The Republican National Committee's Committee on Arrangements, with the assistance of a local host committee, organizes the quadrennial GOP convention. The party's 2008 festivities might be the first such event of either party in which the organizational chart is entirely headed by women: RNC Co-Chair Jo Ann Davidson chairs the Committee on Arrangements; former Deputy Transportation Secretary Maria Cino is its president and CEO; Mel Raines, a former assistant to Vice President Cheney, is the vice president; and Cynthia Lesher, the president and CEO of Northern States Power Company-Minnesota, presides over the host committee.
To translate the 2008 plans into on-the-ground reality, Cino has put together a team of seasoned hands and convention neophytes. Many of her coordinators are working on at least their fifth convention; at their side, she has placed relative newcomers whom she hopes to see run future conventions.
This article appeared in the Saturday, August 2, 2008 edition of National Journal.
Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & PM Must Reads. News and analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.
Join the Discussion