About Us
Dr. Drew Westen
Founder & CEO
Drew Westen, Ph.D., is president and CEO of the American Message Foundation and a clinical, personality, and political psychologist who has spent decades translating insights from psychology and neuroscience into winning messages for pro-democracy leaders. He is the author of the influential book The Political Brain, which reshaped how campaigns understand the central role of emotion in voter decision-making, and through his consulting firms has advised U.S. presidential campaigns, international leaders, and major nonprofits on messaging and research with over 100,000 voters.
Mike Lux
Political Strategist and Democratic Operative
Board Chair
Mike Lux is a veteran political strategist with unparalleled Democratic credentials, having served as a staffer or adviser to six presidential campaigns, the Clinton and Obama transition teams, and the Clinton White House as Special Assistant to the President. He co-founded Progressive Strategies, Democracy Partners, Mike Lux Media, and American Family Voices, and played a foundational role in launching the Center for American Progress and the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.
Andrea Young, J.D.
Executive Director, ACLU of Georgia
Board Member
Andrea Young is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia, where she has reimagined the organization's work on a framework integrating legal action, policy, advocacy, and civic engagement, with focus on voting rights, civil rights legislation, and First Amendment protections. She has been instrumental in expanding equality and human rights at all levels, taught leadership and social policy at Georgia State University and Morehouse College, and is recognized as one of Atlanta Magazine's 500 Leaders.
James Beverly, O.D., M.P.A., M.B.A.
Optometrist, Entrepreneur, Former Georgia Legislator
Board Member
Dr. James Beverly is an optometrist, entrepreneur, and former Georgia legislator who represented Macon's 143rd District from 2011 to 2025 and served as Minority Leader of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.
He holds an O.D. from Temple University, an M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School, and an M.B.A. from Wesleyan College, and is focused on expanding affordable housing and workforce opportunity in underserved communities.
Mark S. Bergman, J.D.
Principal, 7Pillars Global Insights
Board Member
Mark Bergman is a former partner at Paul, Weiss law firm and now principal of 7Pillars Global Insights, where he focuses on safeguarding civil society, strengthening democracy, and countering disinformation. With two decades based in London and experience leading the firm's global securities and capital markets practice for 25 years, he serves in leadership roles at Bellingcat US, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the International Crisis Group, and the American Message Foundation.
Andrew Tobias
Former Treasurer, Democratic National Committee
Board Member
Andrew Tobias served as Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee from 1999 to 2017, overseeing the party's finances during critical election cycles. He brings extensive expertise in financial strategy and planning, and is known as the author of "The Best Little Boy in the World", a seminal memoir that helped advance LGBTQ+ visibility in American culture.
Ambassador Michele Taylor
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council
Board Member
Ambassador Michele Taylor served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2022 to 2025, successfully leading the United States back onto the Council after its 2018 withdrawal. A lifelong human rights advocate and daughter of Holocaust survivors, she has had a long career in progressive politics, including service as Vice Chair of the National Finance Committee for the Democratic Party under President Obama. She is currently a Distinguished Professor of the Practice at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech and a founding board member of the American Message Foundation.