Core Faculty

Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies

Founding Director, Professor and Director of the Public Affairs & Advocacy Institute (PAAI)

Professor and Director of the Campaign Management Institute (CMI)

Candice Nelson Professor SPA | Government

Candice J. Nelson is a Professor in the Department of Government and the Academic Director of the Campaign Management Institute. She is an expert on presidential and congressional elections, and also

  cnelson@american.edu

  (202) 885-2338

Assistant Professor and Editor of Congress and the Presidency

Jeffrey Crouch Assistant Professor OGIS | Washington Semester Programs

Areas of Expertise: Federal Executive Clemency/Presidential PardonsDr. Jeffrey Crouch is an assistant professor of American politics at American University. He is a nationally recogni

  crouch@american.edu

  (202) 895-4974

Adam Warber

Professor of Political Science
Clemson University

Adam L. Warber is Professor of Political Science at Clemson University and the Reviews and Book Editor for Congress & the Presidency. He received a Ph.D. in political science at Texas A&M University, an M.A. in political science at Western Michigan University, and a B.A. in political science and history at Hope College. He is the author of Executive Orders and the Modern Presidency: Legislating from the Oval Office, and of numerous articles appearing in Political Research Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and Congress & the Presidency. His main research work has focused on the unilateral powers of presidents, especially executive orders, and regarding the administrative presidency. His areas of specialization are the American presidency and public policy.

Bettina Poirier

Adjunct Associate Professor
American University Washington College of Law

Bettina Poirier is Director of the Program on Legislative Negotiation and a Senior Affiliate in the Program on Law and Government at WCL. She has 15 years of experience as a high-level staffer in the US House and Senate. Over the 10 years she served as Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, she successfully led efforts on behalf of the Chair/Ranking Member to pass 7 major bipartisan bills in an intensely partisan climate, authorizing hundreds of billions of dollars of investments nationwide, including: Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (2016); Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (2015); Water Resources Reform and Development Act (2014); Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012); Resources, Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies Act (2012); Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (2010); and Water Resources Development Act (2007).

Jerome Sheridan Academic Director Brussels Semester OGIS | Finance & Personnel Administration

Dr. Jerome (Jerry ) Sheridan is the Director of American University’s Brussels Center and a Professor of International Relations. Since coming to Brussels in 1991, he has developed, directed, and taug

  sheridn@american.edu

Patrick Griffin Adjunct Professorial Lect

Dr. Patrick J. Griffin teaches a graduate seminar on the legislative process and is the academic director of the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute for

  griffin@american.edu

Jordan Tama Provost Assoc Professor SIS - School of International Service

Dr. Jordan Tama specializes in the politics, institutions, and tools of U.S. foreign and national security policy making. His research has investigated polarization and bipartisanship in US foreign po

  tama@american.edu

  (202) 885-2332

Michael Cohen CCPS Faculty Fellow SPA | General Academics & Research

Michael David Cohen is a research professor in the Department of Government and a faculty fellow in the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS) at American University. A historian of

  mdcohen@american.edu