Maryland Republican Party Leadership

Diana Waterman, Chairman: A resident of Queen Anne's County, Diana serves as the Financial Records Manager with Coldwell Banker Waterman Realty--one of the premier real estate operations on the Eastern Shore. Diana is a graduate of Sweet Briar College, as well as a member of the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce and the Chesapeake Women's Network. She and her husband Barry are the parents of two adult children.
chairman@mdgop.org

Collins Bailey, First Vice Chair: A lifelong Republican and resident of Charles County, Collins Bailey has long been a fighter for the Conservative cause. He is a self-employed businessman with over 40 years of experience in a variety of fields including sales, personnel management, systems analysis, and accounting. He served four terms on the Charles County school board and in 2008, challenged entrenched Democrat Congressman Steny Hoyer for the 5th District Congressional seat. Collins and his wife Pamela have four children and reside in Waldorf.

Larry Helminiak, Second Vice Chair: One of Maryland's most notable Republican activists, Larry Helminiak entered politics after a long, successful business career. Starting In 1970, Helminiak started Carroll Insulation and in 1998 partnered with five other insulators from across the country to form United Subcontractors, which became the 2^nd largest insulation contracting company in the country. He was a lifelong member of the Home Builders Association of Maryland, and elected as Vice President in 1983. Helminiak was also very active in the Insulation Contractors Association of America, where he served on the board for 23 years and was National President in 1985 and 1998. Larry and his wife, Rosemarie, have two children and five grand-children.

Eric Grannon, Third Vice Chair: Outside of the political realm, Eric Grannon is a well-respected law partner at White & Case, LLP in Washington, DC. A former Federal prosecutor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Eric holds an undergraduate degree from Brooklyn College and a law degree from Howard University. Grannon is a resident of Davidsonville and he resides there with his wife Christine and son James.

John Wafer, Secretary: A longtime Republican activist, John Wafer has served as the Secretary of the Maryland Republican Party since 2010. John has been a resident of Howard County for 38 years and is an agent with Century 21 Trademark Realty, where he markets properties throughout Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard, and Montgomery Counties. Wafer is also active in the printing industry with Ellicott City-based Form Masters, LLC. He is also active in his community. He serves as a board member for Historic Ellicott City, Inc. and a committee chair for Relay for Life, Howard County.

R. Christopher Rosenthal CPA, Treasurer: Outside of his political roles, which also includes representing Maryland as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention, Chris is a shareholder with a regional CPA firm where he chairs the firm’s forensic and valuation services group. He is a nationally renowned expert in business valuation, forensic accounting and complex commercial damages and has testified over 100 times in US and International courts. Chris is a graduate of Virginia Tech where he earned a BS in Accounting. He earned his MBA from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Finance.

Nicolee Ambrose, National Committeewoman: Nicolee Ambrose was elected as the National Committeewoman from Maryland in April 2012. She is currently the Vice President of Government Affairs for a federal contracting firm based in Virginia, and was a Presidential Appointee in the George W. Bush Administration from 2002-2008. Ambrose earned a B.A. in International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University, a B.M. at the Peabody Conservatory, and a M.M.in Opera/Musical Theatre from Arizona State University. She is a Republican political activist, conservative commentator, and Chairman Emeritus of the Young Republican National Federation where she previously served as Chairman and Secretary. Her past involvement in politics includes serving as the National Coalition Director for the Future Leaders for McCain-Palin, the National Executive Director of the Young Professionals for Fred Thompson, Chairman and National Committeewoman of the Maryland Young Republicans, and many other positions. Ambrose serves on the Advisory Council for the Republican Women’s Federal Forum, and recently finished her term as Secretary of the Maryland State Advisory Commission to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She has previously served on many other boards and commissions. She currently resides in Baltimore, MD, with her children.

Louis Pope, National Committeeman: Louis has served as Maryland's National Committeeman since 2004, as part of a political career that includes the Chairmanship of both the Howard County and Maryland Republican Parties. At the National level, Louis has served as RNC Vice Chairman for three terms and a delegate to every Republican National Convention since 1992. Professionally, Pope has owned Century 21 Trademark Realty which serves Bethesda and Greenbelt and is active in local real estate industry groups. Louis and his wife Joyce reside in Howard County.

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