Miss DC 2025 Judges

Neil Alpert is an accomplished private family office manager with almost two decades of experience in managing the financial, administrative, and strategic needs of high-net-worth families. 

 Mr. Alpert previously served as President of The Kiawah Group, a boutique government relations and development firm specializing in fundraising, advocacy, corporate consulting & business structuring, and global representation. Before entering the private sector, Mr. Alpert spent over a decade immersed in both the political and nonprofit areas. He was also the National Campaign Director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobby. Mr. Alpert is often consulted as an expert and thought leader. As such Mr. Alpert has had an impact on legislation providing testimony before Congress (for both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate), both for online gaming and track and trace of pharmaceutical legislation. During President Trump’s first term, Mr. Alpert was appointed by the president to serve on the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). Mr. Alpert is involved with a handful of charities and resides in Washington, DC with 

his husband Damon, their son Nathaniel and their dog Marley. 

Lisa Gable is the WSJ and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of the book, Turnaround: How to Change

Course When Things are Going South and is recognized worldwide as a turnaround mastermind. As CEO of several organizations, and former Presidential appointee, US Ambassador, UN Delegate, and advisor to Fortune 500 companies, Lisa has

orchestrated and executed the successful turnarounds of well-known private and public organizations in all industries and

sectors.  Most recently Lisa served as the CEO of FARE, the world’s largest funder of food allergy research where she secured $100M

in commitments over 3 years. Prior to leading FARE, she was a senior advisor at PepsiCo and President of the Healthy Weight

Commitment Foundation, a CEO-driven national initiative aimed at helping to reduce obesity. In 2004, she was appointed by President George W. Bush as US Ambassador and Commissioner General to the 2005 Aichi World EXPO. Gable is the first woman in World’s Fair’s 170-year history to direct the U.S. Pavilion, a 100 percent non-federally funded $33.7 million operation. In the past, she served as the founding chair of the board of directors for the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World; has been a national trustee of the Boys and Girls Club of America and on the board of directors of Girls Scouts of the USA; on the board of trustees for

Thunderbird School of Management; a member of the National Academy of Medicine IOM Roundtable on Obesity Solutions;

and board member of the Independent Women’s Forum. She is also a mentor in organizations such as Rare

Kimberly A. Bassett was appointed to serve as the Secretary of the District of Columbia by Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2018. Ms. Bassett was the former Director of the Mayor's Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives (MOWPI). In this role, she served as the Bowser Administration’s chief advocate representing the needs and interests of women in Washington, DC. As Director, Ms. Bassett collaborated with local and national nonprofit organizations and public agencies to engage and increase District residents’ program participation. Under Ms. Bassett’s leadership, MOWPI coordinated workshops programs and large-scale events to address issues including equal pay, healthcare access, public safety, and domestic violence. She oversaw the launch of the Work Smart Salary Negotiation Program in partnership with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) which was created to combat the gender pay gap by offering free salary negotiation classes to DC women. Ms. Bassett was the former Executive Director of The Wireless Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of CTIA-The Wireless Association. She worked as the Director of Programs and Partnerships for The Stephen Case Foundation (AOL), she also served as a presidential appointee in the Clinton Administration under U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. In her spare time, Kimberly serves on the boards of the Step Afrika! Dance Company, the North Carolina Central University College of Arts and Sciences and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Corporate Advisory Council. She is also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and The Links Inc. Ms. Bassett holds a Bachelor of Arts from North Carolina Central University and a Master of Arts from North Carolina A&T State University.

Bio Coming Soon