On December 4, 2008, the Berry Center hosted former Congressman and member of the 9/11 Commission Tim Roemer for a talk entitled "National Security Challenges in the 21st Century."  As part of his day on campus, Roemer also visited with professor David Yamanishi's Politics 243: Comparative Politics course and met informally with education students and professor Gayle Luck to discuss the "No Child Left Behind" bill.

From the floor of the U.S. Congress to the chambers of the 9/11 Commission, Tim Roemer has dedicated his professional career to strengthening national security, and improving education in America. As Congressman from the Third District of Indiana (1991-2003), Roemer was recognized for his successful leadership on legislation that helped improve America’s competitiveness by balancing the federal budget, reforming elementary and secondary public education, and improving the affordability of higher education.

After the September 11th attacks, Roemer used his position on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to support the work of a joint congressional inquiry into the nature of the attacks. Roemer also was the key sponsor of legislation to establish the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as The 9/11 Commission.

Since leaving Congress in 2003, Roemer has continued to work on developing ways to strengthen national security as president of the Center for National Policy. He has promoted new ideas on national security issues on NBC Nightly News, CNN, FOX, NPR and in the pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and others. As a Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Roemer works with Members of Congress and staff to improve public policy outcomes by teaching on the legislative branch and policy analysis.

Roemer was well acquainted with Capitol Hill before he served in Congress, having worked on the staffs of Representative John Brademas of Indiana (1978-1979) and Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona (1985-1989).

Roemer currently serves on the board of the Adams Memorial Foundation and is an honorary board member for UCSD/San Diego Chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy. He holds a Ph.D. in American Government from the University of Notre Dame. Roemer also earned his M.A. from Notre Dame and received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.