Dana R. Fisher, Ph.D.

Dana R. Fisher is a dynamic speaker and author who writes about democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate policy. She is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE), a Professor in the School of International Service at American University, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution.  Her most recent books are Saving Ourselves:  From Climate Shocks to Climate Action (Columbia University Press 2024) and American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave (Columbia University Press 2019). In 2024, she delivered a TED talk about being an apocalyptic optimist that is based on Saving Ourselves.  Fisher has published seven books and more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and chapters.  She has presented her work to the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, federal agencies, foundations, presidential campaigns, and other political organizations. 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.  Her media appearances include ABC, CBS, 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, TIME Magazine, Politico, the Nation, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, the Hill, Scientific American, and the American Prospect.  She holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an AB from Princeton University. For more information, go to www.danarfisher.com