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Democratic National Committee Announces Senior Leadership Team for Denver 2008 Convention

Washington, DC –Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today announced the six members of the senior leadership team for the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC). This talented group of professionals brings extensive experience representative of the commitment to excellence, inclusion and accessibility that will be a hallmark of the 2008 Denver Convention.

“We are excited about being in Denver for the 2008 convention, where in 17 months we will nominate the next President of the United States,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. “I am very proud to announce the members of our convention leadership team who, as a whole, are representative of the talent, experience and diversity that characterizes the Democrat Party. This team will be on the ground working closely with our partners in Denver to actively engage all communities in new and creative ways to showcase our party’s nominee and the issues that will lead the Democrats to victory in 2008.”

Governor Dean will formally kick-off the 2008 Denver Convention with a community celebration Thursday. He will be joined by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver 2008 Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth and the DNCC senior leadership team members.

The leadership team is headed by Leah Daughtry who will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the 2008 Convention. Daughtry is currently the Chief of Staff at the DNC, managing day-to-day strategy and operations. Among her many accomplishments, Daughtry served at the U.S. Department of Labor as Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management during the Clinton Administration. In that capacity, she oversaw the development of the Department’s management programs and policies, including responsibility for the Department’s $35 billion budget. Throughout her career, Daughtry has been widely recognized as bringing sound, principled management and leadership practices to organizations with which she has worked.

Daughtry will be joined by the following outstanding members of the DNCC Denver 2008 senior management team:

Leah Daughtry, CEO
Peggy Cusack, Chief of Staff
Susana Carbajal, General Counsel
Jenni Engebretsen, Deputy CEO for Public Affairs
Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Relations
Cameron Moody, Deputy CEO for Operations
Jim McMullen, Deputy CEO for Administration and Finance

Leah Daughtry, Chief Executive Officer
The Reverend Leah D. Daughtry is currently Chief of Staff of the Democratic National Committee and leads the DNC’s outreach to faith communities. Daughtry held various senior posts at the United States Department of Labor during the Clinton Administration, including Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Chief of Staff, and lastly, Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, with oversight for the development of the Department’s management programs and policies, including responsibility for the Department’s $35 billion budget. Daughtry also served on the Clinton-Gore 1992 Transition Team, as Managing Director of the 1992 Democratic National Convention, and as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns.

Pastor of The House of the Lord Church in Washington, D.C., Reverend Daughtry is a member of the Boards of Visitors of The Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College, as well as the Boards of Directors of The House of the Lord Churches, and The Randolph Evans Memorial Scholarship Fund. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of the National AIDS Action Council. Ms. Daughtry has also served as Executive Director of MAN-to-man/Sister-to-Sister, a not-for-profit human service agency dedicated to enriching and enhancing the lives of families in Brooklyn, New York, during which she created a specialized mentoring program for girls with HIV-infected mothers.

Susana Carbajal, General Counsel
Susana Carbajal is currently an attorney with the Bankruptcy and Specialty Litigation Department at the law firm of Brown McCarroll, L.L.P. where she specializes in representing secured and unsecured creditors as well as debtors in commercial bankruptcy and reorganization cases.

Prior to practicing law, Carbajal worked in government and politics at the national level. Her career began on Capitol Hill where she worked for Texas Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. Carbajal also served as associate deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel where she recruited, screened, and recommended diverse, qualified candidates to President Clinton for appointments to cabinet departments, agencies, commissions, and boards. Carbajal also worked for the 2000 Gore for President campaign.

Peggy Cusack, Chief of Staff
Peggy Cusack is currently managing director of the Washington office of Rendezvous Consulting Group, a firm that specializes in the production and management of large scale, high profile events. Cusack brings more than 15 years of experience in the special events industry, and her many notable accomplishments include eight years as a White House event planner during the Clinton/Gore Administration – an experience that included senior management roles on three presidential campaigns, two presidential inaugurations, planning committees for the Olympic Games, and two Democratic National Conventions. In 2004, Peggy served as a consultant to the Kerry-Edwards 2004 presidential campaign, orchestrating campaign operations and logistics for the Democratic National Convention and producing the Election Night concert and celebration in Boston. Prior to starting Rendezvous Consulting Group, Cusack practiced for several years as a litigator in the San Francisco office of the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Jenni Engebretsen, Deputy CEO for Public Affairs
Jenni R. Engebretsen is currently the Director of Communications for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Washington, DC-based trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Before joining the RIAA, Engebretsen spent eight years working in Democratic politics, most recently as a Regional Communications Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President campaign, where she was responsible for developing campaign communications strategy for top-targeted states including Florida and New Hampshire. During the 2004 presidential cycle, she also served as Deputy Communications Director for the Democratic National Convention in Boston and as Press Secretary for the Edwards for President campaign during the primaries. Before that, she worked on Capitol Hill in the communications offices of Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and in the White House press office during the Clinton Administration. She is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Relations
Sky Gallegos’ work with state and local elected officials spans the last 13 years and includes senior positions in government, corporate, non-profit and campaign arenas.
During the Clinton Administration, Gallegos worked directly with the nation’s state and local elected officials in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House, and the Democratic National Committee. An experienced campaign veteran, Gallegos worked in the last three presidential campaign cycles and in off-year and mid-term elections in three targeted states for the Democratic National Committee. In 2003, Gallegos was the National Political Director for the Edwards for President Campaign, during the general election she was the California State Director for Kerry/Edwards 04. Gallegos directed the western regional political effort for Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 election cycle, implementing the political strategy for 12 western states including the successful campaigns in California, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Hawaii.

Gallegos also has experience building and managing coalitions between the public and private sectors, helping start and then manage EdVoice, a political advocacy organization for public school reform in California. As Chief Operating Officer and Political Director, she worked with the CEO to build a Board of Directors and Advisory Board which includes business, education, political and community leaders from across the state. In its first two years, EdVoice had a 99% success rate with the legislation it introduced.

Cameron Moody, Deputy CEO
Cameron Moody has more than 18 years of experience in project management, strategic planning, special event logistics, and transportation systems. Until recently, Moody was the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations for the American Cancer Society's National Government Relations Office. Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, Moody was Deputy CEO for Operations for the 2004 Democratic National Convention Committee where he oversaw the planning and implementation of Security, Transportation and Housing. In this role, he interfaced with the Boston Host Committee, Secret Service, Boston Police, Boston Conventions and Visitors Bureau, Boston Fire Dept., Boston Police, State Dept. of Transportation and a host of other agencies and corporate entities.

Moody also served as Deputy Director of Operations for the 2004 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions and Deputy Director of Transportation for the 1996 Democratic National Convention. Cameron also worked on the 2002, 2000 and 1996 Olympics and the 1997 Denver Summit of the Eight (G-8 Economic Summit). Moody is an engineer by training and has worked in automotive and athletic shoe design and development prior to working in Special Events.

Jim McMullen, Deputy CEO for Administration and Finance
Jim McMullen is currently a Principal with the Council for Excellence in Government. Previously McMullen served as a career civil servant for 26 years at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Prior to his retirement in 2004, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Strategic Planning where he was responsible for the DOL budget which totaled $60 billion and 17,000 staff. In addition to the budget duties, he directed the strategic and performance planning activities of the Department. He was also Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management where in addition to budget and planning he directed human resources, information technology, space and procurement for the Department. During the tenure of Secretary Alexis M. Herman he served as Associate Deputy Secretary where he was the principal advisor to the Deputy Secretary on the formulation and development of policy positions for the Department. McMullen has twice received the President’s Rank Award for Meritorious Service and the Philip Arnow Award, which is the highest award given to a DOL employee. Subsequent to his retirement he was a Principal with SRA International, Inc., which is a provider of information technology services and solutions