FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Washington, D.C., August 4, 2022 – Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE)
has named Derek Lyons as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Bobby Burchfield,
who has been serving as Interim President and CEO since RITE’s formation in early
2022, will continue as Chairman of the Board.
Lyons has nearly 15 years of policy and legal experience at the highest levels of the
private sector and government, including as Counselor and White House Staff Secretary
to President Donald J. Trump. Before joining the Administration, he was Chief Counsel
for the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and practiced law in the
Washington, D.C. offices of Boyden Gray & Associates and Gibson Dunn. A graduate of
Harvard Law School, Lyons began his legal career as a law clerk for then-Judge Brett
Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He comes to RITE
from AppHarvest, Inc., where he was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
“We are delighted and excited to welcome Derek as President and CEO of RITE,” says
Burchfield. “As large majorities of voters of both parties, as well as Independents,
consistently express concern about the integrity of our elections, RITE’s work is both
vital and urgent. With his unique experience in government and successful record of
litigating high-profile cases in state and federal court, including at the Supreme Court,
Derek is the right person to lead the organization at this important time.”
“I am honored to be named President and CEO of RITE,” says Lyons. “Increasingly,
partisan actors inside and outside of government are launching new and evermore
creative initiatives to undermine safeguards that protect election integrity. Novel
challenges to commonsense election laws and warped enforcement of existing rules have
shaken Americans’ trust in our elections. With several important cases already
proceeding through our courts—and more on the horizon—RITE’s work is critical to
ensuring Americans can have confidence and pride in the electoral process.”
Co-founded in 2022 by National Finance Chairman Steve Wynn, Senior Advisor Karl
Rove, and Chairman of the Board Bobby R. Burchfield, RITE is a 501(c)(4) non-profit
organization dedicated to protecting the rule of law in elections. Working with some of
the finest lawyers in the country, RITE supports faithful enforcement of valid, properly
enacted and adopted laws and regulations that promote secure, efficient, and accurate
elections throughout the United States.
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