Catherine Copeland is the director of the American Democracy Project at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Prior to that, Copeland taught for more than 15 years at various institutions of higher education, including James Madison University, the University of Alabama, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue Global, and Blue Ridge Community College. Most recently, as an instructor with JMU Xlabs, Copeland taught a series of transdisciplinary courses that encouraged students to use innovative research methods to tackle real-world problems such as the 2020 census, human trafficking, the 2020 elections, and food insecurity. This work also included addressing local, state, and national diplomatic and defense issues through partnerships with the US Department of Defense, the US State Department, and other government agencies. Copeland served as a 2019–2020 civic fellow for the Madison Center for Civic Engagement and graduated in 2018 from the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute Political Leaders Program.