Policy on Purpose

Former NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen joins guest host and Urban Lab Director Steven Pedigo to discuss ways policymakers can leverage public-private partnerships to future-proof cities.

The LBJ School honored two of its extraordinary graduates on Friday, Sept. 20, presenting former Democratic nominee for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams (MPAff ’98) with the Distinguished Public Service Award and Pflugerville city council member Rudy Metayer (EMPL ’16) with the Rising Leader Award in a reception that kicked off Alumni Weekend.

Before speaking to the LBJ School’s class of 2019, PBS NewsHour’s White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor joined Policy on Purpose to talk about the role and responsibility of the press when covering some of our world’s most defining moments, and how to best balance humanity and objectiveness when covering difficult topics and stories.

Founding CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute Robert Jones joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss what the changes in religious, racial and ethnic demographies of Texas and the nation tell us about the future of politics and policy priorities.

LBJ School alumnus Austin Smythe (MPAff ’80) joined the LBJ School during Admitted Students Weekend in April 2019, talking to new students about his career as Speaker Paul Ryan’s policy director (2015-2019). Smythe, who joined Ryan’s office in 2007, has served in a variety of roles, including policy director for the House Ways and Means Committee […]

Aldo Flores-Quiroga is former deputy secretary of energy for hydrocarbons at Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (2016–18), where he led a team of more than 180 government officials to implement the historic opening of Mexico’s hydrocarbons sector. Flores-Quiroga, who also served as Secretary General of the International Energy Forum, joins Dean Evans to talk about shared goals amid [&#823...

Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon visited The University of Texas at Austin for the UT Intelligence Studies symposium on March 28, 2019. She stopped by the LBJ School to talk with Dean Angela Evans about emerging technologies and an evolving intelligence community, as well as private-public partnerships with tech sectors.

In 2018 Royce Brooks became executive director of Annie’s List, an organization started in 2003 to recruit, train and support progressive women running for office at both the state and local levels in Texas. Over the past 15 years, the organization has raised more than $15 million to support these candidates and has helped them win more than […]

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot is a retired judge and award-winning lawyer with more than three decades of experience in the criminal justice system, including as a felony district court judge, Dallas County assistant district attorney and chief felony prosecutor, as well as a criminal defense lawyer in private practice. He talks with LBJ […]

In this episode of Policy on Purpose, guest hosted by LBJ Professor and the Washington Center’s Academic Director Don Kettl, former governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley, former mayor of Indianapolis Stephen Goldsmith and Robert Shea of Grant Thornton talk about how data-driven decision making can change the way governments serve people. Recorded at the LBJ […]

Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the LBJ School on Feb. 13, 2019 as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Leaders Series. In this episode of Policy on Purpose, Mayor Emanuel – who has served as mayor, a congressman, a chief of staff to the President of the United States, senior adviser and campaign strategist on local […]

Former President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis and Vice President of Nicaragua Sergio Ramirez join Policy on Purpose to discuss the current crisis of democracy in Nicaragua, challenges and opportunities in relations between the Central American nations and their neighbors to the north and the ongoing migration crisis at the U.S. -Mexico border. Dr. […]

Historian and best-selling author Michael Beschloss joined LBJ School Dean Angela Evans to talk about why and how drawing on history to illuminate politics and policy is critical, and what he’s learned from approaching history through issues and circumstances rather than biography.

Jim Steinberg, former LBJ School dean and Deputy Secretary of State (2009 – 2011) visited Austin, Texas for the National Security Forum on Nov. 30. He joined LBJ School Dean Angela Evans for a conversation on globalization, U.S.-Chinese relations and an international-facing public policy education.

Angela Evans, dean of the LBJ School, interviews top-level female staffers from both parties in the U.S. Senate. Beth Jafari is chief of staff for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). A Houston native, she earned degrees in journalism and political science from Texas A&M University, and her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law before beginning her […]

In a special live recording of Policy on Purpose, former mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu addresses a crowd of 300+ UT students, urging them to stay engaged with today’s most pressing issues.

New LBJ School professor Admiral William McRaven speaks candidly on lessons learned throughout his distinguished career. William McRaven, M.Sc., former UT System Chancellor and a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral, will join the school as a professor in national security, drawing on his experiences. He helped create and launch the Special Operations and Low Intensity […]

As the 2018 fall semester begins, Donald Kettl, a new LBJ School professor and academic director of the LBJ Washington Center, joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss the future of public policy schools. In this episode, they explore new challenges to public policy, how best to prepare students for cutting edge problems and the important […]

Award-winning journalist, author and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien talks all things journalism and public policy with Dean Angela Evans. From current-day tensions to the media’s influence to bridging real-life voices with policy, Soledad O’Brien talks candidly about the role of media and public policy.

Dr. Abigail Aiken, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Fellow of the Richter Chair in Global Health Policy at the LBJ School, joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss a historic referendum on abortion in Ireland. Ireland’s law on abortion is among the strictest in the world. Dr. Aiken presented her research findings in testimony […]

Texas Senator Kirk Watson joins Dean Angela Evans for this episode of Policy on Purpose. First elected to the Texas Senate in 2006, Senator Watson represents Senate District 14, which now covers most of Travis County and all of Bastrop County. In this interview, Senator Watson discusses his top legislative priorities, including ready access to […]

The Honorable Julián Castro, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act signing by LBJ. He sits down with Dean Angela Evans to talk about how far we’ve come since the act was signed, and what challenges remain in making housing fair and available for […]

Ruth Wasem returns to Policy on Purpose for continued discussion on immigration in America, focusing on the four pillars presented by President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address. Wasem is a clinical professor of public policy practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and served as a domestic policy specialist at […]

In this inaugural episode of Policy on Purpose, we sit down with Ruth Wasem, clinical professor of public policy practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For more than 25 years, Ruth Wasem was a domestic policy specialist at the U.S. Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service, and in this interview, she offers her […]