The Colorado Republican Party named Melissa L. Kuipers chair of the Colorado Convention Committee for the 2012 Republican National Convention to be held in Tampa, Fla., the week of Aug. 27. RNC Committeewoman Lilly Nuñez and RNC Committeeman Mark Hillman were also appointed as initial members of the Colorado Convention Committee.
Kuipers is an associate at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and will oversee all Colorado committee efforts, including the planning of more than 10 events for Colorado elected officials and convention delegates that will benefit the Republican National Committee and the Colorado Republican Party. Having both completed her education and started her professional career in Florida, Kuipers is eager to engage her ties in the Sunshine State to create bridges between Colorado and Florida.
“The 2012 Presidential election promises to be a historic moment in American history, and the Colorado events at the Republican National Convention will provide opportunities for business and community leaders to join together in support of a new era of leadership for our country,” said Kuipers. “I’m looking forward to connecting leaders in several key industries from Colorado and Florida as the states are primed to explore partnerships that will benefit the long-term stability and economic development of both states.”
Kuipers expects to complete the roster for the Colorado Convention Committee by early November. Her plan is to recruit members from energy, agriculture, healthcare, retail, transportation, and other key business sectors that can facilitate important dialogues between the two locales.
“After an impressive career in Florida, Melissa continues to show her exceptional legal and political talents in Colorado, making her ideal for this position,” said Ryan Call, State Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. “We’re confident in her strategic abilities and enthusiastic for the work she will do on behalf of our state and Party.”
While in Florida, Kuipers represented several public and private entities in both legal and political capacities, including the Miami-Dade County School Board, P.F. Chang’s, the Cheesecake Factory, the City of Key West, Universal Studios and the University of Miami Medical School. Since relocating to Colorado, she has particularly made an impact in the automotive industry having served as vice president of government relations and communications for the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association (CADA). In that role, Kuipers acted as a state and federal lobbyist for 270 new franchised automobile dealers in Colorado. On behalf of Brownstein, she still represents CADA, and also advocates for other clients at the Colorado Capitol, including Federal Express, Colorado State University, the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, and Colorado Innovators of New Entertainment, Media & Arts (CINEMA). Kuipers’ professional prowess was recognized in the 2010 edition of the Denver Business Journal's “Forty Under 40.”
Brownstein has previously helped put Colorado in the national spotlight through efforts with other political conventions.
“The firm is proud to have brought some of the nation’s top business and political leaders together for events in Denver during the 2008 Democratic National Convention,” said Michael Feeley, co-chair of Brownstein’s national Government Relations group. “The 2012 RNC is another great chance for Brownstein to help place our state on a larger stage, and we’re thrilled with Melissa’s leadership role where we know she’ll succeed.”