The Host Committee for the 2012 Democratic National Convention has named seven people to its leadership team.

They are:

Leah Chandler, deputy finance director
Chandler has served as a fundraiser on numerous local, state and federal campaigns since 2002, including the campaigns of two U.S. Senate candidates. She also held the post of Midwest Finance Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), overseeing a 14-state region and contributing to a record-breaking fundraising cycle for the DCCC in 2008. A native of Missouri, Leah is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she received a BA in history and political science.

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Dockery Clark, chief of staff
From 1993 to 2004, Clark was senior vice president and global sports marketing and sponsorship executive for Bank of America. She negotiated contracts involving the Olympics, NASCAR, PGA Tour, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NBC, CBS and ESPN. From 2005 to 2009, Clarke was senior brand manager/sports and alliance marketing for MillerCoors. In 2010, she joined Professional Bull Riders as chief marketing officer. She holds a BA in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Torre Jessup, deputy executive director of external relations
Jessup joined U.S. Rep. Mel Watt’s Washington, D.C., office as a staff assistant in 1994. He moved to the Charlotte office in 1995 as district liaison. As community liaison from 2000 to 2007, he was responsible for community and member outreach. He has served as district director since 2007, responsible for developing and implementing policy objectives, strategies and operating plans for Watt’s district offices. He was an at-large delegate from North Carolina to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Jessup is a 1994 graduate of Morehouse College, where he received a BA in sociology and criminal justice.

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Bobby Martin, chief financial officer
After four years as a staff auditor for Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young), Martin has been a sole practitioner and is president of Bobby T. Martin, CPA, PLLC. He has served as campaign treasurer for U.S. Rep. Mel Watt and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. A native of Columbia, S.C., he is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he majored in business administration and accounting. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the North Carolina Association of CPAs.

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Joe Sandler, legal counsel
Sandler is a member of the law firm of Sandler, Reiff, Young & Lamb in Washington, D.C., concentrating in campaign finance and election law matters. He served as general counsel of the Democratic National Committee from 1993 through 2008, as general counsel of the 1996 Democratic National Convention, and as outside counsel to the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Democratic National Conventions. Sandler was named in the 2010 and 2011 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. He graduated from Harvard College summa cum laude in 1975 and from Harvard Law School with honors in 1978.

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Melissa Schwartz, finance director
Schwartz was a key regional finance director for the last two Democratic presidential campaigns and responsible for six northwestern states for both President Obama’s 2008 campaign and his Inaugural Committee. Most recently, she served as finance director for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, previously serving as her state finance director. She is a native of Missouri and has worked on the campaigns of Gov. Mel Carnahan, Sen. Jean Carnahan and Sen. Claire McCaskill. Schwartz is a graduate of St. Louis University, where she received a BA in political science.

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Mary Tribble, chief of event planning
Tribble is former owner of Tribble Creative Group, a marketing firm with projects that included the NBA All-Star Game, Final Four celebrations, the opening of Levine Children’s Hospital, Belk re-branding events and many others. She also co-founded The Forum for Corporate Conscience and the North Carolina Conference for Women. She sold Tribble Creative Group in 2010 but remains active in the Charlotte community, serving on several boards. She is co-founder of the Charlotte Green Team, an initiative to promote sustainable practices in the hospitality industry. She holds a BA in art from Wake Forest University.

The Host Committee will work with the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) senior leadership team that was named last month. The Host Committee will have offices at 400 S. Tryon St., Suite 5D, Charlotte, N.C. 28285. The phone number is 704-330-2012.

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