ALABAMA - TERRY LATHAN

[elected Feb. 21, 2015]
Born in Mobile in 1958, my father was away in the Marines at Parris Island. I still have the telegram that was sent to him while he was away.

I was born into humble beginnings. My mother told me that to earn money they would pick up bottles and cans on the side of the road to help with expenses. Their car door was tied together by a rope as they didn’t have the funds to repair it. We had to live with grandparents while my father was away in the Marines. However, my brother and I never knew that we were without money. Looking back now as an adult, I see the riches of a joyous childhood are the ones that really counted and have tried to replicate that with my own children. We were happy and had a wonderful life. Grandparents helped out as well and it was some of the best memories I have as a child. We never wanted for anything and felt like we had everything.

My parents became International Paper Company employees. Thankfully IP only moved my family one time and then back to Mobile. IP families were somewhat akin to military families moving around where needed. When people would smell that most distinct paper mill unpleasant odor they would say “What is that awful smell?” but we would say “Smells like dinner to us!” Perspective is important and it can affect your outlook on life. I learned that early on.

For most of my teenage years I was a member of Christian singing groups that my parents started. We sang in churches and community events around the South. The groups were truly a safe place for many young people to come and experience a relationship with God as well as give teens a place to meet and grow instead of being in places of trouble. Once our group needed a sound system and my mother used the small savings she had tucked away to buy a dining room set which my family had never had. With examples like that, I watched many acts of selflessness turn into real life care for others.

Jerry and I met while in college. We were married in 1979. His parents were farmers and teachers. He worked in sales for GAF Roofing Supplies right out of college. Jerry had worked at Sears in the paint department to pay for his college and I was working at USA Hospital in the business office to pay for mine. About 3 years into his roofing sales job, he decided to start his own business. I finished college and received a degree in Elementary Education. With diploma in hand, I went to work teaching fifth grade to support us financially while he started his business from scratch – just a small truck, tools, our shelter dog we adopted as newlyweds to ride around on jobs with Jerry, and lots of faith and prayers.

Even while I was teaching, I would help Jerry with the payroll accounts, vendor invoices, and various business support he needed. In the summer time I would help in his office filing, answering phones, running errands and doing what ever I could to help him. His determination was uplifting and I wanted to support him and his dream of owning his own business.

Some people looked at teaching as a job. I looked at it as a joy. At six years old on the first day I came home from school I told my mother “I want to be a teacher!” and I never wavered. I’d even “play” school in the summer when we were off which caused some ribbing from my young friends who hated school. To this day I still volunteer with children and young people in different capacities from volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, teaching free math tutoring lessons, writing self-esteem programs for teens, and mentoring and working with Young Republicans. I have no doubt that working with young people was God’s path for me.

Thirty three years later The Lathan Company is one of the premiere roofing and historical restoration companies in the Southeastern United States. Our website is www.lathancompany.com and on it you will see beautiful projects that we are very proud of. When the devastating tornadoes hit Alabama in April 2011, Jerry sent an email out to the members of the Alabama Republican Executive Committee offering his company’s services to come and help replace any damaged roofs on their homes, businesses, or churches. We have always believed that sharing your gifts and talents with others in need is important.

Owning your own business is a challenge. Good times are celebrated and it looks easy, but hard times are uncomfortable and can be stressful. Overnight successes are few and far apart. Sleepless nights and days without a paycheck are quiet moments that others do not see. These are the chances that business owners choose to take.

From the Smithsonian Institution’s Arts and Science Building in Washington, DC to the complete renovation of Jefferson Davis’ beloved Beauvoir home in Biloxi, MS after Katrina destroyed it, to multiple buildings in Jackson Square (New Orleans) and to the home of Charles Carroll, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence (Homewood House), The Lathan Company has flourished and continues to accept and meet challenging projects.

Jerry has also found another business path as co-owner of Big Easy Studios in New Orleans, LA. BES leases out sound stages to major motion picture companies. It is an exciting business venture and we love talking conservative politics with a lot of traditional liberals we meet in the industry.

Republicans understand the importance to allow businesses to be released of governmental restraints so that they may flourish and help grow our economy. Providing jobs and healthcare to employees only helps America become stronger. That’s why Republicans mean BUSINESS! So you take the good and the bad when you go out on your own in the business world. We also feel a deep responsibility for the families that depend upon us for their jobs. It is a worthy task and not easy at times but we are always conscious of that responsibility. Jerry and I have actually gone without a paycheck before so we could make sure they were taken care of when times were tough. But that is part of the business owner’s ups and downs. We are very proud of the hundreds of employees we have hired at The Lathan Company over the years and the quality of work that we continue to produce.

Saving the best for last – Our pride and joy are our children- Brittany (30) and Adam (28). Brittany lives in New Orleans where she works as a wardrobe and costume assistant in the movies and television. She now receives screen credit for the movies she works on. Adam lives in New York City and just started his own gumbo business from scratch called The Gumbo Bros and is finding great success in his new business endeavors. Who knew that NYC didn’t have gumbo? And they love it. But Jerry and I mostly love that they are happy and flourishing on their own pathways.

We took our children with us to the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, TX. Brittany also attended the 2012 RNC in Tampa, FL with us. Jerry and I have attended, as Alabama delegates or alternate delegates, 6 Republican National Conventions. We wanted to give our children the opportunity to witness history but also to role model the importance of being involved in the political process. One of our fondest memories is Adam being so excited at age 6 in Houston that Barbara Bush spotted him on the convention floor and waved to him. Brittany and Adam have also had the opportunity to meet President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

Jerry and I attend church at Christ United Methodist Church which has over 5,000 members. My roots are deep at Christ UMC. My parents are one of the 13 founding families of what started out as a missionary church in a small home and is now one of the largest and fastest growing churches in the area.

In service to my church, I was asked to be a prayer leader on Sunday mornings several times a year. I never walked up into the pulpit on my own to pray with our church family. I always spent quiet time listening for God’s word and studying the Bible on what path He wanted me to take as I prayed. As always, He led the way. In addition to being a prayer leader, I also have been a Vacation Bible School Director and teacher, a Sunday school teacher, ProLife “LifeChain” coordinator, college ministry volunteer, and missionary volunteer in the community. We have also hosted visiting church teens and families in our home.

This snapshot of my personal story is simply to share with you where I came from so you will have some brief insight about my past and how it has molded me into my present day beliefs and works. It’s true – with Faith, Family, and love of country – the opportunities are endless IF we are willing to reach out and work for them.

ALASKA - TUCKERMAN BABCOCK

[elected late-April 2016]
Tuckerman Babcock has been an Alaska resident since 1966. He has lived in Ketchikan, Bethel, Unalaska, Anchorage, Wasilla, Palmer, Juneau, Kenai and Soldotna. He is married to Kristie Babcock and together they have eight children. Their first grandchild was born in January 2016. They live on the Kenai Peninsula where Kristie is a State Farm Agent and Tuckerman has been a full time parent since 2009.

Tuckerman has been involved in Alaska politics since graduating from Steller Alternative School (Anchorage) in 1978, beginning with his first job as a clerk in the Division of Elections. He has served as Precinct Officer, District Chairman, SCC Bonus Vote, State Vice Chairman, and briefly as State Chairman (2000). He was Co-Chairman with U.S. Senator Murkowski of Victory ’96 (Dole Presidential Campaign in Alaska) and was part of the State Leadership Team for the Steve Forbes Presidential Campaign in 1996 and 2000. He has been actively involved in campaigns for School Board, Assembly, State House, State Senate, U.S. Senate, and Governor.  He served as Executive Director of the Governor’s Reapportionment Board during 1991-1992. He also served as Special Assistant-Constituent Relations and Director of Boards and Commissions for Governor Walter J. Hickel. He has worked as a Legislative Aide in the Alaska State Legislature for three Representatives and two Senators. 

Tuckerman’s other professional experience includes serving as a Commissioner on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (1993-96) and working as Manager of Government and Strategic Affairs, Human Resources Director, and Assistant Manager at Matanuska Electric Association (1999-2009). Tuckerman earned a BA in Government from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1983.

ARIZONA - ROBERT GRAHAM

[elected Jan. 26, 2013; re-elected Jan. 24, 2015]
Robert S. Graham has an outstanding record of leadership and experience in serving Arizona residents and charitable organizations through his commitment of time and financial contributions. Graham is President and CEO of RG Capital, responsible for the company’s financial advisory, investment banking/consulting and corporate development business. He brings more than twelve years of experience in domestic and international strategic, financial, marketing, corporate development and operational management. Additionally, he has profitably managed three operating companies and three venture start-ups.

Elected in January, 2013, Graham is Chairman of the Arizona State Republican Party, responsible for leading the state’s GOP initiatives while overseeing and growing a well funded and organized party.  

Graham’s accomplishments in business have been recognized regionally by AZ Business Magazine as one of the Top Entrepreneurs and nationally, by Boomer Market Advisor magazine as the 2007 Advisor of the Year.

A cum laude graduate from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Global Business Management and Finance, Graham has served on the ASU School of Global Business Management and Leadership Dean’s Advisory Council. For his entrepreneurial success and service to ASU, Graham was awarded “Distinguished Alumnus” from the School of Global Management and Leadership. Currently, Graham is months away from earning his Masters of Business Administration from the #1 ranked business school in the world, the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Since 1993, Graham has worked with and educated thousands of individuals and organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to private clients. Graham has been invited as an expert to present on topics, which include taxations, innovation, entrepreneurialism, globalization, wealth accumulation, capital markets, tax efficiencies, legacy planning, asset protection and business/practice succession. He has assisted small, middle market and large corporations in applying easy to implement financial engineering, marketing and operating programs to immediately improve short term results while maintaining long range investment strategy and continuity.

Chosen as a featured presenter for the Financial Advisor Symposium 2005, 2006, 2007 and the Arizona State University Financial Management Association, Graham was also honored in May 2007 to give a motivational convocation to the graduating students at ASU’s School of Global Business Leadership and Management.

Graham was recently added to the “Distinguished Speaker Series” of the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University in his home state of Michigan. His topic centered on “Globalization” and Michigan’s opportunities to become globally competitive while promoting economic development and sustainability.

In both 2009 and 2010, Graham was invited to speak at the States and Nation Policy Summit hosted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and to Americans for Tax Reform, in Washington, D.C. Graham is a nationally recognized fiscal policy expert speaking on topics which include “Finding the Economic Advantage”, economic security, labor and commerce.

Graham is the author of Job Killers: The American Dream in Reverse. Job Killers highlights the negative impact modern labor unions are having on today’s economy and American jobs. http://www.jobkillers.com

Graham has lived in Arizona for 20 years. He and his wife, Julia, reside in Phoenix with their five children. Graham and his family are active members of their church and local community. Graham is a member of the Arizona School Choice Trust Board of Directors. Graham is also a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. The Grahams have helped support and serve local and international charities through their church and directly such as Catholic Charities, New Beginnings Women Shelter, My Sister’s Place, Saint Mary’s Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, and Healing Hands for Haiti, among others.

briefer bio from RNC:
After getting his BS in Global Business Administration and Finance and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Graham has accrued a variety of business experience. He has worked with Gold and Associates, CUE Financial and Merrill Lynch. To add this, Graham has founded two different enterprises, iNation, LLC and RG Capital, LLC. He has more than thirteen years of experience in corporate development and in domestic and international strategic, financial, marketing and operational management. Graham and his wife Julia are very involved in the community and together they have five children.

ed. note: Graham had also made an earlier attempt to become chair; he was a late entrant in the Jan. 2011 race for party chair, finishing third behind Tom Morrissey and Ron Carmichael.  He also waged a short primary challenge to Gov. Jan Brewer (R) from Aug. 2009-Jan. 2010.

ARKANSAS - DOYLE WEBB

[first elected Dec. 13, 2008, re-elected to a second term on Dec. 4, 2010, a third term on Dec. 1, 2012, and a fourth term on Dec. 6, 2014]
On December 13, 2008, Doyle Webb was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas.  His election was the culmination of over 35 years of grassroots work within the Party.   From a Saline County Precinct Captain to County Secretary and Chairman to General Counsel of the State Executive Committee, Doyle has served the Republican Party in every aspect.  Having attended the last 8 Republican National Committee and its roll in electing national leaders. 

In state and local politics, Doyle was the first elected Republican in Saline County under the new form of county government.  He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1986 and served for 3 terms.  As a J.P., Doyle distinguished himself as Budget Chairman and actually oversaw the lowering of property taxes in the county during his tenure.

In 1994, Doyle was elected to the State Senate as the first Republican from Saline and Perry Counties.  His committee work included:  Chairman of Joint Energy; Vice Chairman of State Agencies and Governmental Affairs; Joint Budget; Legislative Council; Legislative Audit; Children and Youth; Judiciary; Efficiency; City, County, and Local Affairs; Natural Cultural Resources Council; and the Rural Fire Department Study Commission.  During his two terms in the State Senate, Senator Webb fought for lower taxes, government efficiency, ethics reform, the rights of the unborn and many other issues important to the people of his district and the state as a while.  He co-authored the Senate's Code of Ethics and led the way in achieving the redevelopment of Interstate 30 into 6 lanes. 

Near the end of Senator Webb's second term in the Senate, Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller asked the Senator to join him as his Chief of Staff.  Doyle served in this capacity from April of 2002 through the 2003 and 2005 Sessions of the legislature.  He worked closely with Lt. Governor Rockefeller during his term as Republican Party Chairman and in preparation for running for Governor in 2006.  In June of 2005, Win announced that he would suspend his race for Governor due to an unclassified blood disorder.  In July of 2006 Lt. Governor Rockefeller died while in office.  Doyle continued Win's service as his Chief of Staff until January of 2007 when his term ended. 

Chairman Webb holds a Juris Doctorate (law degree) and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  He has practiced law for over 25 years.  Doyle and his wife, Barbara, reside in Benton.

CALIFORNIA - JIM BRULTE

[elected March 3, 2013]; re-elected March 1, 2015]
Jim was elected Chairman of the California Republican Party in March of 2013. He served 14 years in the California State Legislature, most recently as Senate Republican Leader, before leaving office to join California Strategies to head up the Inland Empire office.

While in office, Jim developed a national reputation as a dynamic leader, and prior to the election of Governor Schwarzenegger, was described as "arguably the most powerful elected Republican in California." Representing the Inland Empire, Jim focused his efforts on education, regulatory reform, crime reduction, and common-sense legislation to improve California`s business climate. His measures to reform the workers` compensation and welfare systems have saved billions of dollars for both California taxpayers and California`s business community. In addition to his political expertise, Jim is also an expert on fiscal issues and was the GOP`s lead negotiator for California`s 80+ billion dollar budget negotiations.

He recently completed a term as a member of the Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy. He was also appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger as a member of the Performance Review Committee.

Senator Brulte graduated with a B.A. from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. In 1974, Jim joined the California Air National Guard where he was later honored as "Outstanding Airman of the Year" for the United States and its territories.

COLORADO - STEVE HOUSE

[elected March 14, 2015]
Steve House was elected chairman of the Colorado Republican Committee in March, 2015, and brings over 30 years of business experience to the Party.  Steve has worked as an engineer, service manager, a sales leader and has held a variety of executive roles in healthcare.

Steve started life in a very small farming community in Michigan in a county that had more dairy cattle then people by a factor of 20. It was there that he learned a lot of valuable lessons about discipline, hard work, and spending every dollar wisely.

In 2010, Steve became a published author, writing a healthcare book titled Beauty in the Business with Dr. Gregory Buford, which lays the framework for doctors to have a successful business, focusing on customer service and satisfaction. Steve’s primary expertise is in Data and Analytics, a critical area for the state Party heading into the 2016 elections.

A proud family man, Steve and his wife Donna live in Brighton, CO. Donna, the CEO of Valley Bank and Trust, recently finished serving on the Adams 27J School Board and now serves on the Board of her alma mater Ottawa University in Kansas. They love spending time with their six adult children and three wonderful grandchildren.

CONNECTICUT - J.R. ROMANO

[elected June 23, 2015]
J.R. Romano has dedicated a majority of his professional career to Connecticut Republican politics, during which he has acquired a unique depth of knowledge of the Connecticut political landscape. A Connecticut native, J.R. was raised in Derby, graduated from Trinity College and currently lives in Branford.

Under the direction of three Connecticut Republican Chairman (DePino, Sherperdson, Hamzy) he served as political director for over six years, understanding the mechanics of the State Central Committee and a variety of campaigns up and down the ballot; Gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, State Senate to Mayors.

This included presenting himself as a candidate for Representative at 25. While his bid was unsuccessful by just 100 votes, in a district predominately Democrat by a 3-1 margin, his command over the issues and his passion for the community did secure him the an unusual Republican endorsement from the New York Times.

In 2010, J.R. managed the U.S. Senate bid of Peter Schiff. J.R.’s strategic and tactical campaign plan raised over $500,000 and enabled Peter to qualify for a primary through the convention process.

Statewide, J.R. ran the Connecticut arm of “Americans for Prosperity”. While in this role he raised over $1 million dollars and built the organization to over 80,000 members. In 2014, J.R.’s efforts with the Tim Herbst campaign for State Treasurer resulted in Tim’s outstanding under ticket campaign, despite the narrow loss. Team Herbst outperformed the top of the ticket in every Congressional District as well as state-wide.

Most recently, J.R. won the contested election last June as Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party.

Over the other highly qualified candidates, J.R.’s measured, articulate and forthright manner along with his political depth prevailed. Within the first few months as chairman, J.R. has proven that he understand the politics of the press and is unafraid to articulate our Republican message. He is a Chairman who is focused on holding the Democratic opposition accountable for their failed policies and he has one goal…to ELECT MORE REPUBLICANS IN CONNECTICUT.

DELAWARE - CHARLIE COPELAND

[elected July 20, 2013 at a special convention]
Charlie Copeland is President of Associates International, Inc, an internationally-recognized direct marketing company located in Wilmington, Delaware. Charlie has been President of Associates since 1994 and has grown the company from a small 9-person company to be one of the largest of its kind in the nation.

Prior to joining Associates Charlie worked in various Information Systems positions with the DuPont Company for over 7 years. He finished his career at DuPont as an Area Manager of Data Center Operations at the DeLisle, Mississippi Chemicals and Pigments plant.

From 2002 through 2008, Charlie served as a Delaware State Senator and Senate Minority Leader representing Brandywine Hundred, Greenville, Centreville and Hockessin. During his service, Charlie was a lead voice for government accountability, education reform, and criminal justice reform. In November of 2008 he ran, unsuccessfully, for Lieutenant Governor.

Currently, Charlie serves as President of the Board of the Challenge Program, a non-profit, which he co-founded, that trains at-risk youth in the City of Wilmington in construction skills; Board Chair of the Delaware Academy of Public Safety & Security, a Charter High School in the City of Wilmington; President of the Board of SURJ, a non-profit focused on criminal justice reform; Board Chair of the Longwood Foundation; a Rotarian since 1995; and Vice President of the board of the Mt. Cuba Center which has protected over 2,500 acres of open-space in the region in the last 2 years.

Charlie holds both a bachelor of science degree in Computer Science & Physics and an MBA with a focus in Finance from Duke University.

An avid gardener and ACC basketball fan, Charlie lives in Wilmington with his wife, two children, and three dogs.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - JOSE CUNNINGHAM

[elected Jan. 8, 2015]
José is Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Nixon Peabody LLP, one of the world's largest law firms providing business and consulting professional services on a global basis. He is responsible for the strategic direction and execution of Nixon Peabody’s global marketing and business generation initiatives, including client-focused and industry-based client teams and solutions, client service interviews, media, public relations and communications, brand management, advertising, competitive intelligence, proposal development and market and client research.

Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, José was Chief Marketing and Business Development officer at Crowell & Moring LLP, where he was a member of the firm's Diversity Council, Lateral Recruitment and Integration Committee, Visiting International Scholars Committee, Globalization Task Force, and the Business Development Task Force. He also managed the firm's Library and Research Services department. During his 11+ years at Crowell & Moring, the firm achieved consecutive years in increased revenue and profits per partner and was ranked in the Top 20 in Law Journal Newsletter's Marketing The Law Firm 50: The Top Law Firms in Marketing and Communications.

José was previously Chief Marketing Officer at Shaw Pittman LLP and concurrently managing director of Shaw Pittman Global Sourcing, the world's largest technology-based sourcing practice, with 125 lawyers and business professionals globally. At Shaw Pittman he was responsible for strategic business development, including sales, marketing, industry alliances, and analyst relations. He was in the outsourcing business for nearly 20 years and brought a wealth of experience in Internet-based business strategies as well as outsourcing leadership to major global companies such as Cap Gemini Group, Unisys Corporation, and AT&T Solutions' Global Outsourcing Practice. He is an expert in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and e-commerce business model development, offshore outsourcing, investor/shareholder relations, venture capital acquisition, and global sales and marketing in the outsourcing industry. José also previously served as managing director of The Outsourcing Institute.

He began his professional career as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense, researching and reporting on Soviet and Eastern European political and military developments. He then went on to work for the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer stationed in Berlin, Germany, as the ambassador's aide and vice-consul. José was educated at the University of California at Los Angeles, Cambridge University (England), the University of Southern California, and the University of Vienna (Austria). His post-graduate work includes studies in Soviet Foreign Policy from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and a diploma in the Soviet Military Power Awareness Program from the U.S. Air Force's Directorate of Soviet Affairs.

José is a current member of the Zeughauser Group CMO and ClearLeverage Business Development Roundtables, the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), the Special Libraries Association (SLA), LexisNexis CMO Leadership Council and Customer Innovation Forum, and a former advisory board member for the Washington, D.C. chapter of PM Forum, a London-based international organization dedicated to raising the standards of marketing across professional service industries.  José has served on the Advisory Board for two global outsourcing solutions providers, Silicon Mountain Ltd. and BPOServe, and was named one of HRO Today's 2004 Superstars of the Human Resources Outsourcing industry. He has also served on the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell User Panel and CourtLink Eastern Region Advisory Council. In 2012 he was named to ExecRank's 200 Top Private Company CMOs list.

He resides in Washington, D.C. and is a competitive Masters swimmer.

FLORIDA - BLAISE INGOGLIA

[elected Jan. 17, 2015]
bio from website for his successful campaign for state rep. in 2014
In 1996, looking to start his own business, Blaise Ingoglia decided to escape the high tax, high regulatory environment of New York City and take a chance.  So, with only $1,600 in his pocket, Blaise left NY in search of a better life and moved to Spring Hill, FL.

In 1998 he founded America One Mortgage, his first small business in Hernando County. This company was dedicated to helping new home buyers achieve the "American Dream" of owning their first home. In 2001 he founded Hartland Homes, a home building company that focused on delivering quality homes at affordable prices to the Spring Hill market. Since then, Blaise has founded several other companies including a marketing company, a real estate company and a software company.

Blaise became politically active in 2007 when property taxes skyrocketed. That year he founded and produced "Government Gone Wild", a series of live seminars designed to show Hernando residents, in layman's terms, exactly what our local government was doing with our tax dollars. At those seminars he criticized both political parties for reckless spending while over-taxing our families and small businesses.  In an effort to provide much needed tax relief, Blaise organized and led more than 600 people at the Hernando County budget meetings demanding a property tax cut.  

They did not cut enough.

During the 2008 elections Blaise kept his promise to continually look out for Hernando County taxpayers when he spent more than $40,000 of his own money to wage a successful campaign to unseat the career, big government, tax and spend county commissioners from office that refused to offer property tax relief.

Since then, Blaise has become increasingly active in politics and public policy while advocating for a smaller, less intrusive government. His YouTube videos have been watched over 7 million times including the award winning "Brother Can You Spare A Trillion" that has been viewed over 5.2 million times. You can watch the video here.

Today, he is running for State Representative to help our families and small businesses in Florida remain prosperous in face of an ever growing and ever intrusive Federal government. 

GEORGIA - JOHN PADGETT

[elected May 18, 2013; re-elected May 16, 2015]
bio from his 2013 campaign website...John Padgett has proudly worked in the grassroots of our Party for over 35 years. John currently serves as Secretary and as a member of the GAGOP Executive Committee.

John has served as the Campaign Chairman for local, state and national GOP campaigns and has been a GOP candidate for county office. He has been elected Chairman of the Clarke County Republican Party and two different District Republican Parties.

Under John’s leadership as the Athens-Clarke County Bush Campaign Co-Chair in 2000 and 2004, Athens-Clarke County had the largest Republican turnout in over 130 years.

In 2000, as Chairman of the 11th Congressional District, John helped the Republican Congressional Candidate win Clarke County for the first time since Reconstruction.

John has spent his career starting and operating successful small businesses and creating thousands of jobs all across Georgia. John and his wife, Mary, currently own Southeast Realty and Southeast Ambulance, Inc.

As a community leader, John has chaired the Athens Downtown Development Authority and the GACA High School All-Star Game, served as President of the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, the Touchdown Club of Athens, and the Athens Downtown Council, is a member of the UGA President’s Club, and a board member of the Athens Historical Society, the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, the Hope Haven School, and the Athens Art Council. John and Mary have 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren. They are members of Highland Park Church.

HAWAI'I - FRITZ ROHLFING

[elected May 2, 2015]
At the May 2, 2015 Convention in Kapolei, precinct delegates from all over Hawaii elected Fritz Rohlfing our 2015-2016 Party Chairman. His service as Honolulu County Chair, 2013-2015, his ability to recruit and inspire new Party officers on the Honolulu County Committee, his leadership in the 2012 Romney presidential campaign, and his upbringing with his father, former State Senator Fred Rohlfing, all contributed to his popularity among the delegates. Beginning in politics assisting his father in State and Congressional campaigns as a teen, he was a page at the 1972 Republican Convention, and has been involved in national and local party activities ever since. As an attorney with Case Lombardy & Petit, a litigator, and a family man long resident in Manoa, Fritz has the skills, political experience, and community roots that will contribute to his success in Party leadership.

Of counsel at Case, Lombardi & Petit. 
Mr. Rohlfing was born in what was then the Territory of Hawai‘i. Educated at Punahou School, he went on to graduate from Dartmouth College magna cum laude, with high distinction in economics, and participated in Dartmouth’s Foreign Study Abroad Program at the University of Mainz, Germany. Mr. Rohlfing served a two-year mission in Germany and Austria for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received his law degree from the University of Chicago, where he gained practical litigation experience working in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. Since returning to Honolulu in 1983, he has concentrated his practice primarily in litigating real property, environmental, unfair trade practices, insurance coverage, and professional negligence cases in state and federal courts. He has also served as counsel to the minority in the Hawai‘i House of Representatives (1985) and Hawai‘i Senate (1995). He was appointed by Governor John D. Waihee to serve on the Hawai‘i Commission on Sexual Orientation and the Law (1994). In February 2013, Mr. Rohlfing was selected by the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i to serve as a delegate to Hawai'i’s annual United States District Court Judicial Conference. The Conference is held annually to promote the better administration of justice in the District. Mr. Rohlfing will serve a three year term as a delegate ending in 2015. He is a member of the American and Hawai‘i State Bar Associations. His professional languages are English and German. Frederick W. Rohlfing III holds an “AV” rating from the preeminent law directory service of Martindale Hubbell, indicating the highest level of legal skill, ability and integrity.

IDAHO - STEPHEN YATES

[elected early-Aug. 2014; re-elected June 4, 2016]
Stephen Yates is a former White House official, current think tank distinguished fellow, small business owner, TV studio operator, and Idaho Republican Party chairman.

Mr. Yates was elected chairman of the Idaho Republican Party on August 2, 2014, and lead a successful statewide general election campaign keeping every Congressional and constitutional office Republican, and preserving Republican supermajorities in Idaho’s House and Senate.

Continuing his long commitment to politics, policy, and the party, Mr. Yates was senior campaign advisor and director of national security staff for Newt 2012, served as senior Asia advisor for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee during the 2008 campaign, and advised the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign’s Asia team.

Since 2006, he has been a frequent media commentator and CEO of DC International Advisory.  The Idaho-based firm assesses international risk and provides situational awareness of developments in Washington and select foreign capitals.

Before opening DC International Advisory, Mr. Yates served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs from 2001 through 2005. During his tenure in government, he was deeply involved in the development and execution of U.S foreign policy priorities. Mr. Yates provided direct support to the Vice President and his national security advisor for White House deliberations.

Mr. Yates is currently a distinguished fellow with The Hamilton Foundation, which aims to redefine the center of public policy debate. He is a regular contributor to the nationally syndicated Dana Loesch Radio Show and John Batchelor Show, as well as several Idaho and regional radio programs.  On television, he is regularly seen on CNN, Fox News, and the Fox Business channel. Other networks carrying Yates’ commentary and analysis include The Blaze, Newsmax, BBC News, CNBC Asia, ABC Four Corners, America’s Morning News, and The Daily Caller.

Mr. Yates previously served as Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation and an analyst at the National Security Agency. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, he received a Master’s degree in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).  He resides in Idaho Falls.

ILLINOIS - TIM SCHNEIDER

[elected May 17, 2014]
As a small business owner and entrepreneur, Tim Schneider has dedicated his life in public service to promoting fiscally conservative values of smaller government, lower taxes, less spending and fighting corruption.  At the township, county and statewide levels, Tim remains a steadfast voice for reform and accountability.

Currently serving in his third term as a Cook County Board Commissioner, Tim has led the fight against increased taxes and spending – advocating fiscal responsibility and transparency in government.  Tim led the fight to repeal Todd Stroger’s sales tax increase, sponsored legislation to combat pay-to-play and workers compensation, and worked to cut millions in wasteful taxpayer spending.  The Chicago Tribune called Tim “a strong and absolutely unwavering voice for streamlining county government” and “an extraordinary member of a Board that could use many more like him.”

Previously, Tim served as Hanover Township Trustee from 1984-1997 and then Hanover Township Highway Commissioner from 1997-2006.  As highway commissioner, Tim improved township roads without impacting the highway commission’s bottom line – leaving office with a $2 million surplus.

Chairman Schneider received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois. He serves as general partner/owner of The Golf Club of Illinois in Algonquin and Waterwerks Car Wash in Elgin.  He and his wife Shelly have a daughter and two sons.

INDIANA - JEFF CARDWELL

[elected April 1, 2015]
Jeff was born on December 7, 1959, in Morgantown, Kentucky, and was raised in Indianapolis. He is a graduate of Ben Davis High School. Paying his way through college, Jeff earned his college degree at Indiana Wesleyan University. Continuing his professional education, Jeff received his real estate sales license in 1984 and his brokerage license in 1986. In 1996, he was accredited by the Residential Sales Council as a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), a distinction awarded to only 4 percent of REALTORS nationwide. He is an active member of the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS (MIBOR) and the National Association of REALTORS.

In 1976, Jeff began his career in the lumber industry. Two years later, at the age of 18, he became the youngest person ever to serve as manager for that same company, which was founded in 1945. Today, he serves as president and CEO of Cardwell Do-it Best Home Center.

In 1980, Jeff launched his first independent business venture in the residential construction business. Four years later, he founded a real estate firm serving both residential and commercial clients. Another milestone occurred in 1986, with his first real estate development of a residential community. The following year, he developed his first commercial office complex.

In October 1994, Builder/Architect Magazine named him “Builder of the Month.” Later that same year, he was named “Builder of the Year” by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis. As the “Builder Sponsor” of the 100th home built by Habitat for Humanity in the Greater Indianapolis area, Jeff also was presented with the “Golden Hammer Award.” In 1994, Jeff’s radio career began when he appeared as a guest on a local radio show discussing his passion for community service through his work with Habitat for Humanity. Soon after, he was invited to become a co-host to share his knowledge of the real estate industry and the home improvement market with a weekly call-in audience.

In 1998, Jeff built the first prototype of the “Do-it Best Hardware Store,” a new retail concept now being built around the world. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Do-It Best Corp’s world headquarters serves more than 4,000 independent members in more than 47 nations, with $2+ billion in annual sales. The new concept propelled Do-it Best Corp to dominance in the hardware industry among independent store owners.

In June 2000, Jeff went on his first mission trip, traveling to El Salvador. It was during that trip that the idea for creating “World In Need” (WIN), a not-for-profit charitable organization, was born. Jeff, along with four other men, established the organization on December 19, 2000, to serve those in need. Three weeks later, on January 13, 2001, a devastating earthquake hit El Salvador, killing several thousand people and leaving more than 1 million people homeless. In less than 90 days, World In Need provided more than $2 million in emergency relief supplies to the earthquake victims.

In 2000 and 2004, Jeff served as an alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention and in 2012 he was elected as a delegate. On September 4, 2001, Jeff launched the “People Helping People” radio network, which airs weekly on several radio stations in Central Indiana. In 2003, he was commissioned a “Kentucky Colonel” by Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky, commissioned an “Honorary Colonel” by Governor Bob Riley of Alabama and presented with a United States “Congressional Salute” for his community service. He has also been elected several times to serve as a delegate to the Indiana State Republican Convention.

In September of 2005, Jeff led a first response team of volunteers to assist the survivors of “Hurricane Katrina” delivering more than 2 million pounds of donated relief items within the first 60 days after the storm. In October, Jeff traveled to Pattaya, Thailand for the “Third Global Summit on Peace through Tourism”, with more than 60 nations represented, presenting his views on “Traveling with a Purpose” and the new concept of worldwide “Voluntourism”.

In November of 2007, Jeff was elected to the City-County Council (Republican), District 23 of Indianapolis and was re-elected again in November of 2011. In June of 2009, Jeff was named “Honorary Consulate” to the Republic of El Salvador. In May of 2011, Jeff received the “Spirit of Independents’ Award” from the North American Retail Hardware Association for his humanitarian missions work at home and abroad.

In December 2012, Governor-Elect Mike Pence appointed Jeff to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) and in September 2013 the Governor appointed Jeff as a Senior Advisor and Special Assistant to the Governor, which is a Cabinet position in the Pence Administration. In March 2015 Jeff was nominated by Governor Pence and confirmed by the Indiana Republican State committee to be the Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. Jeff is co-President of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Motorcycle Drill Team, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis and Grace Assembly of God of Greenwood. Jeff resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Cheryl. They have three children: Shanne Masuccio-Juss; Sara E. Marshall; Jeffery C. Cardwell and one grandson

IOWA - JEFF KAUFMANN

[elected June 28, 2014 after ouster of Danny Carroll, to complete term to Jan. 2015; elected to full term Jan. 10, 2015]

Chairman Jeff Kaufmann served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2005 to 2013, including six years in leadership positions in the GOP caucus and two years as Speaker Pro Tem. During his tenure in the Iowa House, he developed a record as a fiscal conservative, Second Amendment defender and a tireless advocate of property rights. Kaufmann represented a competitive district and built a reputation as a consensus problem-solver and constituent advocate. During half of his time in the legislature, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in his district, and Kaufmann maintained working relationships across the aisle.

Kaufmann served eight years on the Ways and Means Committee, and he authored a key anti-eminent domain bill that culminated in a landmark conservative victory overriding a veto by former Democrat Gov. Tom Vilsack. As an Assistant Republican Leader and Speaker Pro Tem, Kaufmann worked with his colleagues to turn around the state’s fiscal house after financial mismanagement by the administration of former Democrat Gov. Chet Culver.

As a member of the House leadership team, Kaufmann engaged in candidate recruitment, raised more than $500,000 for candidates and spoke at events across the state for more than 70 candidates. In 2010, Kaufmann was part of the campaign leadership team that helped elect 60 House Republicans to the chamber.

Kaufmann, 51, is a seventh-generation livestock farmer. He is a department chair at Muscatine Community College, where he teaches history and government. Kaufmann has a 4.8 A+ score on ratemyprofessors.com. In 2012, Kaufmann was honored as Iowa’s faculty member of the year by the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees. He obtained his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

Prior to his legislative career, Kaufmann was a Township Trustee and president of the Wilton School Board. Currently, he is a member of the Cedar County Board of Supervisors.

Jeff and his wife, Vicki, have been married for 29 years. They raised three sons: Bobby, a state representative in House District 73; Jacob, a University of Iowa student; and John, a University of Iowa student and chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans.

KANSAS - KELLY ARNOLD

[elected weekend of Jan. 26-27, 2013; re-elected Jan. 31, 2015]

Kelly Arnold has served on the Kansas Republican Party State Committee for over 10 years and fulfilled many roles in local, state and national political offices.

Kelly was first elected Sedgwick County Clerk in 2008 and was reelected in November. His responsibility as County Clerk includes overseeing all real estate transactions and preparing the mill levies in Sedgwick County. Kelly is helping to reduce the cost of government by cutting tens of thousands of dollars out of the clerk’s office budget.  He accomplished this by reducing expenditures and consolidating staff duties while continuing to maintain a high level of service for citizens of Sedgwick County. In a demonstration of his commitment to public transparency, he undertook the monumental task of converting many county records into a publicly searchable database with online citizen accessibility.

Professionally, Kelly has balanced his career between working in financial services and supporting the efforts of the Republican Party.  He has worked as a financial representative and planner, helping others develop personal budgets and saving for long term needs and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Hillsboro State Bank, a community bank in Marion County.

Prior to holding countywide office, Kelly has served in many capacities within the Republican Party. He served as Executive Director of the Sedgwick County Republican Party (2000-2006), Finance Director of the Kansas Republican Party (2005-2006), and Chairman of the Sedgwick County Republican Party (2006-2010) before running for Sedgwick County Clerk. Highlights of his four-year chairmanship include increasing the number of Republicans elected in Sedgwick County, raising a record amount of money and developing a 50-page training manual for precinct committeepersons. This manual has been utilized by counties around the State.  Nationally, Kelly recently served as Treasurer for the Young Republican National Federation, an organizational whose membership totals over 100,000.  As a member of the Young Republican National Federation, Kelly represented Kansas as National Committeeman (2005-2009).  In 2010, Kelly co-founded the Republican Men’s Leadership Series which now boasts over 75 alumni in its first two years.

Kelly is a fourth generation Kansan and was born and raised in McPherson. He earned his Bachelor degrees in Business Management and Business Finance from Tabor College, a private Christian college in Hillsboro, Kansas. He resides in Wichita and is an active volunteer and mentor for high school youth at Pathway Church. He also enjoys working on optometric medical missions in Central America.

KENTUCKY - MAC BROWN

[elected Nov. 9, 2015]

J. McCauley “Mac” Brown is Vice President of Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corporation, one of the largest American-owned spirits and wine companies and among the top 10 largest global spirits companies, selling more than 25 brands in its portfolio of wines and spirits in approximately 135 countries worldwide. His current responsibilities include a wide and varied range of business planning, governance, and strategic topics. He serves as a member of the Corporate Strategy Council for Brown-Forman.

Brown has had extensive involvement with numerous educational, civic and community organizations throughout his career. Currently, he is President and CEO of the Filson Historical Society and holds positions with the Board of Overseers for the University of Louisville, the Kentucky Historical Society, Louisville Library Foundation, Frazier History Museum, and the Board of Advisors for the University of Louisville School of Business. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Georgetown University and received a Masters in Business Administration degree from George Washington University.

LOUISIANA - ROGER F. VILLERE, JR.

[first elected March 26, 2004, re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012]
ed. note: Villere was a candidate for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in the Oct. 2, 2010 special election, finishing sixth; this bio. is from the campaign site.  He was also a candidate for state Representative in a 1989 special election.

Roger F. Villere, Jr. was elected Chairman of the Republican Party in the spring of 2004 and re-elected in 2006, 2008 & 2010. During his time as Chairman, the Republican Party of Louisiana has made historic gains – increasing the number of elected Republicans in the State Legislature and U.S. Congress as well as in Louisiana’s statewide offices. During his tenure, Villere has communicated a message of competent conservative change and reform and Republicans have achieved success across Louisiana’s diverse political landscape.

Understanding that the primary role of the state party is to represent all Louisiana Republicans, Chairman Villere travels throughout the state advocating conservative principles, recruiting candidates, and mobilizing grassroots activists to support our candidates and causes.

Chairman Villere has attended four Republican National Conventions, his first as a volunteer to the New Orleans Convention in 1988, as a Delegate to the 2000, as Chairman-Elect in 2004, and as Chairman and Delegate in 2008. He has previously served as RNC National Committeeman and as a member of the RNC Rules Committee and RNC Resolutions Committee. In 2008 he received the honor of being elected Chairman of the Electoral College for Louisiana. He also has been significantly involved in the Pelican State Pachyderm Club, Republican Party of East Jefferson, and the Republican Party of Jefferson Parish. Chairman Villere is also a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The Chairman has been a part of and led numerous community programs and organizations, such as the Alliance for Good Government, Jaycees International, the Lafreniere Kiwanis Club, the East Jefferson Hospital Foundation, and the Women’s New Life Center.

He also has played a leadership role in the local business community with positions on the Jefferson Chamber, the Small Business Council, East Jefferson Council of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, the American Academy of Florists, and the Louisiana State Florist Association.

Chairman Villere attended the University of New Orleans, is a fellow of the Loyola Institute of Politics, the LSU Academy of Politics, and the UNO Government Leadership Institute.

Chairman Villere is the owner of Villere’s Florist and currently lives in Metairie with his wife Donna. He is the father of three sons: Roger F. Villere, III, Mark C. Villere, and Jacques P. Villere, and has four granddaughters: Madison, Masey, Victoria, and Shelby.

MAINE - RICK BENNETT

[elected July 20, 2013; previous chair resigned beginning of July; re-elected Feb. 14, 2015]
ed. note: Bennett was a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the June 12, 2012 primary finishing third; this is his campaign bio.

Rick Bennett is a successful job-creating businessman who has dedicated his life, in and out of government service, to fighting for Maine families, government reform, and fiscally conservative policies to put our state and nation back on track. Now he is looking to take that fight to the United States Senate.

MARYLAND - DIANA WATERMAN

[initially interim chair from Feb. 21, 2013 following resignation of previous chair; elected April 20, 2013; re-elected Dec. 2014]
from the RNC...
Diana Waterman was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but raised in Va. Beach, Va. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematical Physics from Sweet Briar College in southwestern Virginia in 1983. She has been married to her husband Barry for 28 years, residing in Queen Anne’s County. She has two wonderful children – a daughter Caty (24) and a son Kevin (26) (who is married to a lovely young woman named Reina) and an adorable grandson, Liam. They attend Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Centreville.

Throughout her life, she has valued service to others – as a Girl Scout from Brownies through Troop Leadership and in other Community Service organizations both in and out of school. As a parent, she has served as a Cub Scout Den Mother, Girl Scout Leader, and as a member and officer of the Parent’s Association of her children’s school, Sts. Peter and Paul School in Easton(three different times as President).

She currently works as the Chief Financial Officer and IT Specialist for her family-owned and run Real Estate business, Coldwell Banker Waterman Realty. Other past jobs have included Computer Programmer/Analyst with Northrop, Aerobics Instructor, Aqua-aerobics instructor, Red Cross Swimming Instructor, and Day Camp Counselor.

As her children came close to finishing high school, she turned her volunteer hours towards the world of Maryland politics, joining the Chesapeake Republican Women in the fall of 2005. Since then she has served as president of Chesapeake Republican Women (twice), Eastern Shore Regional Chair for the Maryland Federation of Republican Women (MFRW), and the 1st Vice President of the MFRW. She has also been an active member of the Republican Club of Queen Anne’s County. And she has been elected to her county Central Committee twice, serving as Treasurer, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Committee. She has served on several committees for the Maryland Republican Party and in 2010 she was elected to the position of 1st Vice Chair of the Maryland Republican Party. In April 2013, she was elected to chair the State Party.

She believes we all need to work together to bring balance to our State – one Party rule is not healthy for our counties, State, and Country.

from the state party...
A resident of Queen Anne's County, Diana serves as the Financial Records Manager with Coldwell Banker Waterman Realty--one of the premier real estate operations on the Eastern Shore. Diana is a graduate of Sweet Briar College, as well as a member of the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce and the Chesapeake Women's Network. She and her husband Barry are the parents of two adult children.

MASSACHUSETTS - KIRSTEN HUGHES

[elected Jan. 31, 2013; re-elected Jan. 29, 2015]
Kirsten Hughes was born and raised in Quincy, Massachusetts to Edith, a Quincy Public School teacher and John, a Human Resources executive. She graduated from the St. Ann School in Wollaston and later from the Notre Dame Academy, where she was a member of the National Honor Society. Hughes went on to receive a B.F.A from New York University, her law degree from New England School of Law, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar shortly after.

Currently serving on the Quincy City Council, Kirsten became the first woman elected to the position in the ward's history. In a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans, 9 to 1, Kirsten built a successful coalition of grassroots Republican activists and community leaders to win elected office at the local level – adding herself  to the so called ‘farm team’ of Massachusetts Republican officials. 

Most recently, Kirsten served as the Deputy Finance Director for Senator Scott Brown’s re-election campaign which raised $42 million, the most successful fundraising operation of any incumbent Senator in the country.

Before joining Senator Brown’s team, Kirsten served as Field Director for the Massachusetts Republican Party in 2010, organizing legislative campaigns across the commonwealth in a cycle where Republicans doubled the number of legislators in the House.

Kirsten also worked in the United States office of Special Counsel where she assisted the prosecution of cases involving government fraud, waste and abuse.  She also clerked at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office to prosecute and arraign criminal cases.

Committed to her community, Kirsten serves as a member of the Quincy Human Rights Commission, volunteers legal services to multiple civic organizations and provides pro bono legal representation in civil and criminal cases.

In October 2010, Kirsten married Philip Doherty a software engineer who grew up in Charlestown.  They are proud parents of son John Phillip.

bio. from Quincy City Council campaign site:

Kirsten Hughes was born and raised in Ward 5 to Edith, a Quincy Public School teacher and John, a Human Resources executive. She is a1990 graduate of St. Ann School in Wollaston. In 1995, Hughes graduated from Notre Dame Academy, where she was a member of the National Honor Society. After singing professionally in New York City and for the Walt Disney Company, in 2003 Hughes graduated from New York University with a B.F.A in Theatre Arts.

In New York, she sang on various CD’s, and performed in several New York City night clubs. Interested in the “business” side of “The Biz”, she worked as a manger’s assistant at a boutique, celebrity-client management firm in New York City.

In 2005 she returned to Quincy to attend law school full time. Kirsten earned a J.D. from New England School of Law and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2008. She has worked in the legal political and entertainment fields in Quincy, Boston, New York and Washington D.C.

Locally, Kirsten served as a member of the Quincy Human Rights Commission, and has participated in the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Volunteer Lawyer’s program, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Housing Court Lawyer for the Day program and provided pro bono services in several civil and criminal cases.

Currently, Kirsten works for U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s campaign finance team and continues her eighteen-year, long standing role as a Café singer at the Common Market Café in West Quincy. She still finds time to star in Quincy theatrical productions with her close friends, “The Superwomen” such as Superwoman, the Musical and What Christmas Means to Me.

In October 2010, Kirsten married Philip Doherty a software engineer who grew up in Charlestown.  twitter

MICHIGAN - RONNA ROMNEY McDANIEL

[elected Feb. 21, 2015]
Ronna Romney McDaniel has been a grassroots conservative activist her entire life. She learned politics from the ground up beginning as a driver for her mother’s US Senate Race in 1994 and has worked on many campaigns from school board to Presidential.

Throughout her career, Ronna has managed multi-million dollar budgets, has been responsible for the management and personnel of staff, and has overseen grassroots campaigns and media projects. In addition, she has been a successful fundraiser and has been involved in all aspects of campaigns and political projects.

In February 2014, Ronna was elected the Republican National Committeewoman from Michigan. Ronna has served as a Precinct Delegate, as a District Committee Executive Member and State Committeewoman in Michigan. She Chaired the Women for Mitt Michigan Coalition in 2012, and served as National Delegate to the Tampa Convention representing Michigan’s 11th District.

In 2013, she served as Co-Chair for the Mackinac Leadership Conference and was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists, being recently elected vice-chair by the board.

She received her B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. Ronna is married to Patrick McDaniel and has two children, Abigail and Nash.  twitter

MINNESOTA - KEITH DOWNEY

[elected April 6, 2013, started April 8; re-elected April 11, 2015]
Served in two terms in the Minnesota State House representing District 41A (Edina), elected 2008 and 2010; candidate for state Senate District 49 in 2012, losing to Melisa Lopez Franzen (DFL).  Partner at Virchow Krause, 1997-Jan. 2009.  Previously worked at Unisys and Epic Systems.  B.B.A. in management information systems from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 1983.  twitter

MISSISSIPPI - JOE NOSEF

[elected Jan. 11, 2012 following resignation of previous chair; re-elected to full four-year term in May 2012]

from the RNC:

Mr. Nosef served as Chief Counsel for Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and as the Campaign Manager for Governor Barbour’s Re-Election Campaign. He was Chief of Staff for then Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant and the Chairman of Phil Bryant’s Campaign for Governor. Nosef also served as Executive Director of the Phil Bryant Gubernatorial Transition.

Mr. Nosef is an attorney at Watkins & Eager PLLC. He has served on many nonprofit boards including the Salvation Army, Metro Jackson YMCA, Young Business Leaders of Jackson, Jackson Young Lawyers Association, Safe City Initiative, the Marsha Barbour Community Center and Ballet Mississippi. He also served on the Hinds County Economic Development District Board of Trustees and is a graduate of the Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi Program.

MISSOURI - JOHN HANCOCK

[elected Sept. 21, 2015]
Hancock brings nearly three decades of political experience to the Missouri Republican Party. A former two-term member of the Missouri House of Representatives, Hancock was the GOP nominee for Missouri Secretary of State in 1992 and 1996. He joined the Missouri Republican Party as Executive Director in 1997, guiding the party during a time of historic growth and fundraising success. Under his leadership, the state GOP gained seats in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, won majorities in the State House and State Senate, and recaptured the Governor’s office. Since launching John Hancock & Associates in 2003, Hancock has provided services to local, state, and federal political candidates. Hancock is a frequent radio host on KMOX-AM 1120 in St. Louis, where he co-hosts the Hancock & Kelley program, a bi-partisan political talk show.  He also co-hosts a weekly political talk show on KTVI Fox 2 in St Louis.  twitter

MONTANA - JEFF ESSMANN

[elected June 28, 2015]
Jeff has been involved in Republican Party politics since 1982 when he was first elected as a precinct captain in his hometown of Billings. He was elected Chairman of the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee in 1995 and served two terms. He was a delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego.  He has served 10 years in the Montana Senate representing a Billings Senate District and serving as Senate President in 2013, and now is serving as a representative of the House District where he went to grade school. Jeff serves as Chairman of the Montana Republican Party being elected to that post last year and will be one of three automatic delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.  twitter

NEBRASKA - DAN WELCH

[elected March 21, 2015]

NEVADA - MICHAEL McDONALD

[elected April 22, 2012; re-elected Nov. 14, 2015]
Michael McDonald is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas. He was born at The Woman’s Hospital, he lived in the same home on the West side for the majority of his life and all of his schooling was received in the Las Vegas Valley.  Michael had the opportunity to leave the Valley to pursue his education abroad due to his skills as a football player. But, he chose instead, in an effort to help out at home, to stay in the Las Vegas Valley to attend UNLV.

Michael was attending classes at UNLV that would set him on a course to follow in his father’s footsteps in the casino industry. While he attended classes he also held a full time job at a local hotel/casino. It was during a charity event that he was volunteering at that it was suggested that he test for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Michael tested and successfully entered the LVMPD in 1989.

This was just the beginning; Michael had found his calling in public service and wasn’t anywhere near finished!

On two separate occasions during his career as an officer for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Michael received Medals of Honor from the City of Las Vegas for bravery. This is the highest honor that the City of Las Vegas can bestow on a public servant.  During one such exhibition of bravery Michael, having no regard for his own safety, used his body as a shield to protect a child in his charge during a transport to Child Haven. As a result of his actions, he sustained injuries severe enough to put him on light duty from the Police Department.  While some would simply use their light duty time to recover Michael decided to use this time for something more constructive.

Michael created “Project 89109.” This was a neighborhood initiative to take back the streets of his youth to make them safe for the next generation. Michael was instrumental in getting the gangs of the area to stop fighting, dealing and tagging the neighborhood and showed them that they should be proud of their “hood” and that there was a better way. Michael also enlisted the help of the local business and property owners to take back their streets; it was with their combined efforts that “Project 89109” was such a huge success. One added benefit at the time was that the President of the local Boys and Girls Club took notice and joined forces with Michael to transform an empty and defunct business into a Boys and Girls Club so that the youngsters of the area had a safe place to go after school to be productive and creative rather than run the streets and cause trouble.

On the heels of a very successful “Project 89109,” Michael was approached to fill a leadership void in his decaying neighborhood located in Ward 1 within the City of Las Vegas.

Michael was an unknown in the largest candidate pool ever for a City Council seat. It was filled with seasoned veterans and community leaders. Together with his family, friends and a small group of supporters Michael had a campaign budget of $50.00 on the first day. The funding of his City Council bid was day to day and uncertain at best. It was with the sweat and dedication of his volunteers that his message got out with endless door to door campaigning. Their efforts were rewarded on June 6, 1995 when he won his seat on the City Council of Las Vegas to represent Ward 1.

At 30 years old Michael was the youngest person ever elected to the Las Vegas City Council,  and the youngest Mayor Pro Tem in the City’s history.

Mr. McDonald continued his efforts from within the walls of City Hall. Inside, he had been nicknamed “The Shadow Mayor” but, to his constituents he was affectionately known as the “Pothole Councilman.” Michael was always available to his constituents and no problem was too big or too small for his personal attention. If there was something that a citizen needed and there was no one else to help you could find Michael right there to do the work himself!

Things had changed from his humble beginnings as a candidate. Michael and his team were impressive fundraisers and a force to be reckoned with. Together they were able to raise over a million dollars for a City Council election; a staggering amount of financial support that had only ever been seen during a Mayoral race. His second term on the City Council was won in a landslide victory of 63% in the Primary.

Being a goal oriented individual Michael, wasn’t done yet! He had seen the inner workings of local Government and wanted to become a significant part of the Valley’s growth. He created departments to streamline the efficiency within City Hall; there are many that are still in place today. He was also appointed to many boards and was given the honor of being the (youngest) Chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Not much has changed from his younger days… He still has the utmost respect for his parents, elders, Faith, Community and Country. You can find him most days caring for his father, John.  Look around you may run into them in a local eatery or coffee house.

Michael is still fully entrenched with the Republican Party. He regularly attends meetings and listens to the desires of its members. He hears and understands the frustration from its affiliates and knows that he can be the vehicle of change that the Party needs to push into the approaching election year.  

Portions of the Republican Party have been gravely wounded in these last months.  The Party is in need of a chairman that is able to mend those injuries that have forced it into triage mode. Our new chairman must be able to tend to these wounds, heal them and make our party healthy again very qickly. We need a leader that is willing and able to roll up his sleeves and get the Republican Party back at the top of its game. That person is … Michael McDonald.

NEW HAMPSHIRE - JENNIFER HORN

[elected Jan. 26, 2013; re-elected Jan. 10, 2015]
ed. compiled from several sources...
Jennifer Horn was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in CD-2 in 2010, and was the Republican nominee in CD-2 in 2008 (the first woman nominated to federal office by the New Hampshire Republican Party).  She founded "We The People: A First-in-the-Nation Freedom Forum" – a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the founding principles of the nation. Horn has been an award-winning radio talk show host, newspaper columnist and small business owner. She was named the 2011 NAFRW Woman of the Year. She is a long-time resident of New Hampshire, where she lives in Nashua with her husband, Bill and their five children.

NEW JERSEY - SAM RAIA  

[elected Jan. 11, 2011; re-elected July 2013; re-elected July 2015] 
ed. - On Jan. 7, 2014, Gov. Christie announced his support of Bill Stepien, who ran his 2013 re-election campaign, to be the new chair of the party.  Sam Raia announced his resignation, and Vice Chair Lynda Pagliughi was named acting chair, with a vote to be held on Jan. 15.  However, in his Jan. 9 Bridgegate press conference Christie withdrew his support from Stepien.  On Jan. 28 Raia withdrew his resignation.

Mayor of Saddle River, elected Nov. 2007; he has served on the Borough Council and Planning Board under three different mayors.  Sam has been a Saddle River resident for over 20 years.

Sam is an experienced businessman, having spent 35 years as an executive with Raia Industries, a family business, which, before being sold employed over 500 people. Today, Sam is a Principal with Raia Properties Corporation and Raia Self Storage. He is also a member of the Board of Hackensack University Medical Center as well as the Commence and Industry Association of New Jersey where he also served as an executive officer.  Sam was previously appointed by Governor Thomas Kean to the Insurance Advisory Board and today serves on the Finance Board and as Lector at Saint Gabriel’s Church in Saddle River.

Sam holds a Bachelors degree in public accounting and an MBA.

NEW MEXICO - DEBBIE MAESTAS

[elected Dec. 6, 2014]
Debbie Maestas is a results-driven leader and business executive, skilled at developing and implementing efficient processes that ensure success, growth and profitability of any organization.

She recently served as the Deputy Campaign Manager to the Allen Weh for U.S. Senate campaign where she was responsible for all back office functions, negotiating with vendors, and keeping campaign expenditures within budget.  She also provided management oversight to internet based fundraising, and was an integral member of the media working group that made decisions on all paid media.  Her efforts were directly responsible for significant cost savings and efficiencies that enabled the campaign to achieve parity with opponent despite being outspent over 2:1.

Prior she has spent her recent past 16+ years incorporating her strategic ideas into profitability, business development and operations management for CSI Aviation, Inc.  She departed CSI, as President and held overall responsibility for the business, including Sales, Business Development, Operations, and Service departments as well as its contractual and financial transactions.  Prior to her role as President, she was Executive Vice President/Chief Operations Officer, during which time the largest contract in the history of company was won, growing Sales to $160M.

Her strong organizational and management skills are enhanced by her precise attention to detail, managing multiple facets while at the same time maintaining high ratings of performance for the organization.  She is a proven leader, able to establish and maintain a team environment and promote quality.

She holds a BBA Management/Marketing from Texas Christian University and has attended several Executive Management Courses at Northwestern University; Kellogg School of Management and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. She is also a qualified Real Estate Broker.

She is a native New Mexican, graduated high school from St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque and is married with one daughter.  She is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Delta Gamma Alumni, and Texas Christian University (TCU) Alumni Association.  Her community involvement includes Samaritan's Purse and Calvary of Albuquerque’s Reload Love Ministry.  Among her many interests, she enjoys travel, running and music. 

NEW YORK - ED COX

[from Sept. 2009]
Ed Cox is a lawyer with a distinguished record of service to his Party and in the domestic and international policy arenas.  He has served three U.S. Presidents, four Governors and the Republican Party at the state and national levels.  He was sworn in as Chairman of the Republican Party of New York State on September 29, 2009.

For more than forty years he has supported and campaigned for candidates across the country beginning in 1968 as a part of the Nixon presidential campaign.  In 1972, he travelled extensively as a family surrogate for President Nixon and in 1980 was active in the Reagan campaign.  In 1984, he conceived and organized the statewide volunteer effort which helped carry New York State for the Reagan‑Bush team.  In 1988 and 1992, Cox organized the New York speakers’ bureau for George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaigns. 

Cox has assisted candidates at all levels throughout New York in numerous election cycles.  And in the critical election of 1994, Cox played a key role in helping to elect George Pataki Governor.  He also participated in the Republican National Conventions and presidential campaigns of 1996, 2000, 2004. During the 2008 Presidential election, he served as State Chairman of John McCain’s campaign. 

Under President Reagan, Cox served as General Counsel to the government corporation which financed major synthetic fuels projects. As a Trustee of the State University of New York (SUNY) he has developed cutting-edge policies and programs for community colleges, charter schools, teacher training, facilities construction and finance and administration.  Cox has played a key role under four Governors in the selection of judges for New York's highest court.  In volunteer positions both in and out of government he has been a leader on energy and environmental policies.

His writings on public policy have appeared in The New Republic magazine, the Antitrust Law Journal and the New York Post, and he is co‑author of a book on the Federal Trade Commission.

Cox was born in Suffolk County, Long Island and was raised in Yorkville, New York City, where he graduated from Trinity High School.  He received his B.A. degree in 1968 from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.  He earned his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1972. 

He is a proud veteran having joined the Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) at Princeton in 1964.  He later completed officer and airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia and served as a reserve officer with the 11^th Special Forces Group. 

Cox practices corporate and finance law and has served as a member of the Management Committee and the Chairman of the Corporate Department at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP.  He has represented companies in a wide variety of industries including software, finance, insurance and biotech and has been named to the list of Super Lawyers in the practice of Securities and Finance law. 

Cox married Patricia Nixon in the Rose Garden of the White House in 1971.  They have one child, Christopher, who is a graduate of Princeton and the New York University School of Law.

NORTH CAROLINA - ROBIN HAYES

[elected April 30, 2016 to replace Hasan Harnett]
Also served as chairman from 2011-2013.

Born in Concord, Cabarrus County, N.C., August 14, 1945; B.A., Duke University, Durham, N.C., 1967; member of Concord, N.C., board of aldermen, 1978; member of the North Carolina state house of representatives, 1992-1996; unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor of North Carolina in 1996; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Sixth and to the four succeeding Congress (January 3, 1999-January 3, 2009); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Eleventh Congress in 2008.

NORTH DAKOTA - KELLY ARMSTRONG

[elected June 6, 2015]
Kelly Armstrong, senator from District 36, is a partner in the Reichert Armstrong Law Firm and owner of 4 Point Investments as well as Manager of Armstrong Corporation.

Kelly is a 2003 graduate of the UND School of Law. He is involved in many community activities including St. Joseph’s Hospital fundraising and volunteer fireman. He is also an avid sportsman and coaches baseball.

Kelly lives with his wife Kjersti and children Anna and Elias in Dickinson North Dakota where he deals in various oil and gas issues along with his law practice.

OHIO - MATT BORGES

[elected April 26, 2013; sworn in May 31]
Mr. Borges is Government Relations Director at Roetzel & Andress.  He served as Executive Director for the Kasich-Taylor New Day Inaugural Committee and managed Dave Yost's successful campaign for Ohio Auditor of State. Previously he served as Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager for Treasurer of State Joseph Deters. He was also a lead representative for Senator John McCain and Sarah Palin's Presidential bid in 2008, and worked with the Office of the Vice President, Dick Cheney, where he acted as Lead Advance Representative from 2001 to 2007. Additionally, he ran the successful 2010 primary bid for Bob Gibbs for Congress and consulted for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in 1992, 2000, and 2010.

B.A. in political science from The Ohio State University, 1994.

OKLAHOMA - PAM POLLARD

[elected Oct. 11, 2015]
Pam Pollard, an Accounting graduate of East Central University in Ada, is the owner of Pollard Accounting & Tax Service. Pam has over 27 years experience in business accounting and taxes and specializes in small business startups. She has created accounting systems and computer networks for personal, corporate and small business clients. Pam also works with her family’s 3 engineering and surveying companies as a draftsman and ALTA Survey specialist. She manages the computer systems and bookkeeping and financial systems of the companies.

Pam has been an active volunteer with the Oklahoma Republican Party for 17 years. She has served as State Party Vice-Chairman under Chairman Matt Pinnell from 2011-2013 and has been a member of the state GOP Budget Committee, Executive Committee and State Committee. Pam has served as the State Credentials Chairman for many years organizing and registering delegates to the state convention and helped develop the current computerized voting system for the convention. Pam has taught numerous seminars to the GOP State Committee and traveled the state teaching in counties on various topics including credentials, grassroots organization and financial reporting. Pam has served as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 2004 and 2008 where she was selected both terms to serve on the National Credentials Committee.

Pam has served OK County GOP as County Chairman, Credentials Chair, State Committeewoman, 4th District Committeewoman and has served on the County Executive Committee for the last 15 years. She is the current Treasurer for the OK County Republican Party and has become well known for her expertise in political finance and ethics reporting.

In 2004 Pam worked as the 72 Hr GOTV Program Coordinator for OK County, organizing literature drops to over 97,600 households in a 2 week period using over 200 volunteers, an effort which helped elect Senator Dr. Tom Coburn to the US Senate.

During the 2006 campaign cycle, Pam was the Office Manager and Scheduler for the Istook for Governor Campaign.

In 2009, Pam was chosen to be a part of the Fallin for Governor Campaign and served as the Director of Coalitions, traveling the state speaking on behalf of the campaign and recruiting supporters for now our 1st woman Governor, Mary Fallin.

In May, 2010 Pam was recruited to be the State Director of the 72 Hour Program for OKGOP Victory where she developed the method and analysis for targeting voters for the GOTV, Get Out The Vote, effort making sure all 77 counties had targeted precincts to be part of the program. Pam traveled the state teaching the “GOTV” program and helped teach the OKGOP regional “Boot Camps.” Legislators and grassroots volunteers alike have stated Pam’s leadership played a major role in the Thurs. Nov 4, 2010 Tulsa World headline, “Triumph of Turnout.”

Pam was asked to serve on Governor Mary Fallin’s Inauguration Team as the Liaison for her charitable project, Feeding Oklahoma Food Drive and was instrumental in Gov Fallin reaching her goal of 20,000 pounds of food and $100,000 in donations.

Pam has been a member of the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women for over 17 years. She is the current State President and has served as State Historian, State Credentials and State Treasurer. Pam wrote the “No Fear Treasurer’s Manual” for the organization and has taught numerous classes for treasurers. She has been a member of the Mid-Del, Heartland and OKC Republican Women’s clubs, having held every Club Office during her time.

Pam has been recognized for her volunteer work at the local, state and national levels. She received the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the OKC Metro Young Republicans in 2004 and the prestigious Skip Healey Party Builder Award from the OK State Republican Party in 2009.
Pam worked for Americans for Prosperity-Oklahoma as the Asst. State Director. She helped organize the very first Tea Parties in Oklahoma in February 2009 and has taught numerous seminars on the importance of grassroots involvement. After Pam left AFP-OK she continued her volunteer involvement and for that was 1 of 4 people in the nation recognized as an outstanding activist by Americans for Prosperity at their Defending the Dream Summit in Washington, DC in Oct 2009.

Pam is a proud member of the NRA and has her concealed carry permit.

Pam loves Oklahoma politics but her true love is her family. Pam is married to Glenn, her sweetheart of 26 years and is the step-mother of 6 and grandmother to 12. She believes one of her proudest achievements was home-schooling 2 of the grandkids, if even for just a few years. Next to family, Pam’s greatest love is her Church, Sooner-Rose Baptist Church where she serves as the pianist and young women’s Sunday School teacher.

Pam says one of her favorite themes is “God, Family and Country.” She worships God, loves family and honors her country. Pam often states she feels her friends in the GOP to be somewhere between family and country!

OREGON - BILL CURRIER

[elected Feb. 28, 2015]
Bill Currier was elected Chair of the Oregon Republican Party (ORP) in February, 2015, after serving as ORP Vice Chair for two years and CD5 Treasurer since August 2012. Before that he served as the elected Chair of the Benton County Republican Party. Bill started his service in the Republican Party as an elected Precinct Committee Person (PCP), and remains a PCP to this day. During his party service Bill has seen first-hand the importance of Republicans working together to win elections in Oregon."

Since February 2010 Bill has contributed his business skills to help the ORP, various Republican organizations, GOP candidates, and grassroots volunteers. Bill has been active in developing and deploying improved voter registration, get-out-the-vote, and online collaboration tools for the Republican Party. These tools have been used by the Party and many Republican candidates, to identify and contact voters during campaigns, and to coordinate activities and share resources among staff and volunteers.

In November 2014 Bill was re-elected to his fifth term as Mayor of Adair Village, a small city in Benton County. In this volunteer position Bill has focused on running efficient meetings and building consensus, despite sometimes strong differences of opinion and perspective. Under his leadership the City has improved services, increased volunteer participation, and enhanced public safety -- all without raising taxes. Republican principles have been applied to public policy, resulting in benefits to the community.

Bill owns an IT business, established in 2004, which gives him considerable flexibility in his schedule. This flexibility and the support of his wife Becky have allowed him to volunteer the time needed to rebuild the ORP. Prior to starting his business he served his community as a police officer, and came to respect the importance of our Constitution and the rule-of-law in protecting our rights as citizens. Bill is committed to leading the Party in protecting and preserving these freedoms now, before they are lost forever.

As Chair of the Oregon Republican Party, Bill is responsible for general oversight of ORP operations, fundraising and partner relations, presiding over Executive Committee and Central Committee meetings, and developing programs to ensure that the Party achieves its goals. Bill has stated that his initial three objectives as Chair are 1) Organizing the Party for victory in the 2016 elections, 2) Transitioning the Party to issue-based strategies, and 3) Focusing the Party on action-oriented programs.

PENNSYLVANIA - ROB GLEASON

[elected June 3, 2006; re-elected Feb. 7, 2009 and Feb. 9, 2013]
Rob Gleason brings unmatched enthusiasm and experience to the chairmanship of the Republican Party unparalleled. Rob was unanimously re-elected Chairman in 2013 to a four-year term as Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

Rob joined his family’s business in 1965, after four years of active duty as a Captain in the United States Air Force. The grandson of company founder, Gus M. Gleason, Rob has held virtually every position at Gleason, Inc. Upon the retirement of his father, Robert A. Gleason, Sr. in 1970, Rob served as the Agency’s President until 1994, at which time he was named Chairman and CEO. Under his skilled leadership, Gleason was ranked among the 150 largest property and casualty insurance brokers in the United States. In 2010, The Gleason Agency and Gleason Financial merged with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, the fourth largest brokerage in the world. Rob Gleason is well known throughout the country in his field and is considered one of the leading brokers in the insurance industry.

In 1985, Rob took a sabbatical to serve as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Appointed to a two-year term by former Pennsylvania Governor and United States Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh, Rob resigned from his position at Gleason and moved to Harrisburg, PA to assume the new role. Rob’s appointment and his unanimous approval by the Senate were due to what Thornburgh referred to as his “excellence and commitment to good, clean, hard-hitting politics, solid government and devotion to the community.”

He returned to Gleason in 1987 and still remains extremely active in politics on the national, state and county levels. In 1996 he succeeded his father, Robert A. Gleason Sr. as Chairman of the Cambria County Republican Committee. Robert A. Gleason Sr. was the longest tenured County Chairman in the history of the Republican Party. Rob Gleason was unanimously re-elected as Chairman in 1998 and served until stepping down in 2011.

In May 1993, Gleason was nominated to be a member of the five-person Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously confirmed him. He served on the Commission until September 1997, during which time he helped determine policy on construction, operation, and maintenance issues, as well as addressing finance and contract concerns.

In September 1997, Pennsylvania Governor Thomas J. Ridge appointed Rob to the State Transportation Commission. The Commission gathers and studies information relating to the needs of highways and all types of mass transportation to determine the need and the recommended order of priority for their construction or reconstruction. Among his many political accomplishments Rob Gleason is proud to have led gubernatorial candidate Mike Fisher to victory in Cambria County. Despite an overwhelming 2:1 Democratic edge, Mike Fisher won Cambria County with 57% of the vote. Again in 2004 with the same registration statistics, Rob Gleason pulled off a huge win for President Bush, and for the first time in over 50 years, a Republican presidential candidate carried Cambria County with a 2.2% margin.

A 1961 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Rob remains very active in the University. In 1998, he was appointed a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Gleason has also served as a trustee of St. Francis College, Loretto, PA from 1978-1988 and was the Vice Chair from 1991-1992.

In October 1999, he was elected Chairman of The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, an organization that represents the 300 largest insurance brokers in the United States. The Council places 80% – more than $90 billion of the commercial property/casualty insurance premiums in the United States. They also provide industry leadership, visible and effective representation before government, executive training and agency management programs.

Rob has always believed in community involvement and is affiliated with various civic, philanthropic and professional organizations. He currently serves as Chairman of the Parish Finance Council of the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows. He formerly served as director and secretary for the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, as trustee and Chairman of Memorial Medical Center and as a trustee of Conemaugh Health System.

In 2004 Rob was named Co-Chairman for the Catholics for Bush in PA. He traveled the state extensively, meeting with the Catholic leadership. This effort and increased the Catholic vote for President Bush in the Commonwealth by 4% (increase from 2000).

In May 2006, President George W. Bush announced his intentions to nominate Mr. Gleason to the Commission on Presidential Scholars. The members of the Commission on Presidential Scholars are charged with honoring, on behalf of President of the United States, some our of Nation’s future leaders. The Commissioners are appointed by the President and come from across the country, representing a variety of fields, including: education, medicine, law, public service, business, and other professions.

After his election as Chairman of the Republican Party in June of 2006, Rob was tasked with completely rebuilding the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. In 2009, Republicans won 6 of 7 statewide judicial races.

In 2010, under Gleason’s leadership, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania celebrated the most successful cycle in its history, winning the Governor’s mansion, a U.S. Senate seat, five new Congressional seats, retaining control of the State Senate and retaking majority control of the State House.

In 2011, Republicans won another statewide judicial race and expanded their majority control of county courthouses by securing 51 of 67 courthouses.

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania received national attention thanks to Gleason’s efforts, as Pennsylvania Republicans won more takeaways than any other state. Assuming a greater role in the Republican Party’s national affairs, Gleason serves on the Republican National Committee’s Executive Budget Committee.

Despite a difficult cycle for Republicans nationally in 2012, Gleason helped Republicans also expanded their already dominant Congressional majority by winning an additional seat in Western Pennsylvania.

Rob Gleason has been married to Jeanne for 45 years. They have four children and six grandchildren.

RHODE ISLAND - BRANDON BELL

[elected March 26, 2015]
Chairman Bell has been a practicing trial attorney in State and Federal Courts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut for the last 18 years.  His law firm, Fontaine Bell, LLP, represents individuals and businesses in criminal, domestic relations and civil litigation/administrative litigation. Bell has also represented the State GOP as well as various city and town committees and candidates on elections cases before the Board of Elections and at State Supreme and Federal Courts.  Brandon and his wife Lisa are very involved in the community and together they have 3 children.  twitter

SOUTH CAROLINA - MATT MOORE

[elected June 8, 2013, succeeding Chad Connelly who resigned to take RNC position; re-elected May 2, 2015]
Matt Moore previously served as State Director for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and served as the South Carolina Republican Party's Executive Director in 2011 and 2012, managing over $3 million in political expenditures as Governor Mitt Romney soundly defeated President Barack Obama in South Carolina. Moore has advised three winning gubernatorial campaigns and nearly one hundred other winning Republican campaigns.

Moore and his wife, Meg, are members of Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. He sits on the board of the Palmetto Family Council and holds a bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech.  twitter

SOUTH DAKOTA - PAM ROBERTS

[elected March 2015]
Pam Roberts has been an active and loyal Republican for forty years.  She married into a Republican family – her husband, Clay, is the son of former US Congressman Clint Roberts.  Pam has served as President of the South Dakota Federation of Republican Women and Chair of the Hughes County Republican Party and as a longtime member of Cenkota Republican Women.  Pam has also been active in her support of numerous state and local Republican campaigns.

Roberts recently retired from a career of leadership in state government, in which she served on the Cabinet  of Governors Mickelson, Miller, Janklow, Rounds and Daugaard.  As a senior cabinet official and advisor, Pam has a strong reputation of leadership, sound management, a focus on achievement, and a firm commitment to conservative principles

Pam and her husband, Clay, operate a farm/ranch in Stanley and Lyman counties.  They have a son and daughter who are each married with two children of their own.  She is excited to dedicate her time and talent to leading the South Dakota Republican Party.  twitter

TENNESSEE - RYAN HAYNES

[elected April 11, 2015]
ed. Haynes represented the 14th District (Knoxville) in the Tennessee House, first elected in Nov. 2008 when he was 23 years old; resigned effective  May 27, 2015.  Graduate of the University of Tennessee.  twitter

TEXAS - TOM MECHLER

[elected March 2015 to fill unexpired term of Steve Munisteri]
Tom Mechler was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) in March 2015 by the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) to fulfill the unexpired term of Steve Munisteri. He has been politically involved for thirty years. He was previously appointed Treasurer of the RPT by his predecessor in September 2010, a position he held for nearly 4-1/2 years. He previously served as a county Republican Chairman for a combined period of twelve years at three different locations and served on the SREC representing District 28 from 2002 – 2006. He also served as the Platform Committee Chairman at the 2012 and 2014 State Conventions.

Governor Perry appointed Tom to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) in November 2005 where he served for nearly nine years, the last five of which as the Vice-Chairman where he was 2nd in command of the state agency responsible for operating 109 prisons, including a $3.3 billion per year budget, 37,000 employees and 22,000 volunteers.

Tom’s business experience includes serving as President of Manna Services, Inc. which operates as a small oil & gas production company and is involved in providing consulting services to independent oil and gas producers in the Texas Panhandle. Tom has extensive experience in the negotiation and auditing of gas purchase contracts for the natural gas industry. He previously worked for ARCO for ten years, seven of which were in Alaska, where he and his family lived in Wasilla. His past assignments included duties as an offshore production foreman, facility engineer at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, facility planner, and technical director.

Tom graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1980 and received a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Finance degree in 1992 from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which is the top finance university in the world. He is a registered Mechanical Engineer as well as a Volunteer Prison Chaplain. He and his wife Becky currently reside on a ranch outside of Amarillo and have six adult children and fifteen grandchildren.  twitter

UTAH - JAMES EVANS

[elected May 18, 2013]
-The immediate past Chair of the UTGOP Constitution and Bylaws Committee. Recent focus has been to look into ways to provide more participation in caucuses, and to possibly enable more participation by candidates in our election system.

-Former State Senator from Senate District 1.

-Over a decade of energetic county and state grassroots political work geared towards improving the health of the Caucus/Convention system.

-Over four years on the Salt Lake County GOP Bylaws Committee, working to reduce infighting and to streamline and improve the administration of the county party.

-Four years as the Chair of the Salt Lake County GOP, with a focus on improving precinct participation, countering the liberal media's efforts to continuously portray Republican candidates and elected officials unfairly in a bad light, and winning races in normally liberal districts in Salt Lake County. Attendance at Salt Lake County GOP Central Committee meetings went from a low of 60 to regularly over 500.

-Personally participated in the training of every Salt Lake County candidate while County Party Chair.

-Successful fundraiser as the Salt Lake County GOP Chair, raising over $500,000.

-Served as precinct, legislative, senate and region chair as well as county, state, and national delegate.

-Graduated from Tuskegee University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.

ed. note: Evans is the first African-American leader of the state party.  He owns the Ogden based payday lending company Chek Line (Check Line, Inc.).  According to the Associated Press he is a former Air Force captain.

VERMONT - DAVID SUNDERLAND

[elected Nov. 9, 2013]
twitter

VIRGINIA - JOHN C. WHITBECK, JR.

[elected Jan. 24, 2015; re-elected May 2, 2016]
John C. Whitbeck, Jr. is an attorney and small-business owner from Loudoun County, Virginia. His law practice focuses on family law, education law, criminal law, mental health law and civil litigation.

Chairman Whitbeck was elected on January 24, 2015 to serve the remaining term of retiring Chairman Pat Mullins. He was previously the Chairman of the 10th Congressional District Committee, which played a key role in Rep. Barbara Comstock’s landslide win in 2014.

He previously served as a professor of law at George Mason University Law School, and the former Director of the George Mason University Law and Mental Illness Clinic. The Clinic provided pro bono legal representation to the families of mentally ill individuals seeking to have their loved ones committed to psychiatric treatment.

In addition to his law practice, Chairman Whitbeck served as Substitute Judge in Virginia District Courts and Special Prosecutor in the Loudoun County General District Courts.

Chairman Whitbeck is active in the Loudoun County Community, serving at various times on Local Governmental Boards and Charitable Boards, including the Loudoun County Government Reform Commission, Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, President of the Lansdowne on the Potomac Homeowner’s Association and the Loudoun County Criminal Justice Board.

He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus in the St. John’s Parish in Leesburg, Virginia.
Chairman Whitbeck attended law school at George Mason University., and graduated with an A.B. in Politics from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California.

During his time at Occidental, he was a starting tight end and offensive lineman on the NCAA affiliated football team, was a member of the Occidental Rugby Club, and served as the President of the Delta Phi Chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity in his junior and senior years.

Mr. Whitbeck was also the Chairman of the Occidental chapter of the College Republicans in his sophomore and junior years.  twitter

WASHINGTON - SUSAN HUTCHISON

[elected Aug. 24, 2013; re-elected Jan. 2015] 
Susan is a community leader and philanthropic executive who brings a knack for connecting vision and action to major civic and philanthropic organizations in the United States. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Scienc...es in Seattle, Vice President of the All-Star Orchestra in New York, and Board Finance Chair of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.

As the Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, a philanthropic foundation based in Seattle, Susan has helped the fund provide $100 million in grants to arts, science and education programs during her 10-year leadership. Major grantees include the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey; Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST); Seattle Symphony; Seattle Art Museum; Russian National Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts; Seattle Public Schools Inquiry Science Program; and Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

Susan is well known in Western Washington as a distinguished TV news anchor, who served the Puget Sound region as a broadcaster and community leader for more than 20 years. During her career at KIRO-TV (CBS), she anchored the highest rated newscasts in Seattle, receiving numerous awards, including five Emmys for producing, writing, and reporting news and documentaries.

In 2009, Susan ran for the nonpartisan office of King County Executive and won the primary with endorsements from Democrats and Republicans. She also received the endorsement of the Northwest’s largest newspaper, The Seattle Times, but lost in the general election. Even so, her campaign is credited with changing King County government by persuasively advocating for sound fiscal policies.

At the request of the King County Executive, Susan served on the 10-member King County Independent Task Force on Elections, which provided recommendations to the county and state to improve the fairness and accuracy of elections following the disputed 2004 Washington gubernatorial race. She was appointed to the Governor’s A+ Commission for Education and the NCAA Committee for Compliance at the University of Washington.

As an adjunct professor for Seattle Pacific University’s MBA program, Susan instructed graduate students in managerial communications, an effort based on her 10 years as a communications consultant. Through her business, Susan Hutchison Presents, she has trained more than 100 high-tech executives in companies such as Microsoft to effectively communicate to audiences. Susan is a graduate of the University of Florida with a B.S. in Journalism.

WEST VIRGINIA - CONRAD LUCAS

[first elected May 12, 2012 following resignation of previous; re-elected to full 4-year term July 2014]
Conrad Lucas was born in Huntington and raised in Lincoln and Morgan Counties. His family history in West Virginia goes back to the coalfields of the 1790s. He is a product of West Virginia public schools but also holds a bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from Vanderbilt, a master’s from Harvard, a law degree from Tulane and a certificate in international law from the Sorbonne in Paris.

Professionally, he has served as an aide to Rep. Shelley Capito, a policy analyst for an education think tank in New Orleans, and as an attorney with a prestigious corporate defense firm as well as an occasional adjunct professor at Mountain State University.

Politically, he previously served as the general counsel to the West Virginia Republican Party and as chairman of the West Virginia Young Republicans. He represented West Virginia at the 2000 Republican National Convention and was elected as a delegate to the 2012 Convention. In 2010, he served as the RNC Victory Director for West Virginia. He is currently the youngest state chairman in the country.

He is a past recipient of the West Virginia Governor’s Community Service Award, and he was a Golden Horseshoe winner.  twitter

WISCONSIN - BRAD COURTNEY

[elected early March 2011; re-elected Dec. 2014]
ed. compiled from several sources...
Brad Courtney has served on the RPW’s Executive Committee since 1993 and served a previous stint as chairman in 2006 and before that was vice chairman.  He served as grassroots chairman for Scott Walker’s campaign for governor in 2010 and as finance chairman on Walker's campaign for Milwaukee County Executive.  He also worked on Rick Graber's campaign for state Assembly in 1990.  Courtney has worked in the family business, Courtney Industrial Battery, for over two decades.  He has degrees in political science and business administration from Vanderbilt University.  He resides in Whitefish Bay with his wife Barbara and their three daughters. 

WYOMING - MATT MICHELI

[elected mid-April 2015] 
Of counsel at Holland & Hart in their Cheyenne office.  J.D. from Brigham Young University Law School, 2002; B.A. from University of Wyoming, 1999.

PUERTO RICO - JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON  

AMERICAN SAMOA - UTU ABE MALAE  

GUAM - VICTOR CRUZ

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - JOHN CANEGATA 

CNMI - JAMES ADA

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Seniority of State Republican Chairs
(approximate seniority based on date elected or filling vacancy)
-most state chairs serve two-year terms* and are elected in odd-numbered years-

2004
[03/26] LA-Roger F. Villere, Jr.

2006
[06/03] PA-Rob Gleason

2008
[12/13] AR-Doyle Webb

2009
[Sept.] NY-Ed Cox

2011
[01/11] NJ-Sam Raia
[ea. March] WI-Brad Courtney

2012
[01/11] MS-Joe Nosef
[04/22] NV-Michael McDonald
[05/12] WV-Conrad Lucas

2013
[01/26] AZ-Robert Graham
[01/26] NH-Jennifer Horn
[01/26or27] KS-Kelly Arnold
[01/31] MA-Kirsten Hughes
[03/03] CA-Jim Brulte
[04/06] MN-Keith Downey
[04/20] MD-Diana Waterman
[04/26] OH-Matt Borges  (sworn in 05/31)
[05/18] GA-John Padgett
[05/18] UT-James Evans
[06/08] SC-Matt Moore
[07/20] DE-Charlie Copeland
[07/20] ME-Rick Bennett
[08/24] WA-Susan Hutchison
[11/09] VT-David Sunderland

2014
[05/17] IL-Tim Schneider
[06/28] IA-Jeff Kaufmann
[ea. Aug.] ID-Stephen Yates
[12/06] NM-Debbie Maestas

2015
[01/08] DC-Jose Cunningham
[01/17] FL-Blaise Ingoglia
[01/24] VA-John C. Whitbeck, Jr.
[02/21] AL-Terry Lathan
[02/21] MI-Ronna Romney McDaniel
[02/28] OR-Bill Currier
[March] SD-Pam Roberts
[March] TX-Tom Melcher
[03/14] CO-Steve House
[03/21] NE-Dan Welch
[03/26] RI-Brandon Bell
[04/01] IN-Jeff Cardwell
[04/11] TN-Ryan Haynes
[mid-April] WY-Matt Micheli
[05/02] HI-Fritz Rohlfing
[06/06] ND-Kelly Armstrong
[06/23] CT-J.R. Romano
[06/28] MT-Jeff Essmann
[09/21] MO-John Hancock
[10/11] OK-Pam Pollard
[11/09] KY-Mac Brown

2016
[late April] AK-Tuckerman Babcock
[04/30] NC-Robin Hayes

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