Squadron 195 aboard the USS Oriskany and the USS Kitty Hawk and was also stationed at U.S. bases throughout Asia.
During his years working and living abroad, Mr. Jones held several positions within local community organizations including president of The American Association of Bahrain and secretary of the steering committee of the American Business Council of the Gulf Countries. In addition, he served on the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain.
The son of a U.S. Army colonel, Jeff lived in Asia and Europe for most of his early life and received a degree in History from Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California 1974.
He and his wife, Cheryl, now reside in Washington, D.C. and their son, Michael, a professional firefighter, lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lesley Meredith, Director of Communications and Business Development
Ms. Meredith oversees all internal and external communications for the Webster Group, including website and social media initiatives. She works closely with senior leadership to develop and drive expansion strategies and focuses a majority of her time developing new business within the firm’s fastest growing sectors-the corporate and government markets.
Ms. Meredith brings to her role over eleven years of business development, marketing, and strategic communications experience for corporate, government and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining The Webster Group Ms. Meredith was a Sales and Event Manager for The Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City where she delivered impressive bottom line results, received accolades for her event management expertise and built an extensive network of clients and industry associates. Prior to her tenure at the Ritz-Carlton she was a Strategic Communications Consultant for The Wexford Group in Vienna, VA where she was a consultant for the US Army on geospatial satellite imaging and battle command systems. Before joining the Wexford Group she was the Director of Sales and Marketing for The National Historic Seaport of Baltimore, a non-profit organization in Baltimore, MD where she oversaw all aspects of business development, communications, marketing, and program development.
Respected as a dynamic business builder, hands-on leader, and creative solutions provider, her clients have included Hunter Defense Technologies, Accenture, SAIC, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Defense Business Board, National Institute for Public Policy, US Department of State, US Chamber of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, National Defense University, and the Department of Defense.
Ms. Meredith holds a BS in Business with a concentration in Marketing from Towson University in Maryland and is a member of The American Small Business Coalition. She lived in Germany for a year where she worked as a coordinator for the special events center on Patch Army Base. She currently resides in Northern Virginia and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Deborah Gitelson, Vice President of Production
As vice president of production for The Webster Group, Ms. Gitelson leads her team in overseeing all event logistics for our nonprofit, corporate, and government clients.
Ms. Gitelson brings to her role more than 15 years of event and fashion production experience. She has produced galas, dinners, fashion shows, memorial unveilings, congressional receptions, large scale entertainment productions, conferences and marathon walks.
Ms. Gitelson’s strengths lie in her creativity, attention to detail and organizational skills - and all within her clients’ budgets. She has produced many prestigious events including The Texas State Society’s Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball, Pentagon Memorial Fund Dedication Events, Lyndon B. Johnson’s Centennial Celebration Events and the Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary Fashion Show. In addition, her extensive client list also includes Allied Capital, Merlin Technologies, Common Sense Media and The Lupus Foundation of America.
A signature achievement for Ms. Gitelson was her work on The Air Force Memorial Dedication Weekend, five very different events held over three days, one of which included over 40,000 attendees, including President George W. Bush, the secretary of defense and other senior Air Force officers; also present were a number of our nation's most distinguished veterans and celebrities. These events earned The Webster Group a 2007 Special Events Magazine Gala Award for "Best Event Produced for a Nonprofit Organization or Association" and an international nomination for best nonprofit event for 2006 by the International Special Events Society (ISES).
Ms. Gitelson is a member of ISES and is co-chairing the Washington, DC 2010 gala. She is also a member of Washington Women & Wine, serves as Parent Board Fundraising Co-Chair for Beth El Preschool and is on several committees for the Bethesda Elementary School PTA. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Deborah is a native Washingtonian. She resides in Maryland with her husband and two children.
Stephanie Donohue, Director of Event Marketing
Stephanie Donohue brings with her almost ten years of marketing and event management experience. Her clients include the Heritage Foundation, Georgetown University Law Center and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
Prior to working with The Webster Group, Ms. Donohue was the Marketing and Internal Events Manager at PGI, The Strategic Event Agency which was later acquired by TBA Global Events. At PGI / TBA, Ms. Donohue worked on projects ranging from intimate gatherings to large-scale events and campaigns. In addition, Ms. Donohue played an integral part in the company’s marketing and branding transition from PGI to TBA Global Events.
Ms. Donohue has also served as Associate Director at Orr Associates, Inc., a Washington, DC-based fundraising and events management firm. While at Orr Associates, she helped produce a variety of events ranging from charity movie premiers to corporate galas.
As a Director for The Webster Group, Ms. Donohue works on both the Marketing and Production side of the business. Depending on a clients’ particular needs she can easily manage all aspects of strategic fundraising or event production. A very detail oriented and organized professional she works with her clients every step of the way to ensure success.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, Ms. Donohue is a native Washingtonian, but has also spent many years in New York City and San Francisco.
Elise Ravenscroft, Director of Development
Ms. Ravenscroft brings over fifteen years of fundraising and event management experience to The Webster Group. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to working with organizations and programs that promote positive social change. She has crafted strategic fundraising programs from the ground-up for organizations of every size, spanning political, advocacy, educational, humanitarian and charitable fields. Her expertise has helped to transform programs for many of today’s non-profit organizations.
Prior to joining The Webster Group, Ms Ravenscroft served as director of development for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), Alley Cat Allies (ACA), and The Academy of the Holy Cross. Working closely with the boards, presidents, faculty and staffs of these organizations, she designed and implemented a comprehensive development and communications plan to raise public awareness and philanthropic support for their programs.
Ms. Ravenscroft has also served as special events director at The Potomac School, where she helped to secure leadership gifts for a $2.5 million performing arts center campaign in addition to developing a $90 million Centennial capital campaign. Her prior experience also includes program development, planned giving, grant writing, and volunteer recruitment and management.
As a volunteer, Ms. Ravenscroft is involved with many local charities, educational and professional organizations, often serving in a leadership capacity. She is currently a member of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Ms. Ravenscroft graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications and Design.
Ms. Ravenscroft, a native Washingtonian, resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and three children.
Wendy Solhan is a consultant to The Webster Group. She brings to the company many years of experience in marketing and business development management for public/private partnership organizations in south Florida, where she resided for 25 years. Prior to her association with The Webster Group, Wendy was director of marketing and cultural tourism development for the Sarasota County Arts Council, and held the positions of vice-president of funding and development and vice-president of marketing for the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, the region’s official economic development organization. Wendy’s proven skills range from building strategic private and public sector alliances and developing sustainable funding programs to conceiving and managing production of supporting communications, including art, editorial and business management of national and regional magazines. Wendy’s background in the for-profit sector includes several years as an advertising account executive for Palm Beach Life Magazine, a Cox Enterprises, Inc. publication; and as co-owner and co-director of a retail art gallery serving individual and corporate clients throughout the south Florida region.
Ms. Solhan has given her time to many non-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Safe Harbor Animal Rescue, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and several arts in education programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont and has completed over 200 hours of seminar coursework in business development, marketing, economic development and publishing. Ms. Solhan has one grown child and lives with her husband in Virginia.
Joyce Knoer, Associate Director
Joyce Knoer joined the Webster Group in June of 2008 after graduating in May from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration and Marketing.
Ms. Knoer developed an interest in event planning and non-profit work through a marketing internship with the United Way. Ms. Knoer also interned at a special event and marketing firm in Minnesota, where she helped to market and produce various recreation and sports related events.
During her college career, Ms. Knoer studied in Rome, Italy and her love for travel continues. As a new Washington, DC resident, she enjoys taking advantage of all that the city has to offer. She is very happy to be a part of the Webster Group team and is excited to continue developing her skills in the event planning industry.
Ginger Lackey, Associate Director
Ms. Lackey, The Webster Group’s newest Associate Director, brings a decade of experience in management, fund-raising, and event planning for non-profit and theatre organizations. Ms. Lackey most recently was Associate Director of Ford’s Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol. Ms. Lackey also helped plan and produce Ford’s Theatre’s 2008 Presidential Gala. Before moving to the Washington area, Ms. Lackey worked as Literary Associate at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas and as Major Gifts Coordinator on the development team of the Houston Grand Opera. Also in Texas, Ms. Lackey was Program Manager for Shoes for Austin, where she managed the distribution of 15,000 pairs of athletic shoes to at-risk youth and oversaw all fundraising efforts and special events including the Shoes for Austin 5K, the Back to School Shoe Drive, and the Fashion Show Luncheon. In Chicago, she served as Artistic Director for School Street Movement Theatre and Managing Director of Cobalt Ensemble Theatre and worked with the Lookingglass and Steppenwolf theatre companies.
Ms. Lackey’s artistic background in theatre, combined with her extensive practical management experience, give her the skills to both visualize and execute outstanding work for her clients.
Ms. Lackey graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied theatre and earned a BS in Performance Studies. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, she has lived in both Amsterdam and London, England, where she graduated from high school. She lives in Falls Church with her husband and daughter.
Pasan Sumathipala, Associate Director of Accounting
Pasan Sumathipala has more than fifteen years of accounting, financial management and auditing experience.
As the Associate Director of Accounting for The Webster Group, Mr. Sumathipala manages the accounting department.
Prior to joining The Webster Group, Mr. Sumathipala was at Tedia Company in Fairfield, Ohio. In addition, he has worked with multinational organization in Sri Lanka with his professional accounting qualifications obtained from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.
A graduate of Cincinnati State Technical College, Ohio. Mr. Sumathipala migrated to the United States in 2003 and currently resides in Maryland with his wife.
Amy Dickstein is one of Webster’s newest associates, joining in August 2008. Since then, she has worked with a variety of clients, including the Pentagon Memorial Fund, Family Services, and the Châteauville Foundation.
Prior to joining The Webster Group, Ms. Dickstein worked for Smithfield Foods as a marketing intern, assisting with a complete package redesign. In addition to her familiarity with marketing materials, Ms. Dickstein does have past event management experience from four years on her college’s programming board. Planning and implementing concerts, festivals and speakers for both the campus and the community has given her invaluable hands-on experience.
Ms. Dickstein graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in marketing and a minor in history. While attending, she participated in several student organizations in addition to the programming board, as well as spending a semester abroad in Italy. Raising over $15,000 for Orphanage Outreach to send a volunteer team to the Dominican Republic started Ms. Dickstein’s efforts in fundraising. She is excited to build on these skills and learn all that she can as a member of the Webster Group.
Following her graduation from Boston University’s School of Hospitality in 2009, Emma Lowenstein joined the Webster Group in August as an intern; she had such a ‘can do’ attitude and strong work ethic that she was hired as a full time Associate in January 2010.
Various internships in event planning have given Emma a surprisingly broad range of experience for a recent college graduate. She has worked with a number of corporate and nonprofit organizations, assisting with the planning and execution of numerous events, conferences, and galas. Just prior to working for the Webster Group, she worked as a special affairs intern at Americans for the Arts, a Washington, DC based arts advocacy group.
During college, Emma interned at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in the busy corporate meetings division, assisting clients and managing many of the meetings and conferences held at the hotel. She has also interned at the Recording Industry of America and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, assisting both organizations on a variety of fundraising events.
A native Washingtonian, Emma is excited to be back in the DC area and is living in Woodley Park.
Mae Pugeda joined the Webster Group as an associate in August 2008. Prior to working at the company, she was a marketing associate at the Advisory Board Company, sharing best-practice healthcare research with top-performing hospitals nationwide.
Graduating from Georgetown University as an International Health major in 2007, Ms. Pugeda has worked with a variety of non-profit organizations in their planning and implementation of health-promotion events and conferences. She interned abroad in Perth, Australia at Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services, an Aboriginal health clinic. There, she coordinated events for their Health Promotions Unit including a community health fair and a women’s health awareness day. She also interned at Asian American LEAD, a non-profit organization advocating to increase the opportunities and abilities of low-income Asian American children.
While at Georgetown, Ms. Pugeda was the captain of the Hoya Dance Team and volunteered at both Cesar Chavez Public Charter School and Asian American LEAD as an after-school dance instructor and cheerleading coach. Through her various experiences with health promotion, Ms. Pugeda has found a passion for planning events (big or small) in the hopes of making a difference and sending an important message out to the greater community. She is enthusiastic to continue growing and developing these skills at the Webster Group.
After working in the Americas Marketing Division of IBM for 9 years, Stacey Manning left the marketing world to pursue a career in event planning. She enjoys planning corporate meetings and conferences as well as weddings and other social celebrations. Ms. Manning most recently held the position of Associate Planner at Finishing Touches Events in Bethesda, Maryland, where she gained experience planning weddings and non-profit events in the DC Metropolitan area.
Ms. Manning graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia and obtained her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Maryland in 2003. In 2006, she completed the Event Management Certificate Program at George Washington University and became an active member of the International Special Events Society’s DC Chapter.
Since joining The Webster Group in January, 2008, Ms. Manning has worked with a variety of clients including the Family Services Agency, The Women’s Center, Summer Opera Theater Company, Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, and the Lupus Foundation of America.
Ms. Manning lives in Olney, MD with her husband, Kris, their Australian Shepherd and two cats.