Professor Martha Kropf awarded Bonnie E. Cone Professorship for Civic Engagement

Martha Kropf, professor of political science and public administration in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences, is the 2026 recipient of the Bonnie E. Cone Professorship for Civic Engagement. Kropf was honored during the Spring Faculty Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 28.

Named after UNC Charlotte’s founding educator, the Bonnie E. Cone Professorship for Civic Engagement is awarded annually to a tenured faculty member whose teaching or research embodies the University’s commitment to civic involvement and whose work strengthens UNC Charlotte’s relationship with the broader community.

Kropf has become a driving force in advancing UNC Charlotte’s community‑engagement mission. Since joining the University in 2006, she has partnered with local, state and national election officials, producing data that has improved election administration. Her leadership has shaped statewide modernization efforts, informed national task forces and provided hands-on learning experiences that prepare students to contribute meaningfully to election processes.

Kropf’s work with the Commission on the Future of North Carolina Elections produced a 220-page report that has shaped statewide efforts to modernize election infrastructure. Nationally, she serves on the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Elections Group Election Workforce Taskforce, and has partnered with the Robert J. Dole Center and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute to promote adequate and equitable funding for election administration.

“Her work creates a bridge between theory and practice, producing data that is both academically rigorous and operationally relevant,” said Michael Dickerson, director of elections for Mecklenburg County. “Beyond the data itself, Dr. Kropf plays an important role in preparing the next generation of election professionals. Her emphasis on hands-on learning, critical thinking, and civic engagement ensures that her students leave her courses with both the knowledge and the practical experience necessary to contribute effectively to the field of election administration.”

A nationally recognized leader in election science, Kropf has authored or co‑authored three books, numerous scholarly publications and secured more than $435,000 in research funding. Her Exit Polling and Senior Seminar courses in UNC Charlotte’s College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences have provided the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections with data that has directly informed improvements to voter outreach, polling place operations and overall voter experience.

“What distinguishes Dr. Kropf is not simply the quality of her scholarship, but the conviction animating it: that free, fair, and accessible elections are an essential foundation of democracy, and that scholars who study them bear a responsibility to ensure their findings benefit the public,” said Paul Gronke, a professor at Reed College. “Dr. Kropf has pursued research because it matters to how democracy actually functions. Her work is not merely cited in academic journals; it is used by the people responsible for running our elections.”

Kropf’s impact is also evident in her mentorship of students, connecting their learning to meaningful engagement in Charlotte and beyond. That commitment was especially evident in her response to Hurricane Helene, where she helped to rapidly assemble a multi-university research team and deploy exit polling operations during the 2024 elections. The team included undergraduate and graduate student researchers from several UNC System institutions. They collected data on voters’ property damage, the difficulty voters faced reaching polling places and voter confidence in the integrity of the election. 

“Across her courses, Dr. Kropf demonstrates that political science is not simply about studying institutions from what seems to be an unobtainable distance. Instead, she shows students how teaching and community engagement can work together to deepen understanding of democratic participation,” said Alyssa Smith, a senior political science major. “All of her classes provided meaningful opportunities to apply what we learned while engaging directly with the community around us.”

In addition to Kropf, two other faculty members and the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life & Learning were recognized during the Spring Faculty Awards ceremony. 

Mark M. D’Amico, professor of higher education in the Cato College of Education, received the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award; Alicia Dahl, associate professor of epidemiology and community health in the College of Health and Human Services, was named the recipient of the Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship in Teaching; and the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life & Learning was recognized with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Student Success.