Kara N. Dillard is the Scholar in Residence in Digital Democratic Practice in the School of Communication at James Madison University and a public participation professional and trained public issues facilitator. She is an expert in online deliberation, having developed innovative programming and curriculum to convene civil discussions using the Common Ground for Action online deliberation platform. Dr. Dillard works in university settings and with community organizations to design public engagement processes that help groups address local, wicked issues both face-to-face and online. She is the operations specialist for Common Ground for Action and a moderator training specialist for the National Issues Forums Institute, based in Dayton, OH. She has published in the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Political Science Education, and the International Journal of Communication. She holds degrees in communication studies and earned a PhD in sociology from Kansas State University.