In Celebration of Our 69th Year, a Bit About Our Team
By • October 11, 2023 0 839
Sonya Bernhardt, publisher
This year I celebrated 25 years as publisher of The Georgetowner, as we now celebrate the newspaper’s 69th anniversary and Volume 70! First, a big thank you to all our readers, we wouldn’t be here without you.
Over the years, The Georgetowner has had so many great contributors — too many to name here — writing about the greatest neighborhood in Washington, D.C. I am very thankful for them.
There are times when the going has been difficult — yet the journey remains so rewarding. We are resilient and stronger today from all of the experiences.
I’m so grateful and indebted to all our loyal advertisers — small businesses to larger ones — who keep this newspaper afloat. Without you we would not be here.
What a privilege it is to be a part of this journalistic tradition that also looks to the future. And you know for sure there’s never a dull moment running a newspaper.
Robert Devaney, editor-in-chief
Fifty years ago, I was a student at Georgetown University and wrote for the campus newspaper. We knew about The Georgetowner as “the old people’s paper.” Fast forward through my years at U.S. News & World Report, Army Times and the Washington Times, I’m back near where I started — having met faithful friends, talented journalists, loyal readers, amazing neighbors and unforgettable personalities. We produce a unique publication for a unique community. After all, this is what Georgetown is all about.
Chris Jones
Christopher Jones, managing editor
As kids, we used to visit my grandparents on 34th Street in Georgetown (where my dad grew up) and often spent Sundays kayaking and canoeing from the Washington Canoe Club. For eight years, I served in the U.S. Navy, and was called to active duty after 9/11. After teaching History and Journalism for 30 years, I decided to enter a “less stressful” profession – freelance journalism. Just as the pandemic hit, I began as a freelance reporter with The Georgetowner and have enjoyed contributing, editing and taking photos since. Just so you know, I oppose our policy on the Oxford comma.
Kate Oczypok
Kate Oczypok, director of content and advertising
I joined The Georgetowner in January 2016 after an intern I met at my first full-time job started writing for the paper. After that, the rest is history! I have been so incredibly grateful to not only write for the paper, but get firsthand experience editing, selling advertising, managing the paper’s social media accounts and learning everything that goes into the ins-and-outs of publishing a newspaper. I will be forever grateful for all the experience The Georgetowner has given me. Cheers to 69 years!
Peggy Sands Orchowski, senior correspondent
I have been a journalist for over 30 years in Washington, D.C., California, South America and Switzerland. I worked for the Congressional Quarterly. I am a congressional correspondent for “Hispanic Outlook” magazine, covering higher education, Capitol Hill and immigration. I am also senior correspondent for my ’hood’s newspaper, The Georgetowner, writing news, features and editorials.
Peggy Sands Orchowski
After graduating from U.C. Berkeley in journalism/Latin American affairs, I began my career in Peru with the Associated Press. I met my husband when I was a fellow for the Inter-American Press Association in Argentina — later in Geneva I was a United Nations Press Officer. I am the author of “Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria” and “The Law That Changed the Face of America; the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.” I earned a Ph.D. at U.C. Santa Barbara, was a director of the L.A. Olympic Games NOC — and am now a proud grandma to four grandchildren.
Ari Post, visual arts writer
Ari Benjamin Post
I became the paper’s visual arts writer shortly after Sonya walked into the Dupont Circle art gallery where I was working in 2009. Since then, this paper has kept me engaged with the D.C. arts and culture scene in a way that’s been central to my life. The Georgetowner’s commitment to the arts has also connected me with opportunities I never could have imagined, including many years working in the curatorial department of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. As someone who values legacy, tradition and local knowledge, I cannot imagine my life or this city without The Georgetowner. My current hobbies include singing Broadway show tunes with my 2-year-old daughter.
Richard Selden
Richard Selden, arts writer
Richard met Sonya Bernhardt in 2006 when he was advertising the Corcoran’s summer camps at the former Fillmore School. In 2013, he began selling ads for The Georgetowner and editing arts writers Ari Post and Gary Tischler. Soon, he started writing articles himself and launched the still-running cultural breakfast series.
Susan Bodiker, lifestyle contributor
When the NW Current ceased publication in 2019, I was devastated. I reached out to all my real estate contacts to share the news and [real estate agent] Nancy Taylor Bubes came to the rescue, introducing me to Sonya and Robert. My portfolio now includes occasionally snarky editorials and personality profiles. In my other life, I’m a writer, health coach and newly minted mother-in-law.
Mary Bird, contributor, social scene
Mary Bird
I have read The Georgetowner since I came to Washington. Not knowing she’s the publisher, I met Sonya at an event in 2002 and suggested the paper could use a proofreader. Voila! I advanced to contributing to Social Scene. My interests are the arts, and I cover fundraising benefits.
Troy Riemer, graphic design
I met Sonya in 2018 after designing an ad for Everard’s Clothing and another for Chamber Dance Project. A month earlier, I had started my company Red Clay Creative and was ecstatic to find a new client. Now, my company has grown bigger than myself, and we have a whole team that helps design the latest issue of The Georgetowner. Outside of work, I love trying new restaurants, cocktails and laughing with friends. I also enjoy carpentry and just listed my first “fix and flip” with my wife.
Allyson Burkhardt, director of fashion
I’m an image and style consultant with 20 years in the fashion industry; including five years in Milan training under couturier Luisa Beccaria, followed by 10 years as a luxury womenswear buyer for Saks Jandel. In 2016, I founded “Let’s Get Dressed!” to specialize in elevating the personal style and professional appearance of an exclusive Washington, D.C., clientele. At that time, I was introduced to The Georgetowner and invited to the team as fashion editor.
Linda Roth, food and wine columnist, “The Latest Dish”
Linda Roth
Back when David Roffman owned The Georgetowner around 1976, he was a one-man show, so he asked me to write a few articles. I did. After Sonya took over as publisher and her restaurant writer went on an extended leave, she asked permission to run my column, The Latest Dish, which I wrote for a restaurant trade publication about restaurants slated to open. I’ve been writing that column for The Georgetowner ever since. For the past 40+ years, I have owned LRA PR, a PR and marketing agency that specializes in the hospitality industry.
Judy Kurash, food and wine columnist, “Cocktail of the Month”
Jody Kurash
My first meeting with the Georgetowner came in the late aughts shortly after I purchased Dixie Liquor on M Street. The shop was under a massive renovation when Robert Devaney popped inside and introduced himself. He snapped a photo of my landlord, my business partner and me for the newspaper. Robert and I shared stories about our shared journalist backgrounds (13 years at Associated Press and Knight-Ridder for me) and suggested I write for The Georgetowner. After sharing ideas and some brainstorming, the “Cocktail of the Month” column was born.
Today, I’m long retired from the retail booze world. I’ve lived overseas (Peru, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan) since 2012 and consider Bali island to be my home. I owned an open-air bar on world-famous Kuta beach for three years before Covid, but now support myself as a freelance writer and teacher. I have a passion for travel and spend three to four months a year globetrotting. You can read about my recent visit to Fiji in this month’s issue.
Celia Sharpe, arts contributor
I started with The Review, an arts and theater newspaper, then with Bob Anthony’s website Allartsrev4u, which is how I first met [the late] Gary Tischler of The Georgetowner. I like music from ancient to modern but especially enjoy opera, our dozens of community theaters and museums, doing crossword puzzles and reading mysteries.
