Alarmed by the growing mistrust between Republicans and Democrats in the aftermath of the 2016 election, a bipartisan group of Americans came together to create Braver Angels. The idea resonated with April Lawson. Lawson now leads Braver Angels’ Debate and Public Discourse Program. She designed Braver Angels Debates and has grown the program from its first debate to serving over 1,000 participants per month. She oversees a team of 50 volunteers and staff to administer all Braver Angels’ debate work and is lead voice in public-facing communications. Previously, she provided research and editing for David Brooks’ weekly columns at The New York Times. Most recently, she cofounded and served as the Associate Director for Brooks’ new Aspen Institute initiative, Weave: the Social Fabric Project. She has also worked at the U.S. Treasury Department, the New Haven Mayor’s Office, and as a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. April grew up in Kansas, studied anthropology at Yale, and now lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Dan and her dog June.