PHILIP DUFOUR
President & Creative Director
As President of The Dufour Collaborative, one of the nation’s premier experience design firms, Philip Dufour brings his signature style to every event. With formal training in graphic design and professional experience spanning government affairs, corporate relations, and event production, Philip marries strategic and diplomatic sensibilities with a finely-tuned design aesthetic to create experiences that move, delight, and unite people.
Prior to creating Dufour & Co, Philip co-founded the J Street Group, LLC in 2005. This followed his tenure as Director of Development and Events for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where he led a 10+ person staff in creating, planning, and managing high-visibility development events, raising more than $8 million annually, attracting major celebrities, and garnering extensive media coverage.
During the Clinton-Gore administration, Philip served as Social Secretary to the Vice President of the United States. In that capacity, he coordinated all special events at the Vice President's residence including foreign and domestic policy exchanges as well as official visits with heads of state, foreign dignitaries, corporate leaders, and Members of Congress. He also served as Mrs. Tipper Gore's Deputy Chief of Staff, overseeing her official schedule and accompanying Mrs. Gore on foreign missions and domestic trips.
Earlier in his career, Philip served in the Office of Protocol at the Department of State, as the first Director of Events for the Human Rights Campaign, and as a Capitol Hill Press Secretary.
NATE ROHNKE
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Nate Rohnke has more than a dozen years of live event production experience in the live music, corporate and non-profit spaces. He started in the industry at his local theater at age 17. Over the course of his career he has worked on more than 3500 projects. Prior to joining The Dufour Collaborative, Nate managed technical production in a 650,000 square foot museum in the heart of Washington, D.C., working with high profile clients including Sony Pictures, Google, Red Bull and Bloomberg.
Nate brings critical technical and logistical experience to The Dufour Collaborative. Having overseen events in multiple venues including the National Mall, the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and local Washington, DC theaters and hotels.
MEGAN FINNEGAN
Executive Producer
With over two-decades of event production experience, Megan brings her creativity, attention to detail, and wide-ranging knowledge to every client. Adept at working with high level stakeholders in high pressure situations among, Megan has the expertise to create memorable moments, from intimate gatherings to multi-day convenings.
ELIZABETH MAKKAI
Executive Producer
Elizabeth is a seasoned multi-skilled leader who thrives in event management and production of large scale virtual/in-person events. She is an innovative and adaptive expert in the art and science of providing purpose, direction, and motivation to flawlessly execute high-profile fundraising events. Elizabeth is a visionary who works to lead teams, initiate best practices, develop herself, and achieve organizations’ goals and objectives for the event while fulfilling their missions. Her solutions oriented approach and superior customer service instincts allows her to deftly navigate events involving high level dignitaries, donors, board members and complicated logistics with ease.
LAUREN-MICHELLE SMITH
Executive Producer
Lauren-Michelle Smith joins The Dufour Collaborative with almost twenty years of hospitality experience in both restaurants and live events. She most recently worked for a world renowned luxury caterer at one of DC’s top museums. There she seized the opportunity to broaden her special event experience. Lauren-Michelle was actively involved with coordinating technical specs, event logistics, guest flow, spatial layout, vendor acquisition, and overall design in addition to her catering duties. She has worked on a wide range of high-level corporate, government, and social events. Clients have included former presidents, c-suite executives, foreign dignitaries, global brands, media groups, political organizations, and professional sports teams. Although a food & beverage pro, she studied graphic design as an undergraduate and dabbles in photography and painting.
LAURA HIMELSON
Senior Producer
Laura joined the Dufour team on the West Coast after gaining 15 years of experience in the hotel industry at five-star properties including the St. Regis Monarch Beach and Montage Laguna Beach, where she was known for her expertise in conference and event management for high-profile clientele. Her path to the industry was an unconventional one; Laura graduated from Wittenberg University with a degree in Biology, specializing in Marine Sciences. She then worked as a teacher/naturalist organizing and leading trips for school children into the wilderness for rock climbing, kayaking, and snorkeling. Event planning and attention to detail had always been a passion, so she turned it into a career in hotels planning large scale events, conferences and meetings, where she met the The Dufour Collaborative team and a great partnership was born. Laura has also served the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run and co-founded the Environmental Impact Committee at Montage, where she was instrumental in implementing sustainability practices across the brand.
GABBY KOPF
Producer + Brand Manager
Gabby began as an intern with the Dufour Collaborative during her senior year at the George Washington University, joining full time in 2019. As an undergraduate, Gabby had a number of politically focused internships including positions on Capitol Hill and at a DC bipartisan think tank. These opportunities, in addition to the leadership experiences she gained through her on campus organizations, have prepared her to be an asset in providing a quality client experience. Gabby’s positive attitude, adaptability, and creative spirit are vital in completing her day to day tasks, including guest list management, venue searches, and travel itineraries.
DALE SCHREIBER
Operations Manager
Dale is a dedicated manager with 10 years of experience in theatrical, office, and event management. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals in a timely and organized manner. Experienced in leading open communication on multiple projects, Dale expertly oversees ideas from conception to completion.
