2017 Washington Business Hall of Fame Laureates Honored at Laureate Luncheon

On Tuesday, August 22, the 2017 Washington Business Hall of Fame Laureates gathered at JA Finance Park® to get to know one another prior to the gala and awards ceremony in November. 

This event takes place annually as an opportunity for the forthcoming laureates to get to know each other before taking the stage together on November 29. The event was attended by several former laureates as well as JA of Greater Washington Board Members.

The 2017 Washington Business Hall of Fame Laureates honored at the Laureate Luncheon are:

Philip D. M. de Picciotto
Founder and President, Octagon, Inc.

Michael N. Harreld 
Immediate Past President, PNC Bank, Greater Washington Area

Gracia C. Martore 
President & CEO, TEGNA Inc.

Christopher J. Nassetta 
President & CEO, Hilton

2017 Laureate Luncheon

JA student entrepreneur, Lucas Huynh was at the luncheon to speak about his experience at the second annual JA Entrepreneurship Summit and to show the attendees the real life student impact of the dollars fundraised through the Washington Business Hall of Fame.

"I can’t thank Junior Achievement enough for giving me a glimpse of my future and showing me that I can start to prepare for it today," said Lucas during his speech. "As I reflected on this experience, I was able to connect the dots between the knowledge and skills that I’ve acquired in school and their relevance in real world business situations. It reinforced for me how critical education is to future success and it gave me both the vision for the future as well as the skills to get there."

The laureates will be honored at a black-tie gala and awards ceremony, chaired by PwC Mid-Atlantic Managing Partner, Terri McClements on Wednesday, November 29 at the National Building Museum.

At this year’s gala, more than 1,200 business and civic leaders will come together to honor the four laureates and raise more than $1.4 million to support Junior Achievement of Greater Washington’s K-12 programs and their work to inspire 70,000 students in our region annually to be financially capable, tenacious, and equipped with the tools to manage risk effectively, solve problems creatively, and welcome opportunity in an increasingly complex modern economy. The gala is presented by Capital One and PwC.

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