WHAT: AU experts are available to comment on a wide range of topics related to President Trump’s first year in office, including U.S. politics and presidential powers, media and politics, government accountability, U.S. foreign policy, and the Russia investigation.
WHERE: In–studio, on campus, via email or via telephone
Experts available for comments:
U.S. Politics/ Presidential Powers/ Women & Politics/ First Family/ White House Operations
David Barker, director of American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, is a nationally recognized expert on campaigns/elections, public opinion, political information/misinformation, political polarization and political representation. His latest book is Representing Red and Blue: How the Culture War Changes the Way Citizens Speak and Politicians Listen. His new book, One Nation, Two Realities: Dueling Facts in American Democracy will be published in 2018.
Capri S. Cafaro, Executive-in-Residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs, is former Democratic leader of the Ohio State Senate. Ms. Cafaro is available for interviews on topics related to health care policy, transportation and infrastructure, finance and policy, U.S. foreign policy and Eastern Europe (including Ukraine-Russia conflict), women in politics and leadership, state-federal relationship, campaigns and elections. During her ten years in the Ohio State Senate, Cafaro advocated for economic growth and development, access to health care and victim’s rights. Cafaro drew upon her extensive experience in health-care policy and social-service delivery to author Ohio’s Medicaid reform law.
Chris Edelson, assistant professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, is the author of Power without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security. He is available to discuss issues of presidential national security authority in the context of the presidential election and Congress's role regarding national security and the use of military force, among other topics.
Jennifer Lawless, director of American University’s Women and Politics Institute, is a nationally recognized expert on U.S. politics and women’s participation in the political process. Her latest book is Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in the Polarized Era.
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.
Anita McBride served as an assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She also served in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. McBride has coordinated three presidential transitions and is actively involved in international women’s issues. 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.
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.
President and Social Media
Scott Talan is an assistant professor of Public & Strategic Communication. He has worked at the U.N. and served as an elected official in the state of California. Talan is an expert in social media and personal branding in four fields: TV news, politics, nonprofits/NGOs and higher education.
U.S. Government/ Accountability
Barbara Romzek, professor in the School of Public Affairs, can discuss topics related to public management and government accountability.
Vicky Wilkins is the Dean of AU’s School of Public Affairs. Her expertise includes gender and race issues, representation, diversity, deservingness and policy implementation.
Environmental Policy
Paul Bledsoe, Visiting Executive and Professorial Lecturer at American University's School of Public Affairs and Center on Environmental Policy. He is available to comment on issues related to energy and climate change, natural resources and water policy, and environmental sustainability.
Daniel Fiorino, is the director of the Center for Environmental Policy and executive-in-residence in AU’s School of Public Affairs. He can discuss the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental policy, energy and climate change, environmental sustainability, and public management of natural resources.
Immigration Policy
Ernesto Castañeda is assistant professor of sociology and author of the forthcoming A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona, which examines which cities do well with immigrant integration and those that do not. His policy briefs on border and immigration issues can be found here. Castañeda recently penned an oped about the political feasibility of comprehensive immigration reform. He can conduct interviews in Spanish and English.
Matthew Wright, assistant professor at the School of Public Affairs, is an expert on American politics, public opinion, political psychology, and immigration. He can discuss issues related to the causes and implications of political identity; immigration, assimilation, and citizenship policies; the politics of ethnic diversity and public opinion; among other issues.
Trump in comparison to past administrations
Richard Benedetto is an adjunct professor in the School of Communication. 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.
Leonard Steinhorn is a professor of Public Communication and an affiliate professor of History. His expertise includes American politics, culture and media, strategic communication, the presidency, race relations, the 1960s, and recent American history.
The president and tax policy
Caroline Bruckner is the managing director of the Kogod Tax Policy Center. In this capacity, she has testified before both U.S. House and Senate Congressional committees as well as the IRS, and recently released ground-breaking research on the tax compliance challenges of the small business owners powering the sharing economy as well as the tax challenges facing women entrepreneurs. Her latest research, “Billion Dollar Blind Spot: How the U.S. Tax Code's Small Business Expenditures Impact Women Business Owners,” examines the challenges women business owners face with the current tax code. She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Fortune on tax issues and recently authored an article about the tax code’s impact on women entrepreneurs. Bruckner can discuss the implications of the bill on business owners, particularly small and women-owned businesses.
U.S. Foreign Policy/ International/ National Security/ Russia/ North Korea/ Iran
Gordon Adams, Professor Emeritus at the School of International Service, has published widely on defense and national security policy, the defense policy process, and national security budgets. He is often sought by national and international media outlets to comment on U.S. national security policy.
Keith Darden, associate professor in the School of International Service. His research focuses on nationalism, state-building, and the politics of Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. His book, Economic Liberalism and Its Rivals, explored the formation of international economic institutions among the post-Soviet states.
Doga Eralp, professorial lecturer, is a scholar-practitioner of international conflict resolution. His work focuses on international conflict, culture, human rights, collective memory, international development and democratization. The author of "Politics of the European Union in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Between Conflict and Democracy" and "Turkey as a Mediator: Stories of Success and Failure," Eralp has served as a consultant to numerous international organizations including the World Bank and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Garret Martin, a Professorial Lecturer at AU's School of International Service, can comment on a wide range of topics related to the European Union, U.S. and European foreign policy, European national politics, and NATO. He is an Editor at Large at the Washington, D.C.-based European Institute and a Board Member at European Affairs. He has written widely on transatlantic relations, both in the field of history and contemporary affairs.
Joshua Rovner, associate professor at the School of International Service, is a political scientist specializing in intelligence, strategy, and U.S. foreign policy. Rovner is the co-editor of a forthcoming book (2018) entitled Chaos in the Liberal Order: The Trump Presidency and International Politics in the 21st Century, which investigates whether the rise of Donald Trump signals the end of the U.S.-led international order.
Jordan Tama, assistant professor in the School of International Service, can discuss foreign policy and national security strategy; terrorism; the intelligence community; and the presidency and U.S. Congress.
Joe Young, associate professor in the School of International Service, is an expert in cross-national causes and consequences of political violence and extremism and can discuss ISIS; threat of domestic extremism; domestic surveillance and homeland security. He is available for print, online and radio interviews.
Guy Ziv, assistant professor, is a specialist in U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, U.S.-Israel relations, Arab-Israeli peacemaking, and Israeli politics. He us the author of Why Hawks Become Doves: Shimon Peres and Foreign Policy Change in Israel.
Political Communication
Bob Lehrman is an adjunct professor of Public Communication and an expert on political speeches. Lehrman has served as a speechwriter for dozens of Democratic political figures, including Vice President Al Gore. He is the author of The Political Speechwriter’s Companion. He is available to comment on the rhetoric used by the White House and the Democratic Party to respond to the indictments and Robert Mueller.
Eric Schnure is an adjunct professor of Public Communication. He is a former speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore and has been called of Washington’s “most sought after political humor writers.” As an independent speechwriter, his clients include a former president of the United States, other prominent elected officials, Fortune 500 executives, entertainers and more. He is available to comment on the rhetoric used by the White House and the Democratic Party to respond to the indictments and Robert Mueller.
American University is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and nearly 140 countries. Located in Washington, D.C., the university provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nation’s capital and around the world.
-AU-