Faculty and Staff

Dr. Lewis is an Associate Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs, and he is also the founding Executive Director of the Portman Center for Policy Solutions. His scholarly interests are at the intersection of law and politics in America. He has specific expertise in religion and politics in the U.S., with a focus on First Amendment law and politics, rights politics, and conservative political movements. 

Lewis's book, The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars (Cambridge, 2017), was the winner of the 2018 Humbert Morken Award for the best book in Religion and Politics from the American Political Science Association. He is also the co-author of The Full Armor of God: The Mobilization of Christian Nationalism in American Politics (Cambridge Elements, 2023), along with many peer-reviewed social science articles. Professor Lewis has authored op-eds at The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, USA Today, and other national media outlets. 

A dedicated teacher, in 2022 Lewis was awarded the A. B. Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Office of the Provost at the University of Cincinnati.

He is also currently the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the political science journal Politics and Religion. 

Dr. Harknett is Professor of Political Science and Director of the School of Public and International Affairs, Co-Director of the Ohio Cyber Range Institute, and Chair of the Center for Cyber Strategy and Policy at the University of Cincinnati. He holds an afffilate faculty position with the School of Information Technology at UC and a professorial lectureship at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, Austria, where he served as Fulbright Professor in 2001. In 2017, he served as inaugural Fulbright Professor in cyber studies at Oxford University, UK and in 2016 as the first Scholar-in-Residence at United States Cyber Command and NSA. His publications and research interests focus on international relations theory and international security studies with particular focus on cyber strategy. He also regularly advises at the US government and state of Ohio levels. He is the co-author of Cyber Persistence Theory: Redefining national security in cyberspace (UK: Oxford University Press, 2022).

Emily Bauman oversees the Portman Center’s internal and external programming as well as the student Fellows program. Her professional practice centers public humanities, drawing from her research background in museum and public memorial studies and her experience developing public programs, education, exhibitions, and community relationships for museums. Bauman is ABD in German Studies and holds an MA in Art History, with a certificate in Museum Studies.

​Matt Berning is the Program Manager for Career Development with the University of Cincinnati Portman Center for Policy Solutions, where he helps connect students with the public policy world through internship and co-op placements. Matt joined the Portman Center in February 2025 after serving in state government as Legislative Aide to House Democratic Whip Dani Isaacsohn, who represents Cincinnati, and as an Ohio Legislative Service Commission Fellow. He is passionate about public service and uplifting students and the communities they live in and serve.

Check out my work at audreyheyrosa.com