For Sky Gallegos, taking one of the most powerful jobs at the 2008 Democratic Convention was more than the career opportunity of a lifetime. It was a way to head home.
The Denver native will live in the Mile High City for the first time in 20 years as the convention’s deputy chief executive for intergovernmental affairs, a job that will require her to coordinate the often-competing interests of the Democratic Party’s key players.
“It won’t be easy, but being able to come home and be part of something this significant and this exciting for Denver is as close to a dream job as you can get,” Gallegos said.
In her new role, the South High School graduate will be the convention’s chief liaison to elected officials and interest groups who are vying for a limited number of convention seats and hotel rooms.
It’s a balancing act that requires making tough decisions about who goes where, while also choreographing the multimillion dollar event’s every detail – down to the number and size of political signs on the convention floor.
“Sky’s extensive experience makes her a terrific asset,” said Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, who chose Gallegos personally to serve on his five-person senior team.
That experience has its roots in junior high school, when Gallegos organized a neighborhood protest against the destruction of the Harvard Gulch park to build a golf course. She lost the fight but became dedicated to the Democratic Party because, she said, it “looks out for people.”
After graduating from Stanford University in 1991, Gallegos worked her way through Washington’s political ranks in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and President Clinton’s 1996 Inaugural Committee.
She then hit the campaign trail, serving as Vice President Al Gore’s chief Western strategist in 2000 and U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 political director in California before running her own campaign consulting company, Hilltop Public Solutions.
The single 38-year-old said her success lies in individualism taught to her by her parents and five siblings, who live in the Denver area. Friends and colleagues also point to her skills.
“Sky is not a bridge burner,” said Alan Salazar, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, who worked with Gallegos on the Clinton campaign. “She doesn’t let politics interfere with friendships. That’s rare in this business.”
Until she heads to Denver in July, Gallegos is in Washington plotting a convention budget and nursing thoughts that she’ll buy a house in Washington Park and never return to the nation’s capital.
“I’m looking forward to walking my mutt, Jack, in the Rockies, having no humidity and being with my family for more than 24 hours,” Gallegos said. “I’ll always be involved in politics, but hopefully I can do that in Denver.”
