Elisabeth “Leezee” Porter · 1997 Honoree

Leezee Porter; whose nickname is a family tradition; has successfully blended the traditional and the non-traditional into one dynamic package. Substantive volunteerism was expected in her family. For a female to become a leading business owner was not. She has achieved both.

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Leezee left college to marry a young lawyer. After a tour in Germany, courtesy of the U.S. military, the Porters and daughter Erin moved to Georgetown. Then, in 1970, Leezee started a design business that catered to law firms and small commercial establishments.

At the same time, members of the diplomatic community asked Leezee to find them an up-scale furniture leasing arrangement. When she couldn’t locate anything comparable, Leezee launched Antique & Contemporary Leasing, Inc. She did it with no model. There wasn’t and still isn’t a furniture leasing company in the U.S. with an inventory of antiques and oriental rugs, to say nothing of one owned by a woman.

Her business’ growth brought Leezee to Capitol Hill in 1986. She needed more space, wanted to be her own landlord, and wasn't about to leave the city. To Leezee, who remembers her aunts saving trees from a bulldozer on Richmond’s Capitol Hill, a historic warehouse on our Capitol Hill was the answer. The location perfectly suited what she calls her “small town mentality.”

Leezeeis a staunch Democrat and credits the party with introducing her to her husband, Paul Nitze. She believes in citizen responsibility and cares deeply about social conditions. All of this undergirds Leezee’s volunteerism. Yes, she is there when she’s needed, whether to help children at Potomac Gardens or to stuff envelopes when asked; but her greatest service has been as a CHAMPS Foundation Board Member. Leezee has drawn on her business acumen to help the Foundation reframe its future. Under Leezee’s tutelage, the Foundation is creating a much broader base of support and extending its outreach for funding well beyond Capitol Hill. By implementing Leezee’s approach, the CHAMPS Foundation will be of even greater service in the future.

Leezee Porter is a visionary and an achiever; one who utilizes her vision and achievements to enrich the quality of life on Capitol Hill.