Meet the leaders
Rob Lucero, President and CEO
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.
Mark Fairchild, Chief Operating Officer
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.
Monica Gaffney, Chief Financial Officer
Monica Gaffney is a financial services professional with a career spanning global banking and brokerage.
In April 2023, she joined Team Kennedy as a volunteer on the day Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his presidential candidacy in Boston. Never one to shy away from doing what needs to be done, she began as a Telefundraiser and soon played a key role in the New York State ballot access campaign, which submitted more than 135,000 petition signatures.
Leveraging her financial and analytical expertise, Monica gradually transitioned into her role as Financial and Data Analyst for Fundraising, where she developed cost-effective data
management and reporting tools tailored to a grassroots effort.
She remained with the campaign through March 2025, contributing to various post-election initiatives, including the debt reduction efforts.
Earlier in her career, Monica held senior leadership roles at firms including Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, with a primary focus on institutional clients. Her work encompassed risk management, operations, and complex financial products such as over-the-counter and structured derivatives. As a Managing Director in New York and London, she built and led high-performing, cross-functional teams across global
markets.
Originally from Dublin, Monica is a dual Irish and American citizen. She holds a BSc in Management from Trinity College Dublin and qualified as a Chartered Accountant through PwC.
She is the mother of two and actively pursues interests in health, wellness, travel, and sports.