Republican Committees-Organization
2005 Edition --last updated May 4, 2005

Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE, Washington, DC

168 Members of the RNC
formerly 165 Members -- increased with the addition of three Members from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Executive Committee
11 members...
MW -  Ron Schmidt (SD), Mary Jo Arndt (IL)
NE -  Charlie Glazer (CT), Joyce Terhes (MD)
S -  Morton Blackwell (VA), Anne Petera (VA)
W -  Solomon Yue (OR), Miriam Hellrich (HI)
Chair Appointments -  Lilly Nunez (CO), Winston Wilkinson (UT), Ann Wagner (MO)

ELECTED OFFICERS
Chairman Ken Mehlman
(Elected Jan. 19, 2005)  Campaign manager for Bush-Cheney '04 (announced May 16, 2003)  Served as director of political affairs at the White House starting January 2001.  National field director for Bush/Cheney 2000, after serving as Midwest regional political director during the primaries.  Chief of staff to Rep. Kay Granger (TX-12), 1996-99.  Legislative director to Rep. Lamar Smith (TX-21), 1994-96.  Previously he practiced environmental law for three years in Washington.  During his career Mehlman has worked on a number of campaigns including the elder Bush's 1992 re-election campaign and Bob Dole's 1996 campaign.  Mehlman is a 1991 graduate of Harvard Law School and 1988 graduate of Franklin and Marshall College.


Co-Chair Jo Ann Davidson
(Electeded Jan. 19, 2005)  Bush-Cheney ’04 Ohio Valley Regional Campaign Chair.  Member of the Ohio House of Representatives for 20 years, including Speaker of the House from 1995-2000.  As Chairman of the Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee from 1986-2000, she spearheaded the successful effort to return the Republicans to the majority in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1994, for the first time in 22 years.  Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party Central Committee for 25 years.  Chairman of the Taft for Governor campaigns in 1998 and 2002.  Resident of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
 
Treasurer Mike Retzer
Mississippi
 
Secretary Sara Gear Boyd
Vermont

General Counsel Mike Duncan
Kentucky
 
Finance Chairman Dwight Schar
(Announced March 10, 2005; nomination is subject to confirmation by the full RNC at the 2005 Summer Meeting.) Resident of McLean, Virginia.  Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of NVR, Inc., the sixth largest homebuilder in the United States.  Longtime philanthropist for children’s charities and an instrumental figure in the higher education community.  Mr. Schar has also been appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the Kennedy Center.

Chairman, State Chairmen
 Carol Jean Jordan
Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.  Co-owner of Jordan Irrigation and Landscape, Inc., in Vero Beach Florida.

Chairman, Budget Committee
 Ron Kaufman
National Committeeman from Massachusetts.  Senior Managing Partner of The Dutko Group.  Extensive experience in Republican politics including Senior Field Director for George H.W. Bush’s 1980 Presidential Campaign, RNC National Political Director, RGA Finance Chairman, and a member of the Standing Committee on Rules.
Budget Committee:
MW
 NE
 S
 W
 Chairman's Appointments
Diane Adams (IN)
 Priscilla B. Rakestraw (DE)
 Lynn Windel (OK)
 Tim Morgan (CA)
 Zori Fonalledas (PR)
Travis Thompson (HI)


Chairman, Resolutions Committee
 Blake Hall
National Committeeman from Idaho. Served as Chairman of the Committee on Contests for the 2004 Republican National Convention; the Sergeant at Arms for the 2000 Republican National Convention.  Currently a partner at Anderson, Nelson, Hall and Smith.



STAFF

Chief of Staff
 Kelly McCullough
(announced Jan. 25,  2005)  Bush-Cheney '04 Deputy to the Campaign Manager for Campaign Operations.  Prior to the campaign, McCullough worked at the RNC as regional political director for the South and director of political education.  Associate director of political affairs at the White House, January 2001 - January 2002.  Alabama director for Karl Rove + Company, 1997-2000.

P O L I T I C A L
Political Director Mike DuHaime
(January 2005)  Northeast regional political director for Bush-Cheney '04.  Prior to the campaign served as executive director of the New Jersey Republican Party starting in January 2002.  Has his own political consulting firm, DuHaime Communications, Inc., which he formed in 2001.  Deputy campaign manager of Bob Franks' 2000 Senate campaign.  From Hoboken, NJ.
Regional Political Directors
as announced Feb. 3, 2005...
Northeast: 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.

Midwest: Karen Slifka  - Most recently, Slifka served the Midwest Regional Political Director for Bush-Cheney ‘04 directing the campaign in the battleground states of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  Previously political director of the Iowa Republican Party.  During the 2002 election cycle she served as a consultant to the Republican Party of Iowa as Co-Director of the Victory campaign.  During the 2000 Iowa caucuses campaign Slifka worked for John Kasich and, after he withdrew, for Steve Forbes.  Started her political career in 1992 as a field representative for Rep. Jim Nussle. Originally from Waterloo, IA.

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.

Southeast and MO: 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.

Southwest: Jay McCleskey  - in 2004, McCleskey ran the RNC's successful Victory operation in New Mexico.  Prior to that, McCleskey served as Executive Director for the Republican Party of New Mexico and as Campaign Manager for John Sanchez's 2002 bid for Governor.  McCleskey has worked on political campaigns at all different levels, including managing the campaign that defeated the longest-serving Speaker of the New Mexico State House in 2000.

Western: Cary Evans  - Evans served as a Regional Political Director for Bush-Cheney ’04 starting in June 2003.  Previously he was field director for Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Smith re-election campaign in 2002 and acted as Treasurer and Counsel for Smith. Before joining the Smith team, Evans served as the Oregon State Director of the President’s 2000 campaign.


Coalitions Director
 Raul Damas
(announced Feb. 3, 2005)  During the 2004 election cycle, Damas managed the RNC’s effort to identify, educate and activate members from more than three dozen national coalitions, including evangelical Christians, small business owners, African-Americans, sportsmen, Hispanics, veterans and seniors.  Damas joined the RNC in 2003 as Director of Hispanic Coalitions, and in 2002 he co-founded Latino Opinions, a bilingual polling and communication strategy firm based in Alexandria, VA.
72-Hour Director
 Brian Donahue
(announced Feb. 3, 2005)  Most recently served as the Bush-Cheney ’04 Executive Director for West Virginia.  Donahue has managed several competitive political campaigns including Mike Ferguson for Congress (NJ), Steve Pearce for Congress (NM) and Diane Allen for U.S. Senate (NJ).  Donahue has also served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Mike Ferguson and a Vice President for Jamestown Associates, a political consulting firm.

Director of Government Affairs
 Mina Nguyen
(announced Jan. 25, 2005)  National Business Coalitions Director and Northeast Regional Coalitions Director for Bush-Cheney ’04.  Previously served as Director of the Department of Labor’s Office of Public Liaison and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor.  Prior to joining the Department of Labor, Nguyen was a management consultant with Accenture, a global consulting firm.



C O  M M U N I C A T I O N S
Communications Director Brian Jones
(announced Jan. 25, 2005)  Jones was a Senior Communications Advisor to Bush-Cheney ’04 and previously served as Vice President for Polling and Advertising of Mercury Public Affairs.  Prior to joining Mercury, Jones served as Research Director for the NRCC.  He has worked on campaigns at the local, state and national level.

Deputy Communications Director Danny Diaz
(announced Feb. 9, 2005.  Overseeing the RNC’s regional media efforts).  Diaz was a Regional Spokesperson for the Southwest and Mountain States for Bush-Cheney ’04.  He previously worked as Deputy Press Secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).  He has also worked for several public relations firms in the Washington, DC area.

Press Secretary Tracey Schmitt
(announced Feb. 9, 2005)  Press Secretary for the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Committee.  Regional Spokesperson for the Western States and Northern Plains for Bush-Cheney ’04.  Previously worked as a Regional Spokesperson at the RNC and as a Communications aide in the White House from 2001 to 2002.  In 1999 and 2000, Schmitt worked as the cable television liaison for Bush-Cheney 2000 in Austin, Texas.
Director of Outreach Communications
 Tara Wall
(announced Feb. 9, 2005)  Joined the RNC in May 2004 as Press Secretary for Outreach.  Previously Wall spent 13 years as a news report, anchor and talk show host for the local ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates in Detroit.



eC A M P A I G N
eCampaign Director
 Michael Turk
(January 2005)  Directed the e-Campaign for Bush-Cheney '04.  Worked briefly on e-government initiatives at the Office of Management and Budget.  Oversaw redesign of the U.S. Department of Energy's online communications.  Turk worked for Grassroots Enterprise (originally Grassroots.com) as a technology consultant and director of D.C. operations for two years beginning in May 2000.  Previously he worked as a network architect for the Republican National Committee, Deputy Director and Executive Director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, and Information Systems Director for Quayle 2000.  He is a partner in Jamikal Data Technologies, an information systems and communications consulting firm that has advised several campaigns including: Redmond for Senate, the Republican Party of New Mexico and Heather Wilson for Congress, Walter Bradley for Governor, and Rob Perry for Attorney General.

eCampaign team below as announced Feb. 16, 2005...
Deputy eCampaign Director Mandy Finn
Finn served as Deputy Webmaster for Bush-Cheney '04, where she facilitated email outreach and online grassroots activism.  She came to the campaign from Capitol Hill where she worked for Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), as legislative correspondent and Webmaster, and Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY). Prior to entering politics, Finn worked as a congressional correspondent for a Connecticut daily newspaper.  She is originally from Houston, Texas.  

Associate Director for eCommunications Katie Harbath
During the 2004 campaign Harbath was a Senior Communications Assistant at the RNC in charge of the RNC Web site, GOP.com, and Rising Tide, the committee's quarterly magazine. She is from Green Bay, Wisconsin and a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate.
Associate Director for ePolitics Eric Livingston
During the 2004 election cycle Livingston worked as a political analyst for the RNC, gathering and tracking voter registration data from targeted areas.  Previously, he interned for Bush-Cheney '04 and the RNC's Political Department.  From Marshalltown, Iowa; attended the University of Iowa.

Associate Director for Special Projects
 Lisa Burgess
Previously, she worked in the political department at Bush-Cheney ' 04 for the Northwest region and also worked for New Hampshire Victory as a College Coordinator. She is from Wichita, Kansas and attended the University of Kansas.
Staff Assistant
 Franz P. Zedlacher
Previously worked for Bush-Cheney '04.  Zedlacher has been instrumental in the design of several companies' websites within the private sector.  In Colorado, he worked as a co-assistant manager for a grocery store, and served as a firefighter and ambulance driver for the Snowmass Fire Department, where he received several awards, including the "Chief's Spirit of Service Award," and the "Award for Actions above and Beyond the Call of Duty."  Originally from Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Staff Assistant
 James Rodriguez
Previously worked at the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee staff and was an eCampaign intern at Bush-Cheney '04. He also worked on the 2003 Texas Inaugural Committee staff and interned with the Gov. Rick Perry 2002 election campaign.  Rodriguez is from Fort Worth, Texas and is a University of Texas - Austin graduate.



R E S E A R C H   A N D   S T R A T E G I C   I N F O R M A T I O N
Director of Research/Deputy Communications Director
 Matt Rhoades
(announced Feb. 9, 2005)  Rhoades served as the Research Director for Bush-Cheney ’04.  He has previously been Deputy Research Director at the RNC and has also served as White House Liaison at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and as an Associate Director in the White House Presidential Personnel Office.


Director of Strategy
 Adrian Gray
(announced Jan. 25, 2005)  Gray served as the National Voter Contact Director for Bush Cheney ’04.  Previously he worked at the White House as Deputy Director of Scheduling from 2001 to 2003.  In 1999 and 2000, he served as Northeastern Regional Political Coordinator for Bush-Cheney 2000.  He worked in the Chairman’s Office at the RNC during the 1998 election cycle and has also worked for Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY).
Deputy Director of Strategy
 Brent Seaborn
(announced March 4, 2005)  Previously a partner at TargetPoint Consulting, where he worked to research and develop MicroTargeting  (Bush/Cheney ’04, the NRSC and the RNC used MicroTargeting in the 2004 election).  Also worked with the NRCC in 2002 on an extensive Social Security reform project.  Seaborn is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and earned a Masters degree in Political Management from the George Washington University.



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



F I N A N C E
Finance Director Bev Shea

Eagles -
Team 100 -
Regents -

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
CFO/Director of Administration
 Jay Banning



M E M B E R   E V E N T S   A N D   R E L A T I O N S
Director of Member Events and Relations
 Angel Paulson
(announced Feb. 22, 2005)  Previously served as Assistant to the Campaign Manager at Bush-Cheney ’04.  Paulson came to the campaign from the Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs, where she served as a Special Assistant.  She has also worked for now-Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as Director of Events and Scheduling.


L E G A L
Chief Counsel Tom Josefiak
Josefiak returns to his position as RNC Chief Counsel after serving as General Counsel for Bush Cheney '04.  He started at the RNC in 1992.  Appointed as a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission in 1985.  Special deputy to the Secretary of the Senate, representing the Secretary at the FEC, 1981-85.

Deputy Counsel Michael Bayes
(Assisting on contract, intellectual property and election law matters).  B.A. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.  Native of Arlington, VA.


and...

Senior Advisor
 Matthew Dowd
Dowd also held this position during the 2002 election cycle.  He is founder of Dowd Strategic Consulting, an Austin-based public affairs firm, and will teach at the University of Texas.  Dowd served as Chief Strategist for Bush-Cheney ’04 and was Director of Polling and Media Planning for the Bush-Cheney 2000. Prior to the 2000 campaign, Dowd served as President and Founding Partner of Public Strategies Inc., an international public affairs firm based in Austin, Texas.


also note...
At the Jan. 2005 winter meeting in Washington, DC the new Chairman Ken Mehlman announced formation of four committees under Rule 10(8)(c).  They are to analyze the 2004 election cycle and present results and recommendations later in the year.
Election Day Committee  -  turnout, the role of challengers and poll watchers, HAVA: Ann Wagner (MO, Chairman), Rick Graber (WI), Bob Bennett (OH), Tom Rath (NH), Alec Pointevint, David Norcross and Dianne Tebelius (WA).
New Technology Committee  -  improvements to Voter Vault, ways to utilize technology for voter registration, voter ID, turnout and fundraising: Van Hilleary (TN, Chairman), Denise McNamara, Sandy Treadwell, Chris Vance (WA), Curly Haugland (ND), Randy Bumps and Virginia Haines (NJ).
Outreach Committee  - bringing new voters to the party and deepening the base: Carol Jean Jordan (FL, Chairman), Bob Asher (PA), Lilly Nunez, Tina Benkiser (TX), Bob Kjellander, Winston Wilkinson (UT), Terry Strine, Mary Jean Jensen (SD) and Morton Blackwell (VA).
Voter Registration Committee  - best practices to efficiently target voters who believe in the principles of the Party: Duff Sundheim (CA, Chairman), Edgar Welden (AL), Jo Ann Davidson (OH, Betsy Werronen (DC), Rosie Tripp (NM), Joe Brown (NV) and David Kramer (NE).

and
-On May 4, 2005 Chairman Mehlman announced formation of an Hispanic Advisory Committee to "assist in the strategic implementation of the RNC’s Hispanic outreach efforts."  The Advisory Committee is to meet monthly with Mehlman.

-On March 10, 2005 Chairman Mehlman announced formation of an African-American Advisory Committee to "provide a sounding board to assist in strategy implementation of the RNC’s outreach efforts in the black community."  The Advisory Committee is to meet monthly with Mehlman.


05/04/05

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