Who We Are

The Appignani Humanist Legal Center is constantly growing. Our legal team includes dozens of volunteer attorneys, is led by the director of the legal center, Bill Burgess, with input from American Humanist Association President David Niose and guidance and funding from Louis Appignani.

Louis Appignani

Louis Appignani is a successful entrepreneur from Miami, a longtime Humanist and member of the AHA, and the founder of the Appignani Foundation. Through the foundation, Appignani and others encourage the spread of humanistic values through secular organizations and activities- thus contributing to the growth of the Humanist movement. He earned a BBA in accounting from CUNY-Baruch and an MS in finance from Columbia University. He attended postgraduate studies in economics at Indiana University.

David Niose

AHA President David Niose's background includes experience in law and mass communication. A graduate of Boston University's School of Public Communication and Suffolk University Law School, he has practiced law in Massachusetts since 1990. He has also worked in print and broadcast media, taught both history and law, and written extensively on a wide array of social and political issues. Upon joining the AHA board in 2005, Niose helped develop the AHA's media campaign (the 2005 AHA media campaign was the first major national advertising campaign by a humanist or atheist group in America), now a regular program through which the AHA promotes Humanism in national media to build awareness and acceptance of the Humanist worldview. Niose has spoken to humanist and freethought groups around the country, emphasizing the importance of utilizing mass media to inject Humanist ideas into the public dialogue, improve the public image of Humanists, and sway public opinion away from the religious right. As an attorney, Niose has advocated for church-state separation and the rights of humanists and other nontheists, and he has advised the AHA and other groups on numerous such matters. He is currently involved in implementing a legal strategy to enforce the rights of humanists and other nontheists via the avenue of equal protection law. Niose has appeared on national television and radio and numerous local media outlets around the country speaking on subjects pertaining to humanism and freethought. He is a founding member of Greater Worcester Humanists, an AHA chapter in Worcester, Massachusetts, and has also served as an officer and board member of Greater Boston Humanists.

Bill Burgess

As legal coordinator of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, Bill Burgess directs the legal center’s activity and represents the AHA in its litigation and legal advocacy efforts.

Mr. Burgess is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Florida. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University in 2000 and a B.A. in international relations from the College of William and Mary in 1997. He resides in Arlington, Virginia.

Please use the form on our Contact Page to contact the staff of the AHLC.