NEWS

Each year, we publish a special issue featuring the 500 most influential people in Washington. With a new administration now in place, these power players’ expertise and strategic insight are especially crucial as they navigate shifting priorities and relationships across the capital.

The selection process remains rigorous, and we acknowledge that there are far more than 500 influential voices in DC. We focus on several key factors: individuals with deep subject-matter expertise who understand how to effectively drive action in Washington; those who grasp the nuances and complexities of specific policy areas; and experts in fields we believe will be particularly significant to the current slate of elected officials.

We’ve maintained our practice of excluding those currently in elected office as well as Capitol Hill and administration staffers—the influencees, as we call them. However, many on our roster have government experience, affording them valuable insight into how to elevate issues effectively. Others, we suspect, may enter government service in the future or have the ear of those in office.

Our selections span the ideological spectrum, and we’ve deliberately avoided including big-name “hired guns” whose influence stems more from communication skills and networks than from genuine policy expertise. Some people or organizations may be viewed as having a controversial impact—we aren’t passing judgment on whether each person’s influence benefits the greater good. Our goal is simply to highlight those who wield it.

This year’s list features many newcomers we believe will be particularly influential during the current administration, such as Robert Doer of the conservative think tank AEI; Bruce Harris of Walmart, who understands global supply-chain policy; Mike Zamore at the American Civil Liberties Union; Christopher Smith, head of government affairs at Ford Motor Company; and many more.

What unites all of them is their passion for understanding policy issues and their ability to move them forward.

—Catherine Merrill
Washingtonian President and CEO

Tech & Telecom

Bruce Mehlman, Mehlman Consulting, Founder

The longtime political and public-policy guru’s Sunday email blast of charts, graphs, and illuminating statistics only enhances his reputation as a sought-after analyst on technological and societal trends

Hometown: Baltimore.

Best career advice he ever received: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Last meal would be: “Aurelio’s Pizza and Sarah’s PB Fudge ice cream, same as my third-grade birthday party.”

Trade

Alex Perkins, Mehlman Consulting, Principal

Perkins advises clients to embrace a nuanced trade approach and encourages business stakeholders to collaborate with key congressional advocates who can champion a realistic, forward-looking trade agenda.

Education: Stanford; University of Connecticut School of Law.

First job: “In seventh grade, my best friend, my younger brother, and I started a snow-removal business.”

Lesson from that job: “Try not to over-complicate it. In retrospect, the two-page contract we drafted was
overkill.”