Christopher Beem

Christopher Beem (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is managing director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State.

He is the author or co-editor of five books, including "The Necessity of Politics" (University of Chicago Press). His latest book, "Democratic Humility: Reinhold Niebuhr, Neuroscience and America's Political Crisis" (Lexington Books, 2015) argues that democracy requires a specific kind of humility to counter our natural inclination to self-delusion and self-righteousness.

Before joining the Institute, Beem served as grants and communications manager for Next Door, a nonprofit organization dedicated to early childhood education in Milwaukee's central city.

Before that, he directed the Democracy and Community Program at the Johnson Foundation's Wingspread Conference Center.