GOP Youth Convention.Org Honorary Co-Chairs

	Newt Gingrich served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 - 1998. Gingrich represented Georgia's 6th Congressional District for 20 years, winning ten consecutive elections. As co-author of Contract With America, Gingrich was in the forefront of the Republican Party's dramatic success in the 1994 Congressional elections that bested the Democrat's control of the House. Currently, he is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, as well as the founder of the non-partisan think tank American Solutions.
	Bobby Jindal is the current Governor of Louisiana. Assuming office in January of this year, Jindal is the first Indian American governor in U.S. history. A two-term Congressman, Jindal represented Louisiana's First District. Before serving in the House of Representatives, Jindal was appointed by President Bush to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation, a position he held from 2001-2003. Jindal received his BA from Brown University in biology and public policy, and his M.A. in Public Policy from Oxrford.
	Michael Steele served as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003 - 2006. At the time, he was the highest-ranking elected African American in the United States. Before being elected Lt Governor, Steele served as the Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. He received his BA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Currently, Steele serves as the Chairman of GOPAC.
	Jessica Colon is Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation. She will address the 2008 Republican National Convention in her role as YRNF Chairman. In 2005, she founded the group Fix Our Future, which engaged hundreds of young people in advocacy and support of Social Security reform, culminating in a rally on Capitol Hill. In 2007, she was named a 'Rising Star Under 40' by the Republican National Committee. Colon previously worked at the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She lives in Houston with her husband, Miguel, and their delightful daughter, Carmen.
	Charlie Smith was born in Iowa, where he attended Dowling Catholic High School. Charlie played many sports, but excelled at tennis, becoming a nationally ranked player. After living his whole life in Iowa, Charlie branched out and attended the University of Denver from 2003-2007, where he studied Real Estate and Finance at the Daniel College of Business. Charlie developed a passion for politics at DU, becoming the leader of the campus College Republicans, a two-term state chairman of Colorado, the CRNC's. "Best State Chairman" in 2005 and a leader in youth and Republican politics.