LUNCH! with Shelley

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Nneka Chiazor.  Nneka is the President and CEO of the Public Affairs Council, which is the premier global association for public affairs professionals.  Nneka made history in January of 2025 when she accepted her leadership position, because she became the first woman and person of color to lead the Public Affairs Council in its 70-year history.

Prior to joining the Public Affairs Council, Nneka served as Market Vice President for Cox Communications in Hampton Roads, VA, where she led a $1.2 billion market and oversaw more than 1,200 employees, among several other positions.  As a committed civic leader, Nneka has served on boards including the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, and Global Traveler magazine. She also served as an appointed Commissioner for the City of Virginia Beach Economic Development Authority.

Join us at our back booth at the Capitol Grille, alongside Claude and Fran McMahon, for a terrific conversation about Nneka’s incredible background and how she ended up leading the Public Affairs Council, what it means to be in public affairs these days, how to elevate the public affairs profession, and much much more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and as always and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special and very cool guest Dan Daley! Dan is the co-founder, CEO, and Managing Partner of Ten Five Hospitality, and integrated lifestyle hotel and food-and-beverage investment and management firm. And for those of us in the DMV, he is also the owner of the new and super great Oak Room and Bernadette’s, two fantastic additions to the Georgetown food and bar scene. 

We've taped this episode at the Oak Room, so join us at our beautiful table for a great conversation about Dan’s path to coming back to Georgetown, lots about the restaurant and hospitality industries and the incredible people he’s worked with along the way, and lots about The Oak Room, Bernadette’s and Desert 5 at Union Market. 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with our terrific guest Steve Scully!  Steve is an Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist, and the host of "The Briefing with Steve Scully" on SiriusXM POTUS 124.  He is also a contributor to the Hill, and well-known for the decades that he worked at C-Span, initially as their political editor and White House producer, and over his tenure there, responsible for coordinating campaign programming for C-SPAN - C-SPAN.org and C-SPAN Radio.  Eventually he became a regular Sunday host of Washington Journal, which is why John Oliver repeatedly refers to Steve as "The Most Patient Man on Television,"  since he is superb at hosting calls from some very engaged callers. 

Join us at the always wonderful Café Milano as we talk about Steve’s incredible career, his efforts regarding a new museum focused on the war of 1812, fantastic stories about famous people he’s met and interviewed, and lots about our beloved home state of Pennsylvania!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley, taped in NYC, with our special guests Billy Roland and Susan Abeles from the Roland Auction House.  Billy, his brother James, and Susan have been selling antiques since the early 70’s and have been mainstays on the New York area art and auction scene ever since.

Join as at the new and very cool Lily Pond café in the West Village for a great conversation about auctions in general, how they find their treasure, what makes something valuable or not, and their amazing upcoming auction focusing on antique hair combs.  Very Gilded Age!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.conm or wherever you get your favorite podcast and as always and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s very special guest Tommy McFly!  Tommy is an award-winning broadcaster known for his work as a correspondent & an anchor. With nearly 20 years of experience in events, television, content & radio, he has an uncanny ability to tell stories that center on real people and bring broader issues to light. 

Tommy started in broadcasting at just 15 years old in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. After moving to Washington, D.C., to produce the Jack Diamond Morning Show on Mix 107.3, he became the city’s youngest morning radio host at age 24 with the launch of The Tommy Show on 94.7 Fresh FM. Nearly a decade later, Tommy and longtime co-host Kelly Collis left traditional radio to launch their own streaming show and podcast. 

He became a contributor to NBC4 in 2010 and then spent time at WJLA and WUSA before returning back to NBC 4 when he relaunched his program “The Scene”. 

Want to join us for ice cream for lunch? Grab a seat with us at his husband Chrys’s fantastic Greek ice cream shop called YALA  while we enjoy lots of delicious ice cream and Greek wine, and chat about Tommy’s amazing career, his work with Best Buddies, what he wants this next decade to look like, dogs of course, and lots more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcasts, and in the meantime, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Catherine Townsend.  Catherine is the President and CEO of the Trust for the National Mall, which is the leading nonpartisan philanthropic partner of the National Park Service.  Since 2016, Catherine has led the organization's vision, strategy, fundraising, and external affairs, and is doing an incredible job leading the Trust's historic multi-million-dollar effort called Our Monumental Moment: The Campaign for the National Mall, which mobilizes philanthropic support for the National Mall in honor of America 250.  

Born and raised in Southern California, Catherine is a longtime resident of Capitol Hill here in DC, where she has built her career, raised her family, and remains deeply engaged in her community. She is the proud mother of four grown and successfully launched children, and in her spare time enjoys cycling, photography, cooking, and exploring the arts, culture, and culinary experiences that bring people together. 

So join us for our deliciously fun culinary experience at the always joyful Café Milano as we talk a lot about what’s happening on the National Mall National Trust and the National Mall, Catherine’s incredible experiences at Share our Strength, the book she co-authored called “Home Food – 44 Great American Chefs Cook on Their Night Off,” her passion for the food industry soup-to-nuts, lots of sports, and much much more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and, in the meantime, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with this week’s special guest Tim Ebner.  Tim is a food and travel writer who has been featured in The Washington Post, Eater, Thrillist, and Edible DC among others.  He is also one of the authors of a fabulous new book called “EaterLand – Recipes and Stories from Across the United States” that explores regionally renowned foods and the role they play in forming our country’s culinary identity. 

This is one of those special lunches where I meet someone for the first time and we instantly become friends, so join us at the always wonderful Peacock Café to hear a fun conversation about all things food, travel and cocktail related, with a particular focus on this region, as well as family stories, strange foods and lots more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with our superstar special guest Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.  Elise proudly represents New York's 21st District and is the most senior elected Republican in New York. She is also the author of the number one best seller “Poisoned Ivies",  which is an incredible read that I highly recommend! 

Elise made history as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and she is the youngest woman in history to serve in top elected House leadership, as well as the highest-ranking woman in Congress in her role as House Republican Conference Chair.  She also serves as a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and she was a founding Member of the China Task Force. 

Elise is widely recognized as one of the most effective questioners in Congressional hearings, most notably when she set off a global reckoning addressing antisemitism in higher education. Her questions to Ivy League university presidents forced multiple resignations and set the record for the most viewed Congressional testimony in history, with billions of views worldwide. Because of this strong moral leadership and her extensive policy record, Elise Stefanik is an internationally recognized leader in combating antisemitism. 

Join us at the delicious and healthy Ama restaurant in the Navy Yard as we discuss how Elise became interested in politics, her run for Congress, her experiences as an undergrad at Harvard, the infamous hearing watched around the world, what she does to relax, what might be next for her in her career, and much much more! 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest and very celebratory Mother’s Day episode of Lunch with Shelley, featuring my beloved son Sam.  This is of course one of my favorite episodes of the year because I get to have lunch with my son during the week, and we always have fun reminiscing about old times and musing on new ones. We are also joined by our dog Jerry, who is a very good boy! 

There’s an old saying that goes, ‘“Having a son means your life gets louder, messier, funnier… and better.”  This is completely true in our case, so join us at the new and truly beautiful patio at Claudio’s Table for fantastic food, lots of laughs, and great conversations about childhood, social media today, all things DC sports, and much much more! 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and as always and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Bob Cusack.  Bob is the Executive Editor of the Washington Examiner, where he helps guide editorial strategy and coverage during a very politically intense time.  Bob has been reporting from DC on policy and politics for decades now, having led political coverage at the Hill newspaper, and as a reporter and editor at Inside Washington Publishers. He appears frequently on SiriusXM as a substitute host and analyst, and he is a SAG member with several movie credits to his name, as well as two award winning screenplays under his belt.

Join us at our favorite booth as we discuss all things media, AI and journalism, Bob’s experience at the WHCD, politics, memorable interviews, tennis, acting, and lots more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and as always and in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!