On July 2, 2007 DNC Chair Gov. Howard Dean announced his intention to nominate Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Permanent Convention Chair, and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Texas state Senator Leticia Van de Putte and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin as Co-Chairs of the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Convention Chair

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Convention Co-Chairs
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
Texas state Senator Leticia Van de Putte
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
 

Each of the three standing committees has a total of 186 members.  DNC Chairman Gov. Howard Dean nominated the Chairs and 25 Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) members and the DNC Executive Committee unanimously elected them in Jan. 2008 (announced Jan. 15, 2008).  Each of the states' and territories' Convention delegations will elect the additional members (161 for each committee) in the spring.

Credentials Committee
"The Credentials Committee is charged with coordinating issues around the selection of delegates and alternates to the Convention and will likely meet in the summer.  The committee will issue a report that is the first official item of business at the Convention."
Chairs
Alexis Herman - U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1997 to 2001. She served as DNC Chief of Staff for Chairman Ron Brown and later was named CEO of the 1992 Democratic National Convention.  Since 2005, she has served as a Co-Chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee and also served as a Co-Chair of the Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling.

James Roosevelt, Jr. - President and CEO of Tufts Health Plan, a Massachusetts based Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and was formerly Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy of the Social Security Administration in the Clinton Administration. He is the chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party and Co-Chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Eliseo Roques-Arroyo - a native of Puerto Rico, served as Executive Assistant to Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Senate Minority Leader Miguel Hernandez-Agosto and to Puerto Rico Delegate to Congress Antonio J. Colorado. He is a former Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico and presently a member of the DNC.

PLEOs - Dean Aguillen,  Don Beyer,  Allyn Brooks-LaSure,  Jose Ceballos,  Ralph Dawson,  Sheila Dixon, Mayor,  Christopher Edley, Jr.,  Hartina Flournoy,  Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood,  Janice Griffin,  Adelita Grijalva,  Laura Harris,  Kathy Hoyt,  Carol Juneau, State Senator,  Scott Maddox,  Iman Malik Mujahid,  Maria Neira,  Kate O’Connor,  Carol Pensky,  Bob Rogan,  Leila Sahar,  Marc Stanley,  Michael Steed,  Jane Stetson,  William Straus, State Representative

• The Credentials Committee will meet at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, August 24 in the Korbel Ballroom 4 Room at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Registration for the meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. outside the ballroom. The Credentials Committee is responsible for resolving any outstanding questions concerning the seating of delegates and alternates to the Convention, to determine who should be recognized to vote at the Convention.

Platform Committee
"The Platform Committee is responsible for drafting and recommending a proposed National Platform for approval at the Convention. After conducting hearings and forums to collect testimony on issues and policies to potentially include in the platform, the committee is likely to meet sometime in July."
Chairs
Patricia Madrid - Served two terms as the Attorney General of New Mexico, the state's first woman Attorney General and the nation's first Latina in that position. She also served as the Chairperson of the Western Conference of Attorneys General, which focuses on energy, environment and Indian gaming issues. Madrid was first elected to public office in 1978 as the state's first female district court judge.

Judith McHale - Former President and CEO of Discovery Communications, Inc.  At Discovery, she created a work-life initiative, including generous parental leave and flexible work options for employees, and established a fund that delivered free educational programming to thousands of students around the world. She spearheaded acquisitions of TLC and the Travel Channel and also was a prime force behind the partnership in the late nineties that led to the launch of BBC America.

Deval Patrick, Governor - Elected in 2006 as the state's first African American Governor, is the first member of his family to attend college, graduating from Harvard and Harvard Law School. Named as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights by President Bill Clinton, he has also served on numerous charitable and corporate boards, as well as the Federal Election Reform Commission under Presidents Carter and Ford.

PLEOs - Danny Abraham,  Elizabeth Frawley Bagley,  Tom Buffenbarger,  Rev. Tony Campolo,  John Chiang, State Controller,  Ingrid Duran,  Maria Elena Durazo,
Peter Groff, State Senator,  Kamala Harris, District Attorney,  Marjorie Hill,  Voncille Trotter Hines,  Joseph P. Hoar, General, USMC, Ret.,  Chuck Hoskin, State Representative,  Nancy Keenan,  Denise King,  Mark Macarro,  Edward McElroy,  Chris Owens,  Douglas Palmer, Mayor,  Diego Sanchez,  Ricardo Sanchez, General, USA, Ret.,  Smita Shah,  Lillian Tamayo,  Patricia Todd, State Representative,  Reginald Weaver

            Platform Drafting Committee

• The Platform Committee met in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, August 9. >  

Rules Committee
"The Rules Committee is responsible for proposing the Permanent Rules for the Convention, adopting the proposed Convention agenda and making recommendations for permanent Convention officers - all addressed as the second official item of business at the Convention. The committee will meet sometime in August, prior to the Convention."
Chairs
Sunita Leeds - A software developer by training, is deeply involved with progressive non-profit causes focused on education, breaking the cycle of poverty and women's issues. As Chair of the DNC Indo-American Leadership Council Advisory Board, she coordinates a network of Indian-American activists, community leaders, elected officials and VIPs to support the fundraising and outreach work of the Council.

Mary Rose Oakar - President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the largest Arab-American grassroots civil rights organization in the country. From 1977 to 1993, she represented western Cleveland in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she worked on several pieces of legislation related to peace and justice in the Middle East and for those of Middle East ancestry. Oakar served as secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.

David Walters - President of Walters Power International, which specializes in electrical generation equipment. From 1990 to 1994, he served as governor of Oklahoma, where he made education a top priority - increasing education funding by 30 percent and investing heavily in construction and renovation at state colleges.

PLEOs - Carol Alvarado,  Joe Carmichael,  Michael Coleman, Mayor,  Kevin Conlon,  Rev. Luis Cortes,  Donald Dunn,  Irma Esparza,  Bishop David Evans,  Joe Garcia,  Deborah Groene,  Cinda Hughes,  Kate Hughes,  Sandi Jackson, Alderman,  Sheila Johnson,  Evan Low, Council Member,  Claire Lucas,  David Mack, State Representative,  Bishop Vashti McKenzie,  Regina Montoya,  Roy Neel,  Don Roman,  Bren Simon,  Art Terrazas,  Wilma Webb,  Sam Yoon, City Councilor

• The Rules Committee will meet at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, August 23 in the Four Seasons Ballroom at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Registration for the meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. outside of the meeting room. A principal responsibility of the Rules Committee is to recommend the Procedural Rules under which the Convention will operate. The Committee will also recommend the Convention Agenda and nominate the permanent officers of the Convention.