News & Politics

Goldman Sachs: A Who’s Who

As the investment bank takes a another big hit, we look back at the Washingtonians with Goldman ties

It's been a bad day at Goldman Sachs. The bank announced that first-quarter earnings plummeted 72 percent, after it paid out dividends to billionaire Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, which invested $5 billion in the bank in 2008 to help it survive the Wall Street meltdown. Goldman has also been paying out big money to lots of Washington power players.

 

 

From our June 2010 issue, here's a look at who was on Team Goldman here in the District:

GOLDMAN SACHS

Faryar Shirzad. Global head of government affairs. Former assistant secretary of Commerce and National Security Council staffer in George W. Bush’s White House; former international-trade counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.

Micahel Pease. Washington director of government affairs. Former top aide to House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank.

Joyce Brayboy. Former chief of staff to Congressman Mel Watt, a member of the House Financial Services and Judiciary committees.

Todd Malan. Former lobbyist at the Organization for International Investment.



Eric Edwards. Former aide on a House Financial Services subcommittee.

Michael Thompson. Former staffer for Senator Mike Enzi, a member of the Senate Finance Committee.



Kenneth Connolly. Former staff director, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.



Joe Wall. Former legislative aide to Vice President Dick Cheney.

 

 

DUBERSTEIN GROUP

Kenneth Duberstein. Chairman and CEO; member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Former chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan.

Michael Berman. President; former White House adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Daniel Meyer. Former chief congressional liaison in George W. Bush’s White House.

Marti Thomas. Former assistant Treasury Secretary under Clinton and onetime federal-legislative-affairs leader at Goldman.

 

GEPHARDT GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Richard Gephardt. President and CEO. Former House Democratic leader (1989–2003).

Janice O’Connell. Senior vice president. Former staffer, Senate Banking Committee.

Thomas O’Donnell. Co-founder and managing partner. Former chief of staff to then-congressman Gephardt.

 

CAPITOAL TAX PARTNERS

Lawrence Willcox. Former Hill aide and onetime staff director, Senate Republican Policy Committee.

Jonathan Talisman. Former assistant Treasury Secretary during the Clinton administration and onetime chief Democratic tax counsel on the Senate Finance Committee.

Joseph Mikrut. Former tax legislative counsel, Treasury Department.

Lindsay Hooper. Former legislative director to then-senator Malcolm Wallop, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Richard Grafmeyer. Former deputy Republican staff director and senior GOP tax counsel on the Senate Finance Committee.

Christopher Javens
. Former GOP tax counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.

William McKenney. Former staff director, House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee and onetime aide to two Ways and Means members.

ELMENDORF STRATEGIES

Steven Elmendorf. Founder; former deputy 2004 presidential-campaign manager for John Kerry, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, and onetime senior adviser to House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt.

Robert Cogorno. Former research director and appropriations policy adviser to Richard Gephardt.

Shanti Stanton. Former floor assistant to then-congressman Richard Gephardt.

Barry LaSal. Former director of federal-government affairs, Microsoft Corporation, and onetime counsel to John Kerry, a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Kristina Kennedy. Former counsel and legislative director to then-senator Paul Sarbanes on the Senate Banking Committee.

OTHER GOLDMAN PLAYERS

Arthur Levitt. Senior adviser, the Carlyle Group; strategic adviser to Goldman Sachs. Former (and longest-serving) SEC chairman, appointed by President Bill Clinton.

Gregory Craig. Partner, Skadden, Arps. Former White House counsel to President Barack Obama; led Clinton’s impeachment defense team in 1998.

Michael Bopp. Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. Former Hill aide and later associate director of the Office of Management and Budget in George W. Bush’s administration.

Peter White. Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel, representing Josh Birnbaum, onetime managing director in Goldman’s mortgage department. White is a former assistant US Attorney in DC and the Eastern District of Virginia.

Richard Morvillo. Partner in the DC office of Schulte Roth & Zabel and defense lawyer for Birnbaum. Former branch chief in SEC’s enforcement division.

K. Lee Blalack II
. Partner, O’Melveny & Myers. Former chief counsel and staff director, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Richard Roberts
. Principal, Roberts Raheb & Gradler. Former SEC commissioner (1990–95) and onetime top aide to Richard Shelby, ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee.

Mark Fabiani
. Co-owner of the public-relations firm Fabiani & Lehane. Former special counsel to President Clinton.

Christine Vaughn
. Partner, Vinson & Elkins. Special assistant to the assistant secretary for tax policy at the Department of the Treasury in the 1980s.

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Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.