Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE) and a Professor in the School of International Service at American University.  Her research focuses on questions 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.  

Professor Fisher has authored over seventy-five research papers and book chapters and has written six books.  Her seventh book, Saving Ourselves:  From Climate Shocks to Climate Action, is currently in press at Columbia University Press.  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.  She is currently serving as the President of the Eastern Sociological Society and the chair-elect of the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association.  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.  Fisher holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science degree from the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her undergraduate degree is in East Asian Studies and Environmental Studies from Princeton University.