Jo Ann Davidson
Chairman, Committee on Arrangements
 Jo Ann Davidson was named Chairman of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2008 Republican National Convention on January 18, 2007.
In addition to her duties in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Davidson serves as Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., a position she was first elected to on January 19, 2005. Davidson continues to devote her full energies to growing the Party and developing a strong grassroots political organization.
Learn more about Jo Ann here.
Maria Cino
President and Chief Executive Officer
 Maria Cino is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 2008 Republican National Convention. As CEO of the Committee on Arrangements (COA), the RNC body responsible for planning the convention, Cino is charged with organizing, managing and producing the Republican Party’s 39th quadrennial convention. Cino brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in senior level positions in the executive and legislative branches of government, as well as the private sector. She has a proven record of managing and leading field-based organizations, developing and adhering to complex budgets, setting short-term and long-term strategic goals, building coalitions and developing, motivating, and mentoring staffs.
Learn more about Maria here.
Mel Raines
 Vice President
Raines will serve as Vice President of the COA. Most recently, Raines served as Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for Political Affairs. Previously, Raines served as the Director, Government Affairs Outreach and Communications, for Altria Corporate Services, Inc. She also held positions at the 2000 and 2004 Republican National Conventions, the Republican National Committee (RNC), and in the office of United States Senator Daniel Coats (R-IN). Raines holds a B.A. degree from Indiana University-Bloomington.
Learn more about Mel here.
Anthony Foti
Director of External Affairs
 Foti serves as Director of External Affairs for the 2008 Republican National Convention. His duties include outreach to the business community; federal, state, and local government offices; interest groups; and members of the general public. Foti, a Senior Policy Advisor at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Washington, DC, joined the convention staff in Minneapolis-Saint Paul in December. In 2004, Foti served as the director of the 72 Hour Task Force Legal Volunteer Program for the Republican National Committee. In 2000, he was appointed by the Bush-Cheney 2000 transition office as coordinator of the Transition Advisory Committees, where he directed the operations of the committees that advised the president-elect on policy and management matters. Foti previously served as district director to Congressman Bill Paxon (R-NY) from 1994-1998 and was the Western New York regional director for New York State Assembly Minority Leader John Faso. He received his B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
 Dan Puhl
Chief Financial Officer
A licensed Certified Public Accountant, Puhl serves as Chief Financial Officer of the COA. Puhl joined the convention from Fairview Health Services, a Minneapolis-based corporation. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor in accounting, finance and business at Academy College in Bloomington, Minn. Puhl previously held positions as Controller for Highland Electric and Fairview Press and served 28 years in the Army. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Minnesota and master’s degrees from Metropolitan State University and U.S. Army War College. Puhl is a resident of Saint Paul, Minn.
Frank Spicka
Director of Security
 As Director of Security, Spicka works in close partnership with local, state, and federal law enforcement in planning, coordinating, and implementing a comprehensive security plan for the convention. Previously, Spicka was a senior-level law enforcement professional with the United States Secret Service (USSS) for more than 24 years. Spicka participated in complex protective, investigative, intelligence, and international liaison activities. He is experienced in protecting national and world leaders, as well as planning and supervising operational security for designated National Special Security Events (NSSE) and other large-scale events. Spicka is a Saint Paul, Minn. native and received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
 Shannon Boozman
Director of Delegate Services
Boozman serves as Director of Delegate Services for the COA. Prior to joining the convention, Boozman served the Bush Administration as Director of Association Outreach for the U.S. Commercial Service, United States Department of Commerce. She previously served as the Deputy Chief of Protocol at the Department of Commerce. Prior to joining the Bush Administration, Boozman held positions with the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Committee and the 2004 Republican National Convention. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Arkansas and is a native of Rogers, Ark.
 Matt Burns
Director of Communications and Spokesman
Burns serves as Director of Communications and Spokesman for the COA. Prior to joining the COA, Burns served the Bush Administration and former RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson as Press Secretary at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. He previously served in former New York Governor George Pataki’s Administration, and at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Burns, a northern New York native, holds a B.A. degree from Monmouth University (NJ).
 Mike Miller
Director of Operations, Media Operations, Production and Official Proceedings
Miller, a veteran of the last nine Republican National Conventions, serves as Director of Operations, Media Operations, Production and Official Proceedings. He and his team oversee the complex operational aspects of planning a large-scale event and handle the needs of the anticipated 15,000 members of the media on site to cover the proceedings. Miller also directs the production and staging of the event and structures the convention's official proceedings. Miller has worked as a staff member for every Republican Convention since 1972, and covered the two conventions prior to that as a journalist.
 Gabi Plumlee
Deputy to the COA Chairman
Prior to joining the convention, Plumlee served as deputy director of member events and relations at the Republican National Committee. She previously served as events coordinator for Nevada Victory 2004 where she was the ground contact handling all Presidential, Vice Presidential, and surrogate visits in the state of Nevada during the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign. Previously, she was an account executive at Cooley Advertising in Phoenix, Arizona. Plumlee is a graduate of Arizona State University.
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