Nancy L. Cohen

Nancy L. Cohen is an author, historian, and leading national expert on women and American politics. She is the author of four books, including "Breakthrough: The Making of America’s First Woman President" (2016) and "Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America" (2012).

Nancy’s writing has been published in the "Guardian," the "New Republic," the "Los Angeles Times," "Rolling Stone," "Pacific Standard," "Salon," "Playboy," and elsewhere. Nancy has appeared on NPR’s "Weekend All Things Considered," the "Leonard Lopate show," "On Point with Tom Ashbrook," MSNBC’s "Up with Chris Hayes," and on many other national and international TV and radio broadcasts. She has spoken about women’s leadership, politics, and writing across the United States at book festivals, universities, and conferences.

Nancy received her PhD with distinction in American history from Columbia University and her AB from Brown University. She has taught history and politics at SUNY Binghamton, Occidental College, Cal State Long Beach and other universities. Nancy has been a visiting scholar at UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women and UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. Previously Nancy worked as a senior policy analyst at LAANE, a leading Los Angeles nonprofit, where she co-led negotiations that resulted in a $500 million community benefits agreement to create jobs and clean up the environment for the communities neighboring Los Angeles International Airport. She began her career as a public high social studies teacher in New York City.

Nancy lives in Los Angeles with her two daughters and husband. She serves as a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission for Women and chairs its policy and legislation committee.