Visiting Scholars

Allison Briscoe-Smith, PhD, is a child clinical psychologist who helps organizations build belonging and connection across difference. Through her consultancy, Soft River Consulting, she provides training, facilitation, consultation, and curriculum development to groups in the dialogue, pluralism, and civic engagement field.

Timothy K. Eatman, Ph.D., an educational sociologist, publicly engaged scholar, and Professor of Urban Education at Rutgers University-Newark. A sought-after speaker and facilitator, Tim has received national recognition for advancing civic engagement and higher education and currently serves as an AAC&U Distinguished Fellow.

Eric Liu is the co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, which works to build a culture of powerful and responsible citizenship in the United States. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020, he serves on its Trust and co-chairs its Our Common Purpose commission on democratic citizenship.

Allison Rank, PhD, is the inaugural director of the Center for Civic Education at the University of Northern Iowa. She founded Vote Oswego, a non-partisan voter mobilization program that integrated student voter engagement into the political science curriculum.

Thomas (Tom) Schnaubelt, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Tom explores the connections between democracy and education, with a focus on how civic identity is formed through civic education, democratic deliberation, and experiential learning.