Atlanta, GA - Today Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich announced the Newt 2012 leadership team in North Carolina. Leading Gingrich's efforts in the Tar Heel state are former NC GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer, Kieran Shanahan, and Karen Rotterman.

"North Carolina will be a key state in the Republican primary process and a crucial battleground state in the fall of 2012," said Gingrich. "The members of our North Carolina team have been tremendous conservative leaders in their state."

Gingrich concluded, "I look forward to working with our North Carolina team in the months and year ahead as we work to create real change in America."

Serving as Chairman for Mr. Gingrich's North Carolina efforts will be Tom Fetzer, former Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. Fetzer was one of the principle architects of the campaign that restored Republican majorities to the North Carolina House and Senate for the first time since 1870. He is a former Mayor of Raleigh -- winning an election hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "the most impressive reform victory in the country" that year. During his tenure in office, Raleigh was named America's #1 City for Business by Money Magazine and the #1 place to live in America by Fortune Magazine.
 
Serving as Finance Chairman will be Raleigh based attorney Kieran Shanahan.
Shanahan is the immediate past finance chairman for North Carolina Republican Party, and a former federal prosecutor with extensive trial court experience in federal and state courts around the country. He is also an honors graduate of East Carolina University Business School and UNC School of Law.

A lifelong Republican, Kieran served four elected terms on the Raleigh City Council and was a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. He serves on the East Carolina University Board of Trustees and is a member of the Centennial Authority. Mr. Shanahan is a Past Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina and served on the Board of Trustees of Bennett College for Women. He also serves as Chairman of the N.C. Property Rights Coalition.
 
Heading up Newt 2012's political and fundraising operation in North Carolina will be veteran political consultant Karen Rotterman. Rotterman has a long track record in politics dating back to her service as an appointee in the Reagan Administration. In 1984 Rotterman was the press secretary to Congressman Jim Martin's successful gubernatorial campaign and served for four years as Director of Communications for Governor Martin.  She then served as Assistant Secretary for Administration for the North Carolina Department of Human Resources.  Rotterman was recruited from government service by Glaxo Inc., a Fortune 500 Company.
 
Karen Rotterman has been a political consultant for various successful congressional, senatorial and statewide judicial races in the state over her long career. She was also a consultant to the presidential campaigns of George H. W. Bush, Phil Gramm and George W. Bush.