Simmons College

Catherine Paden is Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations. She received her BA from Vassar College, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Africana Studies and Economics. Before attending graduate school, she worked in Washington, DC for a lobbying organization. She received her PhD in Political Science in 2006 from Northwestern University. Paden specializes in American Politics, with a focus on racial politics and interest groups. Her research examines how underrepresented groups gain political representation. Paden's current project assesses how, and why, civil rights organizations have chosen to represent low-income African Americans in the post-civil rights era.

Paden's teaching interests include American Politics, with concentrations in racial politics, urban politics, parties and interest groups, and social movements.

Professor Paden also teaches a bi-annual travel course in Washington, DC: National Politics Unplugged: How Washington Works.