- Political
Parties « Republican
National Committee « Press Release
August 10, 2016
RNC Announces New Additions To African American Engagement Initiative
WASHINGTON
– Today the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced three new
additions to its Strategic Initiatives team who will help fulfill the
RNC’s goal of growing the Party and communicating the Republican
message to every American.
Ashley Bell will serve as Senior Strategist and National Director of African American Political Engagement, Shannon Reeves will serve as Senior Advisor to the RNC’s Political Department, and Elroy Sailor will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Chairman. Leah Le’Vell will serve as the African American Initiatives and Urban Media Fellow.
“With these new additions to our Strategic Initiatives team, we are growing our long-term commitment to engaging with Black voters and being the Party that promotes new models to solve old problems,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “One of the RNC’s key goals has been to take our message to the Black community and make the case why we are the only Party capable of delivering prosperity, security, and freedom for every neighborhood in America. Leah Le’Vell's engagement with college students and Telly Lovelace’s interaction with the media has been key to this effort. Ashley Bell, Shannon Reeves, and Elroy Sailor will play an integral role in communicating why all Americans can benefit from Republican policies that will grow our economy and make our communities and families stronger and safer.”
Bell is a former Commissioner of Hall County, Georgia and is a Chair of the African American criminal justice reform advocacy organization the 2020 Leaders of America. In that role Bell has partnered with Facebook, Google, Fusion Network, the National Association of Black Officers, and many other civil rights groups to advocate for reforming America’s criminal justice system. Bell was also a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention and was recently named one of the American Bar Association’s Top 40 Young Lawyers in the nation. Bell is a regular cable news political commentator and former Fox News radio host in the Atlanta area.
Shannon Reeves, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Alabama A & M University, will advise the RNC on statistical data analysis and African American voter identification for the Party. He is a prolific fundraiser, civic leader and grassroots organizer who formerly served as National Director of State and Local Development for the RNC. Previously, he was elected Secretary of the California Republican Party, as well as President and Executive Director of the Oakland, California chapter of the NAACP.
Elroy Sailor, founder and CEO of the J.C Watts Companies, will provide strategic and political counsel to the RNC. He brings over 25 years of political, policy and business experience. Sailor served as Senior Advisor and Director of Strategic Programs for Rand Paul for President, 2016; national surrogate for George W. Bush’s presidential campaign, 2000 and 2004; and as a national strategist for several U.S. House mid-term elections. His senior roles at the federal and state level have included serving under House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts, U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham, and Governor John Engler of Michigan. Sailor led the team that built the largest African American owned corporate and political affairs firm in Washington D.C. He also managed the historic acquisition of the first African American owned John Deere dealership in United States.
Le’Vell is a rising senior at Georgia State University. She has interned in the United States House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. She has been involved in numerous campaigns in her home state of Georgia. Most recently she serves as a board member of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. Her work will focus on GOP engagement strategies for African American millennials and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Ashley Bell will serve as Senior Strategist and National Director of African American Political Engagement, Shannon Reeves will serve as Senior Advisor to the RNC’s Political Department, and Elroy Sailor will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Chairman. Leah Le’Vell will serve as the African American Initiatives and Urban Media Fellow.
“With these new additions to our Strategic Initiatives team, we are growing our long-term commitment to engaging with Black voters and being the Party that promotes new models to solve old problems,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “One of the RNC’s key goals has been to take our message to the Black community and make the case why we are the only Party capable of delivering prosperity, security, and freedom for every neighborhood in America. Leah Le’Vell's engagement with college students and Telly Lovelace’s interaction with the media has been key to this effort. Ashley Bell, Shannon Reeves, and Elroy Sailor will play an integral role in communicating why all Americans can benefit from Republican policies that will grow our economy and make our communities and families stronger and safer.”
Bell is a former Commissioner of Hall County, Georgia and is a Chair of the African American criminal justice reform advocacy organization the 2020 Leaders of America. In that role Bell has partnered with Facebook, Google, Fusion Network, the National Association of Black Officers, and many other civil rights groups to advocate for reforming America’s criminal justice system. Bell was also a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention and was recently named one of the American Bar Association’s Top 40 Young Lawyers in the nation. Bell is a regular cable news political commentator and former Fox News radio host in the Atlanta area.
Shannon Reeves, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Alabama A & M University, will advise the RNC on statistical data analysis and African American voter identification for the Party. He is a prolific fundraiser, civic leader and grassroots organizer who formerly served as National Director of State and Local Development for the RNC. Previously, he was elected Secretary of the California Republican Party, as well as President and Executive Director of the Oakland, California chapter of the NAACP.
Elroy Sailor, founder and CEO of the J.C Watts Companies, will provide strategic and political counsel to the RNC. He brings over 25 years of political, policy and business experience. Sailor served as Senior Advisor and Director of Strategic Programs for Rand Paul for President, 2016; national surrogate for George W. Bush’s presidential campaign, 2000 and 2004; and as a national strategist for several U.S. House mid-term elections. His senior roles at the federal and state level have included serving under House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts, U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham, and Governor John Engler of Michigan. Sailor led the team that built the largest African American owned corporate and political affairs firm in Washington D.C. He also managed the historic acquisition of the first African American owned John Deere dealership in United States.
Le’Vell is a rising senior at Georgia State University. She has interned in the United States House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. She has been involved in numerous campaigns in her home state of Georgia. Most recently she serves as a board member of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. Her work will focus on GOP engagement strategies for African American millennials and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
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