The University of Texas at Austin

Please join us in a discussion titled “Elections: What Works and What Doesn’t” alumna Dana DeBeauvoir (‘81) for the next installment in the Alumni Speaker Series on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 12:15 p.m. in the LBJ School Student Lounge for a talk titled “Elections: What Works and What Doesn’t.” (Read More)

Alumna Margo Weisz (‘94) will be the featured speaker for the next installment in the Alumni Speaker Series, which will be on October 14th at 12:15p.m. in the student lounge. She will give a talk entitled "Financial Opportunity--building economic opportunity in lower income communities." (Read More)

Dean James B. Steinberg invites alumni, faculty, and friends of the LBJ School to the annual alumni reception in Austin, Texas. (Read More)

Alumnus Irvin Ashford (LBJ Class of 1994) was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal at the inaugural 2008 Minority Business Leader Awards luncheon with a Minority Corporate Executive Award. Honorees are also featured in the June 20th issue of the Dallas Business Journal. (Read More)

Dean James B. Steinberg invites alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs to the annual alumni reception in Washington, D.C. (Read More)

The Washington DC Alumni Chapter of the LBJ School of Public Affairs will continue its Summer Speaker Series on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 as it hosts LBJ Alumnus Austin Smythe. The 1980 graduate is the staff director of the Republican Office of the Committee on the Budget and is the former Executive Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget. (Read More)

As the United States takes another step this week toward determining who will be on the November ballot, members of the faculty, alumni and staff of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin are playing key roles in a Project that brings together the nation's brightest emerging leaders to develop innovative solutions to the pressing global challenges facing the next president. (Read More)

Carron Scott Whittaker, a 1994 graduate of the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs and Accenture Manager, was recently recognized by the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) with its prestigious Corporate Person of the Year Award. The award honors Whittaker's commitment to mentoring Accenture staff and to public and private partnerships that improve the quality of life for the community and its citizens. (Read More)

In a recent issue of Governing Magazine, 2007 LBJ graduate John Coleman was featured for his work in sustainability in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fresh out of graduate school, the intrepid policy maker is having quite an impact, but leaving an ever smaller foot print in his home state. (Read More)

The LBJ Alumni Speaker Series will host LBJ alumnus Jorge Garcés who will discuss the North American Development Bank (NADB), where he serves as CEO. The NADB was created under a bilateral side agreement of NAFTA to certify and fund US-Mexico border environmental infrastructure. It is the only development bank that can finance projects in the United States. (Read More)

LBJ alumnus Dr. David Crockett will examine the upcoming fall election through the lens of "regime cycles." Dr. Crockett argues that we view American politics as a series of partisan regimes in which one political party has the natural advantage over another in any specific electoral era. (Read More)

Frank Sturzl, Executive Director, Texas Municipal League, and a graduate of the LBJ School will be the first spring speaker for alumni speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. This event will be held on Monday February 25, 2008, 12:15p.m. to 1:15p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge. (Read More)

LBJ Alumni gathered at the Santa Rita Cantina to watch Super Tuesday election returns come in and catch up with their former classmates. In addition to former students, Dean James Steinberg and Veronica Vargas Stidvent, the director of the Center for Politics and Governance were in attendance. Check out the pictures! (Read More)

LBJ School Alumn Jennah Durant will be a contestant on the popular game show “Jeopardy” tonight. Jennah is a 2007 graduate of LBJ who completed her master’s degree last spring. (Read More)

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is deeply saddened by the passing of former Dean Elspeth Rostow, Sunday, December 9, 2007. (Read More)

DeAnn Friedholm, Partner, Health Management Associates, and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be the School’s second guest in the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. This event will be held on Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge. (Read More)

Craig D. Pedersen, Vice President of Water and Wastewater in Texas for URS Corporation, and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be another wonderful guest in the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. He will address why we should care about water in Texas, how the water system is organized today, the factors influencing water management, challenges we face, and our plans for the future. (Read More)

This spring, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association cosponsored a new lunchtime speaker series. The LBJ Alumni Speaker Series features distinguished alumni talking about their work and the lessons that they have learned. There have been three speakers so far. (Read More)

Each year since the Governor Hugh L. Carey Fellowship in Governmental Finance Program began being offered by the New York State's Division of the Budget four years ago, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs has been proud to announce at least one winner among their graduating class. This year is no different. (Read More)

Graduates of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs are able to successfully apply their educations to work in a variety of fields. But some alumni go even further and are truly outstanding. To honor these alumni, the LBJ School Alumni Association presents an annual Distinguished Public Service Award. Recipients' career and public service records must represent the LBJ School's values. (Read More)

On April 23, the LBJ School and its alumni association will welcome Billy Hamilton, former deputy comptroller of public accounts for the State of Texas Comptroller and a graduate of the LBJ School. Mr. Hamilton will discuss the current state and the future of Texas finances. (Read More)

One thing that sets Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs students and alumni apart from the crowd is the amazing amount that they care about the world around them. The Great Society Fund (GSF) is one way in which the school makes the world a better place. Created by the graduating class of 2005, the GSF provides resources and support for innovative social entrepreneurship projects started by LBJ students and alumni. (Read More)

On March 19, the LBJ School and its alumni association will welcome, Mr. David Firestein, a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. Department of State and a graduate of the LBJ School. Mr. Firestein is the second guest of the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. Mr. Firestein will give an interactive presentation discussing the political communication effect of contemporary country music. (Read More)

There are many things to value in a public affairs education, not the least of which are the skills it provides in terms of community involvement and accomplishment. A perfect example is the work being done by a handful of Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs alumni who are revitalizing Gus Garcia City Park and Recreation Center for a growing working-class neighborhood in northeast Austin. (Read More)

Susan K. Rieff, executive director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be the first guest of a new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. The inaugural event will be held on February 19 at 12:15 p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge. Ms. Rieff will talk about her work at the Wildflower Center and about the changes the center is undergoing after its September 2006 acquisition by the University of Texas at Austin as well as the relationship of the center to the LBJ School. (Read More)

Sharla Megilligan and Mehul Patel are among the distinguished alumni from the class of 2004 who are making a profound difference in the lives of children and coffee growers in the Dominican Republic. Patel and Megilligan are the founders and principal partners of the coffeehouse Dominican Joe, located at 515 South Congress in Austin. (Read More)

Sheila Wilson Beckett (M.P.Aff. 1977), was named as the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Public Service Award by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs' Alumni Association at its annual reception on June 26. (Read More)

National Board of Directors elects new officers, Rafael Fernández de Castro, Julien Ross, David B. Schlosser, Sara Meadows Tolleson (Read More)

Robert T. Hall has joined the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) Department of Federal Affairs as an assistant director. Hall will be responsible for lobbying on such issues as health insurance coverage for all children, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), medical liability and physician payment. (Read More)

The 2003 reorganization of the Texas health and human services system and current issues in this area of state government were among the topics discussed by Albert Hawkins (M.P.Aff. 1978), executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, at a talk given at the LBJ School on March 10. (Read More)

Sarah Eckhardt, Annette LoVoi, Michelle O'Neill, Bill Owens, Herb Rubenstein, Julius Whittier (Read More)

In early February, C. Kim Goodwin (M.P.Aff./M.B.A. 1987) was elected to the board of directors of CheckFree Corporation, a provider of financial electronic commerce services and products. (Read More)

Thanks to the advocacy of Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis (M.P.Aff. 1977) and Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman, the Greenway Pedestrian Trail in Houston's Hermann Park soon will become a reality. (Read More)

San Antonio's Reagan High School library was renamed in honor of Timothy H. Bannwolf (M.P.Aff./J.D. 1988), according to an article published by the San Antonio Express-News on January 16. (Read More)

LBJ School alumnus Mark Rincón, who is currently a Foreign Service Officer serving in the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, offers insights on how the LBJ School helped him achieve his career goal. He reminds interested individuals that registration for the April 8, 2006, Foreign Service Written Exam is now open. (Read More)

The board of directors of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University elected Rush L. Russell (M.P.Aff. 1981) senior vice president and chief operating officer on December 7. He also will act as head of CASA's Program Demonstration division. (Read More)

Nan McRaven (M.P.Aff. 1976) has joined the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization, as the director of the Texas State Office. (Read More)

This fall, longtime LBJ School staff member Courtney Brown (M.P.Aff. 1983) announced her retirement effective January 31. Brown, who has been with the Office of Alumni Programs (OSAP) since January 1987, has headed that unit since March 1998. (Read More)

Jay Aiyer; George Hittner; Robert Campbell; Greg Flores; Phillip Ritter; Margo Weisz; Sarah Wheat; Maureen Berner (Read More)

Rodney Ellis; Jeffrey Hardee; Rick Hall; Rushton Russell; Michael Reyna; Carlos Moreno (Read More)

Two LBJ School alumni who have been national leaders in the development of performance reviews have been elected to the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to improve governance at all levels. (Read More)

LBJ School community members Andy Redman (M.P.Aff. 2004), Mehul Patel (LBJ Class of 2004), Scott Hanna (M.P.Aff. 2004), and 21st Century Project Coordinator Gary Chapman share thoughts and experiences from Hurricane Katrina. (Read More)

A lifelong interest in the way things work and how the world functions is serving Jon Hockenyos (M.P.Aff. 1987) well today as he helps clients solve complicated economic and public policy problems via his Austin-based consulting firm. (Read More)

Distinguished Public Service Award nominations requested; Austin Chapter schedules networking event; Bradley Gilmore, M.P.Aff. 2002; Tasos Georgiou, M.P.Aff. 1989; Junmo Kim, Ph.D. 1997 (Read More)

The Texas Board of Criminal Justice named Brad Livingston (M.P.Aff. 1991) executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) on July 28. (Read More)

August Alumni Reception; Aiyer and Hittner launch Houston City Council campaigns; Karen Neuwald (M.P.Aff. 1982); Leonel Gomez (M.P.Aff. 1989); Irving Ashford, Jr. (M.P.Aff. 1994); Chad Clanton (M.P.Aff. 1997); Margot Clarke (M.P.Aff. 1996); Billy Hamilton (M.P.Aff. 1975) (Read More)

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., a premier provider of business process and information technology outsourcing solutions, announced in early June that its board of directors had appointed Joseph P. O'Neill (M.P.Aff. 1973) as its lead independent director. (Read More)

Carl Reynolds (M.P.Aff./J.D.1985) is one of the state?s most influential experts on criminal justice policy. Well known by national and state leaders for his work, collaborative style and innovative thinking, Reynolds was honored in May by the Central Texas Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. (Read More)

Earlier this spring, when students were setting up their summer internships, 21 members of the LBJ School alumni community volunteered to host and mentor interns. Fourteen students eventually accepted offers and will work with 13 alumni this summer. (Read More)

Jorge C. Garc?s (M.P.Aff 1977), the deputy managing director of the North American Development Bank (NADBank), was named the 2005 recipient of the LBJ School Alumni Association?s Distinguished Public Service Award. (Read More)

Rodney Ellis; Al Giles; Barbara Scroggie Knaggs; Gregario (Greg) Flores III (Read More)

Two members of the LBJ School community were recognized by the Central Texas Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration on May 6. (Read More)

For the past five years, Anita Benavides Mennucci (M.P.Aff. 1993) has been at the helm of an Austin, Texas, program that inspires girls to grow into healthy, confident women. (Read More)

The LBJ School Alumni Association's National Board of Directors has elected new officers. Robert Clifton (M.P.Aff. 2000) is the new president, Concetta Bencivenga (M.P.Aff. 2001) is vice president and Sarah Lovering (M.P.Aff. 2002) is secretary/treasurer. Rebecca White (M.P.Aff. 2000) will continue to serve on the board as immediate past president. (Read More)

Charles Patton; Craig Wacker (Read More)

In a place where sugarcane workers struggle to make a living?working more than 12 hours and earning as little as $1 per day?it is difficult to get an education. Parents who are able to send their children to school find overcrowded classrooms equipped with a chalkboard, chalk and little else. In the Dominican Republic and other parts of Hispaniola, where many live in extreme poverty, life is hard and getting an education is just as tough. (Read More)

Seven current and former recipients of the Terrell Blodgett Fellowship in Urban Management met recently with LBJ School Professor Terrell Blodgett at an Austin restaurant to catch up on each other?s careers and personal lives. (Read More)

Alumni Relations Committee formed; Nicholas J. Brunick; Rebecca Christie (Read More)

A lobbyist for one of the top government affairs agencies in Washington, D.C., Steve Palmer (M.P.Aff. 1980) helps clients navigate Capitol Hill to achieve specific transportation policy and appropriations goals. As vice president of Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc. (VSA), Palmer has developed a practice that deals with issues related to general transportation, aviation, technology, communications and economic development. (Read More)

Anne Dunkelberg; Jane Maxwell; LBJ Alumni Picnic (Read More)

The protection of human rights is not only one of the grand ideals of our American society, but it is also a stated central goal of U.S. foreign policy. Since 2002, LeRoy Potts (M.P.Aff. 1990), who is the deputy director in the U.S. State Department?s Office of Country Reports and Asylum Affairs, has been involved in a project that provides vital information to the U.S. Congress about the status of human rights around the world. (Read More)

Has the United States rebounded after decades of political apathy? Record increases in voter registration and early and absentee voting show a surge of interest in electoral politics. The enthusiasm is fueled by the race for the presidency but is trickling down to other federal, state and local ballot items. (Read More)

Lauded as one of the nation?s most dynamic economic regions, Central Texas has emerged as a strong competitor in the global economy thanks to its high tech, life sciences and business services sectors. (Read More)

Alumni teach LBJ School courses; Students organize chats with alumni; Chad Clanton; Zoraima Diaz; Stella M. Flores; Jesus Garza; Sharla Megilligan; Susan K. Rieff; Julien Ross (Read More)

Twenty-four years after obtaining her public affairs degree, Florita Sheppard (M.P.Aff. 1980) is back at the LBJ School. As the newest State Department diplomat in residence, Sheppard is currently recruiting students who are interested in Foreign Service careers. (Read More)

Sometimes the best way to bring about change is to start at the ground level. Whether the goal is individual?like jumpstarting your career?or something broader?like working to change the top tier of federal government?sometimes you just have to start at the bottom and work your way up. (Read More)

John Bartle; Ira Birnbaum; Margo Weisz; Walter Moreau (Read More)

Archer Center Summe Speakers' Series; Class of 1994 Reunion; Austin Alumni Reception; Gregory R. Pulliam; David J. Cook (Read More)

Even the Sundance Institute, which is internationally recognized as a showcase for the best in new American independent film, can benefit from the tool set a student acquires at the LBJ School. Since 2001, N. Bird Runningwater (M.P.Aff. 1996) has been serving as the Institute?s programmer for Native American initiatives in Los Angeles, California. (Read More)

TJ Costello; James Hirsch; John Kamensky (Read More)

Sheila Beckett (M.P.Aff. 1977), executive director of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS), announced in late March that she is retiring in June to accept a position with the U.S. Treasury Department in Belgrade, Serbia. (Read More)

Since he graduated from the LBJ School in 1982, Michael Reyna has been committed to nurturing new leaders. In March, he transformed this commitment into a pledge. (Read More)

As a society, we are just starting to see how the Internet can transform institutions such as government, business and even political campaigns. And as our use of the Internet expands, there will be an increasing demand for credible information about how information technologies are affecting our lives, says John Horrigan (M.P.Aff. 1988; Ph.D. 1996), a senior researcher with the Pew Internet & American Life Project in Washington, D.C. (Read More)

How well is the state meeting the educational goals established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)? What gaps need to be closed so that more students can attend college? How can private and independent colleges and universities help the state achieve its goals? (Read More)

Matt Fuller (LBJ Class of 2002) is getting a crash course in crisis management. Since last May, he has been in Iraq helping to rebuild that country?s government and infrastructure. (Read More)

Because of Mexico?s proximity to the United States, strong bilateral relations are important to citizens of both nations. In border states such as Texas, where problems can spill across a porous boundary, it is particularly important for the two neighboring governments to establish cooperative programs and initiatives that benefit the entire region. (Read More)

The LBJ School community formally kicked off the 2003-04 academic year with an alumni reception at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum on August 22. The event provided an opportunity for alumni, faculty members, and friends of the LBJ School to mingle with new and returning students. (Read More)

Since 1995 Margo Weisz (LBJ Class of 1994) has been involved in an Austin, Texas, antipoverty initiative that promotes economic vitality and opportunity. Working in economically distressed areas of the city, Weisz has been providing financial and technical services to businesses, community organizations, and affordable housing ventures through a nonprofit organization called the Austin Community Development Corporation (CDC). (Read More)

Michael Reyna (LBJ Class of 1982), the winner of the LBJ Alumni Association?s 2003 Distinguished Public Service Award, represents all the best qualities of an LBJ School graduate. Currently serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of the federal Farm Credit Administration (FCA) Board, Reyna has implemented successful policies and programs at all levels of government and has achieved national prominence. (Read More)