Dr. Brent Nelsen was appointed to the CPB Board by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in August 2013. He is chair of the South Carolina Educational Television Commission, which he has served in support of its core services, including education and public safety, since he was appointed to the position by Governor Nikki Haley in 2011.
He is professor of Political Science at Furman University (Greenville, South Carolina) where he began teaching in 1990. He received his B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois), and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Oslo, Norway in 1987 - 1988.
From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Nelsen served as Chair of Furman's Department of Political Science. He was President of the South Carolina Political Science Association from 2009 to 2010.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of Three Crosses Outreach in Norway, South Carolina and as an elder at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Greenville.
Dr. Nelsen's teaching and scholarship focus on Europe and the European Union. His most recent work explores the relationship between religion and public support for European integration. Religion and the Struggle for Europe, his latest book (co-authored with James L. Guth), will be published in 2014 by Georgetown University Press. The fourth edition of The European Union: Readings on the Theory and Practice of European Integration (with Alexander Stubb) will be released in 2014 by Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Dr. Nelsen married his wife Lori in 1981. They have three children.
His term expires in 2016.
Upcoming Board Meetings
December 9-10, 2013
Board Meeting
Washington, DC