The 2018 White Hat Gala took place October 25th at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. Over 300 executives representing DC’s cybersecurity, business, and federal contracting communities joined hospital friends and leadership in the tradition of supporting and celebrating the important work of Children’s National.
TDI’s special connection with White Hat began in 2013 when our CEO Paul Innella co-founded the event that raised nearly $2,000,000 in its first five years. His contributions have included fundraising, offering creative inputs to make the Gala a joyous and highly anticipated annual event, and hosting collaborations to bring key players together, all while constantly spreading awareness as a champion of the valiant work being done by Children’s.
This year Paul decided to hand over his position as Chairman and attend the sixth White Hat Gala accompanied by TDI employees from our D.C. Headquarters and Norfolk Office. After this year’s landmark anniversary, Mr. Innella reflected on the impact of the ceremony he established in 2013:
“The White Hat Gala concluded its sixth year, firmly establishing itself as the premier cyber event and fundraiser in the Nation’s capital. Having co-founded the event, I have nothing but immense pride for, and am humbly honored to be a part of, this charitable evening which raises money for our neediest of kids at Children’s National. Networking, partying, raising money for kids – and all with our peers in the cyber and DC business community – what else could we ask for. This isn’t your typical govcon or awards dinner where you’re seated for hours on end. No, our recipe is 90 minutes of entertainment and several hours of talking with old friends and colleagues, all with the backdrop of raising much needed funding for Children’s. I get excited just thinking about what we’ve done here.”
Kurt Newman, MD, President and CEO of Children’s National showed his appreciation for the event by saying, “Children’s National is deeply rooted in this community, and since our founding nearly 150 years ago, we have expanded our reach worldwide. Fundraising events like the White Hat Gala enable us to advance pediatric medicine and offer exceptional care to every child, regardless of their circumstances. Generous donations have funded research that yields new treatments and cures, and healing spaces and therapies that help our patients and families during difficult moments. We’re so grateful for this support. It has allowed us to achieve a top-five ranking from U.S. News & World Report and gives children the best chance to grow up stronger.”
Planning is already underway for 2019’s event, which TDI intends to help make the most successful and celebrated White Hat Gala yet.
