Leadership
The Kitchen Cabinet has been founded by everyday women who care about the future of America.
The following outstanding women have been recognized for their political and public service throughout the country, and have been invited to sit as Secretaries in The Kitchen Cabinet. By uniting their years of experience and leadership in America, The Kitchen Cabinet will endeavor to speak nationally on economic issues, to represent the interests of conservative women in the country, and increase accountability among those elected to do the people’s business in Washington.
Sonja Eddings Brown
Sonja Eddings Brown is the founder of The Kitchen Cabinet, a media consultant in Los Angeles, and a longtime education reformer in Los Angeles California. Ms. Brown began her career as a newswoman with ABC, and worked for each of the major news networks as a producer in Los Angeles. She moved into network prime time television production as a writer and a producer, and ultimately into an executive position in national advertising, rounding out a diverse background in television programming, production and marketing.
For the past 15 years, Sonja Brown has developed a media consulting practice serving entertainment clients, non-profit organizations and political campaigns. Passionate about education, Ms. Brown co-founded the largest charter school in the country after a heated and ground-breaking challenge of the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers union. Granada Hills Charter High School serves 4000 students and employs 300 staff. It is ranked as one of the top high schools in America and is a lighthouse to education reformers across the country.
Ms. Brown has advised public figures of all kinds, including U.S. Olympic athletes, celebrities and political candidates. She has been an adviser to local, state and national political campaigns, and has served as a communications director for some of the most significant grassroots initiatives in California.
Rosario Marin
Rosario Marin has served at the local, state, and national levels. She served as the 41st Treasurer of the United States under President Bush. Most recently she served in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cabinet as Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency. She previously served under Governor Pete Wilson, working in many capacities, became a tireless worker for people with disabilities, and in 1995 received the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Prize from the United Nation, becoming the second person to receive that honor. She began her career in politics when elected to the Huntington Park, California, city council in 1994.
Ms. Marin received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Los Angeles, and completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. For her contributions, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from her alma mater in 2002. A resident of Huntington Park in Los Angeles County, California, Ms. Marin and her husband of 25 years, Alvaro, have three children.
Kellyanne Conway
Kellyanne Conway is Founder and President of the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend a privately-held, woman-owned corporation founded in 1995. The firm is headquartered in Washington, DC and maintains an office in New York City. Ms. Conway is one of the most quoted and noted pollsters on the national scene, having provided commentary on over 1,200 television shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, HBO, Comedy Central, MTV and the Fox News Channel, and numerous radio shows and print stories. Prior to her work as a pollster, she practiced law, clerked for a judge in Washington, DC and for four years, was an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law Center.
Ms. Conway is a magna cum laude graduate of Trinity College, Washington, D.C., where she earned a B.A. in Political Science, studied at Oxford University, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She holds a law degree, with honors, from George Washington University Law Center. Ms. Conway is married to George T. Conway III and they have four children.
Chiling Tong
Chiling Tong is Chief Executive Officer and Founding President of the International Leadership Foundation. Previously, Ms. Tong served at the U.S. Department of Commerce as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the International Trade Administration and as Chief of Staff at the Minority Business Development Agency. She oversaw The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Ms. Tong was the Director of California’s Office of Trade and Investment in Taipei, Taiwan, and served as Assistant Secretary for International Trade in the California Trade and Commerce Agency. She was appointed by President George W. Bush as a Commissioner of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
She received her MBA from California State University at Long Beach and her BA from the Chinese Cultural University in Taiwan. Before joining the state government, Ms. Tong was awarded a Coro Public Affairs Fellowship. Tong is married to Joel Szabat, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Senator Jill Vogel
Jill Vogel is a State Senator from Virginia and a nationally recognized attorney. Senator Vogel has held national legal and policy positions in and out of government, including serving as Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Energy. She is managing partner of a law firm that specializes in charity and non-profit organizations, election law and ethics.
Senator Vogel has twice served as a Trustee of the Board of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Massanutten Military Academy and serves on the Board of Directors of Belle Grove Plantation. In 2007, Senator Vogel was elected to the State Senate of Virginia. She resides in Fauquier County with her husband and children.
Sue Lynch
Sue Lynch is the President of the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW). A former Chief of Staff and Office Manager to three members of Congress, Ms. Lynch has been active in Republican politics for more than 30 years and has served on several gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.
During the Reagan Administration, Ms. Lynch served as Staff Assistant to Secretary of Agriculture John Block and Confidential Assistant to the Administrator of Food and Nutrition Services in the Department of Agriculture. For 12 years, she worked for the Free Congress Foundation teaching campaign schools and doing field work for campaigns. In 1992, she lectured on the U.S. legislative branch for the Krieble Institute throughout the Soviet Union. Sue Lynch and her husband have two daughters and reside in Onalaska, Wisconsin.
Jovita Carranza
Jovita Carranza most recently served as the Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. She previously served as Vice President of Air Operations for United Parcel Service, making her the highest-ranking Latina in the company’s history. Carranza started her career at UPS in 1976 as a part-time night-shift clerk in Los Angeles, advancing through the company’s ranks.
Ms. Carranza was named 2004 Woman of the Year for outstanding accomplishments throughout her career by Hispanic Business magazine, and was honored in 2008 for her contributions to the Hispanic community and her public service by the Latino Coalition Leadership in Washington, DC. The American Association of University Women and Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education have also recognized Ms. Carranza as a Woman of Distinction. She received her MBA from the University of Miami and extensive additional management and financial training at the INSEAD Business School in Paris, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago.
Loretta Lepore
Loretta Lepore is the founder and president of Lepore Associates, LLC, a strategic communication and government relations firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her career spans more than 20 years as a journalist, CNN anchor, gubernatorial spokeswoman and lobbyist. Lepore started Lepore Associates after working in the government affairs practice of Atlanta-based law firm, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP.
Ms. Lepore has served as the press secretary to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as well as director of marketing and communications for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Lepore spent 11 years at CNN covering politics and international affairs. She anchored CNN Headline News for six years, which included reporting live coverage of the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton and the U.S. bombing raids on Iraqi no-fly zones. She earned a national news Emmy for her role in CNN’s coverage of the 1996 Olympic Park bombing
She is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in government and foreign affairs, specializing in Latin American studies. She received a Media Fellowship from Vanderbilt University on the Culture of the South. Lepore is married and the mother of two.
Kay Coles James
Kay is the founder and President of the Gloucester Institute, a non profit organization which trains and nurtures African American leaders. A graduate of Hampton University, she served as Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Currently, James sits on the boards of PNC Bank and The Amerigroup Corporation, as well as the boards of The Heritage Foundation and The Salvation Army.
Throughout her extensive career, James has worked in government, business, academia, and non-profit organizations. Some of her many positions include Dean of the School of Government at Regent University, Chair of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Virginia governor George Allen, Senior Vice President of the Family Research Council, and a board member of Focus on the Family.
James is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, most recently receiving a Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University, and she is a frequent commentator and lecturer. James is the author of three books, her award winning 1993 autobiography Never Forget; Transforming America: From the Inside Out (1995); and a third book entitled What I Wish I Had Known Before I Got Married (2001). Most importantly, Kay Coles James is the wife of Charles E. James, Sr. and the proud mother of three children and grandmother to five grandchildren.
Janine Turner
Janine Turner is founder and co-chair of Constituting America, a non-profit, non-partisan foundation aimed at engaging America’s citizens and youth in learning about the U.S. Constitution and our nation’s founding principles. A celebrated actress, author and radio show host, Ms. Turner is known to millions of fans for starring in such TV shows and films as Northern Exposure, Friday Night Lights, Strong Medicine, Steel Magnolias and Cliffhanger.
In recent years, she has won a whole new following of devoted fans for her work as an author, political commentator and constitutional champion. Her book, Holding Her Head High, profiles 12 single mothers throughout the ages who “championed their children and changed history.” She has appeared on numerous national public affairs programs such as Glenn Beck, Hannity, Huckabee and The O’Reilly Factor. In addition to hosting The Janine Turner Radio Show heard on Dallas’s KLIF 570 AM and www.klif.com, she recently launched the new Weekday Janine Turner Show heard on The Janine Turner Network at www.janineturner.com.
Ms. Turner lives in Texas with her daughter, Juliette, who serves as national youth director for Constituting America.
Cathy Gillespie
Cathy Gillespie is co-chair of the non-profit foundation Constituting America, www.constitutingamerica.org, which engages America’s citizens and youth in learning about the U.S. Constitution and our nation’s founding principles. Ms. Gillespie has been involved in politics for over 25 years as a grassroots organizer, campaign manager, political action committee executive director, strategist, fundraiser and coalition director.
She has served as chief of staff to U.S. Congressman Joe Barton, as a commissioner on the President’s Commission on White House Fellows, and as the director of the Bush Cheney ’04 W Stands for Women. Active in a number of political and charitable organizations, Ms. Gillespie serves on the board of Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services, the Joe Barton Family Foundation, and the Board of Visitors of Virginia State University.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Ms. Gillespie lives in Alexandria, Va. with her husband, Ed Gillespie, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and counselor to President George W. Bush. They have three children.
Mercedes Schlapp
Mercedes (Mercy) Viana Schlapp served in the White House for President George W. Bush as a spokesperson for Spanish-language media outlets in the United States, Spain, and Latin America, and directed specialty media including religious press. She is the co-founder of Cove Strategies, a governmental and public affairs firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, where she works as a consultant for Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofit organizations.
Ms. Schlapp serves as the interface between clients and Spanish-language media outlets, develops media strategy including message development and implementation plans, and works on Hispanic coalition-building efforts. Ms. Schlapp is the mother of four young daughters and is married to Matthew Schlapp, former White House Political Director in the Bush Administration.
Alci Maldonado
Alci Maldonado is a veteran political community activist. She is currently the National Chair of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly and has volunteered, worked with, advised, and managed political campaigns at all levels of State and Federal office for over thirty years in Florida. She has served as an elected Precinct Committeewoman in Polk County, Florida for many years.
Alci has long been active in women’s and children’s issues with her membership and support of a number of women’s civic and Republican clubs. She has volunteered for diverse organizations such as “New Life,” “Mothers Without Partners,” and the Christian Women Association, which guide and promote women’s issues, with emphasis of helping single women. Alci currently resides in Lakeland, Florida with her proudest accomplishment being her family. Her two sons are attorneys, her oldest daughter is a retail management professional and her youngest daughter is a clinical psychologist.
Jo Ann Davidson
Jo Ann Davidson serves as an Honorary Member of the Jo Ann Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute Governing Board. She served as the first Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1995-2000 and was a member of the Ohio House for 20 years. Prior to her time in the General Assembly, she served ten years on the Reynoldsburg, OH City Council. Mrs. Davidson has extensive experience in the private sector. Prior to her election to the House, Mrs. Davidson worked as Vice President of Special Programs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Davidson holds honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Ohio University and Capital University, an honorary degree in Government Leadership from the University of Findlay, and an honorary Doctor of Public Administration degree from The Ohio State University. She serves on the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, the University of Findlay and Franklin University. She formed her own consulting firm, JAD and Associates, and is doing consulting work on a broad range of issues involving public policy development and analysis, strategic planning and political campaigns. In January 2005 she was elected Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee.
Sally Pipes
Sally C. Pipes is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Research Institute, a San Francisco-based think tank focusing on free market solutions and particularly, health care. Mrs. Pipes previously served as Assistant Director of the Fraser Institute, based in Vancouver, Canada.
Sally Pipes has authored three important books, including “The Truth About Obamacare” and “The Ten Top Myths of American Healthcare.” She has been appointed as an adviser on many national and international boards including the Capital Research Center, the Advisory Board of the California Association of Scholars and the Independent Women’s Forum. She is a trustee of the San Francisco’s St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation and a governor of the Donnor Canadian Foundation. She is married to Professor Charles Kesler.
Marian Bergeson
The first woman ever to be elected to both the California State Assembly and the California State Senate. She served three terms in the Assembly and two terms in the State Senate. Mrs. Bergeson began her public service career by being elected to the Newport-Mesa Unified School Board where she served four terms. She was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the post of State Secretary of Education in 1996, appointed by Governor Gray Davis the Board of Education in 1999, and appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to two terms on the California Transportation Committee.
Mrs. Bergeson has paved the way for many other outstanding women in California politics through her Marian Bergeson Leadership Series. She is one of the founders of the California Women’s Leadership Association, which creates opportunity and informs women in politics. Marian is married to Garth Bergeson and is the mother of four children.
Lynn Bradshaw
As the Executive Director of Development at the American Conservative Union (ACU), Lynn Bradshaw oversees all aspects of development, membership and fundraising.
She began her career working as a technician for retinal surgeons. She was a licensed real estate agent for 25 years. In 2000, she began answering the telephones for the Club for Growth, eventually serving as their membership director before serving as membership director and strategic advisor for the Citizens for the Republic and the Free Enterprise Fund.
A lifelong Republican, Ms. Bradshaw is an enthusiastic advocate for the conservative movement and her political family includes two children who are lobbyists in Washington, DC.
Lynn Bradshaw serves as the strategic development advisor for the Believe in Me Foundation. She attended Montgomery College and George Washington University, where she received her technical degree in ophthalmology and studied English.
Ms. Bradshaw resides in Darnestown, MD with her husband.
Glenda Hood
Glenda E. Hood is President and CEO of her own business development and consulting company, Hood Partners LLC.
Glenda, an Orlando native, was first elected to public office in 1982 as an Orlando City Council member, and reelected in 1986 and 1990. She was also president of her own public relations firm.
She was the first woman elected Mayor of Orlando in 1992 and served three terms with responsibility for a workforce of 3,200 employees and an annual budget of $526 million.
Governor Jeb Bush appointed her to serve as Florida’s Secretary of State where her main responsibility was to ensure the integrity of Florida’s elections system.
Hood received her BA degree in Spanish from Rollins College and completed the Executive Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Ms. Hood and her husband, Charlie, have three children and seven grandchildren.
Deborah Georgatos
Attorney Debbie Georgatos has worked as an employment law litigator and labor law advisor, representing employers in the health care, manufacturing and tourist industries in San Diego.
Ms. Georgatos and her family spent four years in the Washington, DC area before moving to Dallas. Active in Republican politics upon arrival in Texas, she supports Republican candidates in various capacities on a volunteer basis, and served as Vice-Chair of the Dallas County Republican Party. As president of one of the largest and most active Republican Women’s Clubs in Texas, she initiated and developed a revenue-expansion program to support Republican candidates and events.
Debbie Georgatos segued her volunteer, writing and public speaking experience into professional campaign consulting and provides communication, messaging and strategy advice to conservative Republican candidates.
Ms. Georgatos and her husband, Eric are the parents of three children.
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