Meet the leaders

In 2016, Rob Lucero founded the American System Group to lead projects that would serve to rejuvenate that which made America great in the first place: the "American System of Political Economy". Rob has studied global history and public policy since 1993, focusing on international relations, international economics, and national economic development. He has a degree in Global Politics from Long Beach State and a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC), where he currently serves as a mentor to fellow Trojans at the USC Graduate School.

Rob recently served as a city commissioner for Culver City, has worked in California state government, and has been an advisor to elected tribal leaders. Rob has been a director on several successful local, state, tribal, and federal political campaigns. 

Rob was the first official employee of Team Kennedy, the 2024 Presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Rob was the architect of the first comprehensive fundraising plan for the campaign. Rob was a leading fundraiser on the campaign, directing teams of fundraisers along with his long-time colleague, Mark Fairchild (see Mark's bio below). 

In addition to fundraising, Rob was a senior advisor to Mr. Kennedy on economic policy, writing Mr. Kennedy's policy on major infrastructure investment and Rob drafted candidate Kennedy's call for a New Bretton Woods Conference, posted on X/Twitter on August 15, 2024. Rob also served as the national chair of Viva Kennedy '24, the spearhead of Mr. Kennedy's decisive  support from Latino and minority voters.

Rob is currently leading a group of candidates, students, and scholars in the “American System Project”, which is providing breakthrough education on the nearly forgotten American System of Political Economy: the school of economics started by Alexander Hamilton’s work as the first Treasury Secretary. This thread continued through Henry Clay and was continued by President Lincoln’s economic advisor, Henry C. Carey. "The System", as some have called it, was used in the 20th Century by Democrats and Republicans alike, during the New Deal/World War II mobilization, and for the Apollo Program. The System really is the "secret sauce" of the American economy's better times. 

As the COO of American System Group, Mark Fairchild has an unusual combination of talents. He graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois, yet he's spent most of his adult life working in political fundraising. 

Mark served as the Director of Telefundraising for the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. presidential campaign from June to November 2023, building a team of volunteer and staff telefundraisers that raised over $7.2 million during the campaign. 

In November 2023, Mark became the Director of Fundraising for Team Kennedy and served in that position until Feb 2025. He oversaw and directed the following channels of activity:

• Email fundraising - More than $10.8 million
• Text messaging - over $500K 
• Writing video scripts for use on social media. One script Mark wrote raised over $200K and several raised more than $100K. 
• Robocall fundraising - over $600K 
• Merchandising - over $7.3 million
• Social Media Advertising
• Table Fundraising - literature and merchandise at the grassroots level
• Auctions, Sweepstakes, and a Mural that combined for over $1.1 million
• Direct Mail (US Mail) campaigns
• Worked closely with the Digital Team to constantly improve the campaign website and online user experience
• Overall fundraising for Team Kennedy amounting to more than $57 million. 

During his tenure at Team Kennedy, Mark was the guiding influence behind the growth of the database of supporters from 200K to over 1.5 M, primarily using online petitions that he conceived, wrote, and designed. 

A certified copywriter, Mark combines the abilities of a good writer with a knowledge of IT and technical subjects, plus deep experience in political fundraising that is rare in today's marketplace. 

He has a passion for social justice and a knowledge of economic policy and sees his life mission as helping to bring about a brighter future for America and the world.

Jena served as the Director of Event Fundraising for Team Kennedy, the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Presidential campaign. Jena was the single point of contact for donor relations, event coordination, and scheduling for the candidate. Jena brings years of successful experience and proven leadership to our executive team.