Kara Dillard

Kara Dillard currently serves as the Executive Director of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University, where responsibilities include setting the unit's mission and leading various civic engagement initiatives, including voting efforts for over 22,000 students and program facilitation for first-year and transfer students. Dillard has published research on online deliberation and serves as the Director of the civic leadership minor. Prior positions include Research Deputy at the Kettering Foundation, Online Deliberation Operations Manager at the National Issues Forums, and Lecturer at the University of Washington. Dillard's academic credentials include a PhD in Political Sociology from Kansas State University, an MA in Communication from Eastern New Mexico University, and a BS in Speech Communication and Rhetoric from Southern Utah University.