DCOA is a volunteer organization focused on training District and County leadership, ensuring local parties are successful leading up to and during elections.
The DCOA officials are unpaid volunteers and the officers are elected pursuant to the DCOA Plan of Organization at a biennial meeting. Current Officers include:
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Chairman: David Sawyer
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Vice Chairman: Michele Nix
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Secretary: Lynette Ramsey
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Treasurer: Cornelia Groce
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Assistant Treasurer: Marilyn Avila
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The DCOA operates in conjunction with the North Carolina Republican Party, as an auxiliary group of the State Party. The Association holds a seat on the North Carolina Republican Party Central Committee, with one vote exercised by the Association Chairman. When the Chairman is not present the Association Vice Chairman is granted the vote. Both the Chairman and Vice Chairman are members of the Central Committee and have the opportunity to express their opinions at committee meetings.
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The leadership of the DCOA consists of its five elected officers and an Executive Committee, which includes the elected officers and one member from each Congressional District, appointed by the District Chairman with the advice and consent of the District Executive Committee. The duties of the DCOA Executive Committee are laid out in the Plan of Organization and the Committee is required to conduct a certain number of meetings per year. Those meetings have in the past been held in person, but with the advent of new digital technology have evolved into a more online platform based system.
Who We Are
WHAT WE DO
Train, Train, Train
The training subjects of the DCOA have been fairly consistent over the years. Although methods of communication involving political parties have changed, the ultimate goal of the Party, that is, the election of Republicans, has not. Thus, subjects which remain important to party activists and, in particular, new county officials, include items such as Political Strategy, County and Precinct Organization, Fundraising, Campaign Finance, Media Relations, Candidate Recruitment, and the ever-present need to ensure election integrity and compliance with statutory obligations.
Over the years, the DCOA has expanded in its scope and breadth to include not only County Chairman and Vice Chairman, but also District officials. In June 2018 the Association again expanded its membership to include past and present party Treasurers. At the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Association it was felt that inclusion of Treasurers was vital to the continued progress of County Parties inasmuch as the Treasurers provide an important service to the County Parties and require a thorough operating knowledge of campaign finance laws at the State and, at times, the Federal level. Since 2018, a number of Treasurers have joined the organization and Treasurer training has been developed and provided by Association trainers, led by the Association Treasurer, Cornelia Groce, who has acted in that capacity for the last 8 years.
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Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Secretaries and Treasurers from the various counties and districts are encouraged to contact DCOA Officers to request access to training materials, platforms, and training sessions to be conducted by qualified knowledgeable trainers. The DCOA is always in the market to retain additional trainers and, in fact, has a program to "Train the Trainer."
Over the past few years the DCOA has conducted numerous in-person training sessions around the state, including at a number of NCGOP functions, in conjunction with NCGOP County and District Parties. These in-person training sessions have included those held in the following counties:
✔Cumberland
✔Davidson
✔Iredell
✔Wake
✔Brunswick
✔Stanley
✔Cabarrus
✔Mecklenburg
✔Buncombe
✔Wilkes
✔Washington
✔Carteret
✔Guilford
And many others. The DCOA also works in conjunction with outside trainers and authors, at times obtaining exclusive access to training materials, and holding seminars to be conducted by those persons and organizations.
Outside trainers which have worked with the DCOA include the University of Maryland Adjunct Professor Ed Priola, who teaches public speaking, both at in person sessions and via electronic platforms. In addition, the DCOA has also entered into agreement with author David Whitehead of Austin, Texas to make his books available to party activists. These training materials include a wealth of information covering a variety of topics.
DCOA training sessions can be scheduled for small and large groups. There is no charge to County Republican Parties for DCOA training, and with the continuing turnover in county party officials, this training remains vital.