Dana R Fisher

Concerned citizen, Idea generator, Parent, Scientist

Dana R. Fisher is a dynamic speaker and author. Her most recent books are Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action (Columbia University Press 2024) and American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave (Columbia University Press 2019). In 2024, she delivered a TED talk about being an apocalyptic optimist. She has made major contributions to understanding protest, activism, and climate policymaking. She has published seven books and more than 80 chapters and peer-reviewed articles, including in Nature, Science Advances, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Fisher currently serves as the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity (CECE) and a Professor in the School of International Service at American University. She is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution. She has presented her work to the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, federal agencies, foundations, presidential campaigns, and other political organizations. Fisher served as a Contributing Author for Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Review (IPCC AR6) writing about citizen engagement and civic activism.

Transitioning to clean energy, protecting our democracy, supporting meaningful social change, and stabilizing our natural environment for the generations to come

activism, climate policymaking, democracy, protest

I gave a TED Talk on being an Apocalyptic Optimist at TED Countdown in 2024 (https://go.ted.com/danarfisher). I am attending TED 2026 as a member of the democracy delegation.