Dukes came to Washington in l964 to accept a position in the Johnson-Humphrey Administration as Deputy Director of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, chaired by former President Lyndon B. Johnson. A year later, he was appointed to the staff of Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. In l969, Dukes opened his public relations firm, Ofield Dukes & Associates, in the National Press Building, with Motown his first client.
His illustrious Washington career included helping to organize the first Congressional Black Caucus Dinner (CBC), serving on the CBC Foundation board for 14 years and on the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violence. In addition, he encouraged hundreds of black students to enter the field of public relations, while teaching public relations as an adjunct professor at Howard University's John H. Johnson School of Communications for 25 years. He also taught at The American University for eight years.
In 2001, Dukes became the first African American to receive the Public Relations Society of America's Gold Anvil, the highest award given in the public relations industry. He founded the DC Chapter of the Black Public Relations Society. Professionals, not only in public relations, but entertainment, business and media, often sought Dukes' counsel and support in realizing their ambitions.
Dukes arranged the first two jobs in the District for Robert Johnson after he received his graduate degree from Princeton University and subsequently founded Black Entertainment Television. Media executive Cathy Hughes of Radio One and TV One credits Dukes with early support that was an essential factor in her success.
Dukes said, "I regret leaving so many friends that I made in Washington, but I hope they will remain in touch by reaching me via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ."