Colin Woodard is the director of Nationhood Lab at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University. A leading expert on U.S. regionalism and nationhood, he is the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America and Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood. He won a 2012 George Polk Award and was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist.
As a foreign correspondent for major newspapers, Woodard reported from over fifty countries across seven continents, covering the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Balkan conflicts, and climate change in Antarctica. At the Portland Press Herald, he covered Congress, Maine politics, and indigenous rights issues. His work has appeared in leading media outlets including CNN, BBC, NPR, The Economist, and The New York Times. His historical works inspired both an NBC drama and a Ubisoft video game.
Born in Waterville, Maine, Woodard graduated from Tufts University and the University of Chicago, and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.