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Asher D. Hildebrand

Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy
Sanford School of Public Policy
192 Rubenstein Hall, Durham, NC 27708
201 Science Drive RH192, Box 90312, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Asher teaches core courses on domestic politics and policy analysis in the Sanford School’s Master of Public Policy program and leads graduate/undergraduate seminars on legislative advocacy and American democracy. He is also the inaugural faculty director of Duke's executive Master of Public Affairs program, which will welcome its first cohort of students in 2025.

Prior to joining the Sanford 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 boards of various local and statewide organizations. He holds an M.P.A. from Princeton University and a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill. He lives in Durham with his wife, two sons, and yellow lab mix.

Office Hours


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Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 2024 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
E-MPA Director of Graduate Studies in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 2024 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2020 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published February 3, 2025
Celebrating Duke’s New Full Professors
Published October 29, 2024
Squishy Polls, Changing Demographics: Election Factors to Watch in NC
Published April 22, 2024
Coffee Talk with Asher Hildebrand

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Recent Grants


Policy Innovation leaders of Tomorrow (PILOT)

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina State University · 2021 - 2023

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Education, Training & Certifications


Princeton University · 2009 M.P.A.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2003 B.A.