Staff
Andrea Mayer, Ph.D., J.D.
Director and Faculty, Illinois in Washington Program
Andrea Mayer is the Director of Illinois in Washington, and also teaches political science courses for the program. Previously, she served as a Lecturer and Academic Director for several programs at Georgetown University, and taught political science courses at a number of other universities. Before joining academia, she served as a trial attorney for the federal government for nine years, where she specialized in litigation related to civil rights, government programs, and fraud. She represented the federal government in numerous capacities, including Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, receivership counsel, and agency counsel. She has also served on the legal staff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Review Commission and the U.S. Sentencing Commission Andrea received her J.D. from George Washington University completed her Ph.D. coursework at Georgetown University and Harvard University. Her research and teaching interests center on American politics, political behavior, and social change.
Trevor Norton, M.A.
Support Staff, Illinois in Washington Program | Ph.D. Student, Department of Political Science
Trevor Norton is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He holds an M.A. in International Relations and a B.A. in Government and Politics, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. His previous work has examined the interaction between legislative polarization and democratic decay, including in his undergraduate thesis, “Legislative Sabotage: The Impact of Legislative Polarization on Democratic Health,” which earned high honors. Within the polarization literature, he has also analyzed institutional adaptation in polarized political contexts, which is seen in his M.A. capstone, “Circumventing Dysfunction: How Treaties Get Ratified in Polarized Environments.” His current research, however, centers on political behavior, the U.S. Congress, and the media. Outside of academia, Trevor previously worked on Capitol Hill in the Office of Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD), where he focused on issues related to social policy and especially international relations.
Board of Advisors
Advisory Board Chair
- Brian Looser
Advisory Board Members
- Jon Abdnor
- Fil Agusti
- Sam Boxerman
- Joseph Clayton
- Dakota Jackson
- David Kunx
- Christine McDaniel
- Elizabeth Milnarik
- A. Mark Neuman
- Maria Otoo
- Jonathan Parker
- Douglas Pool
- Jerry Role
- Scott Shearer
- Chip Walgren
[To view full bios of the Advisory Board Chair and members, please visit this page.]