By Brandon Fey, Editor-in-Chief
The Eisenhower Institute (EI) at Gettysburg College has introduced new and returning policy experts to lead student programs on presidential leadership, African development, and affordable housing for the upcoming academic year.
Government relations expert Maia Comeau joins the Institute as Director of the Fielding Center for Presidential Leadership Study. She will lead the 2026-27 cohort of Fielding Fellows in studying the executive branch of government.
Comeau brings 20 years of public affairs experience to the role. She currently serves as a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and has spent six years on the board of directors for the National Civic League. She is also a presidential leadership scholar, collaborating with bipartisan presidential centers to advance leadership initiatives.
EI believes Comeau’s experience and connections across the federal government will be an advantage for the Gettysburg College community.
The institute also welcomed Dana Banks to lead a new Global Focus seminar on economic development in Africa.
Banks spent 25 years as a senior Foreign Service officer in the U.S. Department of State. Her career has included two years at the White House as special assistant to the president and senior director for Africa at the National Security Council, where she worked to expand U.S. diplomatic partnerships against national security threats. She also served as senior advisor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Africa Business Center, and was a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. At EI, Banks will guide students in researching and creating development strategies about the African continent to present to practitioners in this field.
In addition, Educational Consultant Emily Samose ’95 returns to the Institute to direct a yearlong seminar that will analyze the impact of federal funding cuts on American communities. She will work alongside Gettysburg Mayor and Public Policy Professor Alison Lintal, who will advise students in developing a business plan to support long-term affordable housing in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
