David E. Procter is a professor of communication studies and the director of Kansas State University’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (ICDD) and Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD). Procter arrived at K-State in 1987 and served as head of the department of communication studies, theatre and dance for thirteen years, from 1993-2006. Procter research and outreach efforts focus on political communication and community development. Before coming to K-State, Procter worked for Senator Bob Dole and for several other state and national political candidates. He has written numerous research papers and book chapters on political communication, focusing primarily on political advertising. Procter has studied the structure and strategies of political advertisements, examining the effects of negative political ads on political efficacy as well as gender differences in political advertising.

Procter has also worked in partnership with Kansas municipalities and communities worldwide assisting with communication strategies that help preserve, sustain, and energize those communities. He has worked on issues of economic development, emergency management, school consolidation, strategic planning, land use planning, and strategies for re-populating rural communities. Procter has authored several essays and two books on community development - Enacting Political Culture (1991) and The Rhetoric of Community Building (2005). At the heart of all this work is the belief that community deliberation is critical to community development. To energize this work, Procter and several colleagues founded KSU’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy in 2004. This institute works to train community moderators and facilitate community deliberations around salient public policy issues. ICDD also serves as a catalyst for research and life-long learning around the connection between deliberation and democracy.

In 2006, Kansas State University created the Center for Engagement and Community Development to energize campus and community partnerships. Procter was hired as the inaugural director of this center. Procter and the center work to develop and strengthen campus and community partnerships by working collaboratively to address significant public issues. Deliberation remains a cornerstone of this engagement work.

While at Kansas State University, Dr. David Procter has received the 1991 William L. Stamey Teaching Award; the 2000 Outstanding Service Award from the Kansas Sampler Foundation; the 2001 Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head; and the 2005 Outstanding Service Award from the Kansas National Guard.

Procter earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from K-State and his doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1989.