In this episode we have a conversation with Dr. Timothy J. Shaffer, who is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies and director of the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy at Kansas State University. He is passionate about helping to find ways to advance democratic practices by focusing on the role of civic professionals in local government, higher education, and in the nonprofit sector. In our discussion, we discuss such issues as how we might do a better job cultivating civil discourse; how public administrators can foster a healthy dialogue with community members in such a polarized political climate; and how we might reimagine public administration education to better address the wicked problems our society is facing.