Andrew Rudalevige, an author of five books and chair of the Bowdoin College Government and Legal Studies Department, will speak at First Parish Church on April 30.

First Parish Church, of Brunswick, invites the public to hear Andrew Rudalevige, chair of the Bowdoin College Government and Legal Studies Department, give a talk titled “Chief Executive: Presidential Policymaking in an Age of Polarization” on Sunday, April 30. This event will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary.

“We are very fortunate to have a person of Andy’s caliber and experience level speak on this very timely topic, and we are delighted to be able to share this opportunity with the Midcoast communities,” said the Rev. John Allen, senior pastor of First Parish.

Since 2012, Rudalevige has served as the Thomas Brackett Reed professor of government and legal studies at Bowdoin. His most recent book, “By Executive Order: Bureaucratic Management and the Limits of Presidential Power,” tracks the role of the wider executive branch in the formulation of directives normally thought of as “unilateral.”

“By Executive Order” won the Richard E. Neustadt Prize from the American Political Science Association, honoring the best book on the presidency; and the Louis Brownlow Prize from the National Academy of Public Administration, as the best book on public administration.

Rudalevige is the author of four other books and the host of “Founding Principles,” a video series on American government and civics. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University, all in political science.