NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – HeadCount, the non-partisan organization known for collaborating with cultural influencers to inspire youth participation in democracy, is ushering in a new era. The company has announced that 32-year-old election official and voting rights advocate Lucille Wenegieme has been named the organization’s next Executive Director. Her predecessor, HeadCount founder Andy Bernstein, will step back from the day-to-day operations at the end of this year but maintain an integral role as a senior advisor.
Wenegieme, a first-generation Nigerian-American, has spent the majority of her professional career as a champion of democracy. Before joining HeadCount she served on the executive team at Denver’s Clerk & Recorder Office, which oversees all elections in the city. Her accomplishments include spearheading a citizen-led campaign finance system and pioneering a groundbreaking marijuana-themed get-out-the-vote initiative. Wenegieme also served as VP of Communications at the influential National Vote at Home Institute and ran her own communications firm, following an earlier career stop in fashion at luxury retailer, Coach, Inc.
Wenegieme will now lead an organization that has toured America with notable artists such as Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Dead & Company, Dave Matthews Band and Jay-Z, while registering more than 1.2 million voters over the last two decades.
“The world is changing and the next election won’t be decided by the traditional political apparatus,” said Wenegieme, who achieved a masters degree in medical science before starting her professional career. “Millenials and Gen Z now make up nearly half of eligible voters, and we can’t be reached through traditional media buys and direct mail. We respond to authentic messages from trusted messengers, and that’s where HeadCount has always been a leader.”
Founded in 2004 through the collaboration of Bernstein, then 32, and Disco Biscuits bass player Marc Brownstein, HeadCount initially focused on the vibrant jam band community. The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and promoter Peter Shapiro were founding board members, and remain active to this day. Over the years, HeadCount broadened its scope, embracing all music genres and forging partnerships with Spotify, the three major record labels, and the esteemed Global Citizen organization. Most recently, it ventured into the realm of sports through agreements with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Hockey League (NHL).
For the Presidential election in 2020, HeadCount registered well over 400,000 voters, with an impressive 78% of them turning out to vote. The organization achieved even greater success in the 2022 midterms when young people contacted by HeadCount were 20% more likely to vote than their peers of the same age.
“When we started this organization 20 years ago, I was young, fired up and determined to change the world. I’m still two of those things, and while I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished, I’m also unbelievably excited to see what HeadCount can do under fresh and visionary new leadership,” said Bernstein, who will assume the title of Founder and Senior Advisor beginning January 1. “Lucille is a rising star and she represents all the promise of the generation we aim to mobilize.”
Wenegieme will make her first public appearance with HeadCount at the upcoming American Democracy Summit in Los Angeles on September 24, where she’ll be joined on a panel with Voto Latino CEO Maria Teresa Kumar, I am a Voter founder Mandana Dayani and Rock the Vote President Carolyn DeWitt. In the upcoming weeks, HeadCount will be notably active, organizing voter registration drives at events like the Sea Hear Now Festival in Asbury Park, NJ, Music Midtown in Atlanta, and the Global Citizen Festival in New York. HeadCount is also currently on tour with Noah Kahan, Odesza, Pentatonix, The Lumineers, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, All Time Low, The Disco Biscuits, CAKE and Noah Cyrus.
Earlier this year, HeadCount announced the appointment of philanthropist and environmental activist Jessy Tolkan as chairperson of its board of directors. She succeeded Shapiro, who completed his four-year term as board chair and maintains a seat on the board.
