Department of Government Faculty

Adjunct Associate Professor

Dr. Robert F. Abbey, Jr., is an Associate Professor of Public Administration at Troy University specializing in quantitative analysis, program evaluation, research methods, and policy analysis. Prior to 2002, Dr. Abbey served for 30 years in the fede... [More]

Lecturer

Dist. Adjunct Professor

Lecturer

Peter is a PhD student in the Department of Government writing a dissertation on Campaign Finance in American Elections. He also teaches Government 492 in the Fall Semester focusing on teaching political science. While at AU, Peter has done a number ... [More]

Lecturer

Marcy Fink Campos joined AU’s Community Service Center in 2004. As Director, she oversees all office programs and serves as the liaison to the Office of Campus Life and Academic Affairs and to a city-wide consortium of campuses involved in community-... [More]

Assistant Professor

Kimberly Cowell-Meyers is Assistant Professor of Government. An AU alumna, she has taught at AU, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. She is the author of Religion and Politics in the Nineteenth Centu... [More]

Professorial Lecturer

Mark Croatti teaches American Government and foreign policy-related courses at the American University, the George Washington University, the University of Maryland (College Park and Baltimore County) and the United States Naval Academy. He also cove... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor DeGregorio's research and teaching focuses on Congress, interest groups and political communications. In her recent book, Networks of Champions: Leadership, Access, and Advocacy, she examines the partnerships that form among officeholders, ... [More]

Assistant Professor

Dr. Diascro teaches courses on law and politics, and mass media and politics. After earning her doctorate in 1995, Dr. Diascro was on the faculty of the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky, where she was promoted with tenure... [More]

Assistant Professor

Chris Edelson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government teaching Civil Rights and Liberties.  Prior to joining the AU faculty, Professor Edelson practiced employment discrimination law in Washington, D.C. and New York... [More]

Department Chair, Government

Professor Eisenstadt is chair of the Government Department for the 2009-2010 academic year. He studies democratization, identity and social movements, public opinion, political parties, and election finance, mainly in Latin America. He is the princip... [More]

Assistant Professor

Executive in Residence

Daniel Fiorino’s teaching, research, and writing focus on environmental policy and politics, the executive branch, and the role of analysis and innovation in policy making. He joins the SPA faculty as an Executive-in-Residence following a more than t... [More]

Professor Emeritus

Assistant Professor

Borden Flanagan’s area of expertise is the history of Western political philosophy. His teaching and research interests include ancient, renaissance, modern and postmodern political philosophy, the theoretical principles of American government, and t... [More]

Lecturer

Don Fulsom is a freelance writer/editor/researcher who was a White House correspondent during the Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton presidencies—and a UPI bureau chief in Washington for seven years. He is the political correspondent for the We... [More]

Professorial Lecturer

R. Sam Garrett holds a Ph.D. in political science, M.P.A. and B.A. (summa cum laude), all from American University’s School of Public Affairs. He serves as Analyst in American National Government at the Congressional Research Service, Library of Cong... [More]

Assistant Professor

Professor Glover teaches and does research in the field of comparative politics, with a concentration on Africa. Her past work has focused on democratic transition and consolidation in multi-ethnic states. She has lived and worked in southern Africa,... [More]

Adjunct Faculty

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 CCPS. In addition, he is working on the AU/Pew Charitable Trusts "Improving Campaign Condu... [More]

Professor Emerita

Lecturer

Matthew Herrmann is a proud alumnus of American University. He currently serves as Legislative Director for Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (Guam) with oversight for the Congresswoman's work on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as trans... [More]

Professor

Gregg Ivers is professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University, where he teaches constitutional law, civil rights and liberties, landmark law cases and numerous other courses that meet at the intersection of law, politics and society... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor Lane's research and teaching interests focus on Comparative Politics, Research Methodology; and include Computer Modeling and Cognitive Science. She is the author of the recently published The Art of Comparative Politics and Political Scien... [More]

Associate Professor

Jennifer L. Lawless graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, with a B.A. in political science. She went on to receive an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. A nationally recognized expert on women's involvement... [More]

Dean, School of Public Affairs

Dean of the School of Public Affairs and a specialist in Latin American politics and U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America, Professor LeoGrande has been a frequent adviser to government and private sector agencies. He has written five books, the l... [More]

Associate Professor

Alan M. Levine is an associate professor of political theory in the Department of Government. He previously taught at the University of Vermont and has been a Fellow at the Institute of United States Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of L... [More]

Lecturer

Andrew Lewis is a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Affairs, with fields in American Politics and Justice, Law, and Society. He is currently working on his dissertation which looks at how the internal politics of a denominational interest g... [More]

Assistant Professor

Dr. Lu studies local governance, the political economy of institutional change, public opinion and political participation. He works extensively with standardized sampling survey data and qualitative evidence compiled following the anthropological tr... [More]

Professor

Since receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard, David Lublin has authored two books, The Paradox of Representation: Racial Gerrymandering and Minority Interests in Congress and The Republican South: Democratization and Partisan Change. He has published artic... [More]

Lecturer

Christopher Malagisi is the Director of Political & Online Training at The Leadership Institute (LI) in Arlington, VA – a national conservative political training organization. He is responsible for training and organizing the Institute’s politic... [More]

Assistant Professor

Thomas W. Merrill is an assistant professor in the Department of Government in the School of Public Affairs at American University.  His research and teaching interests include political philosophy, especially early modern political ... [More]

Lecturer

Kim Moloney is a Ph.D. Candidate in Public Administration at the School of Public Affairs. She expects to defend her dissertation in early 2010. Her dissertation, “Understanding the World Bank as an Organization: A Study of its Public Sector Manageme... [More]

Ambassador in Residence

Associate Professor

Candice J. Nelson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government. She is an expert on presidential and congressional elections, and also studies voting behavior, campaign finance, and campaign finance reform.

Associate Professor

Saul Newman is an associate professor in the Department of Government in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, DC. He received his Ph.D. in 1989 from the Department of Politics, Princeton University. Since then he has tau... [More]

Distinguished Professor

Born in Buffalo, NY, Professor O’Connor received her undergraduate, doctoral, and juris doctoral degrees from SUNY Buffalo. She then taught political science for seventeen years at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. In 1995, Professor O’Connor moved to... [More]

Adjunct Professor

Walter J. Oleszek is senior specialist in American national government at the Congressional Research Service. In 1993, he served as policy director of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. He is an adjunct professor of political scienc... [More]

Assistant Professor

Barbara Palmer is an expert on congressional elections and the success of women candidates. She is co-author of Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling, with Dennis Simon of Southern Methodist University, a book that explores how incumbency and redistri... [More]

Lecturer

Linda Mancillas Patterson is an advanced doctoral candidate in the Department of Government at American University. Linda has been awarded a Women's Research and Education Institute Congressional Fellowship for 2010. At American University, she has... [More]

Lecturer

Julia Piscitelli is an expert on politics, media, congress and campaigns.  She holds a Master’s of Public Administration from the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. from Boston University.  Her background is i... [More]

Assistant Professor

Professor Reed specializes in parties and interest groups, campaigns and elections, and election and campaign finance law.  Currently, Professor Reed is researching the voter mobilization strategies of parties, interest groups, and candi... [More]

Assistant Professor

Jill Rickershauser just joined the AU community in the Fall of 2008. She feels very fortunate to begin her faculty career at a university with such engaged students and in such an exciting city.

Professorial Lecturer

Assistant Professor

Shanaysha Furlow Sauls is an assistant professor of political theory in the Department of Government. Prior to her appointment at American University, Dr. Sauls taught at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Hood College in Frederick, Mar... [More]

Assistant Professor

Professor Sherman brings over two decades of teaching, research and administrative experience to her classes in American Politics.  As founding director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massa... [More]

Lecturer

Bill Shields is Director of Membership and Governance at the Chief Executives Organization, a select community of 2,000 leaders in 50 countries who serve at the highest levels of corporations, government and non-profit entities and who have distingui... [More]

Associate Professor

Dr. Singerman is an Associate Professor and comparativist whose research interests focus on political change from below, particularly in the Middle East, and more specifically Egypt. Her work examines the formal and informal side of politics, gender,... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor Sykes's teaching and research focus on U.S. government and political development, comparative politics, public policy and administration, democratic theory, and gender studies. She is the author of several books and articles on comparative ... [More]

Assistant Professor

Dr. Jordan Tama specializes in national security policy and the foreign policymaking process. His PhD dissertation examined how national security advisory commissions can trigger important reforms. Dr. Tama has published articles on foreign affairs t... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor Taylor's teaching and research focus on urban politics, the politics of race and ethnicity, civil rights and liberties, and political culture both in the U.S. and West Africa.  Among his published works include the book &am... [More]

Distinguished Professor

James A. Thurber is University Distinguished Professor of Government and Founder (1979) and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (american.edu/ccps) at American University, Washington, D.C. Under his direction, CCPS organ... [More]

Professorial Lecturer

Carol Whitney is Co-Program Director of the Campaign Management Institute. She is a well-known political consultant whose firm, Whitney and Associates, Inc., specializes in strategic planning and training in politics, government, and the private sect... [More]

Lecturer

Tom Williams served on the staff of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for more than 25 years. When he left the Committee in January of 1999 and retired from federal service, he was the Democratic Staff Director under Arkansas Senat... [More]