Martha_Jenkins

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Martha's major goals for NCFRW have been to increase membership, increase public awareness of the Federation in her state, and to make the Federation more important to candidates, elected officials and party leaders.

Graduating in 1978 from the College of William and Mary with a major in History, Martha was always interested in politics, but participated only by voting. Following a 14 year career as an insurance underwriter, she married Ed in 1991 and devoted her life to motherhood when Kimberly was born in 1994. Kimberly was only 18 months old when Ed saw a notice in the Chapel Hill paper about a meeting of the Republican Women's Club of Chapel Hill. Martha took Kimberly to that first Republican Women's meeting in September of 1995, and when Mary Nell came along in 1998 (during the middle of the Lauch Faircloth reelection campaign), she joined Kimberly at many Republican functions.

Shortly after that auspicious September, Martha volunteered to be club historian. Before long, she was Vice-President, then President of her club, then area representative for the NCFRW. When the Capital Region Vice President had to resign for health reasons, then NCFRW President, Lucretia Hanks asked Martha to consider being Regional Vice President.

Besides being very active in the Federation, Martha served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party. She has been on the 4th District Executive Committee and the NCGOP Executive Committee since 1997. She has been on the NCGOP Platform Committee for the last three years. Martha served as County Coordinator in 1996 for Senator Jesse Helms re-election campaign, and in 1998 for Senator Lauch Faircloth's re-election bid. She also actively worked for the election of Senator Elizabeth Dole, and served as chairman of Women for Burr and chairman of the Bush Petition Drive in North Carolina in 2004.

In 2000, Martha attended her first Republican National Convention in Philadelphia as an Alternate, and she still declares the fireworks along the Delaware River that July are the best she's ever seen. In 2004, Martha was a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in New York and a member from her state of the RNC Rules Committee.

She was also elected to be a Presidential Elector and in January 2005 proudly cast her electoral vote for George W. Bush. Also in January, 2005, Martha was chosen to be one of 8 official greeters of the President and Mrs. Bush at the Democracy Inaugural Ball.

At the 2005 NFRW Convention, Martha was one of the five finalists for the Ronald Reagan Leadership Award. Under her leadership, North Carolina also garnered the Betty Heitman State of Excellence Award, a 2nd place Public Relations Award, and largest growth in membership for medium sized states in 2004. She also served on the Credentials Committee at the 2005 NFRW Convention.

Currently, Martha works for the family business, Satellite City. She is active with her daughters' school and is Secretary of the Orange County Republican Party. She will serve as Chairman of the NCGOP Resolutions Committee for the 2006 Convention.

Martha was re-elected in April 2005 to serve another two year term as NCFRW President. A dozen new clubs were started during her first term, and Martha wants to continue to form new clubs, especially in counties which have never had Federated Republican Women's Clubs. She also wants to spend the next two years nurturing more leaders in the NCFRW. Her primary goals are to see the Republican Party win the North Carolina House and Senate in 2006, and for a Republican Governor to be elected in 2008. "This state is in dire need of Republican leadership," she says.

Publisher's Note: Text published as provided by North Carolina FRW.

PRESIDENT'S BIOGRAPHY

Martha Jenkins has been President of the North Carolina Federation of Republican Women since May 2003, when she was elected to fill the unexpired term of her predecessor. She served as Vice President of the Capital Region for the NCFRW from November 1999 until she was elected President. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, home to the University of North Carolina and a plethora of liberal college professors!