Dr. Kara Dillard is an accomplished scholar-practitioner-administrator and faculty member at James Madison University, where she serves as Executive Director of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement and Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Studies. She also directs the Civic Leadership minor housed within the College of Arts and Letters. With 15 years of teaching, research, and practical experience in deliberative democracy and public engagement, Dr. Dillard has positioned JMU as the nation's leading institution for civic discourse and democratic education.