WASHINGTON -- Rev. Leah Daughtry, the CEO of the Democratic National Convention, is the first person ever to plan two of the party's conventions. She ran the event in 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) became the first African-American presidential nominee of a major party. Next month, she'll preside over a second historic convention, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, becomes the first woman in the role.
As an African-American woman, Daughtry cannot believe she has a front row seat to both of these seminal moments in U.S. history.
"I would never have dreamed of this when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn," she said. "In 2008, it was historic for me as an African-American in this country who, quite frankly, never thought I would see an African-American president. With Secretary Clinton, I have the opportunity to see a woman president, which I never thought I would see. It's the flip-side of my duality as a person. You wear both of these cloaks at the same time, sometimes less easily than others."
The 53-year-old said the importance of Obama's barrier-breaking presidency really set in when she saw the effect it had on her nephews. She hopes Clinton will inspire young girls in the same way. "I think about all the little girls who aren't born yet who will grow up with a female president and who will come to understand and feel that there is nothing that's impossible for them, in the same way my nephews felt that way about Barack Obama," she said.
Daughtry executes every logistical part of the convention, from planning the schedule of speakers to hiring vendors to making sure the buses run on time. She said the goal for the Democratic convention in Philadelphia next month is not only to launch Clinton successfully into the general election, but also to energize the party and inspire a bounce in the polls. She also aims to plan the one of the most diverse political conventions ever, so that every American watching the event from home can look up and see someone who resembles them.
"We put a lot of work into ensuring that the folks who come to represent the states as delegates represent the broad panoply of Democrats from across the nation -- straight, gay, transgender, black, white, brown, Native American, Asian, all of that," she said. "We'll have more diversity in one delegation than the Republicans have in their entire convention."
Daughtry even made sure the people staffing the convention represent all walks of life. The staff she's hired so far is 60 percent female, 56 percent minority, and she's using minority-owned companies, she said. "We're doing the work that backs up what we say," Daughtry added.
The Republican Party will hold its convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the week before the Democrats and is expected to nominate real estate mogul Donald Trump, who has a history of making racist comments and proposals. The GOP seems to be panicking about Trump, who just fired his campaign manager and is falling behind Clinton in the polls.
Daughtry said she plans to tune in to the GOP convention -- mostly for entertainment.
"I'll be watching what happens in Cleveland to see what they're talking about and how they're intending to convey their messages," she said, "and to get a good laugh."
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