Former Faculty and Lecturers

Dr. Michelle Chin-Miller (Ph.D., Texas A&M University) taught the Policymaking Process class for the Archer Fellowship Program, which she began teaching in September 2014. In addition to serving as the academic director for the Archer Center, she also held an appointment as a clinical associate professor in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at The University of Texas at Dallas. She also supervised the Archer Center Independent Study and Research class for the Graduate Archer Fellowship Program. Dr. Chin-Miller brings to the classroom over 20 years of experience as a congressional policy advisor, political scientist, and educator. Her research has been published in "The Journal of Politics," "American Politics Review," and "Electoral Studies.

Rosaline Cohen, J.D., was a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervised Graduate Archer Fellows in the National Security and Global Affairs Policy Working Group. For over twenty years, Professor Cohen has established herself as a trusted thought leader on homeland and national security matters and Congress. She is currently the deputy director of government and external affairs for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. From 2007 to 2023, she served as chief counsel to Chairman Bennie G. Thompson and the Democrats on the Committee on Homeland Security. In this capacity, she developed and advanced the policy priorities of committee Democrats and the Democratic caucus. Professor Cohen managed a diverse professional staff of policy experts and attorneys through all phases of the policymaking process on issues ranging from counterterrorism and acquisitions to cybersecurity and infrastructure protection to border and immigration. In the course of carrying out her duties, she collaborated with House leadership, Republican committee staff, House and Senate staff on other committees, the Executive Branch, and private sector stakeholders. Prior to joining the Committee on Homeland Security staff, Cohen worked for U.S. Representative Louise M. Slaughter (NY) and former U.S. Representative Ken Bentsen (TX), where she managed a broad portfolio of issues that included committee work with the House Budget Committee (2000–2002) and House Select Committee on Homeland Security and House Rules Committee (2002–2005). Professor Cohen holds a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center (1999) and a B.A. from The Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University (1994).

Janna Deitz, Ph.D., was a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she led discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. She serves as a senior advisor for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, the congressionally chartered nonprofit dedicated to sharing the stories of the people, art, and architecture of the U.S. Capitol in a manner that inspires “informed patriotism.” Dr. Deitz leads the Society’s expanded programming for civic education, engaging new partners with strategic outreach to grow the Society’s national impact. Previously, she led outreach and partnership efforts for the John W. Kluge Center at the U.S. Library of Congress and served as senior director of academic & professional development and director of the Congressional Fellowship Program for the American Political Science Association. Dr. Deitz oversaw discipline-wide initiatives in teaching and learning, career development, government outreach, and public engagement, and led the discipline’s signature congressional program for the association. A publicly engaged faculty member for fifteen years, Dr. Deitz was a professor of political science and director of public leadership and outreach at Western Illinois University. Her research interests include Congress, congressional elections, women and politics, campaign finance, and civic engagement. Her published works appear in "PS: Political Science & Politics," "Political Research Quarterly," "The Journal of Political Science Education," and edited volumes. In 2011-2012, Dr. Deitz served as an APSA Congressional Fellow working in the U.S. Senate. Inspired by her fellowship experience, she developed a D.C. student internship program and established Ready to Run Illinois, a nonpartisan public leadership training program for women in partnership with the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Dr. Deitz received a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, an M.P.A. from Western Carolina University, and a B.A. with honors in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

John Kane was a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he supervised undergraduate Archer Fellows in the Policymaking Process class and Graduate Archer Fellows in the General Domestic Policy Working Group. Prior to joining the staff as a lecturer for the Archer Center, Professor Kane was a frequent guest lecturer for the program. He served as the director of infrastructure and public health for U.S. Senator Carper (DE) on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, where his team was responsible for oversight of federal infrastructure investments ranging from roads to buildings to drinking water to ports, as well as hazardous waste mitigation and toxic chemical management. He has also worked on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the Special Committee on Aging. Professor Kane holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Vassar College and a master's degree in civil engineering with a focus on sustainable smart cities from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has over 20 years of experience in the private sector and government, working for both Republican and Democratic members of Congress.

Lauren Paulos was a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she supervised Graduate Archer Fellows in the Health Policy Working Group. She is the legislative director for drugs in the Office of Legislation at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this role, she directs and manages the FDA’s interactions with Congress related to human drugs and biological products. She served on the team that led the FDA’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and led the agency’s work with Congress to reauthorize the FDA’s user fee agreements in 2022. Prior to joining the FDA, she served in various capacities within Congress. She served in legislative roles for U.S. Representative Michael Burgess (TX-26) and former U.S. Representative John Culberson (TX-7). She also served as a health legislative assistant for former Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah, where she led his work on the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017. Paulos holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental health from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Health specializing in health policy from The George Washington University.

Josh Rushing was a lecturer at the Archer Center, where he led specialized trainings in communication and storytelling as part of the undergraduate internship course. A popular guest lecturer with the Archer Center for over five years, Professor Rushing is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with nearly 30 years of experience in communication. He is a founding member of Al Jazeera English (AJE), which reaches 380 million homes in more than 100 countries, and is currently the senior correspondent and host of AJE’s award-winning investigative documentary show Fault Lines. As a U.S. Marine (1990-2004), Professor Rushing played a critical role in the invasion of Iraq as the hand-picked, on-air spokesperson for U.S. Central Command Forward. His appearance in the award-winning documentary Control Room also sparked a national discussion about the role of media in war. A native of Lewisville, Texas, Professor Rushing earned a B.A. in ancient history and classical civilization at The University of Texas at Austin. He has also trained in leadership and warfighting at The Basic School, Quantico, and completed public affairs and journalism training at The Defense Information School.

Sahar Shafqat, Ph.D., was a lecturer at the Archer Center, where she taught undergraduate and graduate internship courses and led discussion sections in the Politics of National Memory class. Dr. Shafqat is also the associate dean of faculty and a professor in the Department of Political Science at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she focuses on political parties, social and political movements, democratization, ethnic conflict and nationalism, and gender and sexuality studies. Dr. Shafqat received a B.A. in economics and international relations from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in political science from Texas A&M University. Dr. Shafqat has previously taught at Southwestern University in Texas and Habib University in Karachi. She has published articles in academic journals like "Law and Social Inquiry" and "Asian Survey", in publications like the Express Tribune and the Baltimore Sun. She has made media appearances with outlets such as Al Jazeera and Democracy Now.

Dr. Joel Swerdlow (Ph.D., Cornell University) taught the Politics of National Memory class for the Archer Fellowship Program and the Archer Plus class for the Graduate Archer Fellowship Program. He also oversaw the internship course for Undergraduate and Graduate Archer Fellows. Dr. Joel Swerdlow was a full professor in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at The University of Texas at Dallas. He began working with the Archer Center in 2006. Dr. Swerdlow has a long career as an author, editor, journalist, researcher, and educator. A senior writer and editor at National Geographic for ten years, his published works include "To Heal a Nation: The Story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial", and "So As I Was Saying…My Somewhat Eventful Life", with Frank Mankiewicz. He was a senior fellow and director of programs and publications at the Washington Annenberg Program. His work, which reaches both academic and popular audiences in the United States and abroad, focuses on a range of scientific, technological and public policy issues.