Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean is a distinguished evolutionary biologist, community organizer, and President of Fair Count, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by Stacey Abrams. Fair Count is dedicated to ensuring every person in Georgia and the United States is accurately counted in the census and engaged in civic participation, including voter education and redistricting efforts.
Jeanine has 20+ years experience designing, managing, and implementing population-based studies and projects, and she has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications. Her extensive career includes a notable tenure at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she applied her expertise in computational biology and population research to advance public health initiatives, particularly in understanding and controlling antibiotic resistance.
At Fair Count, Jeanine focuses on tackling inequities in democracy through community organizing, innovative programs, and access to technology to empower historically undercounted and marginalized communities. Her commitment to community service is rooted in her upbringing as the daughter of United Methodist ministers, which inspired her to co-found and direct a mentorship program for African-American undergraduate students at University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Abrams McLean is widely renowned for championing the voices of the rural South, earning her a seat on the National Advisory Committee for the Census Bureau in advance of the 2030 Census. She was recently selected for the 2023 Keseb Democracy Fellowship, which focuses on cross-country learning with democracy entrepreneurs from the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.
Jeanine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Duke University and a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from UT-Austin. She lives in Tucker, GA, with her husband and two sons.