David J. Roof

David J. Roof is an associate professor of educational studies and director of the Center for Economic and Civic Learning at Ball State University (IN), where he also serves as campus director for AASCU’s American Democracy Project. His work advances civic learning, democratic engagement, and ethical leadership across K–12 and higher education through research, teaching, and large-scale partnership initiatives.

Roof is the principal investigator of multiple state and federally funded civic education initiatives, including CREATE250: Expanding the Civic Promise for All, a U.S. Department of Education–funded project supporting teachers and students in high-need communities as the nation approaches America’s Semiquincentennial. He also led the development of Ball State’s interdisciplinary civic studies minor and teaches courses on citizenship, leadership, ethics, and the history of American education.

Nationally and internationally, Roof serves as a specialist with the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, contributing to research on democratic institutions, participation, and civic culture. He is also a guest editor of The Good Society: A Journal of Civic Studies.