The College Democrats of America work on campuses across the country to engage college students on local, state, and national races. The communications director is Marcus Ismael.

John Transue is an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield. His research primarily involves social identity, public opinion, political participation and the relationships between political events and financial markets. His expertise includes the political participation of youth.

Kenneth Stroupe is the chief of staff at the University of Virginia Center for Politics and the director of the National Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI).

Melinda Lundquist Denton is an assistant professor at the department of sociology at the University of Texas-San Antonio. Her research interests includes family, adolescence & youth and religion & culture . She has researched the intersection of religion and family life in the United States with a focus on the religious lives of adolescents. Dr. […]

Cliff Zukin is a political science professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. His research interests include public opinion, mass media & American politics, survey research and research methods.

Scott Keeter is the director of survey research at the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in Washington, D.C. He co-wrote the book The Diminishing Divide: Religion’s Changing Role in American Politics.

Read an October 28, 2009, story on CNN.com about President Obama signing a bill that makes it a crime to assault someone based on their sexuality or gender.

Constance Flanagan is a professor of interdisciplinary at the University of Wisconsin. Her research concerns youth civic development, the transition to adulthood and opportunities for civic participation. She can discuss the role family and personal values play in the development of young people’s political views.

Shane Claiborne is a Philadelphia-based Christian activist and author. He is a co-founder of Red Letter Christians, a Christian group that focuses on people at the economic and social margins.