THOUGH NEW YORK CITY IS A STRONGHOLD FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, the Republicans took a bite out of the Big Apple's Madison Square Garden, site of the 2004 Republican National Convention. The garden is named for Founding Father James Madison, who would be proud that three JMU graduates helped turn the legendary house of sports and concerts into a site for national debate. The Republican National Convention's 100 full-time staff included Alison Kogut ('99), Jim Anderson ('03) and Carolyn Coda ('04).

"Every day my job [was] different," says Kogut, a media and special projects coordinator in the RNC communications department. Kogut was responsible for writing press releases, newsletters, talking points and Web content, and helped organize and coordinate special press events. Kogut actually began working for the convention in 2003. "I worked on Capitol Hill for four years and decided to move to New York to try something new with my life," she says. "While searching for a pursuit in a separate field, I decided to lend my services to the convention by volunteering. On my initial meeting, I [got to] meet the director of communications, who was looking to hire. … I was hired a week later."

Jim Anderson, coordinator for the delegate and caucus division, managed the delegation photo identification process. "This was the first time these ID's were used at a national convention," he says. "We had a total of 4,853 delegates and alternates in 55 states and territories. This is the job that I was interested in when I finished at JMU."

Carolyn Coda completed a 2003 internship at Global USA Inc. which led to her RNC job. RNC chief executive officer Bill Harris, a partner with Global USA, offered Coda the opportunity to serve as his assistant for the convention. "Working in the CEO's office [was] wonderful," she says. "I was at the center of everything going on with the convention -- from staffing Mr. Harris at events to working with other divisions on major projects."

--Cheryl Locke ('05)