Leadership

J. Gerald Hebert
Project Administrator

Gerry Hebert serves as the Project Administrator for Americans for Redistricting Reform and serves as Director of Litigation and Executive Director of the Campaign Legal Center.  Mr. Hebert has had a federal court litigation practice specializing in redistricting and voting rights issues and has worked on cases in more than two dozen states over the past twelve years. Over the last three decades, he has served as legal counsel for parties and amici curiae in numerous redistricting lawsuits, including several cases decided in the Supreme Court of the United States.

Prior to his time in solo private practice, Mr. Hebert served in the Department of Justice from 1973-1994 in many supervisory capacities, including Acting Chief, Deputy Chief, and Special Litigation Counsel in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division.

He has authored a number of law journal articles and other publications on redistricting and the Voting Rights Act.  His most recent publications include "Redistricting in the Post-2000 Era", in the George Mason University Law Review, and "The Realists' Guide to Redistricting", published by the American Bar Association's Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice (co-authored).

Meredith McGehee
Project Director

Meredith McGehee serves as Project Director for Americans for Redistricting Reform and is the Policy Director at the Campaign Legal Center where she directs the legislative and media policy efforts. She is also the principal of McGehee Strategies, which specializes in public interest advocacy campaigns. McGehee is the former President of the Alliance for Better Campaigns, a public interest group that sought to put meaning back into broadcasters' statutory obligation to serve the public interest.

Formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Lobbyist for Common Cause, McGehee was named by The Hill as one of the top nonprofit/grassroots lobbyists in Washington. She has given talks at universities and organizations around the country, has testified before Congress, has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Village Voice, Salon, Broadcasting & Cable, The Washington Times, Des Moines Register and numerous other newspapers, and has appeared on CNN, NBC, ABC and a variety of television and radio news shows.

Prior to joining Common Cause, McGehee was Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Lane Evans of Illinois and a legislative aide to U.S. Representative Dante Fascell of Florida. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger, West Africa and is a Phil Beta Kappa, cum laude graduate of Pomona College in California.
 

David Vance
Director of Communications and Research

David Vance oversees public and media outreach efforts and research projects for Americans for Redistricting Reform and the Campaign Legal Center. Mr. Vance has an extensive background in public relations and in both broadcast and print journalism. Prior to joining the Campaign Legal Center, Mr. Vance served as Public Affairs Director for an international trade association and worked for two public relations firms in Washington, DC where he handled public affairs, public relations and crisis issues both nationally and internationally for a broad range of corporate, association and non-profit clients.

Before entering the public relations field, Mr. Vance worked for several news bureaus in Washington, DC, WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vermont as well as The Washington Post. At various points in his journalism career Mr. Vance covered national, state, and local politics, the courts, crime and business. Mr. Vance has researched and written series on numerous political candidates, a variety of industries and the long and short-term effects of state and national legislation.

Mr. Vance is a native of Washington, DC and holds an M.S.J. from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University.