Spotlight On Staff: Dawnita Altieri

By Jill Lindstrom

Dawnita Altieri recently followed President Steven Knapp and his wife, Diane, to The F Street House, where, as executive director of the presidential residence, she will manage all activities and special events taking place in the new home.

Since graduating from University of Wisconsin, Madison, Altieri has moved among three areas of work: public affairs, lobbying, and special events management. She came to Washington, D.C., in 1993 and made her way to GW via opportunities ranging from working for Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), the Motion Picture Association of America, and the American Council on Education, where she focused on federal student aid issues on Capitol Hill.

Q: What is your background at GW?
A: I started as a special assistant in the Division of Development and while there worked for Dr. Knapp during the transition after he was named the new president. While working for the President’s Office as the administrator of operations, I made inquiries about staffing for The F Street House. I expressed interest to continue working with Dr. Knapp and Diane in a different capacity, and it worked out very well.

Q: What are your main work responsibilities?
A: Right now I’m focusing on helping the University and the Knapps restore The F Street House to its role as a venue where faculty, students, politicians, and others can meet to discuss important issues, as well as socialize. However, I currently deal with a variety of things, from setting up voice mails and passwords to making sure the house is open for contractors and that the security system is easy for everyone to use. Once we’ve settled in, the events will be the major part of my work. Planning my wedding two years ago involved a lot of detail. I enjoyed the minutiae more than I expected and realized how much I enjoy doing events.

Q: Imagine you could trade places with anyone for just a week—who would it be?
A: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She works in such a mysterious and fascinating environment. I would love to see the justices deliberate, watch the decisions being written, and laws upheld.

Q: What do you do on your spare time?
A: My dad died recently of complications related to a stroke, and I’ve been trying to find a way to focus on becoming healthy again. For the past year, I was traveling to Florida twice a month to take care of my dad. Now I have more free time and want to focus on exercising and eating right. I just started doing Tai Chi, which is about breathing, thinking, and movement. I also took the tennis clinics at the Mount Vernon Campus on Saturdays this summer, which was great! I played tennis competitively in high school. My husband and I also like to take our two rescue dogs, Cosmo and Lilly, for long walks.

Q: What classes did you like in high school?
A: I loved my language classes. I took French and Spanish, and I enjoyed all of my history classes. I still e-mail occasionally with my high school teacher, Mr. O’Connor. He recently sent me some terrible, old photos from a trip we took to England, Ireland, and Scotland!

Q: What would I find in your refrigerator?
A: Hummus! It plays a big part in my life. And cheese—Boursin, Swiss, sometimes Muenster, and always cheddar. I like to snack; I’m not a sit-down-and-have-a-meal kind of person. I like to have a little bit of hummus, a little bit of crackers, carrot sticks…

Q: If you could invite three famous people to a dinner party, who would they be?
A: I love to laugh so I would invite three funny people: Dave Chapelle, Jon Stewart, and Tina Fey. A funny dinner with political, intellectual conversation—that would be perfect!

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu