Better Georgia Staff:

Bryan Long, Executive Director
Don Weigel, Political Director

Bryan Long
Executive Director

Before founding Better Georgia in November 2011, Bryan started his career as a journalist, followed by more than five years with the Atlanta-based communications firm Jackson Spalding.

At Jackson Spalding, Bryan managed crisis communications, corporate communications and social media for some of Atlanta’s largest and most influential companies.

Previously, he worked as a reporter and editor with CNN.com, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Bryan is well versed on social marketing, a skill which took him to the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in 2008.

Bryan’s two plus years at CNN.com honed his ability to work under pressure as he served as Writer/Editor for CNN.com’s breaking news team, where he covered such wide-ranging topics as the war in Iraq and its aftermath; the rebuilding of New York’s post-September 11 skyline; the safety of biotech labs after the nation’s anthrax scares; and the 2004 Presidential race and election. He was co-writer and co-editor for CNN.com’s first blog, a political and celebrity-filled report from the halls of Boston’s Fleet Center at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

In October 2009, Bryan spent a week studying clean water projects in Haiti for Pure Water for the World and Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club. Bryan is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2012. He also serves on the Board of Directors for AID Atlanta, an organization that fights against the AIDS epidemic in metro Atlanta.

A native of Troy, Alabama, Bryan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama upon completion of a double-major curriculum in Journalism and American Studies.

Don Weigel
Political Director

Don Weigel began organizing people around progressive issues in college, with a non-partisan voter registration drive and then founding the College Democrats at State University of New York College at Fredonia.

After college, Don helped coordinate a first-ever, full-ticket campaign for Mayor and city council in upstate New York.

Over the past six years, Don has conducted more than 25 trainings in 15 states for Howard Dean’s Democracy for America.

In 2006 Don served as deputy executive director and then in 2007 and 2008 as the executive director for the Colorado House Majority Project in Colorado helping expand their majority in the state house by four seats and organizing an incumbency protection program that re-elected every house Democrat.

He most recently worked for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus in Atlanta.

Don has served as a press secretary, communications director, field director, fundraising director, general consultant and campaign manager in races for municipal, state and federal elections in New York, Colorado, Alabama and Georgia.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Red Clay Democrats and as Southeast Political Director for Truman National Security Project.