Kirsten Kukowski has been named Communications Director for the 2016 GOP Convention in Cleveland.
Kukowski was Communications Director for Scott Walker’s presidential campaign, and served as Press Secretary for the RNC and on Mark Kirk’s U.S. Senate campaign in Illinois.
First reported by Politico’s Mike Allen, “Kyle Downey, a well-known Capitol Hill spokesman and strategist who has worked for Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), will be named Press Secretary of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa.”
Downey had been serving as Communications Director for the Senate Republican Conference, which Thune chaired.
“The Conference and the Policy Committee were each chaired by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), on whose staff Downey served as communications director since Thune’s election in 2004.”
“Prior to joining Sen. Thune’s staff, Downey was Communications Director for Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Press Secretary to the House Budget Committee under the chairmanship of Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA). He also served as Press Secretary to the House Republican Conference under the chairmanship of Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK).
“A Wisconsin native, Downey began his political career in Florida as a volunteer in the 2000 Bush-Gore ballot recount, later helping organize press events in the Tampa Bay area for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s 2002 re-election campaign.” (Politico)
First reported in this morning’s Politico “Playbook”, the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa has hired Paul Morrell to serve as Deputy Director of Communications.
RNC Convention Communications Director James Davis says, “Since coming on-board as Communications Director in October 2011, I’ve made building the strongest communications team in convention history a top priority. We will work aggressively together to continue building out this team as we prepare to nominate and elect the next President of the United States.”
Paul has spent more than 20 years on Capitol Hill, where he worked for a number of members including House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX). Following Rep. Armey’s retirement from Congress, Morrell worked as Deputy Chief of Staff for Secretary of Energy Spence Abraham and Director of Communications Planning at the National Security Council. He spent the last four years of the Bush administration as Chief of Staff at NASA.
After departing the Bush administration, Morrell worked for S4 Inc., a strategic communications firm located in Crystal City, and as a consultant to BP during the Gulf oil spill response and recovery.
Morrell is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park. (Politico’s “Playbook” / PF tipster)
Caroline Gonzmart is now serving as the Press Assistant to the 2012 Republican National Convention Director of Communications James Davis. She brings local news experience to the convention team, having previously worked as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor at the top-rated CBS affiliate, WCTV, in Tallahassee, FL.
Gonzmart received a B.S. in Communications and Media Studies and a minor in Spanish from Florida State University. Her family is from Tampa.
The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012. Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event, including approximately 5,000 delegates and alternate delegates and 15,000 credentialed members of the media. (PF tipster)
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