Republican Committees-Organization
2004 Election Cycle

Republican National Committee   see also Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., Microtargeting
310 First Street, SE, Washington, DC
last revised March 17, 2007 168 Members of the RNC
(formerly 165; Northern Marianas added at the Republican National Convention in New York City)
Executive Committee
-Eight elected by Region
MW -  Connie Nicholas (ND), Ron Schmidt (SD)
NE -  Joyce Lyons Terhes (MD), Charlie Glazer (CT)
S -  Morton Blackwell (VA), Anne Petera (VA)
W -  Miriam Hellreich (HI), Solomon Yue (OR)
-Chair Appointments -  Lilly Nunez (CO), Winston Wilkinson (UT), Barbara Alby (CA)
-Elected and Appointed Officers

ELECTED OFFICERS
Chairman Ed Gillespie
(Announced June 16, 2003, elected July 25, succeeding former Montana Governor Marc Racicot)  Founder and principal of Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a bipartisan public affairs firm formed in 2000.  President and CEO of Policy Impact Communications.  Communications director for President Bush's inauguration in January 2001. Spokesman during the recount in Florida.  Senior communications advisor on then Gov. Bush's 2000 campaign and managed the program for the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.  In 1996 served as Director of Communications and Congressional Affairs at the RNC under then Chairman Haley Barbour.  A principal drafter of the “Contract with America,” which helped Republicans gain control of the House in 1994.  Worked for over a decade as an aide to former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) starting in 1985.  Interned for Rep. Andy Ireland (R-FL).  Started working on Capitol Hill as a Senate parking lot attendant while at CUA.  Graduate of the Catholic University of America, B.A. in Political Science (1983).  Originally from New Jersey.
 
 
Co-Chair Ann Wagner
Co-Chair since 2001, re-elected in 2003, and Chair of the Missouri Republican Party, elected January 16, 199 and serving her third term.  2nd CD Chair of the Dole for president campaign in 1996; Eastern Regional Political Director, Ashcroft for Senate Campaign in 1994; Executive Director of the Bush/Quayle campaign in Missouri in 1992.  Held management positions at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City and Ralston Purina in St. Louis.  Graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, with a B.S. in Business Administration (1984).
 
Treasurer Mike Retzer
Mississippi
 
Secretary Sara Gear Boyd
Vermont

APPOINTED
General Counsel Mike Duncan
Kentucky
 
Chairman, Finance Committee Al Hoffman
(Appointment announced March 28, 2003)  Founder and CEO of WCI Communities Inc., a community developer, homebuilder, and real estate services company based in Florida.  Hoffman also served as National Finance Chairman of the RNC for 2001.  Graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and MBA from the Harvard Business School.  Resident of Fort Myers, FL.
 
Chairman, State Chairmen Carol Jean Jordan
Florida
 
 
Budget Committee Chairman: Ron Kaufman
Massachusetts
 
Rules Committee Chairman: Bob Kjellander
Illinois
 
 

STAFF
Deputy Chairman Maria Cino
(Appointed June 2003)  Appointed by President Bush in May 2001 to serve as the Assistant Secretary and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Department of Commerce.  Deputy Chairman for Political and Congressional Relations at the RNC.  National Political Director for Bush for President in Austin, TX, responsible for hiring and supervising the national field operation, organizing the campaign's leadership in the 50 states and territories, and establishing staffed headquarters in 22 early primary states.  Public policy and government affairs consultant for Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, DC.  Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), 1993-97.  Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Bill Paxon (R-NY).  Graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.
 
 

P O L I T I C A L
Political Director Blaise Hazelwood
(announced Jan. 17, 2002)  Previously Deputy Chief of Staff at the RNC, overseeing the creation and expansion of the Team Leader program and managing the 72-hour program.  Director of Coalitions for RNC Victory 2000.   Partner at The Anderson Group, a Republican political consulting firm, 1999-2000.  Campaign manager for Brian Palmer, the Republican candidate challenging Rep. David Bonier in MI 10th CD, 1998.   Coalitions director on Jim Gilmore's successful gubernatorial campaign in Virginia, 1997.  Chief of Staff to RNC Co-Chairman Pat Harrison; she managed Harrison's 1997 campaign for the position.  On the Dole/Kemp campaign she worked in the political division overseeing field operations, surrogates, and scheduling.  Regional Field Coordinator in the RNC Political Division, 1994-96.  Bachelor's degree from Vassar College.
 
 
National Field Director and Deputy Political Director Daniel Gurley
Previously Chief of Staff to Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC), starting Jan. 2001.  Political Director of the North Carolina Republican Party through Dec. 2000; worked for the party for about five years.  Graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, 1994.  Mitchell County native.
 
 
Regional Political Directors
Northeastern: Graham Shafer  - has held the position since 2003.  Campaign manager to Congressman Van Hilleary's 2002 gubernatorial campaign in Tennessee.  State director for Steve Forbes' 2000 New Hampshire presidential primary campaign.

Mid-Atlantic: David James  -

Midwestern (Great Lakes): Anne Hathaway  - has held the position since 2001.  Prior to joining the RNC, she was Executive Director of the Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee.  Hathaway also served Vice President Dan Quayle at the White House as Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Scheduling and Public Liaison and was Executive Director of his political action committee, Campaign America.

Southern: Randy Kammerdiener - has held the position since 1999.  Served as executive director of the Republican Party of Kentucky for two years, 1997-99, and as political director of the Missouri Republican Party for four years including the 1994 cycle.  He was elected to two terms as a city councilman in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Florida: Randy Enright  - has held the position since 2001.  He has served as executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa and the Republican Party of Florida.

Southwestern: Kevin Shuvalov  - served as a regional political director on Bush's 2000 campaign.  Previously worked at Rove + Company.

Mountain: Rich Beeson -

Northwestern (CA, NV, ID, WA, OR, AK, HI and terrs.): John Peschong - has held the position since 1998.  Previously served as Executive Director of Dan Quayle's PAC, Campaign America, 1997-98.  Executive Director of the California Republican Party, 1994-97.  Other experience includes press secretary to a U.S. Senate candidate, partner in a PR firm, White House Office of Communications during the Reagan Administration, Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, RNC, Fund for America's Future (a PAC).  Peschong is a 1984 graduate of Loyola Marymount University.

Regional Finance Directors
Sam Fischer, Tina Seppala, Corbin Casteel
(worked to help targeted states raise funds for Victory programs)
 
 
Victory 2004 Director Sue Forrester
Previously served as senior account executive for the Republican voter contact firm of Feather Larson & Synhorst where she drafted and implemented voter contact plans for campaigns at all levels.  Forrester served director of operations for the RNC political department in 2001 and as the RNC's western regional field coordinator in the 1998 cycle.  She has additional experience working as a campaign training coordinator for the NRCC, with the Nevada Republican party and helping to manage a congressional campaign.  Graduate of Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Political Science, 1994.
 
 
Director of Events Michael Crain
(Presidential and First Lady activities for Victory 2004)  Previously served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the Department of Health & Human Services.  General Counsel at the lobbying firm of Meyers & Associates.  Has held positions with Congressman Jerry Lewis, Congresswoman Kay Granger, Congressman Pete Geren and Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr and in the Government Affairs Office of American Airlines and the Texas State Senate.  B.B.A. from Texas A&M University in 1994 and J.D. From Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth in Dec. 1999.
 
 
Director of Team Leader and Voter Vault Serenety Hanley
(Note: The GOPTeamLeader.com site [designed by the Bivings Group] the Golden Dot Award for the Best Political Party/PAC Internet Campaign at the 2003 Politics Online Conference on March 21, 2003)Served as Deputy Director of Coalitions for the RNC's Victory 2000, focusing on outreach to Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Eastern Europeans and Muslims.  Started her political career with Dan Hazelwood of Targeted Creative Communications, working as a project manager.  B.S. in Political Science from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT.
 
 
Director, 72-Hour Task Force Phillip Stutts
Managed Bobby Jindal’s gubernatorial campaign in Louisiana in 2003.  Worked at the U.S. Department of Education, 2001-02 and at the RNC, 1999-2001.  Has worked for John Thune, for  Vice President Dan Quayle, at the NRSC in 1997 and at the Republican National Convention in 1996.
 
 
Director, Grassroots Development Raul Damas
["managed the RNC's effort to identify, educate and activate members from more than three dozen national coalitions"]  (joined the RNC in 2003 as Director of Hispanic Coalitions)  In 2000 Damas co-founded Latino Opinions, a bilingual polling and communication strategy firm based in Alexandria, VA.

Outreach Coordinators (10/23/04):
Education, Farmer and Rancher, First Responder, Snowmobiler, Sportsmen, Veteran, Women  - Jennifer Mastin
African American, Arab American, Haitian American, Muslim, Lebanese American - Chris Garrett
Catholic, Law Enforcement - Martin Gillespie
Disability, Environment, Evangelical - Lindy Landreaux
Conservative, Evangelical, Home School, Student - Drew Ryun
Hispanic - Claudia E. Jacquez
Asian American/Pacific Islander, Indian American, International Relations - Andrew Olson
Irish American, Eastern Europe - John Eddy
Stock Car - Brian Lyde
Conservative Punk, Senior - Raul Dumas
Jewish, Small Business, Young Professional, Greek American, Italian, Labor - Sarah Magruder
American Indian - Kiahna Sellers
High Tech - Serenety Hanley
 
 
 
Director of Volunteer Development Shelby Watts

 
Director of List Development Dan Perkins

 
Director of Government Affairs Joe Jaso
Previously Deputy Director of Government Affairs with primary responsibility State and Local elected officials.  In 2000 he led an effort on behalf of the RNC at the state legislative level, which targeted legislative chambers for defense and for pick up.  He created the Republican Attorneys General Association and the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association.  Jaso has also served as Director of Political Education and Training at the RNC.  Started his career on Capitol Hill in the office of Congressman Henry Bonilla (TX-23).  Undergraduate degree in Business from Virginia Tech.

 
 

C O  M M U N I C A T I O N S

In addition to their day-to-day efforts, Jim Dyke and his communications team were responsible for creative earned media strategies that garnered significant media attention including websites kerrypicksedwards.com and kerryoniraq.com and a school of costumed dolphins (flipper, flopper, and flapper) that shadowed Democrat nominee Sen. John Kerry pointing out inconsistencies in his positions.  They ran the RNC counter convention operation during the 2004 Democrat National Convention to "rebut John Kerry's extreme makeover."  (All told the RNC had about 30 staff in Boston and held daily press conferences at 10 a.m.). Communications produced a documentary on Sen. Kerry's positions on the War in Iraq, in his own words, that the party distributed widely.
Communications Director Jim Dyke
Previously press secretary at the RNC.  Before joining the RNC, Dyke served as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce under Don Evans.  He worked at Quinn Gillespie & Associates building coalitions and developing communications strategies for clients.  A one-time assistant to the brewmeister at Capital City Brewing Company, Dyke became a lobbyist for the Beer Institute.  He started his career in Washington, DC as a Senate parking lot attendant.  Dyke is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a degree in History.
 
 
Press Secretary Christine Iverson
Iverson served as Communications Director for John Thune's 2002 Senate campaign. She has served as Communications Director for the House Republican Conference under Conference Chairman J.C. Watts and as Communications Director of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions under Chairman Judd Gregg. A former television news reporter and anchor, Iverson grew up on a fourth generation family farm near Grand Forks, ND and graduated from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, MN.

Regional Press Secretaries
NE - Heather Layman
S - Lindsay Taylor
MW - David James
W - Yier Shi
 
 
Director of Outreach Nicole Guillemard
Previously served as Outreach Coordinator at the Special Outreach Division of the Department of Health and Human Services (within the office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs).
 
Press Secretary for Outreach Tara Wall
Before joining the RNC in May 2004, Wall spent 13 years as a news report, ancho and talk show host for the local ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates in Detroit.
 
 
Director of Bracketing Kevin Sheridan
Sheridan came to the RNC after serving as a spokesperson for Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III.
 
 
Director of Television Katie Levinson 
Levinson's experience includes over three years working in Rep. Christopher Shays' office, starting in the front office, and serving as legislative assistant and press secretary.
 
 
Director of Radio Scott Hogenson 
Executive Editor of CNSNews.com starting in May 1998.  Radio services manager at the RNC starting in 1992, serving under three Chairmen and directing radio operations for the 1992 and 1996 Republican National Conventions en route to becoming a senior member of the RNC Press Office.  Extensive experience in journalism going back in 1970 when at 13 years old he was a press photographer and cutline writer for the Montevideo-American News in Montevideo, Minnesota.
 
 
Senior Communications Assistant Katie Harbath
(In charge of the RNC Web site, GOP.com, and Rising Tide, the committee's quarterly magazine). From Green Bay, Wisconsin and a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate.
 
 

R E S E A R C H
Research Director Tim Griffin
(announced July 1, 2002)  Served as Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff at the Department of Justice (a political appointee position), and was detailed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas in Little Rock.  During the 2000 campaign Griffin served at the RNC as Deputy Research Director under Barbara Comstock and then was a legal advisor to the Bush/Cheney recount in Florida.  He earned his JD from Tulane University; attended graduate school at Pembroke College, Oxford University; and earned his bachelor's degree from Hendrix College in Conway, AR.  Native of Magnolia, AR.
 
 
Deputy Research Director Ted Newton
(among other work Newton developed the opposition research book on Sen. John Kerry).  Senior research analyst at the NRSC in the 2002 cycle.  Junior research analyst at the RNC in the 2000 cycle.  Graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Government, 1999.
 
 
 

N E T W O R K   A N D    O N L I N E   S E R V I C E S

Director of Network and Online Services Steve Ellis
(Ellis did technical solutions for GOP.com while Serenety Hanley handled the GOPTeamLeader.com site and ran the Team Leader program and Jim Dyke and Katie Harbath were responsible for the content on GOP.com).
 
 
 
F I N A N C E
According to the FEC, from Jan. 1, 2003 to Nov. 22, 2004 the RNC raised $384.31 million.  During the 2004 calendar year, the RNC reported receiving $247.3 million from 1.7 million active donors, including $14 million between Election Day and the end of the year.  In 2004 the cost of fundraising was $91 million or 36% of gross; the total number of new donors was over 760,000; and the average contribution was $68.35 from approximately 3.6 million contributions. The RNC ended 2004 with $14,667,311.63 cash on hand and no debt.
Finance Director Bev Shea
Finance Director since February 2001.  Deputy Finance Director, March 1997-December 2000.  President of Shea Consulting, April 1993-March 1997.  National Finance Director for the Bush-Quayle '92 Primary Committee, Oct. 1991-July 1992, then National Finance Director of The Presidential Trust and Victory '92.  At the RNC Shea served as Director of the National Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, then Regional Field Finance Director, 1990-91.  Worked on a couple of campaigns and as finance director to the Republican Parties of New Mexico and Wisconsin..  First position at the RNC was as Assistant Director to Republican Eagles and Midwestern Regional Rep., 1981-84.  B.S. in Journalism from West Virginia University, 1980.

Eagles - Debbie Lehardy
Team 100 - Dee Dee Lancaster
Regents - Heather Patterson
 
Director of Marketing/Deputy Finance Director Janice Knopp
..direct mail, telemarketing and internet programs and the $1,000 and 5,000 major donor clubs.
Knopp has been Director of Marketing/Deputy Finance Director since 1997 and was Director of Marketing, 1993-96.  Previously she worked for ten years at Odell, Roper & Simms, a direct marketing consulting firm.

 
 

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

CFO/Director of Administration Jay Banning
Banning has been CFO/Director of Administration since 1983.  Comptroller at the RNC, 1981-83.  Director of Acoounting at the RNC, 1976-81.  Prior to joining the RNC he worked for two years as a staff accountant at Ted Jones and Company, C.P.A. in Rehoboth Beach, DE.  B.S. degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Madison College in Harrisburg, VA, 1973; A.S. from Brandywine College in Wilmington, DC, 1971.

 

C O U N S E L

Chief Counsel Jill Holtzman Vogel
(announced Feb. 23, 2004)  Previously practiced law in Warrenton, VA.  Counsel at the Department of Energy starting in 2001.  Counsel in the Florida Presidential Recount in West Palm Beach and Osceola County.  Staff counsel and deputy counsel for the RNC Jan. 1997 to 2001.  Worked on the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.  Worked for the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego and then the Dole campaign.  B.A. in Government and Religion from the College of William and Mary, and J.D. from DePaul University School of Law in Chicago.

also
Victory 2004
Finance Chairman: Mercer Reynolds
Vice Chairman: Jack Oliver
 

Copyright © 2004, 2005  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action