Andy Bernstein helped found HeadCount in 2004 and became its executive director in the spring of 2008. Under his stewardship, HeadCount has registered nearly 500,000 and become a leader in harnessing the power of music to drive social change.
Andy was one of the founders of National Voter Registration Day, and conceived the corresponding social media campaign that has involved over 500 musicians and celebrities and generated over one billion social media impressions.
He also helped create “Participation Row,” an activism village where concert attendees have taken over 100,000 socially-conscious actions while raising nearly $1.5 million for various music-industry charities (including over $500,000 generated from the auction of one guitar signed by members of the Grateful Dea). Andy has produced nearly a dozen benefit concerts and live music events, including 2012’s “The Bridge Session,” which paired HeadCount board member Bob Weir with members of The National for the first time.
Prior to creating HeadCount, Andy was best known in the music community as an author of “The Pharmer’s Almanac”, a guide to the band Phish that sold over 70,000 copies. He also worked in sports for more than a decade, as media editor of Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and a vice president at the sports technology company Kangaroo TV.
He splits his time between New York City and a slopeside ski condo in nearby Vernon, NJ.
Marc Brownstein is best known as the bass player for the Philadelphia- based quartet The Disco Biscuits. The originators of “Trance-Fusion,” a style of electronic rock fused with improvisation, the Biscuits are among the most popular touring acts on the HeadCount roster, headlining major concert venues such as the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ and the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
Marc helped create HeadCount in 2004 and is involved in all key decisions related to the organization. Marc attended the University of Pennsylvania with other members of The Disco Biscuits, and lives near Philadelphia with his wife, Deborah and three children.
Independent music and film entrepreneur Peter Shapiro’s eclectic and singular career path encompasses a range of passion projects. Along with such celebrated venues asBrooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, Brooklyn Bowl London, The Capitol Theatre, Wetlands Preserve and The Slipper Room. He is the founder of Lockn’, a 4 day camping and music festival, as well as Jazz & Colors, an experiential music event encompassing the 843 acres of Central Park, Jazz & Colors at The Met, featuring jazz music throughout the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Jazz & Colors: Wave That Flag, celebrating the music of the Grateful Dead at The Field Museum in Chicago. His acclaimed endeavors include the IMAX concert films U23D and All Access, the Jammys awards show, America’s Largest Earth Day event, Green Apple Festival, 3D technology company 3ality Digital. He serves as publisher of Relix Magazine, which also owns the popular website, Jambands.com along with digital ad agency Hear & There. His retail initiatives include The Hoodie Shop and Stone Fox Bride.
In 2014, Peter Shapiro entered into a unique exclusive performance deal with Phil Lesh, ensuring that the Grateful Dead co-founder would focus on Shapiro’s venues and events. He also partnered with the family of Jerry Garcia to open Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre, a music venue in the late performer’s honor. He is the producer of Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA and Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Shapiro is a member of the Arts Committee of the City Parks Foundation’s Board of Directors, a co-founder of the environmental consulting firm, GreenOrder, and a board member of Headcount, The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Museum, The LowLine and New York Public Radio.
Emily Gibbs is the Managing Director of HeadCount. From Mystic, CT, she received her M.A. in Environmental Policy Design at Lehigh University with a focus on food systems and urban planning. While in the Lehigh Valley she managed multiple gardens and worked with local politicians and the Boys and Girls Club. During these years Emily fell in love with community organizing and making an impact.
Before joining HeadCount, Emily led digital advocacy at Phone2Action, where she spearheaded partnerships with companies like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s, leveraging brands to maximize social change. She also worked for WeWork in building and events management. Emily fell in love with HeadCount at March For Our Lives in DC where she met staff members and volunteers and knew this was a special organization, a family of folks from all different walks of life ready to make a difference.
Emily’s favorite music ranges from Guster to Billie Eilish to the Raconteurs. Beyond music, she loves drinking raw milk (try it sometime, if it’s fresh, it’s safe!), just about every aquatic activity, and laughing at her own jokes.
Tim Bramlette is from Ventura, CA and joined the HeadCount family in January of 2016. He has a very strong passion & background in music photography as he resided House Photographer for over 10 years at the the Majestic Ventura Theater. A few highlighted musicians he has photographed live are the Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Gwen Stefani & Tom Petty.
Born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Kellen graduated from Dickinson College with a B.A. in Political Science and American Studies. Prior to joining HeadCount, Kellen spent 2+ years with an international development non-profit based in Washington, D.C., working to implement community and regional-based programs to strengthen youth participation and representation in developing countries. Kellen also volunteered for various political campaigns in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles.
An avid music fan with self-proclaimed “eclectic taste”, one of Kellen’s hobbies is making a monthly playlist encompassing all the new songs that he’s enjoyed listening to that month. Kellen also has been singing in various choirs and a cappella groups for 15 years, most recently wrapping up a stint with the Cathedral Choral Society, the symphonic chorus in residence at the Washington National Cathedral. Outside of music, Kellen enjoys trying various hot sauces, traveling, and exploring the various neighborhoods that New York City has to offer.
Mollie Farrell is the Director of Artist Relations at HeadCount. The role at HeadCount is a dream union for two of Mollie’s greatest passions: fostering human connection and designing creative solutions. One of her favorite parts of working at HeadCount is growing the organization’s roster of artist partners in an effort to reach bigger, younger, and more diverse audiences.
Prior to HeadCount, Mollie was the COO of G4D Productions, where she served as an event producer, production coordinator, and artist liaison. She holds a B.A. in Interpersonal Communication from the Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte. Mollie lives in Brooklyn and her love language is sending people memes.
Sarah Frankel is a New Jersey native and graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Marketing and International Business. Sarah has been with HeadCount since January of 2018. She started out as a Music and Politics Intern, became HeadCount’s Marketing Coordinator in August of 2018, and is now Headcount’s Social Media & Marketing Manager.
Sarah’s two favorite things (besides chocolate cover pretzels) are democracy and music. She shamelessly loves all things boy-band and her all time favorite artist is Ed Sheeran. Sarah truly believes that the best way to bring people together for a common cause is through music. Going to concerts is one of her favorite things to do and she loves that she can promote civic engagement through this passion.
Jamie Huntsman joined HeadCount in 2006. She’s been passionate about music and the business surrounding music since her college days. Jamie was a DJ and the Music Programmer for her college radio station, interned at several local radio stations, and also interned at Sony Music in Cleveland. After College she was hired at Sony Music in Chicago as a marketing assistant and graphic artist.
In 2005 Jamie went freelance working as an illustrator and graphic designer for many music related and non-music related clients. While building her own business, Jamie volunteered her designs for HeadCount. It was apparent quite quickly that working with HeadCount meant she could be part of the music industry as well as make a social impact. As HeadCount grew, so did Jamie’s role in the organization. She was named HeadCount’s Art Director in 2010.
Jamie lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband Brad and her daughter Halley
Herman White is an accountant with over 25 years’ experience with not-for-profits.
HeadCount fits Herman’s organizational work criteria of spending his professional time with great coworkers, doing interesting work, in pursuit of an inspiring mission.
He cares about communities being served. He enjoys listening to good music. Musical interests range from Miles and Ella on Sunday morning to Childish Gambino and Motown with his wife of 38 years on Saturday night.
BTW, Debits equal Credits every day of the week.
Jackie Lopez is a veggie powered runner and HeadCount’s first Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator. She is a graduate of The George Washington University where she studied International Affairs, Sustainability, and the art of time management.
A first-generation Latina from East LA, Jackie knew from a young age that she wanted to join the non-profit sector because of the impact that organizations, like Minds Matter LA, had on her academic, professional, and academic development. She was drawn to HeadCount for its unique approach to empower music lovers of all walks of life to actively participate in democracy, and is passionate about the team’s efforts to reach new communities.
In her free time Jackie loves to run, pet dogs, read dystopian novels, and listen to podcasts that explore the importance of intersectionality.
Greg Sarafan started blogging for HeadCount in January 2011. Since that time he’s held numerous roles including NYC Team Leader, Legal Intern, Employee, Social Media Management, Pro-Bono Legal Adviser, Artist Rep, Training Coordinator, and North East Regional Coordinator. Greg has degrees in political science and art history from Binghamton University and JD from Brooklyn Law School. In 2009 Greg presented his theory of Artistic Stylistic Transmission in the Royal Mughal Atelier at an art history symposium at Ohio State University and in 2017 he was a panelist at the Duke University Law School Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium. Greg spends most of his free time trying to get the knots out of his long haired cats, on Twitter, and editing radar maps to include his face in the clouds.
Jennifer Hartel is a California girl who has lived all over the Golden State, including stays in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara, where she graduated from UCSB with a degree in Art History. She now calls Sacramento home, and loves walking and biking around the city and exploring all that Northern California has to offer. Jennifer has loved going to concerts for as long as she can remember and always has headphones on or the stereo turned up! She also loves to travel, take pictures and do puzzles.
Sarah Weill is a recent Indiana University graduate who just started at HeadCount and is the Executive Assistant. Her love of music and democracy brought her to Headcount! She lives and breathes live music, and is a big fan of JamBands especially the Grateful Dead, Tedeschi Trucks and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. You can find her hitting the ski slopes when not at a concert or festival.
Since 2018, Sam D’Arcangelo has been the Project Manager for HeadCount’s Cannabis Voter Project, an initiative that aims to get people to the polls by informing them of the ways their votes can influence cannabis policy. Prior to working with HeadCount, Sam was a writer and online editor for Relix Magazine and OffBeat Magazine, and a Staff Writer for the Marijuana Policy Project. He interned with HeadCount during his senior year at the New School, where he received his B.A. in History in 2012.
A native of New Orleans, Sam is a fan of funk music, Mardi Gras, and Saints football. He’s also been to more Phish and String Cheese Incident shows than he’s willing to admit to most people, so hopefully you aren’t like most people.
Daniel Gomez is a New York native whose interests include traveling, participating in community service events, and photography. He recently graduated from Energytech High School and was president of the Student Government during his junior and senior year. In this role he was able to organize numerous school wide events. Daniel was also an active member of the Boys Scouts of America and participated in a surplus of activities in his community. He loves all kinds of photography, whether it be street photography, portraints, etc. As far as his tastes in music is concered, Daniel’s taste greatly varies depending on his mood. Some of his favorites are Childish Gambino, Billy Joel, Tyler the Creator, and Queen.
Alhassane Camara is a New York Native and Graduate of City College with a degree in Media and Communications. Before joining Headcount, Alhassane interned as a student activist for the New York Public Research Group (NYPIRG) at his campus. Alhassane’s main priorities where running class wraps, clip-boarding for local campaigns/voter registration, and participating in press conference/social events. In addition, they host a 2-day podcast called “What’s the Buzz” and discusses topics ranging from pop culture to politics.
Kiára Benejan-Curry is from New York City hailing from The Bronx aka the birthplace of Hip-Hop. Currently studying Sociology and Marketing at Virginia State University, she also develops her creative passions in the arts. Her love for music has been embodied since birth with a love for dance and directing. She enjoys all types of music especially Hip-Hop and R&B music. Her involvement with HeadCount began through a pursuit of internships that would further engage her to combine her love of the arts and political engagement. With a desire to create her own agency in the future, she hopes to inspire future generations to use their passions in the arts to shift culture and political climate.
Hailing from the city of Pittsburgh, PA, Jacob’s enthusiasm and passion for music began at the ripe young age of 4, when his parents first sat him down at a piano and taught him some scales. Eventually, Jacob became a performing musician with multiple small outfits in the Pittsburgh area. He also follows Radiohead around whenever they decide to tour.
Jacob attended the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with a BA in Cognitive Science. He hopes to translate his brain skills into politics and music skills while at HeadCount. Aside from his musical past, Jacob is an avid hockey fan and player, but surprisingly still has all of his teeth. He is also the head of an unofficial Dua Lipa fan club.
Mike led one of the first-ever tours for Headcount – Dave Matthews Band in 2004 – and has been on touring teams for Jack Johnson, Phish, and Dead & Co. He currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife Sara and is a Sociology professor at John Tyler College, teaching courses in social problems, anthropology, gender and sexuality, and race and ethnicity. He believes our most pressing social issues can be better addressed through increased political participation and representation, especially amongst millennials. In his free time, he DJs and covers local music for his community radio station WRIR 97.3fm Richmond Independent Radio and goes to see as many bands as he possibly can.
Brittani Bacchus is a New York native who is a lover of all foods, especially pasta. Drake’s whole discography would be the soundtrack to Brittani’s life. Her guilty pleasure is Twilight, One Direction, and pop punk. She’s a recent graduate from Loyola University with a degree in Music Business. Brittani wants to bring diversity and creativity to anything she’s working on. Her ultimate career goal is to be a #girlboss with her own music and fashion company.
Sophie is a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr College and is thrilled to be working with Headcount again this summer as festival coordinator.
Sophie loves the Grateful Dead and even wrote her senior sociology thesis about the modern Grateful Dead scene and the tribute, cover and spinoff bands that sustain it. She is excited to explore new music this summer, in the jam world and beyond.
Sophie is inspired by Headcount’s mission of marrying music and activism, and loves that Headcount is a grassroots, volunteer powered organization. Additionally, Sophie loves dogs who ride the subway, traveling, and exploring Brooklyn on her bike.
DJ started working for HeadCount in January 2016. He is a native New Yorker but left temporarily to attend University of Southern Maine where he earned a BA in Communications & Media Studies. DJ is a music/concert junkie and has been just about everywhere to see Bruce Springsteen play over 100 times. He is a lover of all music and believes that the power of music can help influence social changes and raise political awareness.
In his free time, you will find him playing music, writing music, experiencing live music, listening to already recorded music and of course, following all New York Sports teams.
He is excited to be a part of the HeadCount team and hopes that his efforts will bring new voters into political process.
Theo is a New York native and recent graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Science who likes it when democracy works.
At a young age Theo began attending and performing shows around New York with his older sister, and in college he got his first taste of musically inspired activism through Brooklyn’s DIY music scene. Long interested in history and politics, Theo earned his BA in English and American literature and hopes to learn more about the effects of language — in music and elsewhere — on political and social behavior through HeadCount.
Theo is thrilled to be joining the HeadCount team as an intern, and while most of the time you can find him reading Kurt Vonnegut novels or playing music, he also enjoys shy dogs and English soccer.
Ariana, who goes by Aria, is a Music & Politics Intern at Head Count. She is a senior at Fordham University majoring in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Latin American Studies. Aria is passionate about research and hopes to use this passion to help underserved communities. With her previous experience in Univision, the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, and her own research on Latinx voting demographics she has seen a glimpse of how these industries work. She is a proud Washington Heights native with a love baked goods or basically anything sweeet. Her music taste ranges from musicals, latin music, and pop rock.
Breanna is a college Freshman from Miami, Florida. She moved to New York City and joined HeadCount as a Music & Politics intern in 2019.
Other than red velvet cupcakes (strictly without cream cheese icing) Breanna loves R&B and oversized sweaters. Given the opportunity, she would gladly shave her head to watch Frank Ocean perform. When she isn’t studying, Breanna prides herself in searching for good ramen places.
Han Duong is Senior Communications major at St. John’s University and Music & Politics Intern at HeadCount. The political climate of the United States in the last few years has given Han a new perspective on the importance of politics in modern society, which is why Headcount’s mission guides her ideals for the future. She loves the idea of merging popular culture with democracy, spreading the idea of political participation to inspire people to make a difference in their communities.
Han’s other major interests include food, travel, art, museums, and most of all, music. Her favorite bands and artists range from Drake, Lady Gaga, Solange, SZA, and Frank Ocean to lesser known indie groups like The Radio Dept., Slowdive, Beach Fossils, DIIV, and many more. She loves music in all forms, whether it be live concerts, musicals, or the casual playlist on Spotify. She also has a 15 year-old Persian cat named Jerry whom she loves dearly.
Lucas is still a rising senior at Brooklyn Tech (go engineers). While he isn’t able to vote just yet, he makes his voice heard by signing up others to vote. Last summer he worked on a congressional compaign. He is excited to be at HeadCount where he can combine with love of music and politics. When at school he’s busy running track and taking advantage of the best city in the world (New York) with his friends.
Margery joined HeadCount in 2015 and can’t get enough of live music and voter registration! After working a show in Raleigh with the famous Morgan Vickery, she was convinced that Wilmington, NC, needed a HeadCount team, so – now it exists! Margery’s non-HeadCount life includes working in a medical office, taking her dog, Keeper, for walks on the beach and enjoying beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the ocean. The rest of the time, she’s catching a show, locally or on the road. Her favorite band is Phish, followed closely by the Grateful Dead, and she honestly thinks that Trey Anastasio is a Jedi. Please refer to Portsmouth 2012 if you think she’s wrong. Her favorite thing about HeadCount is all the amazing people she’s met along the way!!!
Racheal joined HeadCount in 2012 as the Athens Team Leader after volunteering at an Andrew Bird show in Atlanta. She knew she was hooked after seeing the excitement and pride of the first young voter she registered that night. A huge Pearl Jam, Disco Biscuits, and Georgia Football fan, Racheal’s day job is teaching American Government and World History at a local high school. She strives to teach her students as well as her own children, Griffin and Jessica, about the responsibility of citizens to research and understand important issues for themselves. She is passionate about her music and passionate about her democracy. Racheal is inspired by one of her musical faves, Eddie Vedder, who told a sea of 80,000 people at Bonnaroo in 2008 that “music or a song cannot change the world” but “you all, this many people can.” She hopes to empower fellow music-lovers to use the voices they have in our democracy – their vote, to create a more peaceful and tolerant world for us all.
Melanie Marcou joined the HeadCount Team in 2014, but has been a big fan since the beginning. Born and raised just outside of Boston, she spent a lot of time doing volunteer work, ranging from holding food drives at concerts, to helping out at local schools and after-school programs. She went on to earn her B.S. in Consumer Studies with a concentration in Community Service and Non-Profit and Grassroots Organizing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
After spending 10 years working at The UMass Stonewall Center, one of the country’s first LGBT resource centers, she moved on to a fast-paced and rapidly growing transportation company in Eastern Massachusetts. When she is not at work or working on HeadCount, you are guaranteed to find her following Umphrey’s McGee around the country (and beyond).
Through a convoluted career path that involved managing a Taco Bell, teaching English in Japan, bartending in a country club, professionally advocating for sustainable seafood and now, working for the government, the one constant has been his love of music. Chris has a few degrees that have nothing to do with his current career. He has a deep aversion to jam music and pretty much any band that can turn a single four minute song into an hour-long set.
Greg Sarafan started blogging for HeadCount in January 2011. Since that time he’s held numerous roles including NYC Team Leader, Legal Intern, Employee, Social Media Management, Pro-Bono Legal Adviser, Artist Rep, Training Coordinator, and North East Regional Coordinator. Greg has degrees in political science and art history from Binghamton University and JD from Brooklyn Law School. In 2009 Greg presented his theory of Artistic Stylistic Transmission in the Royal Mughal Atelier at an art history symposium at Ohio State University and in 2017 he was a panelist at the Duke University Law School Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium. Greg spends most of his free time trying to get the knots out of his long haired cats, on Twitter, and editing radar maps to include his face in the clouds.
Thais Schaller lives in NYC, studied classical voice at Manhattan School of Music and Business at Columbia Business School. Thais’ day job is Digital Marketing & E-Commerce in the Beauty & Fashion industry which keeps her going while she performs and enjoys the city.
Donald and Kimberly, aka ‘Team Tatera’, first experienced the amazing power of HeadCount while volunteering for Love Hope Strength at three Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well concerts in Santa Clara, CA and Chicago, IL in June/July 2015.
Volunteering and making a positive difference in the world is nothing new as Donald is an Apple Valley Parks & Recreation Commissioner for the last 8+ years; he co-founded and helped secure $600,000+ in federal and state grants for the Apple Valley Legacy Trail, which provides mountain hiking, biking, walking and horse riding opportunities for all locals to enjoy; both have been Lead Volunteers for Love Hope Strength for 6+ years at many varied concerts helping get 2200+ people ON THE LIST to be potential life saving marrow donors and have got 28 life saving matches! Both are very involved with Rotary International as Donald is a Past Club President, District Polio Plus Chair, and an active member working to eradicate illiteracy and polio, and to provide clean water, etc. Lastly, they both are Board Member of the Victor Valley Community Concert Association, where we bring world class jazz, classical and opera performers to the High Desert.
When not saving the world, Donald makes the world more beautiful, one room at a time as an international award winning Interior Designer & General Contractor for Decorating Den Interiors, which he and Kimberly own. Kimberly is an amazing 5th grade math & science Teacher and helps build tomorrow’s future today! Both love living in Apple Valley, CA, in the High Desert, with their 2 Chow Chows, which are their four legged, furry kids. Hobbies include: LOTS of music/concerts, wine, travel, driving slow British cars quickly, and going shooting to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Life is short, live it with no regrets!
JR has been volunteering with HeadCount since 2008 and became the Columbus, OH Co-Team Lead in 2012. With a stalker-like love for live music and a distain for the lack of electoral participation, JR has used HeadCount as the perfect coping mechanism. JR’s day job is a Reporting Specialist with Gap Inc. Direct, but he prefers the term “Excel Jedi”. He is also the Executive Director of the Mobil Estate Tour, a DISorganization dedicated to getting JR to as much live music as possible with a focus on festivals.
Damian has been a part of the music and voter registration scene since 2003. Then he was the Los Angeles Team Lead for Music for America, he resided in California until 2006 (where he averaged about 60 shows a year) then MFA shut down it’s doors. He first heard of HeadCount in 2009 at a Les Claypool show. He started seeing fellow HeadCounters at more and more shows in Arizona. He decided to join in 2010 and traveled many times to Phoenix to volunteer at shows. As HeadCount started growing he applied for an open position in Tucson, and got the Team Lead spot there. From the end of 2011 til mid 2014 Damian ran a strong Tucson team and was able to secure residencies at Club Congress and 191 Toole.
Damian has been involved with music for many years, rather it’s managing bands, djing at local venues or even setting up his own shows. The only thing he loves more than music is his family. He has been supporting his brother throughout his Academic Career. His brother has also been along for the HeadCount ride since 2010. After his brother finished Medical School he got offered his residency in Dallas, Texas. So now Damian is rebooting what was Dallas for HeadCount. He has a few major shows already lined up and is expected to secure various residencies, help recruit Rockstar Volunteers, and help out in neighboring cities such as Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Damian is also an Audiophile, He collects records and has quite the library of over 10,000 pieces of vinyl! If you are in a Texas HeadCount event and Damian isn’t at the table or registering new voters at a show, you may catch him at the merch table buying a new Record or two to add to his collection.
Maria Abad Barzola lives in Miami, FL and goes to Florida International University, where she also works as a tutor for student athletes. She found out about HeadCount through her roommate Gabriela Dominguez, who had volunteered before. Even though Maria’s music taste is diverse, her favorite artists are: Ariana Grande, Tove Lo, and Maluma. Besides volunteering, Maria loves cooking, taking care of her dogs, and planning spontaneous trips. Maria’s also volunteered in the Galapagos islands, where she worked in a forest-conservation project.
Destiny Adams was born and raised in Lubbock, TX and now lives in Milwaukee, WI. She started registering voters in high school and hasn’t stopped since. She strives to promote voter education, access, and equality. Outside of voter education, she spends her time traveling and exploring with her husband and friends. Some of her passions include being an amateur foodie, a permanent tourist, and avid crafter. She is excited to work in Milwaukee for HeadCount and have the opportunity to register a new diverse group of voters.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Tx, Venus has made serving her community a part of her everyday lifestyle. Venus is currently a Junior at St. Mary’s University where she studies Interdisciplinary Education with a focus in reading and also serves as a site facilitator with the Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio. Venus has volunteered with USLA soccer organization, San Antonio Food Bank, and with various schools in SAISD and HISD.
Venus’ passion for Democracy began at an early age as her mom would take her out to the polls, and encourage her to one day run for office. She has a passion for teaching the youth the importance of going out and voting and hopes to help make a voter impact in San Antonio, her motto: Su Voto Es Su Voz, Your Vote is your Voice.
Luis Aguilar is a Central Valley native living in Merced County. He is currently studying English at Stanislaus State. Luis hopes to one day become an English Professor. When he is not in school, he enjoys live music, community theater, and photography. Luis was first introduced to HeadCount when he volunteered at a Harry Styles show and immediately wanted to get involved. Luis has volunteered for the Ally Coalition and has worked with bands such as Bleachers. He hopes to see you at a show!
While receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts Education from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Alex Anastas volunteered for the Rural Action Network, registering voters in the run-up to the 2004 Presidential Election. Shortly after finishing undergrad, Alex went on to receive a Masters of Art from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He has known about the great work done by HeadCount since he saw the ads during one of the earliest Bonnaroos, but didn’t begin his volunteer experience until moving back to the NY area after 6 years living down under.
Alex is a teaching artist in NYC. He has traveled extensively throughout North & Central America, Europe, Africa and the Australian continents. Alex has a passion for not only visual arts but also all live music, sports, and the outdoors.
Warren Barnes began volunteering with HeadCount in early 2017, after an online Scrabble opponent noticed his Dead-themed avatar and told him she was volunteering with HeadCount at an upcoming Dead & Co. show in Boston. HeadCount touched on two of Warren’s close interests, live music and community service/activism. In August 2018, Warren became a Team Leader for the Salt Lake metro area, working to increase HeadCount’s presence and spread its mission at participating artists’ shows and local venues. He has particularly enjoyed hanging with the punk kids at the Vans Warped Tour (R.I.P.) and flowing with the relaxed, intergenerational vibe of Dead & Co.
Warren is a life-long resident of the Salt Lake Valley. He studied math and physics at Westminster College before attending graduate school at the University of Utah. Warren works as a solo-practicing attorney primarily in family, criminal and estate planning. He loves spending time enjoying Utah’s outdoors with friends and family, and always with his adventure-princess dog, Sadie. Warren also loves to hike, backpack and snowboard, along with hacking his way through an occasional round of golf.
From a young age, Alex Barton has always enjoyed participating in concerts of various genres and being involved in music related activities. Alex’s first HeadCount show was a Dave Matthews Band concert in Hartford, Connecticut in 2016. Alex enjoyed his HeadCount experience so much that he had to have more! In addition to his role at HeadCount, Alex currently works as a Manufacturing Applications Engineer at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) in East Hartford, attends Northeastern University D’Amore-McKim School of Business, paints houses (interior and exterior), sells Christmas trees on a seasonal basis, continues to pursue an acting career, and periodically attempts to develop his own unique form of music.
Described by many of his peers as an enthusiastic individual, Alex is excited to be playing a more significant role and believes heavily in HeadCount’s efforts. He loves the idea of providing more individuals with the tools necessary to express their opinions politically while being given the opportunity for some much-needed headbanging.
Andy Berger fell in love with the Grateful Dead in 1985 after having a taped copy of “American Beauty” laid on him by a friend (Run-DMC’s “King of Rock” was on the other side). This spawned a lifetime love of live music that would take him to 80+ Dead shows, many musical directions and all over the country. He particularly enjoyed the three years he spent in New Orleans soaking up that city’s unique music scene. Andy was inspired to work with HeadCount after seeing Bob Weir address survivors of the Parkland, Florida school shooting. Soon after, he had his first HeadCount experience at the March for Our Lives event in Milwaukee. The combination of giving democracy a helping hand while catching some great bands was irresistible. He officially joined HeadCount as a Team Leader in April 2018.
Born in New York City and raised in San Diego, Andy has settled down in Milwaukee with his wife, two boys, and three dogs. Andy has a BA in History and Political Science from UCLA and a JD from Tulane University. He currently works for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Dan found Headcount in 2014 in Kansas City and worked shows for a couple of years before moving to Tampa. He joined the Tampa Team and has been helping out at concerts and community events ever since. Dan heard his first Grateful Dead tunes in the very early 70’s and has been an avid Deadhead ever since. More recently he has embraced New Bluegrass and Americana bands as well. If he is not at a show, you may find him with a camera in hand though on election day, he will be at an assigned election precinct assisting voters cast their ballet as an Election Official in Hillsborough County
Hello, I am Alexander Brown. I have lived in the suburbs of Atlanta my whole life. I started volunteering with HeadCount in 2016 and have loved every moment of it. I am currently studying Geographical Information Systems at Kennesaw State University. My favorite band is Widespread Panic and Umphrey’s McGee. My favorite HeadCount memory is either wining a trip to Jam Cruise 17 or going to Bonnaroo with HeadCount! I am so grateful to this wonderful organization and all of the wonderful people I have gotten to known and register to vote!
Longtime residents of Indianapolis, Cindy and Gary Brown were immediately drawn to Headcount after a volunteer at a concert asked, “Are you registered to vote?” They were but realized there could be no better setting for enrolling new voters and encouraging civic engagement than at a live music event. While they have enjoyed serving as poll workers for primaries as well as off-year and national elections, they are eager to work with Headcount to make registration more convenient and to help get out the vote. And then there’s the chance to hear some of the best and most responsible musicians in concert! They have an extended history of attending live shows (Cindy saw the Beatles and early on, Gary’s genetic code was rewritten during a Yes concert) and love to hear what’s coming next.
In their working lives, Cindy was employed in various branches of state government before serving as a consultant and project manager on a range of local, state, and federal programs. These included oversight of numerous Medicaid and health care-related programs; management of extensive training programs, including national Medicare training, and a statewide Affordable Care Act training; and an HPV outreach initiative. After developing and managing training programs for Amtrak, Gary opened and operated a sign company and a printing shop for more than 22 years. Now that both have retired, they find that they are working as hard as ever, with Cindy coordinating logistics and implementing the training, nurturement and technical skill development (she’s babysitting!) for our grandson. Gary has selected as his Senior Project the renovation of a neighboring 120 year-old house.
Volunteer with Cindy and Gary in Indianapolis
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Stephanie is a life long Massachusetts resident and is now settled in the South Shore. She started volunteering with HeadCount way back in the early days but motherhood got in the way and took a break for many years. In 2016 she got back into volunteering at shows and in 2017 became a team leader. Her favorite band is Umphrey’s McGee and has seen them over 150 times, a number which climbs every month.
She has a passion for volunteering and working in her community with various projects. A mother to two young daughters who she loves exposing to music and life through local shows, travel, and festivals. If not at a concert she can be found enjoying nature, boating, the beach or playing lots and lots of board games!
Stephanie joined the Headcount family back in 2012 primarily volunteering for shows in Tucson. Now a Phoenix resident, attending concerts has been the best way to learn her way around the Phoenix metro area. Some of her most memorable concerts have been those that she volunteered for Headcount including The Shins, Linkin Park, and Brand New.
Headcount is a great way to become more familiar with Phoenix, volunteer, and meet people with similar music taste. Outside of Headcount she works as an epidemiologist and travels throughout the state to work with tribal communities.
Mia Carbone is a rising junior at the University of Delaware. She loves traveling (especially if the destination is a concert), and trying all the food wherever she goes. Her favorite foods to try when traveling are cacio e pepe and gyros. Her favorite artists include The 1975, Harry Styles, and Lorde. Mia studies political science and communications, and she is super excited to be spending the summer in Manhattan with HeadCount!
Alyssa Carey stumbled upon HeadCount in early 2016 and has been riding the train ever since. It wasn’t until after she began volunteering that she realized HeadCount was the organization she first registered to vote with back in 2008 at Dave Matthews Band concert in Saratoga, NY. She was born and raised in Syracuse, New York and her favorite bands are Pretty Lights and The Disco Biscuits. Alyssa received her B.A in Studio Art & Creative Art Therapy from SUNY Potsdam in Potsdam, New York and her M.S Clinical Mental Health Counseling From The College Of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. She is currently working in private practice as a mental health counselor towards her state licensure.
Alyssa lives for & loves the live music experience. She believes the connections made through music are some of the truest and most coveted. She loves to interact and converse with people from all walks of life brought together by the love of music. HeadCount allows Alyssa to channel her firecracker personality into something for a cause. Spreading easily accessible knowledge to a deserving population fuels Alyssa’s drive within the HeadCount community.
Sarah Cerkvenik is a proud Minnesota-born living in St. Louis, MO while she attends Saint Louis University pursuing a degree in Social Work and Gender Studies. Introduced to HeadCount through friends once she moved to St. Louis, she was in awe by the incredible work done through the intersection of music and political action.
When not at a concert or advocating about voter registration, you can find her listening to ducks, putting together a puzzle, or sipping on a banana shake.
Emmet is a senior studying Political Science at the University of North Florida. He is a native Floridian who is desperate for a permanent change of scenery. His favorite band is Radiohead and likes their sad stuff more than their angsty stuff. In his spare time, you can find him sleeping-in late or buying used records. Voter apathy is his biggest pet peeve and hopes to help increase political awareness and participation in his community. He has worked for his college radio station and in a few local campaigns andis excited to continue his passion for music and activism at HeadCount
Jessie Cline is a proud Houstonian that has a passion for food, music, yoga, and art. She graduated from the University of Houston’s Hilton College in 2016, with studies focused on beverage management and marketing. Currently, she brews experimental ciders and teaches yoga! Jessie’s love for live performances is what drove her to begin volunteering with HeadCount in 2018. At in Bloom Music Festival, she found just how much she enjoyed connecting the community through democracy.
Volunteer with Jessie in Houston
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After spending ten years in the DC area, Katie Cole is no stranger to the political circus. While pursuing a communication degree at George Mason University she began working for the Fairfax County Election Office. Within a year Katie had become immersed in five election campaigns, including the 2012 Presidential.
Katie moved to New York in Spring 2015 where she continues her activism with HeadCount after visiting the volunteer table at Magnaball. She’s currently working in digital advertising and spends her free time going to concerts, supporting the Washington Capitals, and listening to podcasts.
Brian Colombini hails from Croton-on-Hudson, NY, a serene suburb of New York City. Brian first encountered HeadCount at Firefly Music Festival, where he proudly stood by his friend as she registered to vote for the first time. The friendly volunteers described the awesomeness of HeadCount to Brian, and he excitedly signed up to get involved. Brian volunteered for HeadCount while finishing his studies in computer science, physics, and music business at the University of Vermont.
Brian has long been entranced by the power of live music, and his belief in music’s ability to bring people together and drive social change has only grown. In addition to volunteering at concerts and festivals, Brian has played guitar in funk-rock bands, interned with a music publisher, and hosted shows on community radio. When Brian isn’t getting down to funky grooves or registering voters, he enjoys biking, reading, podcasts, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. He also works for Goodreads, helping to inspire the world to read.
Volunteer with Brian in San Francisco
Sadie Comer is an Executive Assistant in the Greater Seattle area. When she’s not working, she likes to spend her time outdoors exploring new hiking trails, going to concerts, or reading books at home with her cat Ricky. She also loves finding new experiences around Seattle, from art museums to axe throwing, she likes to keep busy and doesn’t have time for a dull moment.
Sadie’s love for politics started in high school with debate team, and lead to her getting her bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Two of her favorite things are music and democracy, making HeadCount the perfect organization for her to get involved in. Sadie can’t wait to start getting others excited about voting and political engagement
Megan Cowher first learned of Headcount at a Cold War Kids concert in Washington DC in 2013, and was thrilled to start volunteering at Head and the Heart in 2017! She always knew this was a special organization, and jumped at the opportunity to get further involved when Team Leader applications opened up soon after first volunteering. When not registering voters at concerts and events throughout the city, she spends her time as an office manager for a tech start up and playing with her kitten Sequoia.
Ashley Daniel has been involved with HeadCount since 2016. Starting out as a volunteer, Ashley fell in love with the organization and is now a Team Leader in Athens, GA. She is currently a student at the University of Georgia studying Landscape Architecture. Her hobbies include bowling, biking, and volunteering for other non-profit organizations in her area.
Tommy Danscuk is from Freehold, NJ, and has been seeing and involved with live music for a long time. Over the years working at the Gathering of the Vibes, backstage in accounting, he had a good view of the many non-profits involved at the festival. With the untimely demise of the Vibes, he was looking for something to get involved with and always had a peripheral view of the good work HeadCount was doing. After volunteering for a couple of local shows in 2016, he made a leap into a 5 show run of Phish, which reignited a love with the band after close to a 14-year hiatus. That run rolled into many more days and nights of canvassing and meeting awesome new friends through HeadCount.
Tommy‘s life balances out nicely with a combination of lots of live music, Mets baseball, tailgating at Giants games, JazzFest, working on Jam Cruise, and most important being a dad.
Nina DeSell has been a HeadCount Team Leader in Baltimore since 2017, also covering shows in DC and Philly. She began volunteering when she became an empty-nester. For years, Nina would go to shows and festivals with her daughter, as a way to connect and spend time together. She began volunteering with HeadCount to merge her need for civic commitment, love of music and live shows. She enjoys going to shows and engaging volunteers. Nina always loves the energy and connectivity of live shows and festivals.
Alt rock, indie and punk rock both new and vintage have been her mixtape since the ’80s. Old favorites include Ramones, REM, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Go Go’s, The Pretenders and new Grouplove, Young the Giant, Bleachers, Walk the Moon, Dreamers, Night Riots, The Mowglis, Matt and Kim.
Nina is a Baltimore native, working in the city and living in the county. She has an MS in Maternal Child Health and works as a pediatric nurse practitioner in Otolaryngology (ENT). She always will remind you to wear your earplugs to preserve your hearing! She loves my job and even more being a mom and a grandmom. Nina also enjoys travel, art, music, and photography, aspires to one day be a travel or rock and roll photographer.
Adam was born and raised in Connecticut. After a short stint in New York City in the mid-2000s, he came back and developed his own e-commerce retail company.
Adam is a Boston sports and music fanatic. His love for Boston sports started at a very early age. His family has been New England Patriots season ticket holders for over 25 years, and he has been fortunate to attend two Super Bowls. Adam became a devoted music enthusiast when the Dave Matthews Band began touring in the late 1990s. He has been to over 150 DMB shows across the United States and Canada.
Frustrated with the increasing lack of civility in politics, Adam wanted to make a positive change in a non-partisan way. His first Headcount volunteer assignment was the 2018 Vans Warped Tour in Hartford. After seeing the difference he was able to make at that show, he was hooked on Headcount. Over his first summer, he represented Headcount at over 20 shows & community events.
Adam lives in Mystic, Connecticut with his wife and two mini Australian Shepherds, Ollie and Anabelle.
Brenda is a medical librarian who is addicted to attending concerts and music festivals. She fuels her addiction for live music by annually attending New Orleans Jazz & Heritage, ACL, Free Press Summer Fest and Voodoo Music Festivals plus numerous one-day events. In addition to catching shows in the Houston area, she enjoys traveling for concerts and music festivals. She first learned about HeadCount at ACL and was attracted to HeadCount because it combined her love of music and volunteerism with the importance of being involved in our democracy. She began volunteering with HeadCount in 2011 and loves it, because it’s volunteering for a cause she believes in with the added benefit of live music from a variety of artists. In addition to HeadCount, Brenda volunteers with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and NOAA’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Brenda’s an avid scuba diver and enjoys diving as often as she can.
Katrina Eames began volunteering with HeadCount in 2018. After volunteering at several events in the Pittsburgh area, she decided to get more involved as a team leader to bring HeadCount and voter registration to even more shows. She graduated from Point Park University with an English degree in 2017 and is currently working as a social media manager for a small business. When she’s not volunteering with HeadCount, you can probably find her reading at the library, making YouTube videos, or spending time with her family.
Margery joined HeadCount in 2015 and can’t get enough of live music and voter registration! After working a show in Raleigh with the famous Morgan Vickery, she was convinced that Wilmington, NC, needed a HeadCount team, so – now it exists! Margery’s non-HeadCount life includes working in a medical office, taking her dog, Keeper, for walks on the beach and enjoying beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the ocean. The rest of the time, she’s catching a show, locally or on the road. Her favorite band is Phish, followed closely by the Grateful Dead, and she honestly thinks that Trey Anastasio is a Jedi. Please refer to Portsmouth 2012 if you think she’s wrong. Her favorite thing about HeadCount is all the amazing people she’s met along the way!!!
Garrin Evan is a Fort Lauderdale-based fashion and beauty photographer, specializing in location-based advertising, public relations and editorial photography. An avowed colorist, Evan’s work features vibrant splashes of color, as well as eye-catching geometric compositions. He is drawn to the elegant, mysterious, sensual and confident. His clients include advertising and public relations agencies, magazines and consumer brands.
Evan’s photography has been influenced by a life of artistic endeavors. In the 1990s, he worked in marketing and promotion for Atlantic Records, promoting acts like Stone Temple Pilots, Collective Soul, Tori Amos, Juliana Hatfield and Hootie & the Blowfish. Evan is also an accomplished artist and self-taught painter. A decade studying figure drawing helped him develop his eye for fashion photography.
A guiding philosophy to his work: Create a fun, friendly and professional environment and let creativity flourish. Evan prefers shooting on location in urban or natural spaces, and through effective planning and clear direction, he creates imagery that tells a unique story. He has photographed Miss Universe, a swimsuit calendar for the NHL Florida Panthers, and a United States Presidential Candidate. Visit www.garrinevan.com to view his photography.
Zack Feinberg first joined HeadCount in 2011, volunteering at a Furthur show. After living in New Jersey and Boston, Zack can now be found setting up shop in Philadelphia. With musical interests that range the spectrum from bluegrass to hip-hop to the Disco Biscuits, you never know what show you might find him at. Zack credits the listening and thinking skills he learned through jamming to music in helping him successfully earn his law degree from Drexel University in 2017.
Ariel grew up in the heart of South Florida, too consumed with her love for theatre and activism to go to the beach more than twice a year. She discovered HeadCount through March for our Lives and instantly fell in love with the mission and started volunteering right away. She started as a Team Leader and Field Organizer in South Florida, but she now lives in NYC and is studying Performing Arts in college, and hopes one day to possibly be an artist that hosts a HeadCount show!
Ariel loves all types and genres of music but is especially in love with dodie, Panic! At the Disco, Hayley Kiyoko and James Vincent McMorrow among others. Her HeadCount dream is to go on tour with one of her loves and register voters at all their shows. But her heart truly belongs to the Camp Rock and Lemonade Mouth Soundtracks above all else.
Colleen Fogerty is a young professional based in the Greater Seattle Area who spends Monday through Friday, nine to five writing about software. During her commutes she’s probably listening to the latest Crooked Media podcast or creating Spotify playlists inspired by Van Morrison, B.B. King, Chance the Rapper, or Pepper. As a collector of passports stamps, she’s hoping to eat her way through 30 countries by the time she’s 30.
Jason Fry grew up just outside of DC in northern Virginia (Springfield). In 2016 he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in creative and strategic advertising. He first heard about HeadCount while at The Meadows Music & Arts Festival in 2016 and started volunteering promptly afterwards. He currently works as a freelance copywriter, brand ambassador & pedicab tour guide. In his free time he enjoys camping, running, writing comedy & graphic art. He can ride a unicycle, juggle & walk on his hands. His favorite bands include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vampire Weekend, The Strokes & The Grateful Dead.
Kelley Fulton is a proud mom of one grown daughter, and a lover of live music and all the magic that comes with it. She’s ready to take that passion and make a difference in the world. A lifelong resident of rural Pennsylvania, Kelley works full time in a small office setting and part-time as a server at a busy local establishment. She’s new to HeadCount and is excited to get started organizing events and meeting new people!
Volunteer in or near State College, PA
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Jessica Gandy became involved with HeadCount prior to the 2016 election. As a former Las Vegas high school teacher, she always told her students they needed to vote because that was the best way to have a voice in the world around them. When she learned about HeadCount she realized there was no better way to ensure people were active voters than to bring voter registration to them in a fun and friendly setting. Now, as an attorney, she continues to encourage people to take an active voice in their community through local elections.
Jessica has lived in Las Vegas for over 10 years and is constantly surprised by the depth and excitement the city brings. Because it is a favorite tourist destination, the city has a never-ending supply of world-class entertainment, including live music, stage shows, and comedians. In addition, she is an avid traveler, enjoying all of the adventures the world has to offer.
Chelsea joined the HeadCount team in 2011 for an Umphrey’s McGee show, and became hooked (on HeadCount and Umphrey’s). She is now the Team Leader for New Jersey and is really psyched about being more involved in the organization. By day, Chelsea is a cheesemonger; By night she seeks as much live music as possible. Among her favorite musicians are STS9, Umphrey’s, Pretty Lights, Lotus, and Coldplay.
With a history of non-profit experience ranging from volunteering and organizing food and blood drives, acting as treasurer for a non-profit student organization, and working for a non-profit, national supported employment organization, Community Options, Chelsea is looking forward to expanding her impact on the community. She looks forward to mixing passions and making a difference with HeadCount!
Peggah Ghoreishi joined the HeadCount team in Spring 2018 after seeing the lackluster turnout for 18-35 voters in the Chicago primaries. She decided to use her weekly concert attendance in a more productive way and is passionate about combining live music with civic engagement. Peggah considers herself in an open relationship with multiple music venues. She’s attended over 600 concerts at over 150 venues seeing over 900 musicians and is always ready to see a new band. Her concert obsession is second only to her love of penguins and cute baby animals. When Peggah’s not at a show, you can find her feeding alley cats.
David Glover was born in Oklahoma City and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. He was once a hang gliding instructor and set a world distance record; now, David focuses his attention on election and voting rights for Oklahomans and is a board member of the ACLU of Oklahoma. He is also the founder of BadVoter.org which encourages increased voter participation by showing the last voted date of all registered voters. He is very excited to establish HeadCount in the great state of Oklahoma!
David Goldshtein is veteran member of the HeadCount family, and has always been very excited to be a part of this organization. Being an avid lover of music and a supporter of the cause of generating political involvement among the populace, he feels that HeadCount is the perfect organization to devote his energy to.
David has volunteered with various groups and at several events including Kent State’s chapter of SSDP, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the Ohio Student Association, the Electric Forest festival, The All Good Music festival, Hyperion festival, Big Love festival, and many others! A political science major at Kent State University, David hopes to one day himself become a part of the governmental process. Other interests include playing bass, djembe, hiking (weather permitting) and traveling.
Shayla Gordon is a Cleveland, OH native currently living in NYC (Harlem!). Formerly a stage actor and singer, she currently spends her time working in Public Policy for a San Francisco-based tech company and lamenting her (temporary) exit from the stage. As an avid consumer of the arts, she spends a lot of time at museums, art shows, theaters, and music venues both at home and while traveling.
One hot day in June of 2016 while waiting anxiously to see Arcade Fire she stumbled upon the HeadCount table and found a perfect marriage of going to shows and civic engagement. She’s ready to get people excited about voting and being involved in local elections!
Maximillian is a junior studying Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He has lived in Michigan his whole life, yet he found HeadCount while making a 4-hour road trip to see Maggie Rogers in Chicago! He then became a Team Leader in the summer of 2019 to fight voter apathy in Southeastern Michigan. When Max is not registering voters in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and all over the place, he is writing songs in an indie rock band, studying the government, and living the life of a college RA!
Celia and Yancey Gregory both got involved with HeadCount during the life-changing summer of 2008, when Celia worked as a traveling team leader for Dave Matthews Band and Yancey toured with STS9 and Umphrey’s McGee. After moving from Columbia, S.C. in 2009, they took on Nashville co-Team Leader roles and have since reveled in all the great shows in Music City, so many of which are HeadCount events! Yancey is a high school Business teacher, Celia is Communications Director for another national, nonpartisan nonprofit Hope Street Group (and a community radio DJ on WXNA!), and they live in East Nashville with their dogs, Baxter and Bacon.
Volunteer with Yancey and Celia in Nashville
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Taylor is originally from Texas, went to school in Boston and now lives in Brooklyn. She’s always had an interest in both the music industry and political activism, so naturally found her way to Headcount!
Racheal joined HeadCount in 2012 as the Athens Team Leader after volunteering at an Andrew Bird show in Atlanta. She knew she was hooked after seeing the excitement and pride of the first young voter she registered that night. A huge Pearl Jam, Disco Biscuits, and Georgia Football fan, Racheal’s day job is teaching American Government and World History at a local high school. She strives to teach her students as well as her own children, Griffin and Jessica, about the responsibility of citizens to research and understand important issues for themselves. She is passionate about her music and passionate about her democracy. Racheal is inspired by one of her musical faves, Eddie Vedder, who told a sea of 80,000 people at Bonnaroo in 2008 that “music or a song cannot change the world” but “you all, this many people can.” She hopes to empower fellow music-lovers to use the voices they have in our democracy – their vote, to create a more peaceful and tolerant world for us all.
Matt is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma a suburb of Tulsa. He has been active in his community from a very early age. He spent a lot of his time growing up volunteering for different organizations in his local community. He’s passionate about voting rights and ensuring every vote matters. When he has time off he enjoys being on stage doing community theatre. He learned about HeadCount online and immediately wanted to get involved. He enjoys and appreciates all musicians but his some of his favorite artists are Queen, Britney, Paramore, and of course, (he’s been a fan since day one) The Jonas Brothers. He hopes to see you at a concert soon!
Elise Grosso lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and loves traveling for music. She got involved with HeadCount after seeing the registration table at her favorite concerts for over a decade. Hanging out on the lake, hiking with her dog and spending time with family is what she can be found doing the most. Her favorite band is Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and when not at a show, she is relaxing in a sensory deprivation tank.
Volunteer with Elise in Charlotte
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Joe Guido joined HeadCount in 2016 by volunteering at the Dave Mathews Band show at Riverbend. After moving from Ohio to Florida later that year, he continued to volunteer for HeadCount, and after experiencing the March for Our Lives event in Tampa he decided he wanted to step up and become more involved. As an advocate for Social Justice and Voter Rights it seemed like a natural fit!
Joe was born in New York City but grew up inNorth Miami Beach in south Florida. He traveled extensively after college where he studied Nuclear and Environmental Engineering at RPI and eventually graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Nuclear Engineering and MS in Environmental Engineering, and has lived in Virginia, Arkansas, California, Maryland, New Mexico, Idaho, New York and Ohio. During the 1980’s he lived in the northeast and followed the Grateful Dead on there tours through the area. He is still a fan of the Dead’s current incarnation, Dead and Company, but is also a fan of Yonder Mountain String Band, Green Day, Linkin Park, Bright Eyes and Jeffrey Lewis.
A HeadCount volunteer for many years, Drew Hackney has leveled up to Team Leader. An avid musician, outdoorsman, writer and humorist, Drew also enjoys spreading the word about the power of the vote, especially to large crowds of people gathered at concerts. He relocated back to Chicago from Asheville, along with his massive record collection.
Sophie hails from the ever-exciting suburbs of NYC, specifically the city of White Plains. She is a student at Fordham University in the Bronx, studying Political Science with minors in Music and Marketing. Music and politics are two of the most important aspects of her life, some others being dogs, mac and cheese, and musical theatre. While at times she attempts to create her own music, Sophie’s passion lies far more in listening to music. Her music taste is an eclectic combination of Rap, Classic Rock, Show-tunes, Folk, Alt. Pop, and (occasionally) Country. Her top played artists include Bob Dylan, Tame Impala, The Beastie Boys, Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Bruce Springsteen. After living in Montana for two years, she’d like to call herself a mountain girl, but, in reality, she could never again live more than an hour outside of a city. She loves New York, but is a diehard Boston sports fan.
Jennifer Hartel is a California girl who has lived all over the Golden State, including stays in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara, where she graduated from UCSB with a degree in Art History. She now calls Sacramento home, and loves walking and biking around the city and exploring all that Northern California has to offer. Jennifer has loved going to concerts for as long as she can remember and always has headphones on or the stereo turned up! She also loves to travel, take pictures and do puzzles.
Danielle Hessong first heard about HeadCount at an STS9 show in 2013, and after learning about the vision and goals of this organization, she knew immediately that she wanted to be a part of it. She saw HeadCount as the perfect marriage of her interests in music, civic engagement and political and social activism. She has seen the way music brings people together and plays an intricate role in shaping society, and has read studies that suggest that the positive effects of engagement with music only occur if it is an enjoyable and rewarding experience; this is what she hopes to provide to volunteers in her area!
She received a BA in Political Science at Birmingham-Southern College, a Master’s in Public Health from UAB and is currently working on a Master’s in Global Health. She currently works as an Epidemiologist and scientist for a clinical trials study focused on the benefits of exercise in chronic disease populations. Aside from the day-to-day paper writing and researching, Danielle enjoys seeing as much live music as humanly possible, hiking as many miles as her feet permit, traveling as much as her wallet allows, and spending as much time with family and friends as they can tolerate. While her list of favorite bands is constantly evolving, you can typically find her grooving at a String Cheese Incident, Phish, Disco Biscuits or STS9 show.
Jade Hillary is a South Carolina native who has been frequenting music festivals and shows for over ten years. She has been an active member in the industry volunteering at festivals, working street teams, and even putting on local festivals in her area. As a Music Business graduate from Full Sail University, her hope is to learn about as many aspects as possible within the music industry, and pursuing a career as a music journalist is the ultimate goal!
Jade joined the HeadCount team in 2017, though she was first introduced to HeadCount at Bonnaroo in 2011. She shared their enthusiasm for combining the importance of politics and music to create a shared space for those interested in both. Through HeadCount, Jade strives to help strengthen our democracy and provide those around her with the knowledge they need. She believes that HeadCount is an incredible catalyst in creating connections between those wanting to share their ideas on politics and music. In her spare time, Jade travels throughout the country following some of her favorite artists. She also often can be found at music festivals all over, working positions such as venue captain, marketing, or volunteer coordinator. While the Southeast holds a special place in her heart, she believes firmly in all political and musical communities far and wide coming together as one!
Kathryn Hinkle lives in Tuscaloosa and her passion and connection for music has always been strong! She found HeadCount through friends who convinced her to register to vote at Hangout Festival. Shortly after she started volunteering for HeadCount and is now in love with the involvement and experience. Her favorite band is Phish and was overjoyed when getting to work the Trey Anastaio show in 2019. She attends the University of Alabama studying Public Relations and Communication. When not a show she enjoys hanging out with friends, hiking, painting, and playing with her cute Labrador, Marley.
Morgan Howard volunteered for her first HeadCount show shortly after moving to New York City following a 5 year stint working as a performer throughout Colorado and Tennessee. She got to be a volunteer for a whole weekend by a miraculous series of events (including a basement flooding, last minute-cancellations, and a little dash of fate) and it quickly led to a further commitment; she officially became a Team Leader because she couldn’t imagine her life without this organization!
In her non-HeadCount time Morgan works in Sales Operations and Portfolio Management. She spends the rest of her “spare time” writing music and singing her heart out whenever someone will listen! She plays ukulele, piano, and a bit of guitar. Morgan graduated in 2013 from Western Kentucky University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and hails from The Music City of the South—-Memphis, TN. She resonates deeply with the Ray Charles quote, “I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me – like food or water.”
Andy Hulka joined HeadCount in 2013. He received his BA from BYU in Political Science and is working on a Masters in City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah. He has previously worked as a political campaigner, legislative intern, and ESL teacher. He loves listening to and playing all types of music.
Cody Impton started as a Voter Registration Field Organizer with HeadCount, and now happily serves as a Team Leader in Orlando, FL. He studied Civil Engineering at the University of Florida in Gainesville Florida, and after graduation in 2016, he decided to teach in Charlotte, NC. This decision to pursue teaching was from reflecting on being the first in his family to graduate college. Cody is interested in other ways to serve the public and is passionate about democracy. In his spare time, Cody likes to learn, travel, bike ride, hike, and try to get people he knows involved in democracy.
Jessica Jackson has been aware of HeadCount since 2012 because her mother is very active in the organization, but volunteered for the first time in 2017! She is very passionate about getting young people to vote and HeadCount speaks to issues very near to her heart, especially because she has been attending concerts since age seven. Jessica is currently a student at the University of Georgia.
Sarah Janosik joined HeadCount in the Summer of 2017 after meeting the team at a show in New York. She is a high school science teacher who has a BS in microbiology from the University of New Hampshire and a MSEd from the University of New England.
Some of her favorite artists include Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Jack Johnson. As an avid concert goer, Sarah is excited to bring HeadCount to Maine!
Sierra Jeter is a long time lover of live music and activism and is HeadCount’s first Team Leader in the western slopes of Colorado. A Washington, DC native, Sierra first heard about HeadCount while at the Resonance Music & Art Festival in 2018 and started volunteering back home promptly afterward. In addition to her role at HeadCount, Sierra currently works as the Communications and Social Media coordinator for Community Builders non-profit in Glenwood Springs, CO. She is committed to doing whatever she can in her community to foster civic engagement and sustainable change.
When Sierra is not working or at a show, you can most likely find her skiing in the winter months and rafting in the spring and summer. Her favorite bands are Khraungbin, Disco Biscuits, STS9, String Cheese Incident, and The Grateful Dead…. to name a few.
Maddie started volunteering with HeadCount in 2018 at the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival. After having a life changing experience with HeadCount, she started volunteering as regularly as she could. Her passion for positive political change and love for music through HeadCount inspired her to become a Team Leader in Denver, Colorado.
Maddie recently graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Animal Science. In her free time, she can be found following her favorite artist, Bassnectar, around the country or at any local show or live music event she can find. She also enjoys hiking, hammocking, paddleboarding, yoga, attending festivals, spending time with her pet bunny, Bella, and exploring as much as colorful Colorado as possible.
Kat Jutras is originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and began volunteering with HeadCount in 2017. She instantly fell in love with HeadCount’s mission of empowering youth and new voters to participate in democracy. A former musician herself, she is an avid listener of all genres and styles of music and loves HeadCount’s participation with diverse musicians.
Kat works as a project coordinator for green building projects focused on sustainable design, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction. In her spare time, she commits time to volunteering with other organizations such as the ONE campaign and the Red Cross.
Drew Kadish started his advocacy for voter registration leading up to 2004 election in Florida working with another non-profit organization. After moving to Colorado, he saw HeadCount representatives at Red Rocks shows and became interested in how it could help him see more music and give back to the community. He did his first show with HeadCount at String Cheese Incident in 2016. His favorite Bands are Phish, Moe., Dead and Co., Tedeschi Trucks Band, Assembly of Dust, Bonobos Convergence, The Allman Brothers, and Wookiefoot… just to name a few! Drew loves to hike and camp with his dog Jerry, travel to new exciting places, and to see live music of course. His favorite thing about working with HeadCount in Colorado is being able to engage with people from all around the country.
Doug Kalagian is a multimedia and marketing professional from Orange County, California. After obtaining his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, he served in the Peace Corps in 2013 and 2014 in Guizhou, China, teaching English to underserved youth. He met Damian Zamora leading a HeadCount booth at the Santa Ana Observatory and has been active with the organization ever since. Doug is passionate about HeadCount’s mission because he believes that the universal appreciation of music is a powerful tool for social and political progress.
Steve is a retired executive recruiter who has lived in Denver since 1992. His new part-time job is babysitting for his two year old grandson two days a week (with another on the way).
Liz Kelman first joined the HeadCount world in 2010, through the Music for Action collaboration with the NRDC Action Fund. She emailed her elected officials about climate change, downloaded a sweet Best of Bonoroo album, and fell head-over-heels for the idea of combining live music and civic engagement. Several years and two degrees later, she started volunteering with HeadCount in 2018, and is thrilled to be a Team Lead! Liz is a native New Yorker who is passionate about health equity and food justice. She also enjoys biking, brunch, and community gardening.
Ann King was born and raised in IL, lived in TX for 20 years, and is now proud to be a Seattle resident. She has raised two fabulous sons and has been a social studies teacher for almost 20 years at the secondary level. She first got involved with HeadCount in February of 2012; by June of 2012 she was the new Seattle Team Leader, and now is a co-team leader! Ann also volunteers at STG Presents and the Marymoor Park concert venue. In her spare time, she enjoys the theatre, traveling, camping, and even more concerts!
Sloane Klene grew up in Detroit and Atlanta and graduted from Rollins College in 2017. After graduating, she moved out to Golden Colorado. She joined HeadCount in 2018, following her passion of involving the community in letting their voices be heard while jamming to live music! She became a Team Leader the following year in 2019.
When she’s not working with HeadCount, Sloane enjoys exploring the outdoors, hiking, and climbing anything in sight. She also loves grooving to The String Cheese Incident, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Grateful Dead, and anything else that gets her dancing.
Sloane got her first name from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, she dabbles in playing alto saxophone, and her last name rhymes with penny.
Kristopher Kortokrax has been actively volunteering with the Asheville, NC HeadCount team since 2014. As a lifelong concertgoer and notorious busybody, becoming a Team Leader in 2016 was a natural fit. Registering hundreds of voters at dozens of events over the last several years, Kris has relished the opportunity to meet and speak with countless eligible voters and help encourage a continued participation in this ongoing experiment we call democracy.
Allison Lapinski grew up in suburban Detroit, listening to Motown and attending shows across the city before heading to Chicago to begin college. She now studies History at Loyola University, where she is the Music Director for the school’s on-campus radio station. Besides keeping up to date on upcoming artists, Allison likes to keep herself informed on the past and present of the American political system. Because she is passionate for both voting rights and music, Allison joined HeadCount in April 2019 to help provide voting resources in her school community and local neighborhoods. She hopes to address further inequalities as an aspiring attorney. In her free time, you can find her binging reality television or dancing at a concert. Her favorite artists include Phoebe Bridgers, ABBA, Mitski, and Paul Simon.
Alison is a rising junior at The College of William & Mary studying Music and Government. With her roots in Lehigh Valley, PA, Alison grew up performing in musical theatre and tagging along at concerts with her parents. Her favorite artists include Vampire Weekend, The 1975, Mitski, and The Avett Brothers, among many others. Alison is excited that she is able to pursue what seems like the perfect harmony of her two college majors this summer and explore how the power of music can be used to educate and create social change. In her free time, you can find Alison singing in her acappella group and petting cute dogs.
Dave is a middle school teacher in Atlanta, who started team leading with HeadCount in 2018 with March for Our Lives. His favorite bands are the Disco Biscuits and Vulfpeck, and he also plays bass, guitar, drums, and keys!
Heidi Lindenberg was introduced to HeadCount after volunteering for them at the LOCKN’ Festival in 2013. She was immediately hooked by HeadCount’s mission of music, bringing young people together and making civic participation easy and fun. She is super excited about her role as a Team Leader in Virginia Beach, VA. In her free time she enjoys meeting new people, traveling to shows with her boyfriend Matt and hanging with her dogs Grady and Dr. Claw.
Melanie Marcou joined the HeadCount Team in 2014, but has been a big fan since the beginning. Born and raised just outside of Boston, she spent a lot of time doing volunteer work, ranging from holding food drives at concerts, to helping out at local schools and after-school programs. She went on to earn her B.S. in Consumer Studies with a concentration in Community Service and Non-Profit and Grassroots Organizing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
After spending 10 years working at The UMass Stonewall Center, one of the country’s first LGBT resource centers, she moved on to a fast-paced and rapidly growing transportation company in Eastern Massachusetts. When she is not at work or working on HeadCount, you are guaranteed to find her following Umphrey’s McGee around the country (and beyond).
Ben Marks has been a music lover and former taper for a number of years. His favorite band, the Grateful Dead, opened the door to musical pathways including the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Steve Kimock, Railroad Earth, Leftover Salmon, and a lifelong affinity for classic jazz. Similar to others, he pondered the power of harnessing the collective conscious of the audience for a greater good while attending the Benefit for the Rainforest at Madison Square Garden in 1988. Working locally with the Sierra Club and MarylandPIRG, he began his professional career with a simple notion: “Make a difference in all that you do in the world.” A graduate of Towson State University and the Pace University School of Law’s environmental program, he worked on legal and policy issues relating to clean water and renewable energy. He remembers the Eco-Saloon at the Wetlands in Lower Manhattan for its combination of great music and vibe of making a difference. Returning from New York to Baltimore in 2009, Ben lives a block from Camden Yards with his dog, Woody. He enjoys cooking, baseball, and traveling – Asheville and NOLA are his new favorite cities. He currently consults on matters as broad as data management and business development in the natural foods industry.
Alex Marsh is a North Carolina native, but has also lived in San Francisco and Minnesota. Having returned to Raleigh-Durham, he now works at Duke University, using high-resolution cameras to photograph rare & fragile library materials, as well as working with audio and video technology. In his spare time, he loves to see live music, and writes concert reviews for music publications. He also likes soccer, photography and riding his Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. Alex’s favorite musicians include North Carolina natives Warren Haynes, Dexter Romweber, Sarah Shook, John Coltrane, Nina Simone and Doc Watson.
Carl grew up in Rhode Island and spent time in Upstate NY (St. Lawrence and Clarkson University), Boston and Northwest New Jersey before settling with his family in Orange County, California. Once his kids headed off to college, he knew HeadCount was a terrific way to get back to live music and support a great cause. His first show was Music Tastes Good in Long Beach, CA in 2017 and he never looked back. His favorite band is the Grateful Dead and branches off into Jam Bands and Jazz. He loves how HeadCount bring opportunities to discover a plethora of new bands, genres and other opportunities to bring voter registration and actions to all.
Tim McCormick joined HeadCount in March of 2008 as the Team Leader for Boulder, CO. Originally from Boston, Tim moved out to Colorado in 2006 to with the hope of gaining experience in the music industry. He is a 2005 graduate of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.
Tim holds a Master’s in Entertainment Business, as well as a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Music. He has had many years of experience with the concert scene and shares his love of all types of music with his family and friends. He is eager to register and involve as many people in the democratic process as possible. He is currently the Team Leader in Denver and helps facilitate events around the Denver Metro area.
Chris McDonald, also affectionately known in the Dallas music scene as CMAC, has been involved in promoting concerts in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for 15 years. Although he is new to the HeadCount family, Chris’ passion for community, outside-the-box thinking, and general sunny disposition is infectious. CMAC currently works as the marketing manager for the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Homegrown Music & Arts Festival, and the Old 97s County Fair. Before taking on those roles, he worked for 8 years as the marketing and promotions manager for the Granada Theater, which was voted Best Live Music Venue many times. To CMAC, HeadCount combines the two things that he has the most fervor towards: live music and political activism. When he is not working or enjoying a concert, you can find Chris with his two dogs George & Charlie, watching wrestling, or playing his ukulele.
Hailing from the northern suburbs of Chicago, Kevin Medansky started volunteering with HeadCount in the summer of 2016, after meeting HeadCount while Gregory Alan Isakov performed with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. He quickly became a Philly Team Leader because the amazing concerts and the life-changing opportunities to help people from all over the country register to vote are just too great to pass up. Kevin has played trombone for nearly 15 years and was, at one point, the best contrabassoonist in the state of Illinois—at least at the high school level. Now, he is a senior at Haverford College, with a major in French and Francophone Studies, a minor at Swarthmore College in Film and Media Studies, and a concentration in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights.
Kevin Medansky remembers with great nostalgia all the long family road trips to the Wisconsin Dells, listening to the Blues Brothers soundtrack on repeat. His greatest musical memory, however, was probably talking to the lead singer of Busty and the Bass entirely in French. Kevin’s grandmother says to watch out: This kid’s going places.
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Moncrief started volunteering with HeadCount in February 2017 after searching for an ideal opportunity that combined her obsession with music and her desire to volunteer for a sound cause. After a handful of shows under her belt, the opportunity to be a Team Leader seemed only natural.
Lizzie is a California-educated, New York City MBA/JD-graduated music industry professional. She had humble beginnings listening to Genesis, Janet Jackson and NKOTB on her trusty Sony Tape Player in her hometown of Denver. She is excited to be a front line industry warrior, registering voters on the reg. When she is not surrounded by music, whether at work, shows or during 7 am spin class, you’ll find Lizzie in Central Park with her dog, Missy.
Kyle Mudry is from Somerset, Pennsylvania – a small rural community in the southwest part of the state. His first interaction with HeadCount was at Bonnaroo in 2015. Passionate about music and politics, he has been volunteering for shows around the Pittsburgh area ever since.
Kyle studied communications & sustainability in college and works for a local municipality as their Communications & Grants Coordinator. He also makes music with two close friends in a group named Lift the Stigma. When not working or volunteering, Kyle enjoys researching new ideas and rooting for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Katherine Myers was born and raised in Washington, DC, but has called Western Massachusetts home for the second half of her life. She developed her passion for voting mostly because she was unable to do so until she moved from the nation’s Capital. She became involved with HeadCount when she volunteered to register voters with her teenage daughter at the March for Our Lives in DC. Most of her career has been spent in marketing and PR and she currently works in higher education in development communications.
Volunteer with Katherine in Western Massachusetts
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Taylor Newman was born and bred in hilly Tallahassee, FL. She stayed in her hometown for college and graduated from Florida State University (Go Noles!) with a degree in dietetics. She saved up to spend the year after graduation saying yes to whatever came her way, including backpacking Europe with her sister, being an au pair in England, and interning at the White House. She’s now a Foods and Nutrition graduate student and Dietetic Intern at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, where she continues to be politically active. Taylor hopes to work in the realm of food policy after graduation.
Outside of school, she likes to travel near and far, listen to live music, eat delicious food, and hike challenging mountains. She joined HeadCount as a volunteer in 2016 and loves registering voters in Athens!
Holly Nichol is a Chicago native who made her way to Kansas City in 2015 after graduating from the University of Illinois and a few years stint in St. Louis. She works in the advertising industry with a knack for analytics and marketing insights.
Holly’s favorite things are live music, baseball (Go Cubs!), and bingeing TV shows. She’s a country music fan but her all-time favorite is Dave Matthews Band with a running total of 43 DMB shows around the country over the last decade. She’s excited to have HeadCount back in KC and organize as many events as possible!
Jonathan O’Connell was first registered to vote with HeadCount when he was 18, and it has all come full circle as he now is a Team Leader registering future generations of young voters. A Denver native, Jonathan is an active artist, activist, traveler, and teacher, who inspires others to strive for stronger communities and a greener future.
Kevin O’Neill is a Virginia native that is very passionate about service work and community building. Kevin’s love of live music and the community surrounding it makes service work within it a natural fit – he began by regularly volunteering with the DC chapter of DanceSafe promoting health and safety awareness in the live music community in 2014, later that year founded the 501(c)3 non profit organization Advocates of Change, and then joined HeadCount as Richmond’s co- Team Leader in early 2016. His other hobbies include reading and compulsively making puns.
Tracy Owens began volunteering with HeadCount in December of 2017, after hearing about it on an episode of Pod Save America. After volunteering at several shows in the DFW area, she was inspired by her Team Leader to get more involved. By June of 2018 she became a team leader. When she’s not volunteering with HeadCount, she is a board member for the Grand Prairie zoning appeals board, and works in corporate training at the headquarters of a global manufacturing company based out of Las Colinas. In her free time she likes to go to music festivals, travel the world, and hang out with her husband and dogs.
Olivia Parker is based in Washington, D.C. and is a rising senior at the George Washington University studying International Affairs and Political Science. Music and public service has been a large aspect of her life and began very early on. Olivia found her passion in investing in her community of fellow festival-goers. By working in many grassroots campaigns offices while also frequenting countless concerts and music festivals, Olivia has been able to grow the her and interest in public service. Her favorite artists are GRiZ, Bassnectar, The Grateful Dead, Zeds Dead, Kaytranada, Tash Sultana, J. Cole, Papadosio, The Disco Biscuits, and Ganja White Night. In her free time she works as a music journalist and a freelance photographer for two separate music blogs. She also loves hiking, exploring nature and hula hooping!
Rebecca Pirtle hopped on the democracy train when she volunteered at her first HeadCount event in 2018. She instantly fell in love with the organization and wanted to be more involved so she is stoked to be a Team Leader in one of her favorite cities and home – Saint Louis! Rebecca studies Nutrition and Dietetics and Culinary Arts at SLU and works at a restaurant in Saint Louis. Some of her favorite artists are Sylvan Esso, The Front Bottoms, Foxing, Tigers Jaw, and Petal. When Rebecca isn’t at a concert or talking about voting, she loves kayaking, rock climbing, testing out new recipes, and scoring free seats at the Muny!
Volunteer with Rebecca in St. Louis
Raven Pugh is originally from New Jersey but traded in WaWa subs for Waffle House around age 13 and hasn’t left the South since. Having music in her life since birth with band nerd parents and siblings, she followed suit. If she isn’t wasting her time being a mediocre ukulele player, she’s at a concert or music festival which is why when she saw the words democracy and music in this organization she knew this was the place for her.
Through a convoluted career path that involved managing a Taco Bell, teaching English in Japan, bartending in a country club, professionally advocating for sustainable seafood and now, working for the government, the one constant has been his love of music. Chris has a few degrees that have nothing to do with his current career. He has a deep aversion to jam music and pretty much any band that can turn a single four minute song into an hour-long set.
Shannon Reilly is a true Northeasterner, considering herself an equal combination of Connecticut, Boston, and New York City. She graduated from Boston College with a BA in History and from NYU with an MA in TESOL Education. She recently relocated to San Diego and volunteered with HeadCount to combine two of her most favorite things – music and democracy.
Shannon has worked in public education for nearly 10 years and believes in the institutions that our democracy protects. Her first concert was Melissa Etheridge in Hartford, CT, and her favorite concert was Simon and Garfunkel at the Coliseum in Rome. Her hobbies include Krav Maga, guitar, crafting, and finding the best karaoke in town.
Ashley Rivera Mercado was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico and is currently a full-time working senior undergraduate student studying International and Global Studies planning to get her Master’s in Communication after graduation. In her free time, she does photography and kills it on Mario Kart. Freelancing with some local campaigns paired with a love for music led to her to joining HeadCount as a Team Leader. Ashley’s favorite artists include The Dear Hunter, Death Cab for Cutie, Ozuna, Ariana Grande, and many more. Ashley has a passion for diversity and inclusion and hopes to grow a career in helping marginalized communities have better access to quality education and ways of life.
Volunteer with Ashley in Orlando
Having registered to vote for the first time when she was 18 years old at Warped Tour in 2004, Erica has long felt that civic participation shouldn’t take a law degree, and that empowering people to participate in government can be a ton of fun. She especially loved that she could register to vote between rounds of crowd surfing.
Erica joined HeadCount as a Team Leader in 2018 after volunteering at the Denver March for Our Lives. By day, she’s an attorney/policy nerd who works as a Legislative Analyst for the City and County of Denver. She has worked on policy research and development at the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Colorado General Assembly, the West Virginia Legislature, and the United States Senate.
Erica holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Colorado Law School, as well as a Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from West Virginia University. She lives in Denver, but she’s a fierce expat advocate for Appalachia and West Virginia.
Since moving to California four years ago, Kenny Rotter has made it a mission to see as many shows, conventions, and historic venues in the LA area as possible. By far his favorite venue is the very intimate Troubadour, where he has seen some of his favorite artists, including New Found Glory, Ben Harper, Joshua Radin, and Rivers Cuomo. Kenny’s first experience with Headcount was Rupaul’s DragCon. He enjoyed his experience so much, he went back the next day to volunteer again.
Kenny believes democracy demands advanced citizenship. You have to want it. You have to work at it. We, as a people, owe it to ourselves to make it as easy as possible to take part in the process, including voter registration. That’s why he is here. To reach more people, and to live as an example that voting is worth your time and attention.
When not working with Headcount, Kenny is a non-profit attorney who is breaking into local California politics. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his dog, Coco, running obstacle course races, and throws a wicked fireball as an 87 year old Wizard in his D&D group.
Thais Schaller lives in NYC, studied classical voice at Manhattan School of Music and Business at Columbia Business School. Thais’ day job is Digital Marketing & E-Commerce in the Beauty & Fashion industry which keeps her going while she performs and enjoys the city.
Corey and Nicole Scheffler are the team leaders for Michigan. Corey is an engineer by day and enjoys playing and seeing live music. Nicole is in the field of technology and works to empower women in the field through her podcast, Diva Tech Talk. Nicole has also started two community groups, one a full 5.0.1c3 for technology advocates. Together, they are both very passionate about registering voters and getting the people involved in local and large elections. They have worked as team leaders since 2016 in Michigan and are always happy to help get more volunteers locally.
Chloe Schofield is a lifelong Chicagoan now living the good life in sunny Southern California. After finishing her degree in Sociology and Disability Studies, she made her way to California for a Master’s degree in Special Education. Once in California, she got involved with HeadCount, registering voters at festivals and concerts around Los Angeles. She also got a puppy, named Lulu, who is very cute and if you ask (and even if you don’t) Chloe will show you pictures of her. When she isn’t registering voters or making strangers look at pictures of her dog, you can find Chloe at any emo show or talking about Chicago sports.
Jake Schuenke first learned about HeadCount while at a Red Rocks show. He had just moved to Denver and HeadCount helped him update his voter registration information in the parking lot before a show. A few weeks later, he decided to volunteer for a War on Drugs show and has been hooked ever since!
Jake has loved music his whole life – it fascinates him how it can transcend cultures and even languages. He also believes in the responsibility to be involved in the democratic process. After not being involved himself during the early years of his life, Jake wants to inspire others to do their part to improve our country.
He grew up in southern Illinois and lived in Chicago for several years after receiving a Software Engineering degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He moved to Colorado last year and is loving exploring everything it has to offer. While not jamming at concerts, he enjoys wake surfing, rock climbing and the occasional craft brew. Jake loves a variety of music, but some of his favorite artists include blink-182, Run the Jewels, Odesza, and GRiZ.
Brittania Smead’s passion is lifting diverse voices and celebrating differences in order to build strong and equitable communities. She finds strength in her family and friends and continues to love her home state of New York. Brittania started with HeadCount in May 2018 after years of advocacy and organizing on public interest campaigns in NY. She graduated from SUNY Purchase with a degree in Sociology and currently works in the Marketing Department at GreenSpark Solar, a local solar company in the Rochester and Western NY area.
After seeing her at the HeadCount booth before your favorite band goes on, you’ll find her dancing the day/night away at the show. If you don’t find her there, she’s probably reading, going on adventures with her partner and the cutest dog ever, or looking for the next tv show to binge.
Volunteer with Brittania in the Rochester-area
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Les Skolnik loves being a HeadCount TL! Les is currently the Social Studies Learning Specialist at a high school in Brooklyn, NY. As a social studies teacher, Les facilitates classroom experiences that allow his students to see their own stories reflected in history. Les has been an educator, youth worker, and youth development specialist for over fifteen years, having served in organizations and schools in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island, and Buffalo, NY.
Les holds a B.A. in History from SUNY Buffalo and a Master’s degree in Inclusive Secondary Social Studies Education from Hofstra University and is a New York State certified teacher in secondary Social Studies and Special Education. In his spare time, Les sees as much live music as possible (usually Phish), loves to travel, and can often be found exploring New York City with his camera while trying to improve his skills as a photographer.
Lindi Smith joined HeadCount in June of 2017 during the Dead and Company Summer Tour. During that experience, she got to meet just a few of the awesome HeadCount members who inspired her to have a great time while engaging fans. When she walked up to people with a smile on her face and a positive attitude, strangers reciprocated it by getting involved and signing up for voter registration and TurboVote. She was fortunate enough to meet HeadCount Executive Director Andy Bernstein at this Dead and Co show, where he invited her to join the crew at LOCKN’.
Lindi has lived in Richmond her whole life, and loves to be apart of getting her home city to participate in HeadCount. In her free time, she enjoys reading in her hammock by the river, eating pizza, and doing heel clicks. Lindi looks forward to meeting new lifelong friends, getting the music industry involved in national issues, and being apart of democracy through this amazing organization!
Vicky Song’s first HeadCount show was the AFROPUNK festival in Atlanta in 2016, and since then, she’s been maneuvering her freelance schedule to get to more shows and events and get the vote out! A world traveler, Vicky made her way to Atlanta from NYC by way of LA, by way of Seoul, between tackling over 30 countries as a solo backpacker. Now, trying to settle down, the biggest advice Vicky can offer in a professional environment is to take a BuzzFeed quiz a day to take a moment for yourself and make you smile. She’s an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
Ann began volunteering with Headcount in 2012 at Dave Matthews Band show in CT. Ann loves music of all kinds, her first shows as a teenager were Slayer and Moody Blues, in the years since she has seen hundreds of shows of all genres.
Ann registered to vote one month before her 18th birthday and has never missed an election. In 2016 she was part of the DMB touring team. After team leading in NY for several years, Ann relocated to Florida where she will continue her TL role in the Tampa area.
Natalie Sweet began volunteering with HeadCount in 2014 shortly after entering their photo contest held at Summer Camp Music Festival [sadly though, she lost to an epic Prison Mike totem]. Natalie is committed to her local artistic community and works to engage citizens in creative experiences everyday. She moved to Pittsburgh from South Jersey to earn a BA in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Pittsburgh and has loved being in the beautiful Steel City ever since. In addition to spending her free time enjoying live music and supporting community projects, Natalie enjoys traveling to new places, meeting new people, and taking in fresh air on a sunny day.
Donald and Kimberly, aka ‘Team Tatera’, first experienced the amazing power of HeadCount while volunteering for Love Hope Strength at three Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well concerts in Santa Clara, CA and Chicago, IL in June/July 2015.
Volunteering and making a positive difference in the world is nothing new as Donald is an Apple Valley Parks & Recreation Commissioner for the last 8+ years; he co-founded and helped secure $600,000+ in federal and state grants for the Apple Valley Legacy Trail, which provides mountain hiking, biking, walking and horse riding opportunities for all locals to enjoy; both have been Lead Volunteers for Love Hope Strength for 6+ years at many varied concerts helping get 2200+ people ON THE LIST to be potential life saving marrow donors and have got 28 life saving matches! Both are very involved with Rotary International as Donald is a Past Club President, District Polio Plus Chair, and an active member working to eradicate illiteracy and polio, and to provide clean water, etc. Lastly, they both are Board Member of the Victor Valley Community Concert Association, where we bring world class jazz, classical and opera performers to the High Desert.
When not saving the world, Donald makes the world more beautiful, one room at a time as an international award winning Interior Designer & General Contractor for Decorating Den Interiors, which he and Kimberly own. Kimberly is an amazing 5th grade math & science Teacher and helps build tomorrow’s future today! Both love living in Apple Valley, CA, in the High Desert, with their 2 Chow Chows, which are their four legged, furry kids. Hobbies include: LOTS of music/concerts, wine, travel, driving slow British cars quickly, and going shooting to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Life is short, live it with no regrets!
Yan Yan Teague is a flight attendant based in the Greater Seattle Area. When she’s not flying she’s often traveling for fun, going to concerts and likes to take naps. You can often find her watching reality tv with a bowl of popcorn. Her favorite artists include Ed Sheeran, Parachute, Mat Kearney and Matt Nathanson. Her goal is to visit a new country every year.
Yan Yan has always been interested in politics as she graduated with a dual degree in Political Science and Justice and Peace Studies. The most recent elections made her passionate about civic engagement and votings rights, while also remaining nonpartisan.
Billy Joe Tilson has had a great passion for government and the election process since middle school. He feels that the act of voting is an extremely underutilized tool in our democracy, and thinks that voting should be looked upon as an opportunity, not an archaic function of days gone by. That is why Billy became involved as a Volunteer and Team Leader in Knoxville, TN! Music is also a personal interest. HE LOVES MUSIC! So joining his needs to encourage civic participation in the electoral process together with music makes HeadCount the perfect harmonious balance for Billy’s soul!
Billy greatly enjoys the musical stylings of the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground, The Beatles (however Colbert said that saying Beatles are your favorite band is like saying food is your favorite flavor…), Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Dinosaur Jr, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Widespread Panic, 311, Beethoven etc…
Emilia Tineo is studying Music, Politics and Social Justice at St. John’s University. Being a first generation New Yorker with Dominican heritage comes with a whole package of multiculturalism. Loving everything from bachata to neo-soul Jazz and supporting local artists are all part of her love for the Bronx. HeadCount’s intersectional mission to empower music listeners through political participation is what drove her to become a fellow. She enjoys making Spotify playlists, watching the Netflix Marvel Series, and participating in community service opportunities all over New York and the world!
Volunteer with Emila in New York
[email protected]
Meredith Tracey is a South Jersey native who spends the majority of her time in Philadelphia, going to shows or classes. She first volunteered with Headcount at Warped Tour in 2017, and has since found a love for working shows. She loves talking to new people, spending time with family, and travelling with friends. Some of her favorite artists include Boston Manor, With Confidence, and Seaway, and one of her goals in working with Headcount is to bring the popularity of voter registration to the alternative music scene. Overall, she is here to spread the message, and have a great time doing so. Meredith was also one of HeadCount’s Music and Politics Interns in the Fall of 2018.
For Sam Turnbull, HeadCount is located at the perfect intersection of music and activism, and has been a rewarding, important, and joyous part of her life since 2016. After two years of volunteering, she graduated to Team Leader in 2018. Sam has been a music obsessive and avid concert goer since she was young, having attended over 300 shows to date, spanning every imaginable genre. 21 of these 300+ shows can be attributed to Pearl Jam, her favorite band. Her most prized possession is a tambourine Eddie Vedder gave her on her birthday.
Sam graduated from the University of Maryland in 2014, double majoring in communications and sociology. Throughout that time, she interned and volunteered across the music industry, at venues, radio stations, and record labels. She is currently a Sales Lead & Account Manager at a creative agency, and a resident of Chicago via NYC. Sam’s strengths include finding new restaurants and making new band recommendations. She is always down for a bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll, and is always ready to promote democracy.
Pia has been involved in the Colorado music scene for many years. A mainstay at numerous local venues and festivals, she has worked hundreds of shows including almost every concert at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium from 1999 to 2004. She first came to HeadCount in late 2010, making her debut gig on Valentine’s Day the following year, where she earnestly embraced the organization’s ethos.
An ardent believer in civic responsibility and passionate that the democratic system function well, she is a committed and enthusiastic activist encouraging concert-goer registration. When not working concerts, she can often be found blogging or shooting shows as a veteran music reviewer for festivalpreview.com, or holding down the rail at a moe. or Phish show. Pia is a graphic designer by trade, a sidekick alto chorister by night, a devoted advocate for alternative transportation, and studying to be a tai chi master in the meantime.
Heather Weavil has lived in Asheville since the 90’s and, along with the city, has seen the music scene explode recently. She is so excited to be apart of HeadCount’s presence there! She’s a Deadhead in love with the mountains and all the great breweries around Asheville. Heather works as a full time artist and is a dog person who is passionate about democracy, her community, and encouraging people to get out and vote. She loves traveling for live music and volunteering for HeadCount both locally and at festivals just seemed like the right thing for her!
Fiona Weeks is an epidemiologist and data nerd, who also happens to be passionate about civil rights and promoting full and equitable participation in governance. She started volunteering with HeadCount in 2018 and is excited to use her role as Team Leader to energize and recruit volunteers and improve voter turnout in Wisconsin. A Wisconsin native, Fiona has also lived in Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, El Salvador and Chile, and speaks two and a half languages. Fiona also supports voter participation as a bilingual poll worker in local elections. When she’s not working or volunteering with HeadCount, Fiona likes to play recreational softball and volleyball, cuddle with her cat and cook with ugly vegetables. She hopes to see you at a show or at the polls!
Ian Weissman first learned about HeadCount after Googling “Music + Politics” during a long night of procrastinating. He soon volunteered for his first show (Van Morrisson) during the summer of 2015. After registering tons of friendly voters and getting to watch one of his lifelong musical idols from the side of the stage, Ian knew he had found the perfect way to combine his love of music with his passion for creating politically active citizens. He officially joined HeadCount as a Team Leader in March 2016.
Ian is a high school social studies teacher in New York City and has a strong passion for education. He holds a B.S. in History from Penn State University and a M.A. in Social Studies Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He plays the guitar, banjo, ukulele, and mandolin. He also owns a didgeridoo, but isn’t quite sure how it works.
Hart Welles enjoys dancing at people as they do everyday tasks, building snow forts, and milkshakes. Hart started volunteering with HeadCount in 2017 after learning about the organization at Firefly Music Festival. HeadCount’s blend of political activism and live music was exactly what he was missing in his life. Hart works as a Process Improvement Engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat in New London, CT with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management. He’s been attending and volunteering at music festivals since he was a kid and loves being able to give back to the experience in a meaningful way.
Meredith Wohl joined HeadCount as a volunteer in the fall of 2017, and as a Washington, D.C. Team Leader in April 2018. She first learned about HeadCount while travelling the country as a music festival photographer in 2014, and is thrilled to be a part of an organization that perfectly blends her passions for live music and political engagement. Meredith graduated from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC in May 2017, and has experience as a field organizer, reporter, and publicist. When she’s not registering voters, you can find her in the photo pits of D.C. venues shooting for various local publications, reading a historical biography, or on a quest to find the perfect bagel.
Steve Worsfold grew up in Michigan and attended Michigan State University for his undergraduate degree, and Eastern Michigan University for his master’s degree. He moved out to the Bay Area in 2012, so he wouldn’t have to face another Michigan winter. Steve works for the City of San Francisco, and spent two years with the Department of Elections, registering voters and educating the public about upcoming elections. After moving to a new department, he missed interacting with voters, and decided to volunteer with HeadCount. Steve loves the nonpartisan philosophy and HeadCount, and believes a civically engaged electorate is the key to progress in this country.
When Steve isn’t working for the city or registering voters with HeadCount, he enjoys hiking and camping in beautiful northern California, eating and drinking his way through the endless restaurants and breweries in San Francisco, watching the Golden State Warriors win championships, and of course, seeing live music. Steve has been seeing Phish since the 90’s and is always on the lookout for a new band to follow around.
JR has been volunteering with HeadCount since 2008 and became the Columbus, OH Co-Team Lead in 2012. With a stalker-like love for live music and a distain for the lack of electoral participation, JR has used HeadCount as the perfect coping mechanism. JR’s day job is a Reporting Specialist with Gap Inc. Direct, but he prefers the term “Excel Jedi”. He is also the Executive Director of the Mobil Estate Tour, a DISorganization dedicated to getting JR to as much live music as possible with a focus on festivals.
Damian has been a part of the music and voter registration scene since 2003. Then he was the Los Angeles Team Lead for Music for America, he resided in California until 2006 (where he averaged about 60 shows a year) then MFA shut down it’s doors. He first heard of HeadCount in 2009 at a Les Claypool show. He started seeing fellow HeadCounters at more and more shows in Arizona. He decided to join in 2010 and traveled many times to Phoenix to volunteer at shows. As HeadCount started growing he applied for an open position in Tucson, and got the Team Lead spot there. From the end of 2011 til mid 2014 Damian ran a strong Tucson team and was able to secure residencies at Club Congress and 191 Toole.
Damian has been involved with music for many years, rather it’s managing bands, djing at local venues or even setting up his own shows. The only thing he loves more than music is his family. He has been supporting his brother throughout his Academic Career. His brother has also been along for the HeadCount ride since 2010. After his brother finished Medical School he got offered his residency in Dallas, Texas. So now Damian is rebooting what was Dallas for HeadCount. He has a few major shows already lined up and is expected to secure various residencies, help recruit Rockstar Volunteers, and help out in neighboring cities such as Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Damian is also an Audiophile, He collects records and has quite the library of over 10,000 pieces of vinyl! If you are in a Texas HeadCount event and Damian isn’t at the table or registering new voters at a show, you may catch him at the merch table buying a new Record or two to add to his collection.
Through a convoluted career path that involved managing a Taco Bell, teaching English in Japan, bartending in a country club, professionally advocating for sustainable seafood and now, working for the government, the one constant has been his love of music. Chris has a few degrees that have nothing to do with his current career. He has a deep aversion to jam music and pretty much any band that can turn a single four minute song into an hour-long set.
Mollie Farrell is the Director of Artist Relations at HeadCount. The role at HeadCount is a dream union for two of Mollie’s greatest passions: fostering human connection and designing creative solutions. One of her favorite parts of working at HeadCount is growing the organization’s roster of artist partners in an effort to reach bigger, younger, and more diverse audiences.
Prior to HeadCount, Mollie was the COO of G4D Productions, where she served as an event producer, production coordinator, and artist liaison. She holds a B.A. in Interpersonal Communication from the Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte. Mollie lives in Brooklyn and her love language is sending people memes.
Greg Sarafan started blogging for HeadCount in January 2011. Since that time he’s held numerous roles including NYC Team Leader, Legal Intern, Employee, Social Media Management, Pro-Bono Legal Adviser, Artist Rep, Training Coordinator, and North East Regional Coordinator. Greg has degrees in political science and art history from Binghamton University and JD from Brooklyn Law School. In 2009 Greg presented his theory of Artistic Stylistic Transmission in the Royal Mughal Atelier at an art history symposium at Ohio State University and in 2017 he was a panelist at the Duke University Law School Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium. Greg spends most of his free time trying to get the knots out of his long haired cats, on Twitter, and editing radar maps to include his face in the clouds.
DJ started working for HeadCount in January 2016. He is a native New Yorker but left temporarily to attend University of Southern Maine where he earned a BA in Communications & Media Studies. DJ is a music/concert junkie and has been just about everywhere to see Bruce Springsteen play over 100 times. He is a lover of all music and believes that the power of music can help influence social changes and raise political awareness.
In his free time, you will find him playing music, writing music, experiencing live music, listening to already recorded music and of course, following all New York Sports teams.
He is excited to be a part of the HeadCount team and hopes that his efforts will bring new voters into political process.
DJ started working for HeadCount in January 2016. He is a native New Yorker but left temporarily to attend University of Southern Maine where he earned a BA in Communications & Media Studies. DJ is a music/concert junkie and has been just about everywhere to see Bruce Springsteen play over 100 times. He is a lover of all music and believes that the power of music can help influence social changes and raise political awareness.
In his free time, you will find him playing music, writing music, experiencing live music, listening to already recorded music and of course, following all New York Sports teams.
He is excited to be a part of the HeadCount team and hopes that his efforts will bring new voters into political process.
See our HeadCount alumni
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HeadCount provides voter registration assistance on a strictly nonpartisan basis to any U.S. citizen age 18 or over without regard to political affiliation, race, religion, or age. HeadCount does not endorse, support or coordinate with any political party or candidates for elected office, or take positions on any ballot initiatives.