Asher Hildebrand

Asher D. Hildebrand is a Professor of the Practice at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he teaches about politics, policy, democracy, and civic participation and serves as the inaugural faculty director of Duke’s executive Master of Public Affairs program. His core interests lie at the intersection of democratic governance and domestic politics, focusing both on how to make democratic institutions more responsive to the needs and interests of citizens and how to build broad-based political support for needed democratic reforms.

Prior to joining the Duke faculty, Asher served in government and politics for more than 15 years, holding senior leadership roles as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative David Price and as Director of Policy and Research for President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign in North Carolina. He has also worked for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems in Beirut, Lebanon, and for two foreign policy think tanks in Washington, DC.

Asher appears regularly in the media as a commentator on state and national politics, the U.S. Congress, and challenges facing American democracy such as gerrymandering and voting rights. He has contributed insight and analysis to The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Newsweek, The Associated Press, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and many other print publications, and he is a frequent guest on television and radio news and politics programs.

In addition to his role at Duke, Asher is the principal of True North Strategies, a boutique policy and advocacy consulting firm, and he serves on the governance or advisory boards of organizations including Keep Our Republic and the Longleaf Policy Lab. He holds an M.P.A. from Princeton University and a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill.