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Last updated on Friday, February 3, 2017
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Newly elected Indiana Republican Party State Chairman Kyle Hupfer Thursday announced the three individuals who will comprise the Party’s senior staff team for the 2018 election cycle.
Matt Huckleby, Pete Seat and Mindy Colbert most recently worked on the historic 100-day gubernatorial campaign of Governor Eric Holcomb and each bring a unique skill set to their new roles.
"Matt, Pete and Mindy are a political trifecta," Indiana Republican Party State Chairman Kyle Hupfer said. "Between them, they have unparalleled experience in every facet of a campaign and together they will be a true asset to candidates, elected officials and Republicans statewide as we prepare to both maintain our hold of statewide offices, and most importantly, defeat Joe Donnelly in 2018."
Eric Holcomb for Indiana campaign manager Mike O'Brien added, "Matt, Pete and Mindy were senior members of a team that did what no other group has done in the history of our state: win a gubernatorial campaign in just 100 days. Their combined skills and knowledge, from the grassroots levels of cities and towns across Indiana to The White House, will be invaluable to Chairman Hupfer and our entire Republican team."
Matt Huckleby, a Harrison County native, will be the Party's Executive Director of Political Strategy and Operations. In this role, he will manage the Party's field operations, data analytics and internal operations. Huckleby most recently was political director for Eric Holcomb for Indiana. He previously was political director for Mike Pence for Indiana and district director and campaign manager for Congressman Larry Bucshon.
Pete Seat, a Lake County native, will be the Party's Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Talent Development. In this role, he will oversee messaging and media relations for the Party, including serving as chief spokesman, and take the lead in identifying and training a strong bench of future campaign staff and candidates. Seat most recently was communications director for Eric Holcomb for Indiana. He previously was senior project manager at Hathaway Strategies and communications director of The Indiana Republican Party under then-Chairman Eric Holcomb. He also served in the George W. Bush White House.
Mindy Colbert, a Tipton County native, will be the Party's Director of Fundraising Operations in addition to assuming the role of Finance Director for Eric Holcomb for Indiana. For both entities she will coordinate fundraising operations and manage donor relations. Most recently, she was deputy finance director for the governor's campaign while running her own political finance consulting firm, Colbert Consulting, LLC. She previously was the Party's finance director and also raised funds for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Matt Huckleby, Executive Director of Political Strategy & Operations
Matt Huckleby had the unique experience of serving as political director for two gubernatorial nominees in the same cycle. He was first political director for then-Governor Mike Pence's re-election campaign before transitioning into the same position with Eric Holcomb for Indiana following Pence's nomination as the Republican candidate for vice president of the United States.
Prior to the 2016 cycle, Huckleby served as district director for U.S. Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D., as well as being campaign manager of the Congressman's political team. While a student at Indiana State University, he was appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to serve as the student member on the ISU Board of Trustees. He has also served the Republican Party in a number of different capacities, including holding the position of southwest vice chair for the Indiana Federation of College Republicans and currently serving as the 8th District chair of the Indiana Federation of Young Republicans. Huckleby is a 2011 graduate of Indiana State University with a bachelor's in political science.
Pete Seat, Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Talent Development
Pete Seat was most recently the communications director for Governor Eric Holcomb's campaign. Prior to that, he was the senior project manager at Hathaway Strategies, an innovative grassroots public affairs firm located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to that, he was communications director for the Indiana Republican Party under then-State Chairman Eric Holcomb and prior to that served in the same capacity on the campaign of former U.S. Senator, and soon-to-be Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats. From June 2005 to January 20, 2009, Seat served on President George W. Bush's White House staff, including as a spokesman in the Press Office under Press Secretary Dana Perino.
Seat has published op-eds in news outlets around the country including Politico, CNN.com and MSNBC.com, is a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC and FOX News programs and published a book titled The War on Millennials in 2014. He is also a regular panelist on WRTV's Indianapolis This Week and fills in from time-to-time on WFYI's Indiana Week in Review. A native of Schererville, Seat is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor's in theatre arts.
Mindy Colbert, Director of Fundraising Operations
Mindy Colbert most recently was the deputy finance director for Eric Holcomb for Indiana and Next Level Indiana, Inc., the Holcomb-Crouch transition organization. She is the president and owner of Colbert Consulting, LLC, which boasted a client roster of federal, statewide and local candidates. Prior to starting Colbert Consulting, Colbert gained over 10 years of political and non-profit fundraising experience. She served as the executive director of an Indiana education reform organization, finance director for the Indiana Republican Party, and director of political fundraising for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, where she raised funds for both the state and federal political action committees.
Colbert has worked in both the Indiana House of Representatives and Indiana Senate and earned her bachelor's degree from DePauw University. She spends her volunteer time helping organizations that support veterans and their families. She is a 2005 graduate of the Indiana Leadership Forum and a 2012 graduate of the Women's Campaign School at Yale University.
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