Board of Directors

Bradley E. Heard is the founder and chairperson of the Georgia Voter Empowerment Project. A graduate of Morehouse College and the Yale Law School, Mr. Heard is the Managing Attorney of The Heard Law Offices, LLC, a multi-service law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia.  Mr. Heard’s practice focuses primarily on employment and business litigation, and he is also well versed in the areas of juvenile and education law. Through his extensive pro bono work and his involvement in fraternal and charitable associations such as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Charles H. Wesley Education Foundation, Mr. Heard has developed an enduring passion for voter registration and voting rights issues, particularly as such issues affect traditionally disadvantaged communities. From 2004 through 2006, Mr. Heard represented the Wesley Foundation in a landmark voting lawsuit against Georgia’s secretary of state, challenging the state’s noncompliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. As a result of that litigation, the federal courts invalidated Georgia’s long-standing policies and procedures that prohibited private, non-deputized groups from organizing voter registration drives and collecting applications for submission to state and local election officials. Mr. Heard continues to work with other national, state, and local voter registration groups to ensure that Georgia remains in compliance with its obligations under the NVRA and other federal voting laws.

Randal A. Carey will serve as vice chairperson of GAVEP during its organizational phase. An avid screenwriter and entertainment industry insider, Mr. Carey attended the University of California at Berkeley and served as the technical services manager for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a national nonprofit charitable organization that combines the power of the entertainment industry with major corporate donors, respected foundations, and caring individuals, to help raise awareness and funds for significant health concerns as well as social and educational causes.  Mr. Carey brings to GAVEP a wealth of practical knowledge about the nonprofit industry, including: designing and implementing effective and economical technology solutions (web presence, online fundraising, email campaigns, etc.); identifying and matching potential donors and grant makers to worthy charitable causes; and complying with IRS requirements for acknowledging charitable donations.

Michael K. Watts will serve as an at-large director of GAVEP during its organizational phase. A graduate of Morehouse College and native of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Watts is a freelance entertainment journalist and music critic. He has worked as a producer on nationally and locally aired programs, such as MTV’s “Total Request Live” and FOX’s “Good Day Atlanta.” As a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and ad-hoc organizations such as Black Greeks for Progress, he has participated in various voter registration and education initiatives. In addition, with his extensive involvement in the National Association of Black Journalists and its New York and Atlanta chapters, he brings essential media relations expertise and access to GAVEP.