Deborah O'Malley

Associate Director  

The Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government

University of Notre Dame

In September 2022, the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government welcomed Dr. Deborah O’Malley as the new Associate Director. Dr. O’Malley brings an array of experience in academia that includes teaching, research and writing on American constitutionalism, and management of civics education programs.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Debbie received a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Ashland University, where she participated in the Ashbrook Scholars Program. After spending five years as a researcher for various Washington, DC think tanks, she went on to earn an MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Baylor University. There, she studied American constitutionalism and wrote a dissertation on the freedom of religious institutions in the American legal tradition. Upon graduating from Baylor, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Dr. O’Malley has participated in academic fellowships with numerous organizations, including the Berkely Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, the John Jay Institute, and the Ethics and Public Policy Center.