H. Kent Baker University Professor, Kogod School of Business

Areas of Expertise: Economy and taxes

H. Kent Baker is a professor of finance and is an expert in corporate finance and governance, risk management, change management, and behavioral finance. He has written or edited more than 10 books, including Behavioral Finance—Investors, Corporations and Markets; Corporate Governance—A Synthesis of Theory, Research and Practice; Survey Research in Corporate Finance; Dividends and Dividend Policy; and Understanding Financial Management: A Practical Guide. Dr. Baker served as Chair of the Department of Finance and Real Estate for over a decade and headed the Finance Center of Excellence for eight years.

David Barker Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; U.S. politics; congressional relations; diversity in politics

David Barker is an expert on a broad range of topics, including American political parties, campaigns/elections, representation, culture/polarization, ideology/attitudes, information/communication, political institutions (Congress and the Presidency), and a wide variety of public policy issues. His most recent book, The Politics of Truth in Polarized America, is the first comprehensive examination of the "politics of truth" -- its context, causes, and potential correctives. His research has been nominated for several national awards, and he has been a frequent commentator in the national and international media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, Vox, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Globe and Mail, among many others.

Richard BenedettoAdjunct Professorial Lecturer, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; presidential politics

Richard Benedetto is an adjunct professor of Journalism. He is a retired White House correspondent and columnist for USA Today and political columnist for Gannett News Service. He reported on local, state and national government and politics for nearly 40 years and continues to write political commentary.

Kurt Braddock Assistant Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: White Nationalism in U.S. politics; hate and extremism in the U.S.; domestic terrorism

Kurt Braddock is an assistant professor in the School of Communication. He also holds faculty fellow positions at the Center for Media and Social Impact (CMSI) and the Center for University Excellence's Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). His research focuses on the persuasive strategies used by violent extremist groups to recruit and radicalize audiences targeted by their propaganda. His first book, titled Weaponized Words: The Strategic Role of Persuasion in Violent Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization (Cambridge University Press, 2020), provides examples of how terrorist groups persuade audiences to adopt their ideologies, and how this process can be fought. He is currently working on his upcoming book on how far-right rhetoric can turn into violence. 

Caroline Bruckner Managing Director, Kogod Tax Policy Center

Areas of Expertise: Tax policy; Gig Economy, Women in business

Caroline Bruckner is a senior professorial lecturer in the tax department of the Kogod School of Business and is the managing director of the Kogod Tax Policy Center. She has testified multiple times before both U.S. House and Senate Congressional committees as well as IRS. Since 2015, she has released ground-breaking research on the gig economy as well as women business owners and the U.S. tax code. In Oct. 2019, the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced legislation to address challenges women business owners have accessing capital prompted by Bruckner’s research. Bruckner is an experienced media resource on tax issues generally and her research. Her work and expertise is often featured on national media outlets and publications.

Louis E. Caldera  Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law, Washington College of Law

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues

Louis E. Caldera is Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and Senior Affiliate of American University Washington College of Law’s Program on Law and Government. Prior to teaching, Caldera served in two Senate confirmed positions during the Clinton Administration, including as Secretary of the Army, and in the Obama White House as an Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Military Office. He is available for interviews in both English and Spanish.

W. Joseph Campbell Professor Emeritus, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Media and polls; polling failure; media and politics; media-driven myths, and history of presidential elections

W. Joseph Campbell is a professor emeritus in the School of Communication's Communication Studies program. He joined the AU faculty in 1997, after more than 20 years as a professional journalist. Assignments in his award-winning journalism career took him across North America to Africa, Asia, and Europe.

He is the author of seven books, including most recently, "Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections" (2020). The book addresses prominent cases in which opinion polls misfired from 1936 to 2016.

Ernesto Castaneda Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences

Areas of Expertise: Immigration and Latinx Vote

Castañeda is associate professor of sociology, director of the Immigration Lab and director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. Castañeda is a scholar of international migration, borders, social movements, and ethnic and racial inequality. He researches health disparities and Central American migration.

Erran CarmelProfessor, Kogod School of Business

Areas of Expertise: Politics and media, cybersecurity

Erran Carmel serves as the Director for Kogod’s Center for Business in the Capital and teaches information technology. He researches the globalization of technology work: crowdsourcing, impact sourcing, global software teams, offshore outsourcing. In his role with the Center for Business in the Capital, he aims for the initiative to play a larger role in regional businesses and in regional policy.

Sara Clarke Kaplanassociate professor, College of Arts and Sciences

Areas of Expertise: Race, antiracism

Sara Clarke Kaplan is director of AU’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, a scholar of Black feminist studies, and commentator on contemporary politics, race and culture. She can provide antiracist analysis of politics and discuss topics such as race and reproductive rights in the post-Roe era and diversity and higher education policy, among other topics.

Jeffrey Crouch Assistant Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; U.S. politics; federal executive clemency; presidential pardon power

Jeffrey Crouch, assistant professor of American politics, is the Editor of AU's Congress & the Presidency journal. He is the author of The Presidential Pardon Power. Prof. Crouch’s research focuses primarily on federal executive clemency, also known as the presidential pardon power.

Amy Dacey Executive Director, Sine Institute of Policy & Politics

Areas of Expertise: U.S. Elections: Federal, State and Local, U.S. party system, policy and government affairs, labor movement, progressive infrastructure, women and elections

Amy K. Dacey is Executive Director of the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics. For more than two decades, she managed prominent national organizations, and advised leading elected officials and candidates. Amy has a deep knowledge of U.S. elections: Federal, State and Local, U.S. party system, policy and government affairs, labor movement, progressive infrastructure, and women and elections.

Frank DuBois Associate Professor, Kogod School of Business

Areas of Expertise: Economy and taxes; tariffs and the auto industry; supply chain issues

Frank DuBois is an Associate Professor of International Business. He is the creator of the "Kogod Made in America Auto Index" and is frequently sought after to speak on the impact of tariffs on the auto industry.

Chris Edelson Assistant Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; constitutional interpretation; presidential power; U.S. Supreme Court

Chris Edelson, assistant professor of government, is the author of Power without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security.

Ignacio Gonzalezassistant professor, College of Arts and Sciences

Areas of Expertise: Tax Policy, Inequality, Economics

Ignacio Gonzalez is assistant professor of economics and an expert on public economics and macroeconomics. He is faculty co-director of AU’s Institute for Macroeconomic and Policy Analysis, which aims to inform policy and legislative proposals with research on macroeconomics, public finance and inequality. In their work, IMPA researchers apply new models and methods that improve upon conventional models to include how the market power of large corporations in America affects policy outcomes. One of the institute’s current areas of focus is tax policy, including corporate tax reforms.

Mary Eschelbach Hansen Professor, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences

Areas of Expertise: Economy, personal finance, U.S. elections

Mary Eschelbach Hansen is professor of economics at American University. She is a co-author of Bankrupt in America, which traces the history of bankruptcy from an infrequently used provision in the U.S. Constitution, to an indispensable tool for businesses, to a central element of the social safety net for Americans. She can discuss economics and the 2024 election and personal finance, household debt, gender, women and the economy, consumer debt, and government policy and programs such as Social Security and other safety nets.

 

Daniel Fiorino Director of the Center for Environmental Policy and Executive in Residence in AU’s School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Environmental policy; Environmental Protection Agency; energy and climate change; environmental sustainability; public management of natural resources

Daniel Fiorino is the Director of AU's Center for Environmental Policy and Executive in Residence in AU’s School of Public Affairs. His teaching, research, and writing focus on environmental policy and politics, the executive branch, and the role of analysis and innovation in policy making. Fiorino’s articles have appeared in a wide range of policy, law, and social science journals. He is the author of A Good Life on a Finite Earth: The Political Economy of Green Growth (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Betsy Fischer Martin Director of the Women & Politics Institute, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Women in politics, U.S. politics, media and communication; elections; campaign finance; voting behavior

Betsy Fischer Martin, Director of the Women & Politics Institute at the School of Public Affairs and the former longtime executive producer of Meet the Press, is an expert in political communications, and media and politics. She can discuss issues related to women in politics, campaigns and elections, partisanship, and U.S. politics.

Dana FisherProfessor, School of International Service

Areas of Expertise: Climate politics, climate activism, U.S. elections

Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE). Her research focuses on issues related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, environmental stewardship and climate politics — most recently studying political elites' responses to climate change, how federal service corps programs are working to integrate climate into their efforts, and activism around climate, systemic racism, and the American Resistance. She served as a Contributing Author for Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Review (IPCC AR6) writing about citizen engagement and civic activism. She is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution. Prof. Fisher’s newest book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action. Her media appearances include ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, and various programs on NPR, BBC, and CBC. Her words have appeared in the popular media, including in the Washington Post, Slate, TIME Magazine, Politico, the Nation, and the American Prospect.

 

Anthony Fontes Assistant Professor, School of International Service

Areas of Expertise: Immigration and Latinx Vote; gang violence

Anthony W. Fontes is author of Mortal Doubt: Transnational Gangs and Social Order. He is an expert on criminal organizations, Latin American security, and U.S.-Latin America relations, focusing on Central America and Mexico. He is available to discuss issues of immigration and asylum, prisons, gangs, illicit drugs, crime and insecurity, and U.S. foreign policy.

Carolyn Gallaher Professor, School of International Service

Areas of Expertise: White Nationalism in U.S. politics

Carolyn Gallaher, professor at the School of International Service, can comment on issues related to extremism and the right-wing, organized violence by non-state actors and urban politics, including the politics, internal dynamics, and patterns of violence of militias, paramilitaries, and private military contractors, among others. Gallaher is the author of On the Fault Line: Race, Class, and the American Patriot Movement that tracks the identity politics of the Kentucky State Militia as it experienced rapid growth, internal upheaval, and decline with the arrest of its commander.

Bill Gentile  Journalist in Residence, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Immigration, media coverage in conflicts

Bill Gentile is a full-time professor of Film and Media Arts. He is an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is fluent in Spanish and can speak on various immigration issues and wartime media coverage.

Seth Gershenson   Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Diversity and politics; education and bias

Seth Gershenson, associate professor in the School of Public Affaris, is available to comment on issues related to education policy, economic approaches to practical, policy-driven questions in public education, specifically teacher behavior. Prof. Gershenson is frequently interviewed by national media outlets including The New York Times and Chicago Tribune.

James Goldgeier Professor, School of International Service

Areas of Expertise: U.S. Foreign Policy, NATO, Russia

The author or coauthor of four books, James M. Goldgeier is a leading scholar in the world of public policy. He served on the National Security Council Staff and at the State Department during the Clinton administration. Goldgeier has appeared on Fox News Channel, NBC News, BBC among other outlets, and he is regularly quoted in national and international media including NBCNews, CBSNews, Washington Post, Associated Press, and Los Angles Times. His commentaries have appeared in the International Herald Tribune, International New York Times, New York Times, US News & World Report, Politico, Huffington Post, and Washington Post's Monkey Cage.

Jane Hall   Associate Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Politics and media; women in politics; youth and politics

Jane Hall is an associate professor in journalism and media studies in the School of Communication. Her latest book, Politics and the Media: Intersections and New Directions, examines how media and political institutions interact to shape public thinking, debate and policies. She specializes in media and politics, particularly issues of special interest to young people, the depiction of women in media and politics, media ethics and popular culture.

Jeffrey Harris Professor and Gary D. Cohn Goldman Sachs Chair in Finance

Areas of Expertise: Business; economy

Jeffrey H. Harris is a professor of finance and the Gary D. Cohn Goldman Sachs Chair in Finance at Kogod School of Business. He has an extensive background in market microstructure and regulatory issues. In addition, he has served as Chief Economist and Division Director for the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Previously he served as Chief Economist at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and as Visiting Academic at the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Ronald HillProfessor, Kogod School of Business

Areas of Expertise: Politics and media; campaigns

Ronald Paul Hill, Ph.D. is the Dean’s Professor of Marketing and Public Policy at the American University, Kogod School of Business. He has authored more than 200 journal articles, books, chapters, and conference papers on topics that include impoverished consumer behavior, marketing ethics, corporate social responsibility, human development, and public policy.

Derek Hyra   Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Diversity and politics; gender and race issues; neighborhood change; housing; metropolitan politics and race; gentrification in D.C.

Derek Hyra, Founding Director of the Metropolitan Policy Center at AU’s School of Public Affairs, can discuss processes of neighborhood change, with an emphasis on housing, metropolitan politics, and race, gentrification in Washington, D.C. and other cities across the U.S.. His book, Race, Class, and Politics in the Cappuccino City, examines Washington, D.C.’s rapidly changing economic landscape through the prism of the revitalization of the city’s historic Shaw/U Street neighborhood. Prof. Hyra’s research has been showcased in media outlets, including the BBC, Chicago Public Radio, C-SPAN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

Fernando Laguarda   Professorial Lecturer, Washington College of Law

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues

Professor Fernando Laguarda is director of American University Washington College of Law’s Program on Law and Government, a premiere center for the study of government, legislation, and constitutional and administrative law in the nation's capital. Previously, he served as vice president of external affairs and policy counselor for Time Warner Cable, where he helped the company develop and advance its policy positions, consumer protection, competition, intellectual property and telecommunications regulation. He is available for interviews in both English and Spanish.

Jan Leighley Professor, Department of Government, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; American political behavior; voter turnout; media and politics; racial and ethnic political behavior

Jan Leighley, professor of government, is an expert on American political behavior, racial/ethnic political behavior, voter turnout, and the intersection of media and politics. She is an author of Who Votes Now? Demographics, Issues, Inequality, and Turnout in the United States.

Allan Lichtman Distinguished Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; politics; voting rights;

Allan J. Lichtman is Distinguished Professor of History at American University and the author of many acclaimed books on U.S. political history, including White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, FDR and the Jews (with Richard Breitman), and The Case for Impeachment.

David Lublin Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: American campaigns and elections, African-American and Latino politics, Southern politics, redistricting, electoral systems and minority representation in the United States and other countries, Maryland politics

David Lublin is an expert on race and ethnicity, congressional elections, partisanship, redistricting, and electoral systems. His work on race and redistricting was cited by the Supreme Court in Georgia v. Ashcroft (2003) and LULAC v. Perry (2006).

Garret Martin Co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at American University

Areas of Expertise: U.S. foreign policy; European Union; European politics; NATO; Transatlantic relations; Security; France; the United Kingdom

Garret J. Martin is a Professorial Lecturer and co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at American University at the School of International Service of American University. He has written widely on transatlantic relations, both in the field of history and contemporary affairs, and focuses on security, U.S. foreign policy, European politics, foreign policy and defense, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He is the author of General de Gaulle's Cold War: Challenging American Hegemony, 1963-1968.

Adrienne Massanari Associate Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Politics and media; social media and misinformation; Far-right Extremism

Adrienne L. Massanari is an associate professor in the School of Communication at American University. Her upcoming book for MIT Press (Gaming Democracy: How Silicon Valley Leveled Up the Alt-Right) discusses how Silicon Valley’s culture and politics contributed to the rise of the alt-right. Her research interests include digital culture, online communities, platform politics, game studies, pop culture, and gender and race online.

Gabriel MathyAssociate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences

Areas of Expertise: Economics

Gabriel Mathy, associate professor of economics in AU’s Dept. of Economics, specializes in macroeconomics and economic history and can discuss economic trends and the economy.

Anita McBrideExecutive in Residence, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: First Ladies, First Families, U.S. politics

Anita McBride, Executive-in-Residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs, and Director of the university's First Ladies Initiative, served as an assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She has coordinated three presidential transitions and is actively involved in international women’s issues. Prof. McBride is a co-author of U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies, a new, and first-ever textbook authored by three founding members of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and published by Cognella Academic Publishing. McBride’s work at American University has led to a partnership with the National Archives' Presidential Libraries and the White House Historical Association for a series of conferences focusing on the role and legacies of the First Ladies of the United States. McBride’s work at American University has led to a partnership with the National Archives and the White House Historical Association for a series of conferences focusing on the role of the First Ladies of the United States. She can discuss issues related to the First family and the White House operations.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss    Professor, School of Public Affairs and School of Education

Areas of Expertise: White Nationalism in U.S. politics; hate and extremism in the U.S.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is Director of Research at the Center for University Excellence (CUE), where she runs the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six academic books, including her most recent books Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right and The Extreme Gone Mainstream: Commercialization and Far Right Youth Culture in Germany. Prof. Miller-Idriss can comment on extremism, far-right groups, youth radicalization and violence, and educational interventions. She is the co-principal investigator of a global research network on youth and extremism (funded by the Economic and Social Research Council) and co-chair of a European/North American research network on radicalism and violence (hosted by the Council for European Studies.) Miller Idriss' commentaries have appeared in The Washington Post, Fortune, Salon, Times Higher Education and LeMonde.

Jason Mollica Professorial Lecturer, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Politics and communication; social media and politics

Jason Mollica is a seasoned strategic communication professional with 20 years of experience as a journalist, news producer and PR professional. He provides expert commentary on political trends in social media, campaigns and poll results.

Taryn Morrissey   Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Diversity and politics; food security; social equity

Taryn Morrissey, professor in the School of Public Affairs, is an expert on a variety of public policies for children, particularly those in poverty. Her areas of research include child care, early education, food assistance, and health policy.

Molly O'Rourke   Executive in Residence, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; women in politics

Molly O’Rourke is an executive in residence in the School of Communication. She has more than 25 years' experience in public opinion research and has worked on Capitol Hill, for EMILY’s List, the women’s political action committee, and as an analyst at the Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute.

Tazreena Sajjad Senior Professorial Lecturer

Areas of Expertise: Migration, refugees, asylum, wall-building, immigration restrictions

Tazreena Sajjad is a professor of refugees and migration studies, statebuilding after war, post-conflict justice, and gender and conflict. She can comment on the issues related to hardening of refugee admissions and asylum policies in the US and Europe, including the phenomenon of wall-building, refugee experiences in transit and camps, as well as address questions around how to rebuild states in the aftermath of war and women's experiences in war and peace. She is an advisor to Refugee Solidarity Network. She has appeared on Al-Jazeera (print and TV), Stars and Stripes, CBC, Voice of America, and national television programs and print media in Bangladesh. She is available for print, online, radio, and television interviews.

Lara Schwartz   Professorial Lecturer, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: White Nationalism in U.S. politics; hate and extremism in the U.S.

Lara Schwartz is the Director of the Project on Civil Dialogue at the School of Public Affairs. She is a frequent commentator on national and local radio and television programs including C-Span Washington Journal, PBS NewsHour, NPR, and CNN. She is available to discuss hate crimes, hate speech, protests, policies affecting racial justice, and the discourse around white supremacy.

Robert SicinaProfessorial Lecturer, Kogod School of Business

Areas of Expertise: U.S. Foreign Policy, Trade, and National Security

Robert Sicina joined the International Business Department of the Kogod School of Business at American University after more than 30 years of experience in senior executive positions at Citibank, American Express, and various entrepreneurial endeavors. He worked for 13 years in Latin America for Citibank, holding several corporate banking positions, and later became CFO of Citibank's entire International Consumer Group. Following that assignment, Sicina was named CFO of Citibank's U.S. credit card business, where he led Citibank's entry into the nascent credit card securitization market, successfully issuing more than $20 billion in securities in three years.

Aram SinnreichProfessor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Politics and media; social media and misinformation

Aram Sinnreich is a professor and chair of the Communication Studies division at the School of Communication. Sinnreich’s work focuses on the intersection of culture, law and technology, with an emphasis on subjects such as surveillance, critical data studies, intellectual property, remix culture, and music. His upcoming book "The Secret Life of Data" (2024) helps readers understand the secret life of data and how they can become an active participant in shaping the future of society. He can comment on social media issues, online political campaigns, and misinformation.

Bill Snape Assistant Dean of Adjunct Faculty Affairs, Washington College of Law

Areas of Expertise: Diversity and politics

Bill Snape is a practitioner-in-residence and Environmental and Energy fellow at American University Washington College of Law. He is also the director of the Washington College of Law's Program on Environmental and Energy Law.

Jennifer Steele Associate Professor, School of Education

Areas of Expertise: Education policy and reform; higher education

Jennifer L. Steele, associate professor in AU’s School of Education, focuses on education policy and the economics of education at the P-12 and postsecondary levels. She has published commentaries in The Washington Post and Education Week, among other outlets.

 

Leonard Steinhorn Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: American politics; politics and media; presidential elections; political strategy; political communications

Leonard Steinhorn is a professor of Communication and an affiliate professor of History. His expertise includes American politics, culture and media; the presidency and presidential elections; political strategy and communication; recent American history; the 1960s; race relations in America. Before joining the AU faculty, he spent 15 years as a political consultant and speechwriter.

Scott Talan Assistant Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Politics and media; campaigns; social media and politics

Scott Talan, MPA, is an assistant professor of Public & Strategic Communication. He has held two elected offices and has also worked as a reporter covering politics.

Jordan Tama Associate Professor, School of International Service

Areas of Expertise: Congressional relations; Russia investigation; interest group and lobbying

Jordan Tama, associate professor in the School of International Service, can comment on issues related to U.S. foreign policy, national security strategy, sanctions, Congress, the presidency, bipartisanship, independent commissions. He has published articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, among other media outlets, and has been interviewed by the BBC, CBS This Morning, National Public Radio, Fox News, and other news organizations.

James Thurber Distinguished Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Campaigns, polls and voting issues; Congressional and presidential relations; campaign management; Congressional budgeting; Congressional reform; interest groups and lobbying; Congressional ethics

James Thurber, Distinguished Professor of Government, founder and former director of American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, is a leading expert on campaigns and elections, presidential-congressional relations, and author of Obama in Office and American Gridlock: The Sources, Character and Impact of Political Polarization, among other highly-regarded political books and articles.

Filippo Trevisan Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Associate Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Digital political campaigns; politics and media; Disability vote

Filippo Trevisan is an associate professor in the School of Communication and deputy director of the Institute on Disability and Public Policy at American University in Washington, D.C. A former reporter for Italy's largest news agency in Rome, his research explores the impact of new media technologies on advocacy, activism, and political communication. His work also investigates how elite and grassroots stakeholders use the Internet to influence debates about contested issues and affect policy decisions, including in combination with traditional protest and strategic communication techniques.

Jessica Waters Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Reproductive rights law

Jessica Waters is a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs. Her research focuses primarily on reproductive rights law. Her work has explored questions related to the legal impact of women’s medical decisions during pregnancy and childbirth, employment-based conscience protections for reproductive health care providers, and the reproductive rights of employees working for religiously affiliated employers.

Vicky Wilkins Acting Provost

Areas of Expertise: Diversity and politics; gender and race issues; representation

Vicky Wilkins is Acting Provost. Her expertise includes gender and race issues, representation, diversity, deservingness and policy implementation.

Sherri WilliamsAssistant Professor, School of Communication

Areas of Expertise: Social media, social justice; digital, mass media and diversity in politics

Sherri Williams is an assistant professor in the School of Communication. Her research explores how marginalized people, especially black women, are represented in the media. She also is an expert in the intersection of social media, social justice, mass media and how people of color use and are represented by these mediums. Williams teaches journalism and storytelling classes as well as courses that examine the ways in which race, gender, class, and sexual identity are portrayed in the media.

Donald WilliamsonProfessor and Executive Director, Kogod Tax Center

Areas of Expertise: Economy and taxes

Professor Williamson, the Kogod Eminent Professor of Taxation and the Howard S. Dvorkin Faculty Fellow, teaches a number of subjects related to taxation. He is also the director of the Masters of Science in Taxation degree program, and serves as executive director of the Kogod Tax Center, a research institute focusing upon the interests of small business. He has also served as an adjunct professor of Law at American University's Washington College of Law. Professor Williamson previously served as senior manager for international taxation at the National Tax Practice Office of KPMG in Washington, D.C., and as professor-in-residence at KPMG's Washington office.

Thomas ZeitzoffAssociate Professor, School of Public Affairs

Areas of Expertise: Extremism & White Supremacy in the U.S.

Thomas Zeitzoff is an expert on a broad range of topics including political violence, extremism and terrorism, social media and politics, polarization, and political psychology. His country expertise includes the politics of the U.S., Israel, and Ukraine. His new book that came out in 2023, Nasty Politics: The Logic of Insults, Threats, and Incitement, explains why politicians insult, accuse, and threaten their opponents, even though voters say they don't like it. He is currently working on a book about the past and future of the radical environmental movement.