David Chrisinger

Executive and Writing Director, Writing Program

About

David Chrisinger is the Executive Director of the Harris Writing Workshop, where he leads schoolwide efforts to strengthen student writing and serves as faculty lead for the Persuasive Writing Credential Program and staff lead for the Harris Core Project. He also advises the student-led Chicago Policy Review and teaches courses on trauma-informed policy communication and AI-assisted writing. 

Before joining Harris, David served as a Senior Communications Specialist at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where he taught persuasive writing, consulted on the design and execution of federal audits and evaluations, facilitated message development workshops, and wrote and edited reports and testimonies for the U.S. Congress. David also taught public policy writing at Johns Hopkins University and is the author of "Public Policy Writing That Matters," which received the 2022 George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language. He also co-authored "Because Data Can’t Speak for Itself," a guide to writing persuasive, evidence-based narratives. His work focuses on equipping current and future policymakers with the communication tools they need to drive meaningful change.

David earned his master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s MA Program in the Social Sciences and his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is deeply committed to bridging academic training and real-world policy influence through writing that is clear, ethical, and persuasive.