RPOF Staffs Up as 2016 Looms

Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), named Brad Herold as executive director of the RPOF on Tuesday. Wadi Gaitan will take over as communications director while Mallory Deason is on board as press secretary. The positions had been filled on an interim basis since Ingoglia took over the RPOF earlier this year.

I am very excited about the future of the party with these three critical hires, said Ingoglia. "Our vision for 2016 is simple energize the party, activate our grassroots and reach all of the voters with our message whether in English or Spanish. I know that these professionals will make it their daily mission to serve the party faithful and help elect Republicans to office.

I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to our team of volunteers who served the Republican Party of Florida during the transition, Ingoglia added. David Johnson, who served as interim executive director, brought years of experience to the table and helped guide the Republican Party of Florida during this time, and I am grateful for his daily guidance and commitment to making the Party successful. I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Sarah Bascom, who served as the interim communications director and played an integral role in helping craft our message as we move into this new era, as well as Lyndsey Cruley, who served as interim press secretary, and Pablo Diaz, who served an advisory role on the transition team. These professionals took their personal time to serve the Party during this transition, and I am personally grateful for their time and dedication to the Republican Party of Florida.

Ingoglias team has deep roots in Florida. Herold worked as deputy state director under U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and helped the RPOF, Gov. Rick Scott, former House Speaker Will Weatherford and former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner in recent years. Gati was communications director of Carlos Curbelos election to Congress from South Florida in 2015 while Deason worked for Scott and on communications for Enterprise Florida.