He specializes in campaigns, campaign strategy, funding and elections. Semiatin is the editor of the three editions of Campaigns on the Cutting Edge and is the author of Campaigns in the 21st Century. Elizabeth Sherman, assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs, is an expert on issues concerning women in public life, economic challenges facing women in the workplace, and the potential for statewide policies on family leave and comparable worth. James Thurber, director of American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, is a leading expert on campaigns and elections, presidential-congressional relations, and author of Obama in Office and American Gridlock: The Sources, Character and Impact of Political Polarization, among other highly-regarded political books and articles. Video: Thurber on campaign finance. Additional National Security and Defense Experts