Our Mission
Fair Count is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to partnering with Hard-to-Count (HTC) communities to achieve a fair and accurate count of all people in Georgia and the nation in the 2020 Census, and to strengthening the pathways to greater civic participation.
About Fair Count
Founded in 2019 by Stacey Abrams and anchored in Georgia, Fair Count works to build long-term power in communities that have been historically undercounted in the decennial census, underrepresented at the polls, and whose communities are often torn apart in redistricting.
Our Mission
Fair Count is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to partnering with Historically Undercounted Populations (HUP) communities to achieve a fair and accurate count of all people in Georgia and the nation in the 2030 Census, and to strengthening the pathways to greater civic participation.
Our Mission
Fair Count is dedicated to partnering with Historically Undercounted Populations (HUP) communities to achieve a fair and accurate count of all people in Georgia and the nation in the 2030 Census, and to strengthening the pathways to greater civic participation.
Fair Count is a 501(c)(3) organization.
staff
Rebecca DeHart
CEO
Rebecca DeHart is the CEO of Fair Count, a nonprofit organization founded by Stacey Abrams in Georgia that works to build long-term power in communities that have been undercounted in the decennial census, underrepresented at the polls, and torn apart in redistricting. She has more than 20 years of political, campaign, policy, and advocacy experience working in Georgia and around the nation. Prior to starting Fair Count, Rebecca served for five years as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Georgia – her tenure culminating after the 2018 midterm elections.
Before leading the state party, Rebecca was President of Steel Cut Strategies, LLC, a firm specializing in campaign management, communications, and government affairs. It was there she capped off a 13-year lobbying career in which she was well known for her efforts advocating for health care access, reproductive justice, and safety for women, children, and families. In 2012, she became the Senior Vice President of a political direct mail firm, serving as both chief creative strategist and general consultant to races around the nation. Prior to founding her own firm, Rebecca was the Communications Director for the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Executive Director for the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
A social worker by training and a recovering partisan campaign wonk, Rebecca is committed to developing innovative strategies and operationalizing big ideas to achieve long overdue equity in civic engagement efforts. Rebecca lives with her husband, two sons, and myriad animals in East Atlanta.
Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean
Vice President
Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean is a highly skilled researcher with over 15 years of experience designing, managing, and implementing population-based studies and projects. During her tenure at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she applied her expertise in computational biology and population-based studies to help understand and control the spread of antibiotic resistance. In addition to her research, she has extensive project and personnel management experience as well as work in community organizing.
Jeanine graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Theater Studies. She earned a doctorate in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin. As the daughter of United Methodist ministers, Jeanine was raised to serve her community, and she co-founded and directed a mentorship program for African-American undergraduate students at UT-Austin. In addition to her work in public health, she is passionate about finding creative ways to tackle community-based issues using both strategic planning and innovative ideas. She lives in Tucker, GA, with her husband and two sons.
Board of directors
Rep. Carolyn Hugley
Chair of the Board
Carolyn’s outstanding and visionary leadership is focused on developing “real solutions for real people.” She is committed to fighting for all Georgians and has dedicated her service to children and family issues. She is known for her work in education, health care, enhanced job opportunities and public safety. She has sponsored numerous bills to include anti-bullying legislation, legislation to keep widows of veterans in their homes, legislation to keep sexual offenders out of school zones, anti-stalking legislation and compensation resolutions to compensate constituents who were wrongfully convicted.
Hugley is actively involved in her community and appreciation for her leadership and service has been recognized with numerous awards from local, state, national and international organizations. She is married to Columbus City Manager, Isaiah Hugley. They have two children, and two grandchildren.
DuBose Porter
Board Member
After college, Porter interned in Washington, D. C., for Georgia Senator Sam Nunn where he decided to go to law school so that he could one day become a public servant and help others just as he saw Sen. Nunn was able to do. He attended and graduated from Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. After law school, Porter returned to his hometown and formed the law firm of Nelson & Porter.
In 1982 he decided to run for the legislature. Although he was considered the underdog in the race, he was victorious, and he represented the district until 2011. In 1991 and 1992, he served as Administration Floor Leader in the House of Representatives to Governor Zell Miller. In January 2003, Porter was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives and later became Minority Leader of the House of Representatives until he left the House to run for Governor in 2010.
Porter has four sons, also Eagle Scouts, Stephen DuBose Porter, Jr., Guyton McCall Porter, and twins, Asa Shearouse Porter and Inman Lee Porter. Porter runs a publishing company, publishing nine newspapers and journals throughout Middle and South Georgia. Since 1987, Porter also has been a stockholder and member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Dudley. He is a former Trustee for the Nature Conservancy of Georgia, former member of Board of Trustees and The Board of Advisors of The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. He is the former President of the Georgia Press Association and of the Georgia Library Trustees Association and served as a member of Governor Miller’s Preservation 2000 Committee.
Porter was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia in a special election in the fall of 2013. He was reelected to serve a full four-year term in 2015 where he worked to rebuild the Party and make Georgia a Battleground State. Porter lives in Dublin, Georgia, or as he calls it, “the center of the universe.”
Sachin Varghese
Board Member
Before joining BME, Sachin served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard W. Story in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. As a pro bono attorney, Sachin has represented, among others, the Legislative Black Caucus of Georgia, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, and League of United Latin American Citizens in challenging Georgia’s 2011 redistricting plans. He is also active with the Democratic Party of Georgia, serving on the Voter Protection committee.
A member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2014, Sachin is active in his community and sits on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute and Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates.
Sachin, his wife Serene, and their two children, Dahlia and Omar, live in East Atlanta.
