Dr. Kyle C. Kopko holds a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from The Ohio State University, and a B.A. in political science from Elizabethtown College.

From 2010 to 2020, Dr. Kopko served as a political science professor at Elizabethtown College, where he earned tenure as an Associate Professor and held several academic and administrative leadership roles. His administrative experience includes serving as Director of the Pre-Law Program, Director of the Honors Program, Assistant Dean, and Associate Dean. A 2017 Fulbright recipient, Dr. Kopko participated in international education seminars in Germany and Belgium. He is a past president of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors and previously served on the Finance Committee of the National Collegiate Honors Council. He was also nominated to and completed the Senior Leadership Academy, sponsored by the Council on Independent Colleges and the American Academic Leadership Institute.

In 2020, Dr. Kopko was appointed Executive Director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. In this role, he oversaw the Center’s operations, including research and grant programs examining a wide range of policy issues affecting rural communities. He served as a voting member of the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Affairs, and as the inaugural Chairman of the Pennsylvania Rural Population Revitalization Commission. His work required close collaboration with academic administrators and faculty across Pennsylvania’s higher education landscape.

In 2025, Dr. Kopko became Executive Director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP), the unified voice of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Under his leadership, CCAP expanded its research capacity through the establishment of a dedicated Research Department, strengthening the Association’s role as a trusted source of information and analysis for county leaders and state policymakers.

Dr. Kopko is the author or co-author of 60 scholarly and popular press publications, including two university press books - "The VP Advantage:  How Running Mates Influence Home State Voting in Presidential Elections" and "Do Running Mates Matter?  The Influence of Vice Presidential Candidates in Presidential Elections" - with Dr. Christopher Devine.  His research has received national and international media attention in numerous outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, U.S. News & World Report, the BBC, the CBC, CNN, and Fox News Channel.  

In addition to his professional roles, Dr. Kopko serves on the Board of Directors of the James A. Finnegan Foundation, is Assistant Treasurer of the Lancaster Hospital Authority, and is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Affairs.
A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kopko lives in Elizabethtown with his wife, Sarah, and daughters, Mary and Clara.

*Any research or views presented here are solely those of Dr. Kopko and his co-authors.  Unless otherwise specified, no government funds or resources were used in the creation of this website or any of Dr. Kopko's legal or political science research.